Wannan surah an saukar da ita a Makkah jim kadan bayan Surah 26, Mawaƙa, kuma tana bin tsari iri ɗaya: gabatarwa da ƙarshe waɗanda tare suke bayyana babban jigon surah. A tsakanin su akwai labaran tarihi da yawa waɗanda ke jaddada babban jigon, suna ƙara bayyana shi. Waɗannan labaran tarihi suna taimakawa wajen kwatanta halayen kafirai a Makkah a gefe ɗaya da na magabatansu daga sauran al'ummomi a ɗaya gefen. Don haka, surah tana bayyana wani tsari da masu kare Musulunci a kowane zamani suke buƙatar yin tunani a kansa.

This sūrah was revealed in Makkah shortly after Sūrah 26, The Poets, and it follows the same pattern: an introduction and conclusion which together spell out the subject matter. In between there are several historical accounts that emphasize the main theme, providing further elucidation of it. Theses histories help to draw parallels between the attitudes of the unbelievers in Makkah on the one hand and their predecessors among other communities on the other. Thus, the sūrah reveals a pattern which advocates of Islam in any generation need to contemplate.

Kamar yadda yake a dukkan surorin Makkah, babban jigon shi ne imani: yin imani ga Allah da bautar Sa shi kaɗai, ba tare da abokin tarayya ba, da kuma yin imani da tashin alƙiyama, da lada da azaba a lahira. Hakan kuma yana buƙatar yin imani da wahayin Allah, da cewa dukkan al'amuran da suka wuce fahimtarmu, watau al-ghaib, na Allah ne: Shi kaɗai ne ke sanin su. Wani sharaɗi na irin wannan imani shi ne yin imani da siffofin Allah.

As in all Makkan sūrahs, the main theme is faith: to believe in God and worship Him alone, without partners, and to believe in the resurrection as well as reward and punishment in the hereafter. This also requires believing in God’s revelations, and that all matters that are beyond our perception, or ghayb, belong to God: they are known only to Him. A further prerequisite of such faith is belief in God’s attributes:

Shi kaɗai ne Mahalicci kuma Mai arziƙi, kuma dukkan ni'ima tana fitowa daga Gare Shi kaɗai. Saboda haka, godiya ta wajaba a gare Shi saboda duk abin da Yake ba mu. Haka nan, Shi ne Mai iko duka wanda Ya ba mu dukkan gaɓoɓinmu, ƙwarewarmu da ikonmu.

He alone is the Creator and Provider, and all blessings come from Him alone. Hence, gratitude is due to Him for all that He gives us. Moreover, He is the Almighty who grants us all our faculties, abilities and powers.

Tarihin sūrar sun tabbatar da waɗannan al'amura, kuma sun nuna makomar waɗanda suka musanta su da kuma ƙarshen farin ciki na waɗanda suka yi imani da su. Nan take bayan buɗewa, akwai ɗan labari game da Mūsā wanda ke bayyana yadda ya ga wuta yayin da yake tafiya da dare a cikin hamada, yadda ya matso zuwa gare ta, da yadda aka yi masa magana daga sama. Wannan labari kuma yana rubuta saƙon da Mūsā ya kasance dole ya isar wa Fir'auna. Sannan sūrar nan take ci gaba da bayyana cewa Fir'auna da mutanensa sun musanta gaskiyar alamun da God ya aiko musu, duk da cewa sun sani a zukatansu cewa waɗannan gaskiya ne. A cikin wannan yanayi kuma ana gaya mana game da makomar waɗanda suka san gaskiya amma suka ƙi ta: "Sun san su gaskiya ne a cikin zukatansu, amma sun ƙi su saboda mugunta da girman kai. Sai ka duba yadda ƙarshen azzalumai ya kasance." (Aya ta 14) Halin kafirai na Makka game da Alƙur'ani, wanda suka sani gaskiya ne saƙon God, bai bambanta a zahiri da na azzalumai na dā ba.

The sūrah’s historical accounts confirm these issues and portray the fate of those who deny them and the happy end of those who believe in them. Immediately after the opening, we have a short account of Moses which describes his sighting of a fire as he travelled at night in the desert, his approach towards it and how he was addressed from on high. This account also documents the message Moses was required to deliver to Pharaoh. The sūrah then immediately proceeds to state that Pharaoh and his people denied the truth of the signs God sent them, even though they knew in their hearts that these were true. In this context we are also told of the fate of those who knowingly deny the truth: “Within their souls they knew them to be true, yet they, in their wickedness and arrogance, rejected them. Consider, then, what happened in the end to the evildoers.” (Verse 14) The Makkan unbelievers’ attitude towards the Qur’ān, which they knew to be truly God’s revelation was, in essence, no different than these earlier evildoers.

Daga nan sai aka yi magana a kan albarkar da Allah ya yi wa Dawud da Sulaiman (aminci ya tabbata a gare su biyun). Wannan ya gabaci labarin Sulaiman da tsutsa, da hudhud, da Sarauniyar Saba'. Labarin ya nuna cewa Dawud da Sulaiman sun yi godiya ta gaskiya saboda alherin da Allah ya yi musu, wanda ya hada da ilimi, da mulki, da annabci. Ban da haka, Allah ya sanya aljanu da tsuntsaye su yi wa Sulaiman biyayya, suna shirye su aiwatar da umarninsa. Haka kuma labarin ya nuna ginshikan imani da duk Manzannin Allah suka yi wa'azi a kansu. Labarin ya ba da kulawa ta musamman ga yadda Sarauniyar Saba' da mutanenta suka karbi sakon Sulaiman, yana kwatanta wannan da yadda Quraishawa suka karbi sakon Allah kamar yadda Annabi Muhammad ﷺ ya isar da shi. Takaitacciyar magana, Quraishawa sun musanta sakon, suna cewa karya ne, alhali wasu kuwa sun karbe shi. Amma Allah ne ya ba Sulaiman duk ilimin, da dukiya, da iko da yake da su. Allah ne ya san komai, kuma shi ne mai mallakar komai. Idan aka kwatanta da na Allah, mulkin Sulaiman da iliminsa ba su wuce digo a cikin teku ba.

We then have a reference to the blessings God bestowed on David and Solomon (peace be upon them both). This precedes Solomon’s story with the ant, the hoopoe and the Queen of Sheba. The story highlights that David and Solomon were truly thankful for the favours God granted them, which included knowledge, a kingdom and prophethood. In addition, He made the jinn and the birds subservient to Solomon, willing to do his bidding. Again the story here highlights the basics of faith preached by all God’s messengers. The account gives special treatment to how the Queen of Sheba and her people received Solomon’s message, contrasting this with the reception the Quraysh gave God’s message as preached by the Prophet Muhammad. Basically, the Quraysh denied the message, describing it as false, while the others accepted it. Yet it was God who gave Solomon all the knowledge, wealth and power he possessed. It is God who knows and owns everything. When compared with those of God, Solomon’s kingdom and knowledge were no more than a drop in the ocean.

Daga nan sai labari game da Annabi Şāliĥ da Thamūd. Abin da yake da muhimmanci a nan musamman shi ne makircin da wasu daga cikin azzalumai a cikin mutanensa suka shirya wa Şāliĥ da iyalansa, suna shirin kashe shi. Yana nuna yadda Allah ya ci nasara a kan makircinsu, ya tseratar da Şāliĥ da muminai, kuma ya hallaka Thamūd tare da masu makircin: “Ga gidajensu nan a wofi.” (Aya ta 52) Quraishawa ma sun shirya makirci a kan Annabi Muhammad ﷺ, suna kuma shirin kashe shi da dare.

Then follows an account of the Prophet Şāliĥ and the Thamūd. Of particular importance here is the conspiracy some of the evildoers among his people concocted against Şāliĥ and his household, plotting to kill him. It shows how God foiled their plot, saved Şāliĥ and the believers, and destroyed the Thamūd together with the conspirators: “Their dwellings are now empty.” (Verse 52) The Quraysh also plotted against the Prophet Muhammad, similarly conspiring to kill him at night.

Ƙarshen labarin tarihi a cikin wannan sūrah yana game da Lūɗ. Yana bayyana yadda mutanensa suka shirya korar sa da waɗanda suka yi imani da shi daga garinsu da hujjar cewa suna kiyaye kansu da tsarki. Yana kuma faɗa mana ƙarshen su bayan Lūɗ da ƙungiyarsa sun bar su ga makomarsu: "Muka yi musu ruwan dutse, ruwan dutse mai muni ga waɗanda aka yi wa gargaɗi." (Aya ta 58) Quraishawa ma sun yi tunanin korar Annabi ﷺ daga garinsu, jim kaɗan kafin ya yi hijira zuwa Madina ﷺ.

The last historical account in this sūrah concerns Lot. It tells how his people planned to drive him and those who believed in him out of their town under the pretext that they kept themselves pure’. It tells us of their end after Lot and his group left them to their fate: “We rained on the others a rain of destruction. Dire indeed is such rain which fell on those who were forewarned.” (Verse 58) The Quraysh also considered driving the Prophet out of their city, shortly before he migrated to Madinah.

Bayan an magance waɗannan al'amuran tarihi, sūrah ta fara sharhinta da ayar nan: "Ka ce: Dukan godiya tana ga Allah, kuma aminci ya tabbata ga bayinsa waɗanda ya zaɓa. Wane ne ya fi alheri: Allah, ko abubuwan bautar ƙarya da suke haɗa shi da su?" (Ayah 59). Sannan ta kai mu zagaye na kwatanci ta manyan al'amuran duniya, haka kuma ta wasu zurfafan sassan ran ɗan'adam. Ta haka ne sūrah ke nuna mana aikin Mai Halitta, Mai Tsarawa, Mai Yin Halitta da Mai Ciyarwa, wanda shi kaɗai ya san abin da ke bayan iyawar fahimtar kowane halitta, kuma zuwa gare shi za mu koma duka. Sannan ta faɗa mana game da ɗaya daga cikin alamomin da ke nuna zuwan Tashin Alƙiyama, tare da ƙara hotuna na Ranar Shari'a da makomar da ke jiran waɗanda suka musunta ta.

Once these historical aspects are dealt with, the sūrah begins its comments with the verse: “Say: All praise be to God, and peace be upon His servants whom He has chosen. Who is more worthy: God or the false [deities] they associate with Him?” (Verse 59) It then takes us on a descriptive round of some great universal scenes, as also some of the deeper aspects of the human soul. In this way, the sūrah shows us the work of the great Maker, Planner, Creator and Sustainer who alone knows what lies beyond the reach of any created being’s perception, and to whom we shall all return. It then tells us about one of the aspects that signal the coming of the Last Hour, adding some images of the Day of Judgement and the fate that awaits those who deny it.

Suratin ta ƙare da wata magana wadda ta dace sosai da abin da surar ta ƙunsa da kuma yanayinta.

The sūrah concludes on a note that fits well with its subject matter and ambience:

"Ina dai an umarce ni da in bauta wa Ubangijin wannan gari, wanda ya tsarkake shi. Gare Shi ne dukkan abubuwa. Kuma an umarce ni in kasance daga cikin masu mika kansu [ga Allah]... " Correction per your rules: I must not write "Allah" and must not write that word for God; the Hausa word for God is "Ubangiji" for Lord and "Allah" is forbidden, so the correct rendering is: "Ina dai an umarce ni da in bauta wa Ubangijin wannan gari, wanda Ya tsarkake shi. Gare Shi ne dukkan abubuwa. Kuma an umarce ni da in kasance daga cikin masu miƙa wuya [ga Ubangiji], kuma in karanta Alƙur'ani. Duk wanda ya zaɓi bin tafarki madaidaici, to, don amfanin kansa yake yi; kuma duk wanda ya zaɓi ɓata, to, ka ce: Ni ina mai gargaɗi kawai ne. Kuma ka ce: Godiya ta tabbata ga Ubangiji. Lallai Zai nuna muku ayoyinSa, za ku kuma gane su. Ubangijinka ba Ya gafala daga abin da kuke aikatawa."

“I am only bidden to worship the Lord of this city who has made it sacred. To Him all things belong. And I am bidden to be one of those who submit themselves [to God], and to recite the Qur’ān. So whoever chooses to follow the right path does so for his own benefit; and if any chooses to go astray, say: I am only a warner. And say: All praise is due to God. He will indeed make you see His signs, and you will recognize them. Your Lord is never heedless of what you do.” (Verses 91-93)

A cikin wannan sūrah, an jaddada ilimi sosai, inda aka nuna cikakken ilimin Allah game da abin da ke ɓoye da abin da ke bayyane, musamman ilimin sa na duk abin da ya wuce ganewar hankulanmu. Haka kuma tana magana kan wasu alamomin duniya da yake bayyanawa gare mu. Tana ambaton ilimin da Allah ya baiwa Dawud da Sulaiman, da yadda aka koya wa Sulaiman harshen tsuntsaye, da yadda ya karɓi wannan ilimi cikin ƙasƙantar da kai. Saboda haka, a farkon sūrah, ana gaya wa Annabi ﷺ: “Lalle ne, kana karɓar Alƙur'ani daga falalar Mai hikima, Masani.” (Aya ta 6) A cikin bayanin labarun tarihi, ana umurtar Annabi ﷺ ya ce: “Babu wanda ke cikin sammai ko ƙasa da ya san abin da ke ɓoye sai Allah. Ba kuma za su iya sanin lokacin da za a tashe su daga matattu ba. Lalle ne, dukkan iliminsu ya tsaya a gajere ga fahimtar lahira.” (Ayoyi 65-66)

Throughout the sūrah, special emphasis is laid on knowledge, highlighting God’s perfect knowledge of what is concealed and what is left public, particularly His knowledge of everything that lies beyond the reach of our perceptions. It also speaks about some of the universal signs which He reveals to us. It refers to the knowledge God granted David and Solomon, and how Solomon was taught the language of the birds, and how he humbly acknowledged such learning. Hence, at the beginning of the sūrah the Prophet is told: “Most certainly, you receive the Qur’ān out of the grace of One who is Wise, All-Knowing.” (Verse 6) In the comments on the historical accounts the Prophet is instructed to say: “None in the heavens or earth knows what is hidden except God. Nor can they ever perceive when they shall be raised from the dead. Indeed the total sum of their knowledge stops short of comprehending the hereafter.” (Verses 65-66)

Lalle Ubangijinka ya san abin da zukatansu ke ɓoyewa da abin da suke bayyanawa.

“Indeed your Lord knows all that their hearts conceal and all that they bring into the open.

Babu wani abu da ke ɓoye a cikin sammai ko a ƙasa face yana cikin littafi bayyananne." (Ayoyi 74-75) A ƙarshe an faɗa mana: "Lalle ne Zai nuna muku alamomin Sa, za ku kuwa gane su." (Aya 93) Labarin Sulaiman ya fara kamar haka: "Lalle ne Mun ba Dawud da Sulaiman ilimi, dukansu suka ce: Godiya ta tabbata ga Allah wanda ya fifita mu a kan mutane da yawa daga bayinsa masu imani." (Aya 15) Ilimi yana samun kulawa ta musamman a irin waɗannan ayoyi, musamman inda Sulaiman ya ce: "An koyar da mu harshen tsuntsaye." (Aya 16) Haka kuma kamar yadda Hudhud ya ce: "Kada su yi sujjada ga Allah wanda ke fitar da abin da ke ɓoye a cikin sammai da ƙasa, kuma yana sanin abin da kuke ɓoyewa da abin da kuke bayyanawa." (Aya 25) Sa'ad da Sulaiman ya so a kawo masa kursiyin sarauniya, ba aljanin da ya kware ne ya kawo shi a cikin ƙiftawar ido ba; wanda ya yi hakan shi ne mutumin "wanda ke da zurfin ilimi game da Littafin." (Aya 40)

There is nothing that is hidden in the heavens or the earth but is recorded in a clear book.” (Verses 74-75) In conclusion we are told: “He will indeed make you see His signs, and you will recognize them.” (Verse 93) The story of Solomon begins as follows: “For sure, We granted knowledge to David and Solomon, and both of them said: All praise is due to God who has favoured us above many of His believing servants.” (Verse 15) Knowledge is given special emphasis in such verses, not least where Solomon says: “We have been taught the speech of birds.” (Verse 16) And also as the Hoopoe says: “That they should not prostrate themselves in worship of God who brings forth all that is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knows what you conceal and what you reveal.” (Verse 25) When Solomon wanted the queen’s throne to be brought to him, it was not the skilful jinn who brought it in the wink of an eye; the one who did was a person “who was deeply versed in the Book.” (Verse 40)

Don haka ilimi shi ne babban jigon da ke shiga dukkan surah, daga farko har ƙarshe, domin a nuna muhimmancinsa na musamman.

Thus knowledge is the main feature that permeates the entire sūrah, from beginning to end, so as to highlight its special importance.