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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
30. Ar-Rum (The Romans) This sūrah of 60 verses was revealed about six or seven years before the Hijrah. Ar-Rum (The Romans) takes its name from the Byzantine Romans mentioned in the second verse. The Byzantines were Christians who had a Divine Scripture and who believed in God without worshipping...
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...
35. Fatir (The Originator) Revealed in the mid-Makkan period of Islam, this sūrah of 45 verses takes its name from the first verse where God Almighty is introduced as Al-Fātir, Fatir or Faatir (The All-Originating or The Originator). It is also called Sūrat al-Malā’ikah. The main topics dealt with in...
37. As-Saffat (Those Aligned In Ranked) This sūrah of 182 verses was revealed in the last stage of the middle Makkan period when God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, and His Companions were heavily persecuted. It derives its name from the first verse. As-Saffat or As-Saffaat (Those Aligned...
38. Saad (Sad) This sūrah of 88 verses derives its name from the abbreviated or single letter Sad or Saad in the first verse. It was revealed in the mid-Makkan period of Islam, after the conversion of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, may God be pleased with him. It warns those who...
39. Az-Zumar (The Companions) Revealed in the mid-Makkan period, when the persecutions of the believers had escalated, this sūrāh of 75 verses derives its name from the word zumar (companies) that occurs in verses 71 and 73. Az-Zumar (The Companions) expounds the signs of God’s Oneness in the natural world...
40. Al-Mumin (The Believer) This sūrah of 85 verses takes its name from verse 28 which mentions, from among the clan of the Pharaoh, a distinguished believer who supported the Prophet Moses, upon him be peace. Al-Mumin (The Believer) is also called al-Ghāfir (The All-Forgiving), the Divine Name mentioned in verse...
75. Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection) This sūrah is concerned with death as the “doom” of every individual, and with events that will take place during the final overall destruction or doom of the world and revival of all the dead. It was revealed in Makkah. It has 40 verses and takes...