QURAN SUMMARY: AL QASAS

Surah Qasas Background And Summary of Main Topics.

Surah Qasas Statistics: Total Number of Verses, Revelation Period, Main Characters, Theme And Key Verses.

NAME:  القصص, Al-Qasas.

Name taken from Verse 25 where there is a mention of word “Al-Qasas” which means “The Story”  This title can be applied to whole Surah as in it the story of Prophet Moses is discussed.

٢٥  فَجَاءَتْهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَمْشِي عَلَى اسْتِحْيَاءٍ قَالَتْ إِنَّ أَبِي يَدْعُوكَ لِيَجْزِيَكَ أَجْرَ مَا سَقَيْتَ لَنَا ۚ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ وَقَصَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقَصَصَ قَالَ لَا تَخَفْ ۖ نَجَوْتَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ
25  Then one of the two women came to him walking with shyness. She said, “Indeed, my father invites you that he may reward you for having watered for us.” So when he came to him and related to him the story, he said, “Fear not. You have escaped from the wrongdoing people.”

ENGLISH NAME: The Story.

CHAPTER NUMBER: 28

SURAH QASAS TOTAL VERSES: 88

SURAH QASAS TOTAL WORDS: 1,438

TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 791

TOTAL LETTERS: 5,930

REVELATION PERIOD:

Meccan, Approx. 618 – 620 AD.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

God, Moses, Pharaoh, Haman, Moses Mother, Pharaoh’s Wife, Girls of Median and their Father, Aaron, Korah/ Qarun, Prophet Muhammad.

SURAH QASAS MAIN TOPICS:

Pharaoh’s Tyranny, Moses Birth and Brought up by Pharaoh Family, Moses Killed A Person, Escaped to Median 8 Year Contract & Marry two Girls, Moses Sees Fire, Prophethood Given, Korah/ Qarun Story.

SURAH QASAS KEY VERSES:

٨  فَالْتَقَطَهُ آلُ فِرْعَوْنَ لِيَكُونَ لَهُمْ عَدُوًّا وَحَزَنًا ۗ إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا كَانُوا خَاطِئِينَ

8  And the family of Pharaoh picked him up [out of the river] so that he would become to them an enemy and a [cause of] grief. Indeed, Pharaoh and Haman and their soldiers were deliberate sinners.

١٥  وَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَىٰ حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلَانِ هَٰذَا مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ وَهَٰذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ ۖ فَاسْتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِي مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَىٰ فَقَضَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ۖ قَالَ هَٰذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۖ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُضِلٌّ مُبِينٌ

15  And he entered the city at a time of inattention by its people and found therein two men fighting: one from his faction and one from among his enemy. And the one from his faction called for help to him against the one from his enemy, so Moses struck him and [unintentionally] killed him. [Moses] said, “This is from the work of Satan. Indeed, he is a manifest, misleading enemy.”

١٦  قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

16  He said, “My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me,” and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

٣٠  فَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا نُودِيَ مِنْ شَاطِئِ الْوَادِ الْأَيْمَنِ فِي الْبُقْعَةِ الْمُبَارَكَةِ مِنَ الشَّجَرَةِ أَنْ يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنِّي أَنَا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

30  But when he came to it, he was called from the right side of the valley in a blessed spot – from the tree, “O Moses, indeed I am Allah, Lord of the worlds.”

٣٨  وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرِي فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ فَاجْعَلْ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي أَطَّلِعُ إِلَىٰ إِلَٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ

38  And Pharaoh said, “O eminent ones, I have not known you to have a god other than me. Then ignite for me, O Haman, [a fire] upon the clay and make for me a tower that I may look at the God of Moses. And indeed, I do think he is among the liars.”

٥٩  وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَىٰ حَتَّىٰ يَبْعَثَ فِي أُمِّهَا رَسُولًا يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِنَا ۚ وَمَا كُنَّا مُهْلِكِي الْقُرَىٰ إِلَّا وَأَهْلُهَا ظَالِمُونَ

59  And never would your Lord have destroyed the cities until He had sent to their mother a messenger reciting to them Our verses. And We would not destroy the cities except while their people were wrongdoers.

٨٥  إِنَّ الَّذِي فَرَضَ عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لَرَادُّكَ إِلَىٰ مَعَادٍ ۚ قُلْ رَبِّي أَعْلَمُ مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَمَنْ هُوَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ

85  Indeed, [O Muhammad], He who imposed upon you the Qur’an will take you back to a place of return. Say, “My Lord is most knowing of who brings guidance and who is in clear error.”

SUMMARY OF TOPICS

1-6(Moses Birth Logic, Pharaoh Made One Sector Of People So Weak That Kill Their Sons Verse4, Pharaoh And Haman Verse6), 7-13(God’s Plan To Save Moses And , Wahi/Revelation To Moses Mother, Moses Picked By Pharaoh Family Verse8, The Wife Of Pharaoh Said Do Not Kill Him Verse9, Milk To Moses Forbidden/Prevented Of All Nurses Verse12), 14 (Moses When Grown Up God Rewarded With Wisdom), 15-22(Moses Killed A Person, Escaped From Egypt), 23-28 ( Arrived In Median, 8Years Contract, Girls Father Said But If You Complete Ten, It Will Be As A Favor From You), 29-35(Moses Traveling With His Family, Perceived Fire From Side Of Mountain, Voice From Tree I Am Lord Of Worlds Verse30, Miracles Given, Prophethood Given, Moses Fear That He Killed Their Folk, Request For Aaron Assistance As He Is More Fluent Than Me), 36-42 (Dialogues Between Moses Pharaoh, Pharaoh Ordered Haman To Make Hight Tower To Ascend To The God Of Moses Verse38), 44-46(O Muhammad You Were Not There), 47-67 ( We Sent You To Whom No Warner Had Come Before, Warnings, ), 76-82(Korah/ Qarun Story, God Gave Him Of Treasures Whose Keys Would Burden A Band Of Strong Men, He Said I Got Wealth Coz Of My Ability Verse78, God Caused The Earth To Swallow Him And His Home.), 85(God’s Promise To Muhammad; We Will Take You Back To A Place Of Return), 86(And You Were Not Expecting That A Book Would Be Conveyed To You)

SURAH QASAS BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACK GROUND

This Surah has 88 verses divided into 9 Rukus/Sections. This Surah was revealed in Mecca and according to traditions it revealed after Surah Shuara and Surah Naml and they both revealed after Surah Taha. The intense friction had begun between Prophet Muhammad and the disbelievers. Many Muslims have already migrated to the nearby country of Abyssinia.

The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: One who recites “Ta Seen Meem Al-Qasas” will be given 10 rewards equal to those who testified to Musa, and there will not remain any angel in the heavens and the earth who would not testify for him on the Day of Resurrection that he was a truthful person.

Name of this Surah taken from verse 25 from the word “Al Qasas” which means “Story” or to relate events in their proper sequence or a situation viewed in terms of the information known. This Surah gives a detailed account of Prophet Moses story. In previous two Surahs, Shuara and Naml, Moses was mentioned and few events of his life were discussed. But here is a complete record of his birth, early life, his brought up at Pharaoh’s house and then his killing of a person, fleeing from Egypt till coming back as a prophet. Actually, all these three Surahs Shuara, Naml and Qasas read together gives a comprehensive account of Moses story from different angles.