RENAISSANCE NOVEMBER 2021

7 Monthly Renaissance November 2021 Qur’ ā nic Exegesis S ū rah al-Shu‘ar ā ’ (1) Am ī n A ḥ san I ṣ l āḥī Theme and Relationship with the Previous S ū rah This s ū rah is the counterpart of S ū rah al-Furq ā n that precedes it. For this reason, there is no basic difference between the theme of both. It affirms the messenger hood of Mu ḥ ammad (sws) and the divinity of the Qur’ ā n. The nature of arguments and style of discourse are, however, different from the previous s ū rah . The anecdotes of the prophets of God that were rather concisely mentioned in the previous s ū rah are mentioned in more detail in this one. The Quraysh used to accuse the Prophet (sws) of being a soothsayer and a sorcerer. This accusation is specially dispelled. A repetitive set of verses: و نرﺑﻚﻟ ﻬﻮ ﻟۡﻌﺰﻳۡﺰ ﻟﺮﺣﻴۡﻢ ۡ ﻫﻢۡ ن&%ۡ ذٰﻟﻚﻵﻹٰﻳﺔً وﻣﺎ ﺎن ﻣﺆۡﻣﻨ(ۡ' (certainly, there is a great sign in this; but most of them are not going to believe it; and your Lord, undoubtedly, He is Mighty and also very Merciful) occurs after every paragraph in this s ū rah . This repetition shows that those who were demanding a sign of punishment from the Prophet (sws) as proof of his veracity are specially addressed. Their attention is directed at established facts of history: they should learn a lesson from the fate of the nations who denied their respective messengers and not blindly follow these nations as they were inflicted with God’s punishment. Analysis of Meanings Readers may glance at the meanings of the s ū rah so that the connection between its various components with its theme becomes fully evident. Verses (1-9): In this introductory part, the Prophet (sws) is assured that he should not worry if these people are not accepting faith and demanding a sign. If God wants, He will send down such a sign that will lower their necks. However, the Qur’ ā n does not need any external proof for its veracity: it is a proof of itself. If these people deny it, they will face each and every threat it is