Sūrah al-An‘ām to Sūrah al-Tawbah

Introduction

This is the second chapter of the Qur’ān. It consists of four sūrahs from al-An‘ām to al-Tawbah.

It is evident from the topics of these sūrahs that the first two – al-‘An‘ām and al-A‘rāf – were revealed in Makkah and the last two – al-Anfāl and al-Tawbah – were revealed in Madīnah after migration.

Like all the other chapters of the Qur’ān, this chapter also begins with Makkan sūrahs and ends on Madīnan ones.

Its addressees in the Makkan sūrahs are the Quraysh and in the Madīnan ones are the Muslims; if the People of the Book are addressed anywhere, it is in a secondary manner. Thus the basis of reasoning in its Makkan sūrahs is also mostly from the signs found in human intellect and nature and in the world within a human being and that outside him or from established facts of history. This is because they were not only correct but the Quraysh also accepted them.

Its theme is conclusive communication of the truth to the Quraysh, tazkiyah and taṭhīr of the Muslims and a mention of the manifestation of the final worldly retribution for both the Quraysh and the People of the Book.¹

This chapter stands at the pinnacle of the Qur’ān in which all the preceding and succeeding chapters reach their culmination and the established practice of God regarding His messengers manifests itself in accordance with which they achieve dominance and their opponents are necessarily subdued.

The sequence in which this topic is stated in this chapter is as follows:

al-An‘ām: preaching and delivering warning.

al-A‘rāf: delivering warning and conclusive communication of the truth.

al-Anfāl: after conclusive communication of the truth, tazkiyah and taṭhīr of the Muslims and directing them to prepare for jihād for the purpose of the final retribution of God.

al-Tawbah: manifestation of the final worldly retribution.