The surah begins with the two separate letters Ha and Mim which are then followed by an oath by the book that makes things clear.

Both the letters and the book are of the same nature: in its spoken form, the book is of the same type as the letters. Just like all letters in human language, the two letters, or sounds, are of God’s signs: it is He who created people and gave them the sounds of their languages. When such letters are mentioned, they carry more than a single meaning with reference to the Qur’an.

God states this oath by the two letters and the clear book so as to confirm the purpose of making this Qur’an in the form it was made when revealed to the Arabs: have made the Qur'an a discourse in Arabic so that you may understand” (Verse 3) The purpose, then, is that they should understand it as it is composed in their own tongue.

The Qur’an is God’s revelation which He has made, in its spoken form, Arabic as He chose the Arabs to be the bearers of His message.

We explained this purpose partly in commenting on the previous surah.

Moreover, God made His choice on the basis of His knowledge that the Arabs were suitable message-bearers and that their language could best express it. God knows whom to entrust with His message.

He then defines what position He has assigned for the Qur’an with Him and its value in His overall plan for the universe: “It originates in the source of revelation kept with Us; it is indeed sublime, full of wisdom.” (Verse 4) We will only in passing refer to the literal meaning of the phrase Umm al-Kitab, translated here as ‘the source of revelation’. Does it refer to the ‘imperishable tablet’1 mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’an, or to God’s eternal knowledge? Both are the same in the sense that they do not have a specific meaning within our sphere of knowledge.

Yet the verse transmits a definite impression that the Qur’an has an especially high value in God’s overall knowledge and planning. This is enough for us. The Qur’an is ‘sublime , and 'full of wisdom . These two qualities give it a specific rationality, and indeed it is so! It is as if the Qur’an has a soul of its own, with special features and qualities, that respond to the souls of those who interact with it. With its sublime position and wisdom, it provides guidance to humanity, leading it according to its own nature and qualities, imparting to its rational understanding and to its life values, concepts and facts that are also sublime and bear wisdom.

When this fact has been established it makes the people who speak the language in which the Qur’an has been revealed appreciate the great gift and blessing God has given them. It shows them the extent of their transgression when they turn away from it in disdain. It is they who deserve to be treated with contempt. Therefore, they are told that they may well be ignored because of their transgression: "Should We ignore you and take away this reminder from you because you are people who transgress beyond bounds?"' (Verse 5)

Amazingly, although the Arabs recognized that God was the Creator of the heavens and the earth, they did not follow this through to its logical conclusion, declaring His oneness and address all worship to Him. On the contrary, they attributed partners to Him, assigning to these some of the cattle He has created. They also alleged that the angels were God’s daughters whom they worshipped in the form of idols. The Qur’an reports their acknowledgement of God’s creation, puts before them the logic of human nature which they discard, and outlines the behaviour they should adopt in response to His blessings, particularly ships and cattle. It then describes what they claim about the angels:

Yet if you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they are sure to answer, ‘The Almighty, the All-Knowing created them. ’ It is He who has smoothed out the earth for you and has traced on it paths for you so that you can find your way. And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure. With it We raise dead land to life; and thus you will be raised from the dead. And He it is who created all living things in pairs, and provided for you the ships and animals on which you ride, so that when you are seated on their backs you remember your Lord's blessings and say: ‘Limitless in His glory is He who has made all this subservient to our use. We could not have done it by ourselves. To our Lord we shall most certainly return. (Verses 9-14)

The Arabs had a faith, which we can imagine as consisting of remnants of the original pure faith of Abraham, that had lost its original shining colours, intermingled with legends. What remained was something that human nature could not deny, namely that the universe has a Creator who is God: the universe could not have existed without a Creator and the Creator could only be God. Yet, the Arabs did not take this natural truth to its logical conclusion; they simply stopped at the bare fact: “Yet if you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they are sure to answer, 'The Almighty, the AIl-Knowing created them.’” (Verse 9)

It is obvious that they did not verbalize Gods two attributes: the Almighty and the All-Knowing. They acknowledged that it was God who created the universe, but they did not know God according to His attributes detailed in the Islamic faith. These are positive attributes that produce a clear effect on people’s lives and the life of the universe.

They admitted that God created them and the universe, but they also alleged that He had partners because they did not know God’s attributes that would have made the very concept of partnership with Him appear absurd. The Qur’an tells them now that the Creator they acknowledge is the One who is Almighty and who knows all.

The surah takes them another step forward in outlining God’s attributes and the favours He has given them: “It is He who has smoothed out the earth for you and has traced on it paths for you so that you can find your way.” (Verse 10) Smoothing out the earth is a fact understood, in one way or another, by everyone. The people who were the first to be addressed by the Qur’an would have seen the earth smooth under their feet when they walked, ready for plants to grow. It is smoothed out generally for life to grow. However, we realize this today in a more profound way, taking into account what we have learnt about the nature of the earth and its history. Future generations will understand this fact in an even greater way; human knowledge will continue to expand and discover new facts that have so far remained unknown.

The surah then looks a step further at the process of life and the emergence of living creatures: “And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure. With it We raise dead land to life; and thus you will be raised from the dead” (Verse 11) Water comes down from the skies, as every person sees and knows, but most people are not moved by this remarkable phenomenon because of over familiarity.

Muhammad, God’s messenger, (peace be upon him), however, held a different attitude. He looked at the drops of rain with love and welcoming delight, knowing that they came from God; in other words, his heart recognized God’s handiwork in these drops. Every heart that is aware of its bond with God and the laws of nature He has set in operation should adopt this attitude. Every raindrop is the result of these laws of nature which operate under God’s eye and control. That rain originates from the vapour that rises from the earth and cools down in the atmosphere in no way diminishes the implication of these facts. Who has brought the earth into being, placed water on it, subjected it to heat, made water naturally evaporate and vapour rise and condense? Who has given the universe its other characteristics which give the condensing vapour an electrical charge so that when clouds gather, their electric charges cause rain to fall? Besides, what is electricity?

What are these other characteristics that produce the combined effect of rain falling down? As we learn more about nature, however, our knowledge casts a heavy weight over our understanding. We no longer appreciate the messages given by universal phenomena; we no longer allow these messages to refine our feelings and responses.

“And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure” (Verse 11) It is given in the right quantity, neither too much so as to flood large areas of land, nor too little to leave the land barren. Man has come to recognize the importance of maintaining this fine balance for the continuity of life. “ With it We raise dead land to life.” Life on earth flourishes where water is plentiful. It is from water that every living thing originates. “And thus you will be raised from the dead.” (Verse 11) The One who originated life in the first place will bring it back again. It is He who started life in a land that was dead, and He will raise all back to life on the Day of Resurrection. Nothing is difficult for Him.

We learn from this surah that the Arab unbelievers used to assign a portion of their cattle to God and another portion to other beings.

God, however, created cattle as one of the favours He bestows on man: people ride cattle as they ride on ships and they should appreciate His blessings and give thanks: “And He it is who created all living things in pairs, and provided for you the ships and animals on which you ride, so that when you are seated on their backs you remember your Lord's blessings and say: 'Limitless in His glory is He who has made all this subservient to our use. We could not have done it by ourselves. To our Lord we shall most certainly return.” (Verses 12-14)

The surah then refers to the absurd legend that makes deities of angels, alleging that they are Gods daughters when they are no more than a different type of creature:

Yet they assign to Him some of His own servants as offspring. Surely man is clearly bereft ofallgratitude. Would He, out of all His creation, choose for Himself daughters and favour you with sons? If any of them i. given the good news of the birth of what he so readily attributes to the Lord of Grace, his face darkens and he is filled with gloom. [Would they ascribe to God] someone who is brought up among trinkets and cannot put together a clear argument? They claim that the angels, who are themselves but servants of the Lord of Grace, are females! Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be put on record and they will be questioned about it. They say: 'Had it been the will of the Lord of Grace, we should never have worshipped them.9 Of that they have no knowledge:

they are blatantly lying. Or have We given them a book before this one to which they are still holding fast? No indeed! They say, 'We found our forefathers following this tradition and we find our guidance by following in their footsteps.9 And thus it is: whenever, before your time, We sent a messenger to any community, the wealthy among them said: 'We found our forefathers following this tradition and we are only following in their footsteps.9 He said: 'Even though I bring you a guidance better than what you saw your forefathers following?9 They replied: 'We reject the message you have been sent with.9 Therefore, We inflicted Our retribution on them. Reflect on how those who rejected the truth met their end. (Verses 15-25)

The surah addresses every aspect of this superstition, leaving no loophole unclosed. Throughout, the surah uses the unbelievers’ own logic and draws on their own life situations. It places before them the fate of earlier communities that adopted a similar stand to theirs, making almost identical allegations. It begins by highlighting the absurdity of this superstition and what it means of blatant rejection of the truth: “ Yet they assign to Him some of His own servants as offspring.

Surely man is clearly bereft of all gratitude." (Verse 15) The angels are God’s servants. To allege that they are God’s offspring means that they are not His servants, but instead have a special relationship with Him.

Since they are God’s servants, to give them any special relation to their Creator is meaningless. All God’s creatures are His servants. Such a claim, thus, brands man as a clear unbeliever: “Surely man is clearly bereft of all gratitude." (Verse 15)

Using their own logic and standards, the surah ridicules their allegation that the angels are female and then their claim that they are Gods offspring: “ Would He, out of all His creation, choose for Himself daughters and favour you with sons?' (Verse 16) If God were to take offspring for Himself, why would He choose females and give the males to them? This is nothing less than absurd and especially when they are so distressed when a daughter is born to them. “If any of them is given the good news of the birth of what he so readily attributes to the Lord of Grace, his face darkens and he is filled with gloom." (Verse 17)