Surah 35
(Creator)
(Makkan Period)
Title
The word Fäṭir, meaning Creator, occurs in the surah's opening verse and marks its title. The only significance of the title is that this is the surah in which the word Fāṭir has been used. Another title for the surah is al-Mala'ikah (the angels). This word too occurs in the surah's first verse.
Period of Revelation
The surah's stylistic features provide the internal evidence indicating that it was revealed during the middle phase of the Prophet's Makkan life. By then the Makkan unbelievers' opposition to Islam had become severe, whereby they employed all kinds of vile machinations to defeat the Prophet's mission.
Themes and Subject Matter
The surah aims to warn the Makkan unbelievers, especially their chiefs, about their negative stance towards the Prophet's call to monotheism. It reproaches them in the manner of a sincere well- wisher and explains and admonishes in the manner of a teacher.
The pith of the discourse is that it is in the unbelievers' own interests to respond positively to the Prophet's call. In other words, the unbelievers' anger against that call, their resort to deception, knavery, and vile machinations to frustrate the Prophet (peace be on him) will, in fact, be hurtful only to them. If they do not accept the Prophet's call, the damage so accruing will be all theirs, not the Prophet's. They are urged, therefore, to think dispassionately and to consider whether there was really any flaw in the Prophet's message. True, the Prophet (peace be on him) repudiated polytheism, but does there really exist any reasonable basis for polytheism? He also called on them to affirm God's unity. Now, is there any being other than the Creator of the heavens and of earth, who is possessed of Divine powers and attributes? He emphatically tells them that humans are not irresponsible beings; that they will have to render an account of their deeds to God, and that the present world will be followed by the After-world wherein everyone will have to face the consequences of their actions.
Only a little reflection reveals that it is not at all surprising for a New Life to follow the present one. For, do they not witness day in and day out the unceasing spectacle of life, of death, and of rebirth? What, then, justifies their rejecting as impossible the idea that God, who once created man from a drop of sperm, will recreate him after he dies? Does your own intellect not testify to the fact that good and evil are dissimilar? Thus, you yourselves decide what makes more sense: that good and evil share the same fate and that both disintegrate and are obliterated, or should good be rewarded with good and evil with evil? Additionally, the surah re-emphasises the fact that the unbelievers' rejection of these sound doctrines will not harm the Prophet (peace be on him) in any way. Rather, it is they who will be punished for spurning his message. The Prophet's responsibility does not go beyond delivering the message and he has acquitted himself of that task.
The unbelievers are, thus, asked to reflect on the Prophet's message as there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. The Prophet's rejection of polytheism is perfectly valid, for there is not as much as a shred of evidence to support polytheism. The other component of the Prophet's message was monotheism. Now, do the heavens and earth not bear out the existence of the One True God and that no one else has the slightest share in God's power and attributes? The Prophet (peace be on him) also insisted that man is not free to act as he pleases; instead, man will be held accountable in the Afterlife and will be answerable for all his deeds. The unbelievers are asked: is it unreasonable for the good and the wicked to be treated differently? Does it stand to reason that the destiny of those that were upright and those that were evil should be the same, that both should end up in the dust? Is it fair that neither good- doers be rewarded nor evil-doers punished? Evidently, reason and justice require that they be fairly recompensed. However, if, even in the face of these self-evident truths, the unbelievers still choose to lead unbridled lives, this will not harm the Prophet (peace be on him) in any way. He has discharged his duty by preaching the truth to people and warning them against the dire consequences of unbelief, and that is all he was required to do.
In the course of the discourse, the Prophet (peace be on him) is comforted and consoled over and over again and is clearly told that he is not answerable for the unbelievers' persistence in error. The Prophet (peace be on him) is also asked not to grieve over the attitude of those who are averse to his message. He is also asked not to consume himself with concern for those who do not want to be directed to the Right Way. Instead, the Prophet (peace be on him) should focus his attention on bringing about improvements in the believers' lives.
In this regard, the believers are given glad tidings so that their hearts are strengthened and they pursue the Straight Way, fully trusting God's promises.