Sūrah al-Qadr

Introduction to this pair

Both these sūrahs form a pair with regard to their topics. The first sūrah highlights the exalted status of the Qur’ān, while the second one warns its deniers of their dire end.

Both sūrahs are primarily directed at the Quraysh. However, in the second sūrah, the People of the Book have also become prominent because of the objections they were implanting in the minds of the Quraysh in this last phase of the Prophet’s (sws) preaching mission. A look at the topics of the sūrahs shows that like the previous sūrahs, they were also revealed in Makkah during the phase of conclusive communication of the truth (itmām al-ḥujjah), a little before his migration to Madīnah.

The theme of Sūrah al-Qadr is to explain to the Quraysh that the Qur’ān which is being read out to them in the form of a Book is not the result of any Satanic inspiration or of the Prophet’s (sws) own fancy; on the contrary, it is a divine scripture which the Almighty has started to reveal in a thorough manner in a night in which great decisions are implemented in this Universe. Therefore, the Quraysh should not take the Qur’ān lightly. Such an attitude towards it can cause eternal loss to them.

The theme of Sūrah al-Bayyinah is to warn both the Quraysh and the People of the Book on their nonsensical demand that a book be given to them from the Almighty through some messenger who descend on them from the heavens reading it out to them. If they persist with this attitude, they should be aware that they will soon become the firewood of Hell.