Al-Ḥijr ()
is the 15th ''
sūrah
A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into ayah, verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' (al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while ...
'' (
chapter of the Quran). It has 99
āyāt (verses).
Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (''
asbāb al-nuzūl''), it is an
Meccan surah revealed during the mid period and received by
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
shortly after chapter 12, ''
Yusuf
Yusuf ( ') is a male name meaning " God increases" (in piety, power and influence).From the Hebrew יהוה להוסיף ''YHWH Lhosif'' meaning " YHWH will increase/add". It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew name Yosef and the English na ...
'', during his last year in Mecca. Like other surahs of this period, it praises
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
. Parts of Q15:4-74 are preserved in the
Ṣan‘ā’1 lower text.
This surah takes its name from 80th verse (''āyah''), which refers to
Mada'in Saleh, a pre-Islamic archaeological site, also called Hegra (from ) or al-Ḥijr ().
Summary
:1-3
Unbelievers will one day wish themselves Muslims
:4-5 Every nation has its day of grace
:6 Muhammad charged with
demoniacal possession by the disbelievers (the
Quraysh
The Quraysh () are an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. Their members were divided into ten main clans, most notably including the Banu Hashim, into which Islam's founding prophet Muhammad was born. By ...
)
:7 The unbelievers say a true prophet would have come with a company of angels
:8 Angels are not sent to gratify curiosity, but to minister judgment
:9 God the revealer and preserver of the Quran
:10-11 The former prophets were laughed to scorn
:12-15 The scoffing Quraysh judicially blinded
:16-20 God declares his glory in the heaven and the earth
:21-22 He is active in every part of Nature
:23-25 He is the God of life, death, and judgment
:26-29 God says
men created of clay—the Jinn of fire
:29-33
Iblis
Iblis (), alternatively known as Eblīs, also known as Shaitan, is the leader of the Shayatin, devils () in Islam. According to the Quran, Iblis was thrown out of Jannah#Jinn, angels, and devils, heaven after refusing to prostrate himself bef ...
, unlike the
angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s, refuses to prostrate to
Adam
Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam).
According to Christianity, Adam ...
:34-38 He is cursed and respited until the judgment
:39-40 Satan declares to God his purpose to seduce men
:41-42 The elect are safe from Satan’s power
:43-44 The seven gates of hell will receive Satan’s followers
:45-50 Paradise joys in store for true believers
:51-77 The story of
Abraham and Lot's conflict
:78-79 The unbelieving
Midianites are destroyed
:80-81 The scoffing inhabitants of
al Hijr reject their prophets though accompanied with miracles
:82-84 Rock-hewn houses fail to save them
:85-86 The heaven and earth created in righteousness
: 87 Command to repeat the seven verses (
al-Fatiha)
:88-90 Muhammad not to consider the prosperity of infidels
:91-93 The enemies of God will surely be punished
:94-96 Muhammad commanded to preach boldly
:97-99 He is exhorted to praise and serve God until death
Central Theme
This surah contains brief mentions of
Tawhid
''Tawhid'' () is the concept of monotheism in Islam, it is the religion's central and single most important concept upon which a Muslim's entire religious adherence rests. It unequivocally holds that God is indivisibly one (''ahad'') and s ...
, and provides an admonition to the disbelievers. The primary subjects of the surah are:
# cautioning the individuals who dismissed the message and
# providing solace and support to Muhammad,
The Quran never limits itself to mere rebuke; reproach and reprimand. It depends on its statute. The surah contains brief contentions for Tawhid and admonition in the tale of Adam and Satan.
[Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik (translator), Al-Qur'an, the Guidance for Mankind - English with Arabic Text (Hardcover) ]
Exegesis
15:9 Preservation of the Quran
Ibn Kathir
Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (; ), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic Exegesis, exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on (Quranic exegesis), (history) and (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a lea ...
says, "God, may He be exalted, stated that He is the One Who revealed the
Dhikr
(; ; ) is a form of Islamic worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi order typically adopts a specific ''dhikr'', accompanied by specific ...
to him, which is the Qur'an, and He is protecting it from being changed or altered".
Notes
References
* Abdullah, A. (2011). Role of context and objectives of the Surah in shaping the episodes of the Qurʼanic narrative: the narrative of Lot as an example. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 28(4), 31–64.
* Boullata, I. J. (2000). Literary structures of religious meaning in the Qurʼān. London: Curzon Pr.
* Haggar, D. A.Repetition: A key to qur'anic style, structure and meaning. (Order No. AAI3447474, Dissertation Abstracts International, A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1661.
* Neuwirth, A. (2000). Referentiality and textuality in Sūrat al-Hijr: Some observations on the Qur'anic "canonical process" and the emergence of a community. (pp. 143–172). Curzon.
* Ohlander, E. S. (2010). Qur'anic studies. (pp. 81–93). De Gruyter.
External links
Quran 15Clear Quran translation
Mustafa Khattab is a Canadian–Egyptian Muslim scholar, imam, and university chaplain. He holds a professional ijâzah in the Ḥafṣ style of recitation. He is known for his translation of the Quran in "The Clear Quran" series.
Career
He ...
Q15:34 50+ translations, islamawakened.com
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