“Windows To Spirituality”
13. Ar-Ra’d (The Thunder) Revealed in Makkah, this sūrah consists of 43 verses. It takes its name from the word Ar-Ra‘d (The Thunder) which is found in verse 13. Like other Makkan sūrahs, it also dwells on the essentials of faith, and the arguments for faith found in “nature” and...
12. Yusuf (Joseph) This sūrah, revealed toward the end of the Makkan period of Islam and comprising 111 verses, takes its name from the Prophet Joseph (Yusuf), upon him be peace, whose life and mission it recounts. Unlike the accounts of other Messengers, different elements and aspects of which are...
14. Ibrahim (Abraham) This sūrah of 52 verses was revealed in the closing years of the Makkan period of Islam, taking its name from the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim), upon him be peace, whose prayer concerning Makkah and its future people is mentioned in verses 35–41. In verse 5, Moses’ mission...
15. Al-Hijr (The Rock) This sūrah, consisting of 99 verses, was revealed in Makkah. Its main theme is the evidence of God’s Existence and Oneness, and the Divine authorship of the Qur’ān. It mentions some of the exemplary events of previous peoples. It derives its name from the name of...
16. An-Nahl (The Bee) Revealed in Makkah, this sūrah consists of 128 verses. Its name is derived from An-Nahl (The Bee) verse 68, where bees are mentioned as another miraculous sign of God’s Power, Knowledge, and Wisdom. It dwells on the essentials of faith, the rejection of unbelief and the...
17. Al-Isra’ (The Night Journey) This sūrah consists of 111 verses. Al-Isra’ derives its name from the first verse, where the Messenger’s miraculous Night Journey from the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to the Masjid al-Aqsā in Quds (Jerusalem) is related. God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was taken...
18. Al-Kahf (The Cave) Al-Kahf (The Cave) takes its name from the ninth verse, where the People of the Cave are mentioned. It consists of 110 verses. This sūrah was revealed in the Makkan period of the Messenger’s mission, at a time when the polytheists had begun to escalate their opposition...
20. Ta-Ha This sūrah of 135 verses was revealed in Makkah. Ta-Ha begins by consoling God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. As in nearly all of the Makkan sūrahs, it dwells on the essentials of God’s Religion which was preached by all the Prophets. It allots most space...
19. Maryam (Mary) The sūrah takes its name after Maryam (Mary), and consists of 98 verses. This sūrah was revealed just before the majority of the Muslims in Makkah emigrated to Abyssinia to escape the persecutions of the Makkan polytheists in the 5th year of the Messenger’s mission. In that...
23. Al-Mu’minun (The Believers) This sūrah takes its title, Al-Mu’minun (The Believers), from the mention of the believers who are praised for their moral superiority at the very beginning of the sūrah. It was revealed in Makkah when the persecution perpetrated by the Makkan unbelievers was increasing. It consists of...
22. Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage) It is commonly accepted that sūrah of Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage) began to be revealed in Makkah and was completed in Madīnah. It has 78 verses. The sūrah criticizes the Makkan polytheists for their blind, willful insistence on associating partners with God and demonstrates the contradictions in...
21. Al-Anbiya (The Prophets) This sūrah of 112 verses was revealed toward the end of the Makkan period of the Messenger’s mission. Al-Anbiya (The Prophets) explains the “even path” mentioned at the end of Sūrah Tā-Hā. It gives answers to the objections made by the Makkan polytheists to the creeds...
25. Al-Furqan (The Criterion) This sūrah takes its name from the word Al-Furqan (The Criterion, the Book that distinguishes between truth and falsehood) in the first of its 77 verses. The sūrah was revealed in the mid-Makkan period. It negates the doubts that were voiced by the Makkan polytheists concerning the...
24. An-Nur (The Light) Sūrat An-Nur (The Light) was revealed in the sixth year of the Hijrah after the campaign against the tribe of Banū al-Mustaliq. It is composed of 64 verses. In the context of declaring the chastity and innocence of ‘Â’ishah, the Prophet’s wife, in the face of...
26. Ash-Shu’ara (The Poets) This sūrah of 227 verses takes its name from the word Ash-Shu’ara (The Poets) in verse 224. It rejects the Makkans’ claim that the Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was a poet and that the Qur’ān is the work of a poet (the Makkans...
27. An-Naml (The Ant) Revealed in the middle Makkan period, this sūrah has 93 verses, and derives its name from the word An-Naml (The Ant) in verse 18. It emphasizes that only those who accept the truths expounded in the Qur’ān and order their lives according to God’s commandments can truly...
28. Al-Qasas (The Narratives) This sūrah of 88 verses was revealed in Makkah. It takes its title from the word Al-Qasas (The Narratives) in verse 25. It is again concerned with the Prophet Moses’ life and mission, and also contains glad tidings for God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings,...
29. Al-Ankabut (The Spider) This sūrah, comprising 69 verses, was revealed in Makkah at a time when the believers were being subject to severe persecutions. It takes its name from the word Al-Ankabut (The Spider) in verse 41, implying the frailty of false beliefs, and encouraging the believers to show patience...
31. Luqman This sūrah of 34 verses was revealed in Makkah. It begins by affirming the wisdom of the Qur’ān, and offers pearls of wisdom narrated by Luqman. It also mentions some virtues of the believers; presents evidence of God’s Power and Oneness; emphasizes the essential need of human beings...
32. As-Sajdah (The Prostration, The Adoration) This sūrah, which consists of 30 verses, was revealed in Makkah. It takes its name from verse 15, which states that the believers prostrate (As-Sajdah) upon hearing the Revelations. It discusses the Divine origin of the Qur’ān, and mentions the creation of humankind to...
