Makkan surah with a beautiful flow in Arabic despite the variation in topics.

Themes

• Submitting to Allah SWT is the path to dignity.
• Recognising the marvels of Allah SWT’s creative power.
• Rewards of the believers and punishment of the disbelievers.

Selected Verses

1-2: Allah SWT is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. He has created angels with 2, 3 or 4 wings. None can withhold or release the mercy given by Allah SWT.

3: Is there any other god that provides for you? Remember Allah SWT’s favours upon you. There is no god worthy of worship except Him.

6: Take shaytan as your enemy, for he only invites his followers to the Blaze.

8: Allah SWT leaves who He wills to stray and guides who He wills. People whose evil deeds are made appealing to them are not the same as those who are rightly guided. So do not grieve over them.

9: Allah SWT sends the winds which stir up water vapour and creates clouds. He then sends these clouds to lifeless lands, reviving the earth after its death. Such is the resurrection.

10: All honour and power belongs to Allah SWT. Good words ascend to Him and righteous deeds are raised up by Him.

11: Allah SWT created humans from dust, then from a sperm drop and created us into pairs. He knows whoever conceives and delivers and whose life is made long or cut short. It is all written in a Record – the Preserved Tablet (Al Lawh Al Mahfuz) in which the destiny of Allah SWT’s entire creation has been written.

12: Difference between salt and fresh water for drinking, yet both sustain seafood, provide ornaments to wear and allow ships to sail upon.

13: Allah SWT merges the day into the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each orbiting for a specific term.

14: Those false gods who you call out to have no power and will disown you on the Day of Judgement.

15: Allah SWT alone is the Self Sufficient, Praiseworthy. We are in need of Him.

18: No soul will bear the burden of another. We are each accountable for ourselves.

27: The diversity of Allah SWT’s creation. The rain creates fruits of different colours. Mountains are of different shades, along with people and cattle.

28: Those with knowledge stand in true awe of Allah SWT. Value of beneficial knowledge compared to non-beneficial.

32-35: Three types of people of the Book. Those oppressing themselves, those taking the middle path and those racing towards goodness. Eventually all three will enter Jannah and will proclaim, “Praise be to the One who has removed our anxieties and given us this permanent abode.” There is no anxiety or stress or grief in Jannah, only in this world.

36-37: The disbelievers will have the Fire, where they will not be allowed to die. Their torment will never ease. They will scream, “Our Lord! Take us out and send us back, we will do good.” They will be told that they were given lives long enough to be mindful of Allah SWT.

41: Allah SWT alone keeps the heavens and the earth from falling apart.

45: No one would be left on earth if we were to be treated as we deserve. By the Mercy of Allah SWT, He overlooks our mistakes and gives us time to repent.