Bayan ul Quran - English, by Dr. Israr Ahmed (رحمه الله)

104 - Al-Humazah ( The Slanderer ) - سورة الهمزة

Themes and purpose:

This Meccan surah serves to condemn the wealthy elite who practice slander, backbiting, and hoarding of wealth out of denial of the Hereafter. Its core purpose is to warn them of the inevitable punishment of a Fire that violently penetrates the heart, which contains their corrupt belief.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan by consensus.

Context: The surah was revealed to address the specific behavior of a group of wealthy Quraysh chiefs (e.g., Al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah, Umayyah ibn Khalaf) who made it their mission to verbally abuse, ridicule, and slander the early Muslims, believing their wealth would protect them.

103 - Al-Asr ( The Time ) - سورة العصر

Themes and purpose:

This Meccan surah opens with a solemn oath by Time to affirm the universal truth that all humankind is in a state of loss. Its sole purpose is to define the essential conditions for eternal success and rescue from this loss: faith, righteous deeds and mutual encouragement to truth and patience.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan according to the majority of commentators.

Context: The surah was revealed early in the Prophet’s mission to summarize the entire message in a concise, universal formula.

102 - At-Takathur ( The piling Up ) - سورة التكاثر

Themes and purpose:

This Meccan surah strongly condemns the human obsession with material competition (al-takāthur) and boasting in lineage, which distracts from the truth. Its purpose is to affirm the certainty of the Judgment and the Hellfire, and to warn humanity that they will be questioned about every single worldly pleasure and blessing on that Day.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan according to the majority, and this is evident from its severe warning to the polytheists. Some were of the view that it is Madinan.

Context: The surah was revealed to address the pervasive problem among the Quraysh (or later, the Anṣār in Madinah) of tribes boasting and competing over their material wealth and the number of their family members, even extending this count to the graves of their deceased ancestors.

101 - Al-Qari'ah ( The Striking Hour ) - سورة القارعة

Themes and purpose:

This Meccan surah is primarily dedicated to proving the certainty of the Resurrection and divine recompense. Its purpose is to describe the cosmic terror preceding the Hour and to establish the principle of accountability based on the weighing of deeds, assuring the reader of either eternal bliss or the consuming Fire.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Meccan by consensus.

Context: The surah was revealed early in the Prophet’s mission to counter the polytheists’denial and mockery of the Resurrection, using strong, imaginative imagery to make the event tangible.

100 - Al-'adiyat ( Those That Run ) - سورة العاديات

Themes and purpose:

This surah opens with oaths to affirm the profound ingratitude and excessive love of wealth inherent in humankind. Its purpose is to warn the ungrateful of the Day of Judgment, when the contents of the graves will be brought forth and the secrets of the hearts will be revealed and judged.

Context of Revelation:

Era: The consensus of early scholars (Ibn Masʿūd, Jābir ibn Zayd) considers it Makkan. However, the compelling narrative that it was revealed following a specific raid led by al-Mundhir ibn ʿAmr suggests a Madinan origin, which is also a strong position.

Context: The reported context is a specific military expedition that went missing for a month, leading the hypocrites to claim the expedition had been annihilated. The surah was revealed to confirm the army's safety and success.

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah is primarily dedicated to proving the certainty of the Resurrection and divine recompense. Its purpose is to describe the terrifying signs of the Hour, particularly the earth’s confession, and to establish the principle of absolute, meticulous accountability for deeds, even those the size of an atom.

099 - Az-Zalzalah ( The Earthquake ) - سورة الزلزلة

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan according to the soundest view.

Context: The surah was revealed to counter the polytheists' denial of the Resurrection and their mockery of the idea that their scattered bodies could be gathered for judgment.

098 - Al-Bayyinah ( The Clear Evidence ) - سورة البينة

Themes and purpose:

This Madinan surah primarily seeks to rebuke the People of the Book and the polytheists for rejecting the Prophet (ﷺ) despite the clear evidence of his genuineness. Its purpose is to affirm that the core of all divine messages is sincere Monotheism and to establish the eternal division between the rejecters (the worst of creation) and the Believers (the best of creation).

Context of Revelation:

Era: The more accurate view is that it is Madinan. Its revelation is placed in the late 3rd or early 4th year AH.

Context: The surah was revealed to address the situation in Madinah where the Jews and Christians, despite having prophecies of the Prophet's coming, refused to accept him once he arrived, revealing their true intentions.

097 - Al-Qadr ( The Night of Decree ) - سورة القدر

Themes and purpose:

This surah is dedicated to affirming the immense dignity and power of the Quran. Its purpose is to elevate the status of the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr), confirming that the descent of the revelation and the angels during this single night is a grace greater than an entire lifetime of worship.

Context of Revelation:

Era: There are strong arguments for it being either Makkan or Madinan, but the majority opinion is that it is Makkan.

Context: The surah was revealed to inform the Muslims of the immense virtue of the night in which the Quran was sent down, encouraging them to seek it out through devotion.

096 - Al-'alaq ( The Clot ) - سورة العلق

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah is the first revealed. Its purpose is to command the Prophet (ﷺ) to read and convey the message, establishing the dignity of knowledge and the Pen. It affirms Allah as the sole Creator and warns the arrogant human who denies his Lord and attempts to prevent others from prayer and guidance.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan by consensus.

Context: The first part was revealed to initiate the Prophet’s (ﷺ) mission, instructing him to recite. Ayahs 6-19 were revealed later to address the arrogance of a specific disbeliever (likely Abū Jahl) who attempted to prevent the Prophet (ﷺ) from praying.

095 - At-Tin ( The Fig ) - سورة التين

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah affirms that humanity was created in the best of forms, endowed with a pure natural disposition. Its purpose is to prove the necessity of divine recompense by citing the perfection of creation and by reminding people that their descent into corruption is reversible through faith and righteous deeds, which leads to an eternal, unfailing reward.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan according to the majority.

Context: The surah was revealed early in the Prophet’s mission to establish the principle of fiṭrah that the essence of Islam is aligned with the original, beautiful nature of humanity and to refute the polytheists' claims of human weakness and lack of accountability.