NAME: الأحقاف, Al-Ahqaf.
Name taken from Verse 21 where there is a mention of the word “Ahqaf”.
٢١ وَاذْكُرْ أَخَا عَادٍ إِذْ أَنْذَرَ قَوْمَهُ بِالْأَحْقَافِ وَقَدْ خَلَتِ النُّذُرُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
21 And mention, [O Muhammad], the brother of ‘Aad, when he warned his people in the [region of] al-Ahqaf – and warners had already passed on before him and after him – [saying], “Do not worship except Allah. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a terrible day.”
But It does not mean that this name is the actual topic discussed in the whole Surah. It is just a reference and mark/symbol to distinguish this Surah from others as is with most other Surahs of Quran. While there are diversified topics discussed in these Surahs.
ENGLISH NAME: The Sand Dunes.
CHAPTER NUMBER: 46
SURAH AHQAF TOTAL VERSES: 35
SURAH AHQAF TOTAL WORDS: 645
TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 417
TOTAL LETTERS: 2,667
REVELATION PERIOD:
Meccan, Approx. 620 – 622 AD.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
God, False Deities, Prophet Muhammad, Moses, Parents, Ad, Hud, Jinns.
SURAH AHQAF MAIN TOPICS:
Creation in Truth, Quran Is Same Old Message Also Conforms The Revelation Of The Torah, Commandment To Treat Parents Kindly, Gestation And Weaning Total Maximum Time Period Given 2.5 Years, A Group Of Jinns Heard Quran And Became The Preachers To Their Nation.
SURAH AHQAF KEY VERSES:
١٥ وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا ۖ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا ۖ وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا ۚ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي ۖ إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
15 And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship, and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months. [He grows] until, when he reaches maturity and reaches [the age of] forty years, he says, “My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to work righteousness of which You will approve and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am of the Muslims.”
٢٩ وَإِذْ صَرَفْنَا إِلَيْكَ نَفَرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقُرْآنَ فَلَمَّا حَضَرُوهُ قَالُوا أَنْصِتُوا ۖ فَلَمَّا قُضِيَ وَلَّوْا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِمْ مُنْذِرِينَ
29 And [mention, O Muhammad], when We directed to you a few of the jinn, listening to the Qur’an. And when they attended it, they said, “Listen quietly.” And when it was concluded, they went back to their people as warners.
٣٥ فَاصْبِرْ كَمَا صَبَرَ أُولُو الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ وَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلْ لَهُمْ ۚ كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ مَا يُوعَدُونَ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ ۚ بَلَاغٌ ۚ فَهَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
35 So be patient, [O Muhammad], as were those of determination among the messengers and do not be impatient for them. It will be – on the Day they see that which they are promised – as though they had not remained [in the world] except an hour of a day. [This is] notification. And will [any] be destroyed except the defiantly disobedient people?
SUMMARY OF TOPICS
1-3(Created All With Truth & For A Specified Term), 4-8(Those Beings People Invoke Besides Allah Has No Power), 9-14(Say O Muhammad I Am Not A New Messenger, This Is Same Old Message, I Have no Knowledge of Unseen, I Don’t Know Even About My Own Future, Quran Conforms The Revelation Of The Torah Given To The Moses), 15(Commandment To Treat Parents Kindly, Gestation And Weaning Total Maximum Time Period Given 2.5 Years), 21-26(Ad Story, In Region Of Ahqaf, Before Hud Other Warners Also Came In Them, Denied, Destroyed By Wind), 29-30(A Group Of Jinns Heard Quran And Became The Preachers To Their Nation), 32-35(God Is Able To Give Life To The Dead, He Is Over All Things Competent, So Be Patient, The Last Day People Will Think They Had Stayed In Earth Only An Hour Of A Day)
SURAH AHQAF BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACK GROUND:
This Surah has 35 verses divided into 4 Rukus/Sections. This is a Meccan Surah, revelation period of this Surah is the later Meccan period of Prophet’s life after the proclamation of prophethood. Name taken from Verse 21 “وَاذْكُرْ أَخَا عَادٍ إِذْ أَنْذَرَ قَوْمَهُ بِالْأَحْقَافِ” where there is a mention of the word “أَحْقَافِ” which means Sand Dunes. As already discussed in previous summaries this Surah is the 7th and last one of the series of 7 Surahs that starts with the w