Al-Anbiyaʼ[1](Arabic:الأنبياء,’al-’anbiyā’;meaning:"The Prophets" )[2]is the21st chapter(sūrah) of theQuranwith 112 verses (āyāt). Its principal subject matter isprophetsof the past, who also preached the same faith asMuhammad.
| الأنبياء Al-Anbiyā TheProphets | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Meccan |
| Position | Juzʼ17 |
| Hizbno. | 33 |
| No.ofverses | 112 |
| No.ofRukus | 7 |
| No.of words | 1323 |
| No.of letters | 5,094 |
Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is a "Meccan surah",which means it is believed to have beenrevealedin Mecca, instead of later in Medina. It was revealed around 2-3 years beforeHijrah,in a later stage ofMuhammadpreaching inMecca.
Summary
edit- 1-4The judgment of careless and mockingQurayshnear
- 5The Meccan people regard Muhammad as “a forger”
- 6Former nations did not heed the miracles
- 7-8The formerprophetswere but mortal men
- 9God favors His prophets but judges infidels
- 10The Quraysh mentioned in the Quran
- 11-15The unbelieving cities and scoffers destroyed
- 16-17The heavens and the earth not created in play
- 18The truth must triumph
- 19-22Angelsserve God, therefore not to be worshipped
- 23God is sovereign
- 24The great sin of idolatry
- 25All apostles testified to God’s unity
- 26Angels are not the daughters of God but only 'His' honored servants[3]
- 27-28Angelic intercession only by divine permission
- 29The doom of angels who usurp divine honors
- 30-33God’s worksthe proof of His divinity
- 34-35No human is immortal, all souls will taste death and be returned to God
- 36-37Muhammad regarded by the Makkans as a scoffer
- 38-39Men hasty to call down divine wrath on themselves
- 40Threatened vengeance will descend suddenly
- 41-42The doom of those who mocked former prophets
- 43-44The gods of the idolaters unable to deliver their votaries, God will triumph over the infidels
- 45-46Muhammad only a warner, the deaf will not hear the warnings of God
- 47God will judge righteously
- 48-50Moses and Aaron, like Muhammad, received a revelation
- The Story of Abraham
- 51He receives a revelation52-56Reproaches his father and people with idolatry57He devises a plot to destroy the idols58He destroys the idols of the Chaldeans59-61He is accused before the people62-63He lays the blame on the largest idol
- 64-65The Chaldeans at first disposed to repent, but they draw back66-67Abraham reproaches them for their idolatry68They command him to be burned alive69-70God miraculously delivers him
- 71-73He receives the promise of Isaac and Jacob
- 74-75Lot delivered from Sodom
- 76Noah delivered fromthe Flood
- 77The rejecters of Noah drowned for being evil
- 78-80The wisdom of David and Solomon, the hills and birds sang with David
- 81-82Winds and demons subject to Solomon
- 83-84Jobis delivered from his affliction
- 85-86Other prophetsreceivemercy from God
- 87-88Jonah repents to God and is saved from affliction
- 89-90Zachariah’s prayer answered
- 91The miraculous conception of Jesus through the virgin Mary
- 92-93The true religion is one, but Jews and Christians have sects
- 94The faithful certain to be rewarded
- 95-97Infidels to be judged at the resurrection
- 98-100Idolaters with their gods to be cast into hell
- 101-103The reward of the righteous
- 104The heavens to be rolled away at the judgment
- 105-106The righteous shall inherit the earth
- 107-109Muhammad is a mercy to mankind and an informer
- 110-111God knows the secret thoughts of the infidels
- 112God will judge the infidels and show mercy to His prophet[4]
Historical context
editMuslims believe this surah was revealed in theSecond Meccan Periodand is listed as Number 65 according to theNöldeke Chronology.Within its verses are found numerous evocations of earlierJudeo-Christianprophets. These examples help to emphasize and define Muhammad's role as a messenger within the Quranic context. Additionally, the incorporation of pre-existing Biblical and Judaic scriptures integrate Muhammad's prophetic mission into a larger religious framework, thus broadening the horizons of both the Quran as a text and Islam as a religious movement. The surah is thematically and stylistically characteristic of the Second Meccan Period. The verses identify the religious agency ofMuhammadby relating him to preexisting Judeo-Christian figures, and from there illustrate common notional doctrines, such as:Islamic eschatologyembodied in the Day of Judgment, the fates of the disbelievers and the believers, and the mercy of God. In terms of ordering and delivery, surah 21 contains a tripartite composition and traceable "ring structure", in which the path ofrevelationcomes full circle through the sequence of three distinct parts.[5]Consisting of 112 verses in total, The Prophets maintains the Quran's distinctive voice, in which the verses seem conscious of their own revelation and also depend on other Surahs to illustrate particular messages. This clear self-reference, or "self-declaration", and intertextuality are perceptibly unique to the Quran and possess the book with a consciousness distinct from other religious texts.[6]
References
edit- ^Ibn Kathir."Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): Surah Al Anbiyah".Quran 4 U.Retrieved18 March2020.
- ^Haleem, Trans. M.A.S. Abdel (2010).The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics).New York: Oxford University Press.
- ^"Surah Al-Anbya - 26".
- ^Wherry, Elwood Morris(1896).A Complete Index toSale's Text,Preliminary Discourse, and Notes.London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^Ernst, Carl W. (2011).How To Read the Quran: A New Guide, with select Translations.Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 106.
- ^McAuliffe, Jane Demmen (2006).The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an.Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 3.
External links
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Works related toThe Holy Qur'an (Maulana Muhammad Ali)/21. The Prophetsat Wikisource- Quran 21Clear Quran translation
- Q21:2,50+ translations, islamawakened
