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Al-An`am (Cattle)
Name
This Surah takes its name from vv. 136, 138 and 139 in which some superstitious
beliefs of the idolatrous Arabs concerning the lawfulness of some cattle
(an`am) and the unlawfulness of some others have been refuted.
Period of Revelation
According to a tradition of Ibn Abbas, the whole of the Surah
was revealed at one sitting at Makkah. Asma, a daughter of Yazid and a
first cousin of Hadrat Mu'az-bin Jabl, says,. "During the revelation of
this Surah, the Holy Prophet was riding on a she-camel and I was holding
her nose-string. The she-camel began to feel the weight so heavily that
it seemed as if her bones would break under it."We also learn from other
traditions that the Holy Prophet dictated the whole of the Surah the same
night that it was revealed.
Its subject-matter clearly shows that it must have been revealed during
the last year of the Holy Prophet's life at Makkah. The tradition of Asma,
daughter of Yazid, also confirms this. As she belonged to the Ansar and
embraced Islam after the migration of the Holy Prophet to Yathrab, her
visit to the Holy Prophet at Makkah must have taken place during the last
year of his life there. For before this, his relations with those people
were not so intimate that a woman from there might have come to visit
him at Makkah.
Occasion of Revelation
After determining the period of its revelation, it is easier to visualize
the background of the Surah. Twelve years had passed since the Holy Prophet
had been inviting the people to Islam. The antagonism and persecution
by the Quraish had become most savage and brutal, and the majority of
the Muslims had to leave their homes and migrate to Habash (Abyssinia).
Above all, the two great supporters of the Holy Prophet. Abu Talib and
Hadrat Khadijah, were no more to help and give strength to him. Thus he
was deprived of all the worldly support. But in spite of this, he carried
on his mission in the teeth of opposition. As a result of this, on the
one hand, all the good people of Makkah and the surrounding clans gradually
began to accept Islam ; on the other hand, the community as a whole, was
bent upon obduracy and rejection. Therefore, if anyone showed any inclination
towards Islam, he was subjected to taunts and derision, physical violence
and social boycott. It was in these dark circumstances that a ray of hope
gleamed from Yathrab, where Islam began to spread freely by the efforts
of some influential people of Aus and Khazraj, who had embraced Islam
at Makkah. This was a humble beginning in the march of Islam towards success
and none could foresee at that time the great potentialities that lay
hidden in it. For, to a casual observer, it appeared at that time as if
Islam was merely a weak movement it had no material backing except the
meager support of the Prophet's own family and of the few poor adherents
of the Movement. Obviously the latter could not give much help because
they themselves had been cast out by their own people who had become their
enemies and were persecuting them.
Topics
These were the conditions, when this discourse was revealed.
The main topics dealt with in this discourse may be divided under seven
headings:
- Refutation of shirk and invitation to the creed of Tauhid.
- Enunciation of the doctrine of the "Life-after- death." and refutation
of the wrong notion that there was nothing beyond this worldly life.
- Refutation of the prevalent superstitions.
- Enunciation of the fundamental moral principles for the building up
of the Islamic Society.
- Answers to the objections raised against the person of the Holy Prophet
and his mission.
- Comfort and encouragement to the Holy Prophet and his followers who
were at, that time in a state of anxiety and despondency because of
the apparent failure of the mission.
- Admonition, warning and threats to the disbelievers and opponents
to give up their apathy and haughtiness. It must, however, be noted
that the above topics have not been dealt with one by one under separate
headings, but the discourse goes on as a continuous whole and these
topics come under discussion over and over again in new and different
ways.
The Background of Makki Surahs
As this is the first long Makki Surah in the order of the compilation
of the Quran, it will be useful to explain the historical background of
Makki Surahs in general, so that the reader may easily understand the
Makki Surahs and our references to its different stages in connection
with our commentary on them.
First of all, it should be noted that comparatively very little material
is available in regard to the background of the revelation of Makki Surahs
whereas the period of the revelation of all the Madani Surahs is known
or can be determined with a little effort. There are authentic traditions
even in regard to the occasions of the revelation of the majority of the
verses. On the other hand, we do not have such detailed information regarding
the Makki Surahs. There are only a few Surahs and verses which have authentic
traditions concerning the time and occasion of their revelation. This
is because the history of the Makki period had not been compiled in such
detail as that of the Madani period. Therefore we have to depend on the
internal evidence of these Surahs for determining the period of their
revelation: for example, the topics they discuss, their subject. matter,
their style and the direct or indirect references to the events and the
occasions of their revelation. Thus it is obvious that with the help of
such evidence as this, we cannot say with precision that such and such
Surah or verse was revealed on such and such an occasion. The most we
can do is to compare the internal evidence of a Surah with the events
of the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah, and then come to a more or
less correct conclusion as to what particular stage a certain Surah belongs.
If we keep the above things in view, the history of the mission of the
Holy Prophet at Makkah can be divided into four stages.
The first stage began with his appointment as a Messenger and ended with
the proclamation of Prophethood three years later. During this period
the Message was given secretly to some selected persons only, but the
common people of Makkah were not aware of it.
The second stage lasted for two years after the proclamation of his Prophethood.
It began with opposition by individuals: then by and by, it took the shape
of antagonism, ridicule, derision,, accusation, abuse, and false propaganda
then gangs were formed to persecute those Muslims who were comparatively
poor, weak' and helpless. The third stage lasted for about six years from
the beginning of the persecution to the death of Abu Talib and Hadrat
Khadijah in the tenth year of Prophethood. During this period, the persecution
of the Muslims became' so savage and brutal that many of them were forced
to migrate to Habash. Social and economic boycott was applied against
the Holy Prophet and the members of his family, and those Muslims who
continued to stay in Makkah were forced to take refuge in Shi'b-i-A'bi
Talib which was besieged.
The fourth stage lasted for about three years from the tenth to the thirteenth
year of Prophethood. This was a period of hard trials and grievous sufferings
for the Holy Prophet and his followers. Life had become unendurable at
Makkah and there appeared to be no place of refuge even outside it. So
much so that when the Holy Prophet went to Ta'if, it offered no shelter
or protection. Besides this, on the occasion of Haj, he would appeal to
each and every Arab clan to accept his invitation to Islam but met with
blank refusal from every quarter. At the same time, the people of Makkah
were holding counsels' to get rid of him by killing or imprisoning or
banishing him from their city. It was at that most critical time that
Allah opened for Islam the hearts of the Ansar of Yathrab where he migrated
at their invitation.
Now that we have divided the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah into four
stages, it has become easier for us to tell, as far as possible, the particular
stage in which a certain Makki Sarah was revealed. This is because the
Surahs belonging to a particular stage can be distinguished from those
of the other stages with the help of their subject matter and style. Besides
this, they also contain such references as throw light on the circumstances
and events that form the background of their revelation. In the succeeding
Makki Surahs, we will determine on the basis of the distinctive features
of each stage, and point out in the Preface, the particular stage in which
a certain Makki Surah was revealed.
Subject :Islamic Creed.
This Surah mainly discusses the different aspects of the major articles
of the Islamic Creed: Tauhid, Life-after- death, Prophethood an' their
practical application to human life. Side by side with this, it refutes
the erroneous beliefs of the "opponents and answers their objections,
warns and admonishes them and comforts the Holy Prophet and his followers,
who were then suffering from persecution. Of course, these themes have
not been dealt with under separate heads but have been blended in an excellent
manner.
Topics and their Interconnection
These verses are of introductory and admonitory nature. The disbelievers
have been warned that if they do not accept the Islamic Creed and follow
the `Light' shown by the Revelation from the All-Knowing and All-Powerful
Allah, they would go to the same doom as the former disbelievers did.
Their arguments for rejecting the Prophet and the Revelation sent down
to him have been refuted and a warning has been given to them that they
should not be deluded by the respite that is being granted to them. 1
- 12
These verses inculcate Tauhid, and refute shirk which is the greatest
obstacle in the way of its acceptance. 13 - 24
In these verses, a graphic scene of the life in the Hereafter has been
depicted in order to warn the disbelievers of the consequences of the
rejection of the Articles of Faith. 25 - 32
Prophethood is the main theme which has been discussed from the point
of view of the Holy Prophet, his Mission, the limitations of his powers,
the attitude towards his followers and also from the point of view of
the disbelievers. 33 - 73
In continuation of the same theme, the story of Prophet Abraham has
been related to bring home to the pagan Arabs that the Mission of Prophet
Muhammad, which they were opposing, was the same as that of Prophet Abraham
(Allah's peace be upon them). This line of argument was adopted because
they considered themselves to be his followers, especially the Quraish
who were proud of being his descendants as well. 74 - 90
Another proof of his Prophethood is the Book, which has been sent down
to him by Allah, for its teachings show the right guidance in regard to
creed and practice. 91 - 108
Divine restrictions have been contrasted with the superstitious restrictions
of the pagan Arabs in order to show the striking differences between the
two and thus prove the Quran to be a Revealed Book. 109 - 154
The Jews, who were criticized in vv. 144 - 147 along with the pagan Arabs,
have been urged to compare the teachings of the Quran with those of the
Torah so that they might recognize their similarity and give up their
lame excuses against it, and adopt its Guidance to escape the retribution
on the Day of Resurrection. 155 - 160
This is the conclusion of the discourse: the Holy Prophet has been instructed
in a beautiful and forceful manner to proclaim fearlessly the articles
of the Islamic Creed and their implications. 161 - 165
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