Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
It is derived from the very first cord "Wat Tur-i."
Period of
Revelation
From the internal evidence of the subject matter it
appears that this Surah too was revealed in the same stage of the Holy Prophet's
life at Makkah in which the Surah Adh-Dhariyat was revealed. While going through
it one can clearly feel that during the period of its revelation the Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was being showered with
objections and accusations but there is no evidence yet to show that severe
persecution of the Muslims had started.
Subject Matter and Topics
The subject matter of its first section (vv. 1-28) is the Hereafter. As
arguments for its possibility, necessity and occurrence had already been given
in Surah Adh-Dhariyat, these have not been repeated here. However, swearing an
oath by some realities and signs which testify to the Hereafter, it has been
stated most emphatically that it will surely come to pass, and none has the
power to prevent its occurrence. Then, it has been stated as to what will be the
fate of those who deny it when it actually occurs, and how will those who
believe in it and adopt the way of piety and righteousness accordingly, be
blessed by Allah.
Then, in the second section (vv. 29-49) the Quraish
chiefs' attitude towards the message of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah he upon him) has been criticized. They called him a sorcerer, a madman, or
a poet, and would thus mislead the common people against him so that they should
not pay any serious attention to the message he preached. They looked upon him
as a calamity that had suddenly descended on them and would openly wish that he
met with a disaster so that they were rid of him. They accused him of
fabricating the Qur'an by himself and of presenting it in the name of Allah, and
this was, God forbid, a fraud that he was practicing. They would often taunt
him, saying that God could not have appointed an ordinary man like him to the
office of Prophethood. They expressed great disgust at his invitation and
message and would avoid him as if he was asking them for a reward for it. They
would sit and take counsels together to devise schemes in order to put an end to
his mission. And while they did all this they never realized what creeds of
ignorance they were involved in and how selflessly and sincerely was Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) exerting himself to deliver them from
their error. While criticizing them for this attitude and conduct, Allah has put
them certain questions, one after the other, each of which is either an answer
to some objection of theirs, or a criticism of some error. Then, it has been
said that it would absolutely be of no avail to show them a miracle in order to
convince them of his Prophethood, for they were such stubborn people as would
misinterpret anything they were shown only to avoid affirming the faith.
In the beginning of this section as well as in its end, the Holy Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) has been given the instruction that he
should persistently continue giving his invitation and preaching his message in
spite of the accusations and objections of his opponents and enemies, and should
endure their resistance patiently till Allah's judgment comes to pass. Besides,
he has been consoled, as if to say "Your Lord has not left you alone to face
your enemies, after raising you as a Prophet, but He is constantly watching over
you. Therefore, endure every hardship patiently till the Hour of His judgment
comes, and seek through praising and glorifying your Lord the power that is
required for exerting in the cause of Allah under such conditions.