Sūrah al-Mulk to Sūrah al-Nās

Introduction

This is the seventh chapter of the Qur’ān. It consists of forty eight sūrahs beginning from Sūrah al-Mulk (67) and ending on Sūrah al-Nās (114). It is evident from the topics of these sūrahs and from their arrangement in the chapter that the first forty-six sūrahs were revealed in the mother city of Makkah, while the last two – al-Falaq and al-Nās – were revealed in Madīnah immediately after migration.

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

Though Prophet Muḥammad (sws) is also addressed in this chapter, yet except for some sūrahs which comfort him and give glad tidings to him, this address is occasional in nature. The real addressees of this chapter are the leadership of the Quraysh organized under Abū Lahab. Consequently, with the gradual development of the topic of the chapter, this fact becomes so evident in the last sūrahs that there remains no room for any other opinion in this regard.

The theme of this group is to warn the leadership of the Quraysh of the consequences of the Hereafter, to conclusively communicate the truth to them, and, as its result, to threaten them with a severe punishment, and to give glad tidings to the Prophet (sws) of the supremacy of the truth in Arabia.

This theme gradually reaches its culmination from the beginning to the end through the arrangement of various sūrahs in this group with such precision and beauty that all the stages – from propagation (da‘wah) and warning (indhār) to migration (hijrah) and acquittal (barā’ah) – in the preaching missions of the messengers of God are brought to light.

To understand this arrangement, a short summary of the contents of this chapter is presented below:

Sections within this chapter: 67–72 · 73–94 · 95–106 · 107–112