This sūrah belongs to the part of the Qur’ān revealed to the Prophet when he was in Makkah. Although this part of the Qur’ān was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) over a period of thirteen years, it deals with only one question. The nature of this question did not change, although the manner of its presentation varied according to the style of the Qur’ān. We, therefore, see this question being constantly presented in a new light, just as if it were being raised for the first time. What is this primary and most fundamental question of this new religion? Essentially, it is the question of faith with its two main aspects, Godhead and His servants, and the relationship between them. It is addressed to every human being in that particular capacity, i.e. as a human being. In this respect, an Arab at the time of the revelation of the Qur’ān, or in any other subsequent generation, and a non-Arab of any generation, are equal.

This is the ever-present question with which man must deal; it is the question of man’s existence in the universe, his ultimate goal, and his relationship with the universe and other creatures. More importantly, it is the question which deals with the relationship between man and the Creator of the universe and all creation. We say that this question does not change, because it relates to man’s very being.

The part of the Qur’ān revealed in Makkah explains to man the secret of his existence and the secret of the universe surrounding him. It tells him who he is, where he has come from, for what purpose and where he will go in the end. Who brings him from non-existence into being, who takes him away and to what destiny?

It also informs man about the nature of the things he can touch and see and the things which he can sense and conceive without being able to see. It answers his questions concerning the Originator of this universe, which is full of mysteries: Who controls it and who brings about changes? Similarly, this part of the Qur’ān tells man how to relate to the Creator, to the physical world, and to other human beings.

This great question is the pivot around which human existence turns. It will continue to occupy this position for the rest of time. The full thirteen years of the Makkan period were devoted to explaining and expounding this fundamental question. Indeed, all other questions concerning human life may be said to stem from it.

The Qur’ān made this question its only subject without moving on to discuss any subsidiary topics concerning human life. This continued to be the case until God had decided that the fundamental issue of faith had been fully explained and correctly understood by the community chosen by Him to establish the Islamic faith in a practical human environment.

The advocates of the divine faith who work for the establishment of Islam in real life should carefully consider this most significant fact. They should reflect on the reasons for devoting thirteen full years to the expounding of the central issue of faith, without discussing any of the details of the Islamic system or the legislation to be implemented in an Islamic society.

In His infinite wisdom, God willed that the issue of faith and belief should be the one addressed by His message right from its very first day. He also willed that His Messenger (peace be upon him) should start his first advocacy steps by calling on people to believe that there is no deity other than God. He was also to devote all efforts to explaining to people who their true Lord is, so that they may submit themselves to Him alone.

From the viewpoint of man’s limited understanding, this does not appear an easy way to reach the hearts of the Arabs at that time. The Arabs knew their language well and clearly understood the meaning of the term, ilāh, i.e. deity, and the phrase, lā ilāh illā Allāh, i.e. there is no deity other than God. They realized that Godhead signified sovereignty, and that when sovereignty was recognized to belong to God alone, this meant that all authority exercised by priests, tribal chiefs, and rulers would revert to God. Thus, only God’s authority would prevail in people’s hearts and consciences, in matters of both religious observance and practical life, such as business, the distribution of wealth and the dispensation of justice; in short, the authority over man’s body and soul.

The Arabs at the time of the Prophet knew very well that the declaration that ‘there is no deity other than God’ was a challenge to the worldly authority that usurped the first and foremost attribute of God, namely, sovereignty. It was a rebellion against all situations established on the basis of such usurpation, a rebellion against any authority that ruled on the basis of a man-made law not sanctioned by God Almighty. The Arabs, who knew their language well, were well aware what the message based on `there is no deity other than God’ meant in relation to their traditions and the powers they exercised. Hence their hostility towards this message, and hence their war against it, determined as they were to nip it in the bud.

So why did the Islamic call begin in this manner? What was the divine wisdom behind allowing it to be faced with such brazen hostility?

When the Prophet Muĥammad (peace be upon him) was given his message, the most fertile and wealthiest parts of the Arab lands were not in Arab hands. Syria, in the north, was under the control of the Byzantines who appointed puppet Arab rulers to conduct its affairs. Similarly, in the south, Yemen was under the tutelage of the Persian Empire who appointed local Arab governors. The only independent Arab parts were the Ĥijāz and Najd, barren deserts with a few oases dotted about here and there.

Muĥammad (peace be upon him) was distinguished in his community for his honesty and truthfulness, and for his mature judgement. The leaders of the Quraysh, the major Arab tribe, had earlier made him the arbiter in a dispute that threatened to cause a major war, and were very pleased with his judgement. Moreover, he belonged to the leading family in the top Quraysh clan, the Hashimites. Hence, it would have been easy for him to launch an Arab nationalist movement aimed at uniting the Arabian tribes that had been weakened by long periods of feuding and disputation. He could then have directed them towards the goal of liberating their lands from the colonial rule of the Byzantines to the north and the Persians to the south. He could then have been in a position to establish a strong and united Arab state throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

It could be argued that had the Prophet (peace be upon him) directed his call in this way, all the Arabs would most probably have responded positively to him. In turn, this would have spared him thirteen years of tortuous opposition by those who wielded power in Arabia.

It may also be argued that when Arabia had thus responded to the Prophet’s call and recognized his leadership, and when he had led the Arabs to such national glory, he could have used all his power and standing to convince the Arabs to accept the message entrusted to him by his Lord. He could then have preached the faith based on God’s oneness. He would have made the Arabs surrender themselves to God after they had submitted to his authority.

But God who knows all did not, in His wisdom, direct his Messenger to follow this route. Instead, He directed him to declare that “there is no deity other than God”, and to bear with his few Companions all the ensuing persecution.

Again why did this happen? It was not God’s purpose to subject His Messenger and the believers to oppression. But God knew that replacing Byzantine or Persian tyranny with Arab tyranny was not the right way. For all tyranny is the same. The earth belongs to God and must submit purely to God. This cannot be achieved unless the banner of `no deity other than God’ is unfurled across the earth. Man is servant to God alone, and this cannot be maintained except when the banner of `no deity other than God’ is raised high. And this must be done in the way an Arab who knows his language well understands: all sovereignty belongs to God alone; there is no law other than God’s law; all authority belongs to God. The only grouping of people which Islam proclaims is based on faith, in which Arabs, Byzantines, Persians and people of all races and colours are equal, flying God’s banner.

At the time when the Prophet received the message God entrusted to him, Arabian society was in a very bad way with regard to the distribution of wealth and social justice. A handful of people monopolized all wealth and commerce. Moreover, they were able to multiply their resources through usurious transactions. The great majority of people, on the other hand, were poor and hungry. Besides, the wealthy ones also enjoyed a position of honour and distinction, while the majority were deprived of all that.

It would have been easy for Muĥammad (peace be upon him) to start a social movement, declaring war against the aristocracy, and calling for social justice through the redistribution of wealth. Had he done so, Arab society would have been split into two: the great majority would have supported him against the tyranny of wealth and nobility. This would have been better than the opposition he faced from the whole of society when he declared that `there is no deity other than God’. For when he did so, only a few noble souls were able to rise to the sublimity of his call.

It may be said that had Muĥammad (peace be upon him) followed this route, gaining the support of the majority and defeating the minority opposing him, he could have utilized his power to establish the faith based on God’s oneness which God had entrusted to him. He would, thus, have been able to make people submit to their Lord after they had submitted to his authority.

But God, in His infinite wisdom, did not direct His Messenger to follow this path.

God knows that this is not the way. He knows that social justice can only be achieved fully through a comprehensive ideological concept that submits all affairs to God.

With such a concept people would willingly accept whatever God rules in respect of fair distribution and mutual social solidarity. Thus, both the giver and the recipient realize that they are implementing a divine system and hope to be well rewarded for their obedience both in this life and in the life to come. Thus, such a society would be free of both greed and grudges. Things are not put into effect by strong-handed measures that strike terror into people’s hearts. People do not feel desolate, and their spirits are not broken, as is the case under systems based on principles other than that of God’s oneness.

The standards of morality that prevailed in Arabia at the time when the Prophet was given his message were at a very low ebb, even though some natural virtues of uncorrupted Bedouin life were still retained.

Oppression was the rule of the day. This is especially clear in the poetry of the time, such as that of Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā who writes: “Whoever does not defend his property with arms will find it plundered, and whoever does not oppress others will himself be oppressed.” A motto that was commonly held in pre-Islamic Arabia was: “Help your brother, whether he inflicts or suffers injustice.” Drinking and gambling were recognized social traditions. Indeed, people took pride in such habits. All Arab poetry of the pre-Islamic days of ignorance reflects this very clearly. An example may be taken from a poem by Ţarfah ibn al-`Abd:

Had it not been for three practices a young man enjoys, I would not have cared when I meet my death.

One of these is that I beat those who counsel moderation to a drink of wine which is so potent that it bubbles when it is mixed with water.

Drinking, the pursuit of pleasure and spending whatever I lay my hands on have been my life.

And because of that my whole clan has abandoned me, like a camel with a terrible itch.

Promiscuity in various forms was common practice in society. `Ā’ishah, the Prophet’s wife, describes in an authentic ĥadīth:

Four types of matrimonial relationship were common in the days of jāhiliyyah.1 The first of these was the one we have today: a man makes a proposal to marry another man’s daughter or his ward, pays her dowry, and marries her. A second type was that a man would tell his wife, after she had finished a menstrual period, to call on a particular man and become pregnant by him. The husband in this case would stay away from his wife not touch her until she was clearly pregnant. He would then have intercourse with her if he so wished. The husband resorted to this in order to have a son of better traits. This relationship was known as istibđā’. Another type of relationship was that a number of men, less than 10, would have one woman and each would have sexual intercourse with her. Should she become pregnant and give birth to a child, she would send for them after a few nights to come over.

None of them would be able to stay away. When they gathered at her place, she would say to them, “You know what has been going on between us, and now I have a child”. She would point to one of them and say, “It is your child”. She named whomever she wanted, and the child would be named as that person’s child, and he could not deny this. A fourth type of relationship was that many men would associate with the one woman, who would not refuse anyone. Such women were prostitutes. They used to place a flag on their doors as a sign of what they did. Whoever wanted a prostitute was free to go to her. Should any prostitute get pregnant and give birth, they would go to her and call in an expert in recognizing resemblances. He would ascribe the child’s paternity to one of them, and the child would be considered his.

When, after strenuous efforts, the faith was established in people’s hearts and the authority behind it was properly acknowledged; when people recognized their Lord and worshipped Him alone; when people were free of the pressures of other authorities and the pressures of their own desires; when the concept of `no deity other than God’ was imprinted on people’s hearts, God accomplished with it, and with those who believed in it, all that people might have suggested in the way of reform.

The land was now free of Byzantium and Persia, but their colonial rule had not been replaced by an Arab power. Instead God’s authority took their place. The land was now free of all tyranny.

Society was freed of all social injustice, because the Islamic system was established to administer God’s justice, according to the principles approved by God Himself.

The banner of social justice was raised in God’s name, but it was called the banner of Islam, on which was written, `there is no deity other than God’.

People’s morals were elevated; hearts and souls were purified; and the medium of control was people’s own consciences. Hence, the mandatory and discretionary punishments prescribed by God were not needed, except in very few cases. People were eager to earn God’s reward. They were ashamed to be seen by Him violating His orders, feared to incur His punishment. Such feelings took the place of any police administration and the various punishments it could impose.

In its social order, morality and life in general, humanity was raised to a summit it had never achieved before. It was not to attain that summit again except under Islam.

All this happened because those who established Islam, in its state, government system, laws and regulations, had already established it in their consciences and lives in the form of faith, morality, worship and behaviour. For their efforts in establishing this religion, they were promised only one thing which included nothing of victory and power, not even for Islam through their efforts. The promise they received had nothing to do with the life of this world. They were promised Paradise. That is their reward for all their hard striving, withstanding hard trials, unwavering advocacy of Islam, confronting the forces of jāhiliyyah with the message of `no deity other than God’, hateful as it certainly is to those in power at all times and places.

God put those people to trial and they proved themselves to be steadfast, caring little for any personal gain. They showed themselves not to be looking for reward in this world, no matter how valuable it may be, not even victory for Islam through their own efforts. They were devoid of pride of lineage, tribe, ethnic origin, nationality or country. When they proved all this, God knew that they could fulfil the greatest trust, should it be assigned to them. They would be true to the faith which assigns all sovereignty to God alone, including authority over hearts and consciences, behaviour and worship, body and soul, and all situations. They would fulfil the trust granted to them when they were given power to implement God’s law and establish total justice. They would not use such power to serve their own interests or those of their clan, community, nation or race. They would use that power only to serve the divine faith and the divine law, because they knew that only God gave them that power.

We now have a clear idea of the reasons behind the fact that the parts of the Qur’ān revealed in Makkah concentrated on imprinting the fundamental principle of ‘there is no deity other than God’ on people’s hearts and minds, even though it appeared difficult in comparison to other ways.

Moreover, it was important that the advocates of Islam should seriously reflect on the fact that these Makkan parts of the Qur’ān concentrated on the issue of faith, without discussing the details of the system to be based on it or the laws governing transactions under this system.

It is the nature of the Islamic faith that has necessitated this approach. Islam in its entirety is based on the belief in God’s oneness: all its systems and laws branch out of this essential principle. A high, great tree, with thick and wide branches, must establish its roots deep into the earth and spread them over a wide area, in proportion to its size. Similarly, the Islamic system extends into all aspects of life, dealing with all human affairs, large and small. It regulates human life, not only in this present world but also in the life to come, and not merely in our dealings with the world we see around us, but with the one beyond, which we sense but cannot see. Its legal provisions do not cover only material transactions, but deal also with what is kept deep at heart, as well as intentions and ideas. Thus, we see that it represents a huge institution with great and far-reaching dimensions.

This aspect of the nature of Islam defines the way it is to be founded and organized. It makes it clear that the proper establishment of the faith on solid foundations and its thorough interaction with all aspects of the human soul are a necessary prerequisite for the proper progress of the faith. It is also a guarantee of a proper relationship between the stem and branches of the tree and its roots.

When belief in `there is no deity other than God’ penetrates into the deep recesses of people’s hearts, the system based on it is simultaneously well established. It is clear that it is the only system acceptable to those who believe in this faith. They will submit to this system even before its details and regulations are presented to them.

Such submission is the corollary of accepting the faith. It is in the spirit of such submission that the early Muslims received Islamic laws and regulations. They expressed their satisfaction, objecting to no rule or regulation, showing no hesitation to implement them as soon as they were issued. Thus, the practices of drinking, usury and gambling, as well as other habits of the pre-Islamic days of ignorance, were abolished. Indeed, they were eradicated with no more than a few verses of the Qur’ān, or a few statements by the Prophet (peace be upon him). Compare this with the efforts of secular governments. They try hard to achieve only a small measure of such success, devoting all their legal authorities, laws and law-enforcement machinery, media and public awareness schemes to it. Yet the maximum they achieve is to detect violations done on the surface, while society continues to be plagued with illegal practices. 2

Another aspect of the nature of this religion is reflected by the method of action it adopts: this religion of Islam is both practical and serious, aiming to regulate and control everyday affairs. It looks at practical matters and determines whether to approve, modify or change them altogether. Therefore, its legislation applies only to existing conditions in a community that recognizes God’s sovereignty in the first place.

Islam is not a theory dealing with assumptions. It is a way of life dealing with existing situations. Hence, it must be established in a Muslim community which believes that `there is no deity other than God’, and acknowledges that sovereignty belongs to God alone. It denies the authority of anyone else and refuses legitimacy of any situation that is not based on this fundamental principle.

Only when such a community comes into existence, and it begins to face its own practical problems does this religion begin to establish its systems and formulate its laws. These will be implemented by people who in principle have already submitted themselves to them and rejected all other systems and laws. It is also necessary that those who believe in the Islamic faith should have sufficient power over themselves and in their society to enable them to implement Islamic systems and laws. Only in this way can the Islamic system be respected and Islamic law appear serious.

Moreover, the Muslim community will then have practical issues that need to be addressed by the enactment of laws and regulations.

The Muslims in Makkah did not have power to organize their life or the life of their community. Nor did they have an autonomous community with its own problems that needed to be addressed according to God’s law. Hence, laws and regulations were not given to them in God’s revelations. The revelations only gave them a faith and a code of morality derived from faith after it had established itself firmly in people’s hearts and souls. But when the Muslims established their state in Madinah, one which exercised power, the laws were given to them and the system to establish them was outlined. Thus Islam began to face the practical needs of the Muslim community, because the Muslim state guaranteed respect and implementation of the law.

God Almighty did not wish to send down the details of the system and the laws and regulations when they were still in Makkah, so that they would have them in place, to be implemented as soon as they established their state in Madinah. This would have gone against the nature of the Islamic faith. Islam is far more practical and serious than this. It does not provide hypothetical solutions to hypothetical problems. It looks at the prevailing conditions and circumstances, determines what needs sorting out and interacts with it in its own unique way.

People today may suggest that Islam should provide models for a political system and legal codes and regulations, even though we do not have a single society determined to implement God’s law to the exclusion of all other laws and having the wherewithal to carry this through. But these people do not understand the nature of this religion or how it operates in life as God wants it to operate. They want Islam to change its nature, mode of operation and history so that it follows the same pattern as man-made theories and methods. They try to force Islam out of its way in order to satisfy temporary desires which are the product of a defeatist mentality. They want Islam to mould itself in the form of hypotheses and abstractions, dealing with unreal assumptions. But God wants this religion to have its own character: a faith to fill people’s hearts and rule over their consciences, making sure that people submit to no one other than Him, and that they derive their laws from no other source than Him.

We need to discuss how the Qur’ān addressed the issue of faith during the thirteen years of the Makkan period. Certainly it did not present it in the form of a theory or a theological study. Nor was it presented in the form of a scholastic discourse of the type which was later to be known as `ilm al-kalām, which dealt mainly with the concept of God’s oneness.

None of this! The Qur’ān simply addresses human nature, utilizing all the signs, indicators and pointers within man’s own soul and in the universe at large. Thus it liberates human nature from all the pressures that have beclouded its receptive faculties and opens up windows to the world. Thus is human nature able to make the right and proper response. The sūrah we are discussing in this volume provides a perfect example of this unique method.

More specifically, the Qur’ān launched a practical campaign against the pressures disrupting the proper functioning of human nature. The field of battle was living human souls. Success could not have been achieved without a direct confrontation which aimed to rend the curtains that had fallen on people’s hearts and minds and to remove the walls and psychological blocks that stood between man and the truth.

Nor was intellectual argumentation, based on verbal logic, which was the hallmark of the scholastic theology of later times, appropriate for the purpose. The Qur’ān confronted a whole human environment, with all its conditions and circumstances, and addressed the whole human entity within this environment. Similarly, a purely `theological’ address was unsuitable. Although Islam is a faith, it also incorporates a code to be implemented in practical life. It does not confine itself to the narrow spheres of theological discourse.

As the Qur’ān worked to establish the faith in the hearts and consciences of the Muslim community, it also fought a hard and determined battle against the surrounding jāhiliyyah and against the remaining traces of jāhiliyyah in the new community’s conscience, morals and practices. Thus, the structure of the Islamic faith was raised under these circumstances, but not in the form of a theory or intellectual discourse, but in a practical and organized social set-up represented by the Muslim community itself. The growth of the Muslim community in its understanding of its faith, and its implementation in practice, as well as its awareness and training to confront jāhiliyyah, mirrored the growth of the ideological structure and gave it practical manifestation. Here we see the true Islamic method that reflects its nature and spirit.

The advocates of Islam need to fully understand this dynamic method of operation so that they can realize that the stage of building the faith, which took such a long time in Makkah, was not separate from the stage of practical organization in which the Muslim community came into existence. It was not a stage of having a theory to learn and study. It was a single stage to lay the foundations of the faith, the community and its practical structure all at the same time. The same applies every time the Islamic structure is raised again.

From the Islamic point of view, it is a great error, indeed a serious danger, that the faith should simply evolve into an abstract theory for academic study.

It is not because the Qur’ān was being revealed for the first time that it took thirteen years to build its faith. Had He so willed, God could have revealed the Qur’ān in full at the beginning and allowed the new Muslims a lengthy period to study it, until they had fully grasped the `Islamic theory’.

In His infinite wisdom, however, God wanted something different. He wanted to put in place a unique method of operation that laid the foundation of the faith, the community and the movement all at the same time. He wanted the community and the movement to be founded on faith, and He wanted the faith to grow with the dynamic progress of the community. He wanted the practical life of that community to be a mirror of the faith. God, limitless is He in His glory, knew that the refinement of souls and the building of communities could not be achieved overnight. Hence, it was necessary that raising the structure of the faith should take the same length of time as the building of the community and the refinement of believers’ souls. Thus, when faith had taken its full shape, the community reflected its maturity in practice.

This is the nature of this religion as defined in the light of the Qur’ānic revelations in Makkah. We need to understand its nature and not try to change it under the influence of an impatient, defeatist mentality, brought under pressure from man- made theories and doctrines. It is with this particular nature and with its particular qualities that Islam was able to bring the first Muslim community into existence.

Similarly, it can mould the same type of community, using the same nature and qualities, whenever it needs to come into being, by God’s will.

We should be aware of the error and danger involved in trying to narrow down the dynamic Islamic faith into a `theory’ for intellectual discussion, trying to show its superiority over man-made theories. The Islamic faith must take shape in living souls, be an active organization and a movement striving against the surrounding jāhiliyyah. Viewed in this light, the Islamic faith takes up a much larger space in people’s hearts and lives, and exercises a much more profound influence on their minds, than any theory. Indeed, it produces all the benefits of a theory but does not remain confined to it.

The Islamic concept of Godhead, the universe, man and life is not only perfect and comprehensive, but also positive and practical. By nature, it dislikes being reduced to a merely intellectual concept, as this is contrary to its nature. It needs to be personified in human beings, in an active organization and in a practical situation so that it comes into its full shape, theoretically and practically, at the same time. Every theoretical progress that moves ahead of, and is not reflected in, practical progress is both erroneous and hazardous when viewed from the Islamic perspective.

The advocates of Islam must be well aware that just as this religion is a divine revelation, its method of operation, which is harmonious with its nature, is also God- given. It is not possible to separate the truth of Islam and its method of action. They must also realize that just like Islam wants to change people’s beliefs and practices, it also wants to change their intellectual and operational methods which formulate concepts of belief and bring about social change. Islam aims to build a faith at the same time as it builds a community and a nation. It also initiates its own independent mode of thinking, in the same way as it initiates its own concepts and way of life. All are parts of a complete whole.

Now that we know what method of action Islam adopts, we should also know that this method is permanent: it is not applicable to just a certain stage, environment or the special circumstances that pertained when the first Muslim community came into existence. It is a method of action which is indispensable for Islamic revival. Islam has never confined its objective to changing people’s beliefs and conditions; it also aims to change their outlook and way of thinking. As a method of action, Islam is divine and fundamentally different from all human methods. We cannot achieve the type of life this divine religion wants to establish unless we adopt its divinely- ordained method, intended by God to reform human thought and practice.

When we try to give Islam the guise of a theory to be studied, we move away from the divine method of operation and thinking. We subject Islam to human modes of thinking, as though the divine method is inferior and as though we want to elevate it to that superior standard! This is extremely dangerous.

The function of the divine method is to give us, the advocates of Islam, a new way of thinking to dissociate ourselves from jāhiliyyah. If we were to impose on Islam a way of thinking alien to its nature, popular as it may be, we nullify its function in human life and deprive ourselves of a great opportunity to be free of the pressure of the ignorant ways of thinking which prevail in our world. Such ways of thinking will continue to have their influence on our minds and lives. Again, this is extremely dangerous.

In Islam, the way of thinking and the methods of operation are no less important than the conceptual beliefs or the practical system. In fact, these are inseparable.

Important as we may think it to present Islamic beliefs and systems in a refined, expounding form, we must not forget that such presentation will not bring Islam into being as a practical reality or a dynamic movement. We must not lose sight of the fact that the only people to benefit from such a presentation are those who are already working within an Islamic movement. The maximum benefit these people will have is to interact with it at the level they have already reached while working for Islam.

To recap, Islamic belief concepts must materialize in a practical movement which, in turn, should be a true representation of its beliefs. This is the natural Islamic method of operation, which is superior, more effective and far better suited to human nature than trying to formulate theories in an intellectual manner before people are engaged in a dynamic movement of Islamic advocacy which aims to put Islam into practice.

This sūrah, the first Makkan sūrah we discuss in this work, provides a complete sample of the parts of the Qur’ān revealed in Makkah. We have outlined above the nature, characteristics and method of these parts. We see all these in this sūrah, its main theme, the way it is approached and how it is presented. At the same time, the sūrah has, like every individual sūrah of the Qur’ān, its distinctive character which no attentive reader can fail to recognize. Indeed, every sūrah has its own character, features, central idea, and method of presenting its main theme. Not only so, but each sūrah uses its own inspiration, images, subtleties of meaning, and general ambience. These are all featured in its presentation of its subject matter. Moreover, each sūrah uses its own special expressions that may be repeated at intervals, even when it tackles one theme or several related themes. It is not the theme that delineates the character of a sūrah, but its special and distinctive features.

Nevertheless, this sūrah tackles its subject matter in a unique way. At every turn, in every situation or scene, it brings out in sharp relief all the awesome splendour of what is being portrayed, keeping us spellbound, breathless as we follow its scenes and hear its changing, powerful rhythm. This is certainly true! I feel it in my heart as I follow the flow of the sūrah, its scenes and beats. I think that no reader or listener of any degree of intelligence could fail to appreciate something of its awesome splendour.

The whole sūrah presents the truth of Godhead as it is reflected in life and the universe, human soul and conscience, the secrets of the world around us and the secrets of the world beyond the reach of our faculties of perception. It also presents it in the scenes of the creation of the universe, life and human creation, as well as in the destruction of past communities to allow new ones to take their place. It further presents the truth of Godhead in scenes of human nature as it faces the universe, different events, turns of fortune, blessings and trials, and in scenes of divine power over all aspects of human life, be they apparent or hidden, present or future. It finally presents the same truth in scenes of the Day of Resurrection, as creatures are brought before their Lord.

From start to finish, the sūrah discusses the theme of faith, in all its features and aspects. It takes the human soul, in its totality, by the hand, and roams over the whole universe, looking at inspirations of faith, observing light and darkness, the sun, the moon, the stars, cultivated gardens and ones growing wild, the rain that falls on them and the waters running through them. In this great round, the sūrah also shows the human soul the doom suffered by past generations and their remains. It floats with it through the darkness of land and sea, the secrets of the world beyond and those of the human soul itself. It looks at how the living comes out of the dead and the dead out of the living, the seed planted in the darkness of the soil and the sperm planted in the darkness of the uterus. Then, suddenly, the earth is full of jinn and humans, birds, beasts, generations of living things past and present, and angels watching over the living at night and during the day.

This sūrah tackles the main issue of faith, Godhead and servitude. Its approach is to make known to people who their true Lord is, answering questions like: Who is He? What is the origin of this existence? What are the secrets beyond it? Who are these creatures? Who brings them into being; and who gives them their provisions and controls their affairs? Who turns their hearts and sights? Who controls the sequence of their days and nights? Who initiates them; and then re-initiates them?

For what purpose has He created them? What term has He appointed for them? To what destiny does He deliver them? And then, as regards this life springing up here and there: who initiates it in such a lifeless environment? What about the pouring rain, the opening buds, the tightly piled grain, the piercing star, the breaking dawn, the darkness of the night as it covers all, and the cosmos beyond: who controls all this? What secrets do they hide and what news do they bring? Then again, all these generations that come and go, prosper and perish: who gives them power on earth and who takes it away and leaves them to perish? Why are they placed in control of the world, and why are they left to be ruined? And what remains beyond death of reckoning and reward?

The sūrah takes our hearts and minds over such endless horizons and into such depths. There is no attempt to provide a theory of faith, or start a theological argument. The sūrah simply aims to make known to people who their true Lord is, so that they may submit themselves to Him alone, surrendering their consciences, souls, efforts, traditions, worship and all their lives to the Almighty, the only deity in the universe.

The whole drift of the sūrah, from start to finish, follows this direction: God is the Creator, the provider, the owner, the almighty who knows all that is concealed. He turns hearts and sights as He turns nights into days. As such, God should be the one who rules over human life to the exclusion of all others. No one else can legislate or judge, permitting certain things and prohibiting others. Such authority belongs to God and may not be exercised by anyone else. For none other than God can create, provide, give life, cause death, cause benefit or harm, give or deprive, or exercise any control over oneself or others in this life or in the life to come. The sūrah provides numerous proofs in the scenes and situations it discusses with its unique style, bringing in a multitude of effects and inspirations of every sort and type.

The great issue the sūrah addresses is that of Godhead and submission in the heavens and on earth, and in its broadest spectrum. However, the immediate occasion that brings up this issue and emphasizes the need for its implementation is that of food and animal slaughter. The jāhiliyyah society exercised the authority to make certain things lawful and others forbidden, and established certain rituals concerning offerings, agricultural produce and offspring. It is these details that are discussed towards the end of the sūrah. (See verses 118-21 and 136-40.)

Several reports by Ibn `Abbās, Asmā’ bint Yazīd, Jābir, Anas ibn Mālik and `Abdullāh ibn Mas`ūd confirm that this sūrah was revealed in Makkah on one occasion.

Nothing in these reports or in the subject matter of the sūrah indicates the particular time of its revelation in the Makkan period. According to the most likely chronological order of revelation, this sūrah comes after Sūrah 15, Al-Ĥijr, which gives it number 55 in that order. But as we said in the Prologue to Sūrah 2 (Vol. I), we cannot, on the basis of this information, make any definitive judgement as to the time of revelation of different sūrahs. The reports we have on this particular point speak mainly of the revelation of the beginning, not the whole, of any particular sūrah. It may be that some later parts of an earlier sūrah are revealed after parts of a later sūrah. The sūrah we are discussing in this volume was revealed in its entirety at one go, but we cannot define the exact date of its revelation, although we feel it likely that it was after the early years of the Islamic message, maybe in the fifth or sixth year. In stating this probability we rely only on its number in the order of revelation and the wide variety of subjects it tackles at length. All this suggests a long ongoing argument with the unbelievers, who persisted in their rejection of the Prophet’s message. This is, perhaps, what requires a detailed discussion of issues on the lines we have here, and necessitates comforting God’s Messenger so as to remove the effects of long and determined opposition to his message.

Another report by Ibn `Abbās and Qatādah suggests that the entire sūrah was revealed in Makkah, with the exception of two of its verses which were revealed later in Madinah. The first of these is Verse 91, which states: “No true understanding of God have they when they say: ‘God has never revealed anything to any human being.’ Say: Who, then, revealed the Book which Moses brought to people as a light and a guidance? You transcribe it on sheets to show around, while you suppress much. You have been taught [by it] what neither you nor your forefathers had ever known. Say: God, and leave them to their play and foolish chatter.” The report suggests that it refers to two Jewish men, Mālik ibn al-Şayf and Ka`b ibn al-Ashraf. The second verse in question is the one stating: “It is He who has brought into being gardens — both of the cultivated type and those growing wild — and the date palm, and fields bearing different produce, and the olive tree, and the pomegranates, all resembling one another and yet so different. Eat of their fruit when they come to fruition, and give (to the poor) what is due to them on harvest day. But do not waste, for He does not love the wasteful.” (Verse 141) This verse is reported to refer to Thābit ibn Qays al-Anşārī, although Ibn Jurayj and al-Māwardī suggest that it refers to Mu`ādh ibn Jabal.

In so far as the report goes concerning Verse 91, it is possible, considering that it mentions the Torah, the book Moses brought as a light and guidance, and that it addresses the Jews directly. However, different reports by Mujāhid and Ibn `Abbās suggest that the reference to those who denied God’s revelation to anyone were the idolaters in Makkah and hence the verse is a Makkan revelation. A different reading of the verse gives it in the third person, saying, ` They transcribe it on sheets to show around, and they suppress much.’ According to this reading, which is admissible and favoured by al-Ţabarī, this statement gives information about the Jews and does not address them. Thus, the entire verse is concerned with the unbelievers.

We have referred briefly to the main theme and overall characteristics of the sūrah.

We need to add here a brief word on them.

Anas ibn Mālik quotes the Prophet as saying: “The sūrah al-An`ām was bestowed from on high, with a great many angels in attendance, blocking the horizon, raising their voices with God’s glorification, and the earth shaking under them.” God’s Messenger was repeating: “Limitless in His glory is God Almighty.” This great procession of angels and this shaking of the earth impart a clear impression to the sūrah. Indeed, the sūrah itself may be described as a procession which makes our hearts and the whole universe shake. It provides multitudes of situations, scenes, inspirations and rhythms, which flow like waves one after another.

As one wave reaches its breaking place, the next one follows very closely on its heels, almost reaching out to the one that precedes it. The flow remains continuous, unending.

Its central theme is seen as a whole. It is not possible to break the sūrah into sections, each dealing with a particular aspect of the main theme. What we have is a succession of waves, or rounds, each picking up where the previous one left off and complementing it. Hence, we are not going to discuss in these introductory remarks the topics the sūrah touches on. We will only give samples of its successive waves.

The sūrah starts with a confrontation with the idolaters who associate partners with God, while the indicators of God’s oneness stare them in the face, presenting themselves everywhere, both in the great universe and within their own souls. It puts to them the truth of Godhead, presented in panoramic touches depicting the whole universe as also their own existence. All this in three quick verses showing universal existence at its widest and deepest: “All praise is due to God, who has created the heavens and the earth, and brought into being darkness and light; yet those who disbelieve regard other beings as equal to their Lord. It is He who has created you out of clay, and then has decreed a term (for you), and there is another term known only to Him. Yet you are still in doubt. He alone is God in the heavens and on earth. He has full knowledge of all that you keep secret and all that you do openly. He knows what you earn.” (Verses 1-3) Three short verses the first comprises the whole universe and its existence, the second speaks of the human world in its entirety, and the third shows how Godhead encompasses both types of existence. How splendid! How comprehensive! Against such a universal view testifying to the Creator’s oneness, idolatry and doubt sound extremely singular. They have no place in the universal system or in human nature, or in people’s hearts and minds.

At this very moment the second wave begins by presenting the attitude of those who deny all the signs and indicators they see in the world around them and within themselves. As this singular attitude is shown, it is immediately followed with a warning, coupled with a reminder of the destruction of earlier communities. God’s overwhelming power is, thus, seen in full view. The stubborn attitude of those rejecting the truth in the face of such manifest truth appears to be strange indeed. We realize that it is not proofs that they lack but rather sincerity and an open mind.

We have already said that this sūrah deals with its subject matter in a very unique way. At every turn, in every situation or scene, it brings out in sharp relief all the awesome splendour of what is being portrayed, keeping us spellbound, breathless as we follow it. Now we will refer to particular verses confirming this, and the reader needs to carefully consider these for full appreciation. No matter how hard we try to describe this effect, we cannot give more than a vague feeling of it.

The central theme of the sūrah is to state the truth of Godhead and to give human beings sufficient knowledge about their true Lord so that they submit themselves to Him alone. Thus, it has much to say about providing proper witnesses and demarcating the lines that separate the believers from the unbelievers. Thus, this truth becomes clear in a believer’s mind and he is able to declare it with power and firmness in the face of those who take the opposite attitude. (Verses 14-19)

On warnings, the sūrah shows how God’s power encompasses all. When confronted with God’s power, human nature is freed of all stifling pressures and turns to its true Lord, forgetting the false deities people associate with Him. (Verses 40-7)

The sūrah has much to say about God’s knowledge of all that is secret or concealed, and the time appointed for the death of every living thing. He has full power over everything on land and sea, day and night, in this life and in the life to come. (Verses 59-62)

Human nature will undoubtedly turn towards God once it opens up to receive the inspiring guidance seen clearly in the world around us. Numerous are the pointers that address human nature appealing to its innate purity. (Verses 74-82)

The sūrah paints several scenes of life opening up. Thus we see images of the break of day, the approach of night, the bright stars, the darkness on land and sea, the pouring rain, growing vegetation, ripening fruits. In all this the unity of God, the only Creator and Originator is seen in perfect clarity. To ascribe partners or children to God sounds most absurd indeed. (Verses 95-103)

Finally on addressing our prayers to God alone, offering our worship, life and death purely to Him, denouncing any attempt to seek a Lord other than Him, and acknowledging His authority over this life and the designation of man’s role in it, and over the hereafter and the question of reckoning and reward, the sūrah ends with a humble prayer. (Verses 161-5)

These are only six examples of the breathtaking splendour the sūrah employs at every turn and in every scene. We should also refer here to the exceptional harmony the sūrah provides in drawing its different scenes. We will, however, give but three examples, leaving the full explanation to our detailed commentary.

The sūrah is full of different scenes and situations, but they all share one aspect in common. In each, the sūrah practically brings the listener to the scene to look at it carefully and to reflect on the situation described. This is done through words that almost show us the movement physically. Thus, the scenes painted include people whom the listener sees with his own eyes. Consider in this respect verses 27, 30, 93-4