Surah 38

Ṣād

(Makkan Period)

Title

The opening word Ṣād was made the surah's title.

Period of Revelation

As we shall see later, according to some traditions this sūrah was revealed at the same time the Prophet (peace be on him) embarked on the public preaching of Islam in Makkah, an event which greatly unnerved the unbelieving Quraysh chiefs. (Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabagāt al-Kubrā, Dhikr Mamshā Quraysh ilā Abī Țālib fi Amrihi Ṣallā Allāh 'alayhi wa Sallam.) Going by these traditions, the surah would have been revealed in the fourth year of the Prophet's mission.

There are, however, also other traditions which suggest that the surah was revealed after 'Umar's acceptance of Islam. (See Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshaf, comments on Surah Ṣād 38: 5; Rāzī, al- Tafsir al-Kabir, comments on Surah Ṣad 38: 5.) This, as we know, took place after the Muslims' migration to Abyssinia. (Ibn Sa'd, al- Tabaqat al-Kubrā, Dhikr Hijrat man Hajara min Aṣhāb Rasul Allah... ilā Ard al-Habashah; Islām 'Umar Rahimahu Allāh.) Still other traditions indicate that it was revealed during Abū Ṭālib's last illess. (Tabari, Tafsir, comments on Surah Ṣād 38: 5.) If this were to be accepted, the revelation of the surah should be considered to have occurred in the tenth or eleventh year of the Prophet's mission.

Historical Background

Aḥmad ibn Hanbal, Nasā'ī, Ṭirmidhi, Ţabarī, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn Abi Ḥātim and Muḥammad ibn Ishaq suggest that when Abū Talib fell ill and the Quraysh chiefs thought that he was on the verge of death, they decided to have a word with him about the Prophet (peace be on him). Since Abu Talib was a respected and elderly figure, the Quraysh thought that he was in a better position to settle the dispute between them and the Prophet (peace be on him), his nephew. They were apprehensive lest Abu Talib died before settling this dispute, which might leave them with no other option than to deal roughly with the Prophet (peace be on him). This in fact, would provoke people to taunt these diehard opponents of Islam for causing harm to the Prophet (peace be on him) after his uncle's death whereas during his life time they had remained pacific in deference to his uncle.

A broad consensus, therefore, emerged among the Quraysh chiefs that they should talk the matter over with Abū Ṭālib. As a result, something in the order of 25 Quraysh notables, including Abū Jahl, Abu Sufyan, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, 'Aş ibn Wa'il, Aswad ibn al-Muttalib, 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt, 'Utbah and Shaybah called on Abu Talib. As was their wont, they first complained to Abu Talib about the Prophet (peace be on him). They stressed that they had come to him with a fair proposal: that his nephew [to wit, the Prophet (peace be on him)] should let them practise their faith and that that they would allow him to profess his, providing he did not denounce their idols, nor dissuade people from idolatry. They were ready to draw up a pact with the Prophet (peace be on him) according to these conditions. (Aḥmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Ibn 'Abbās; Nasā'ī, Kitāb al-Siyar, Bāb min man Tu’khadh al-Jizyah; Tirmidhi, Kitāb Tafsir al-Qur'ān 'an Rasul Allah Şalla Allah 'alayhi wa sallam, Bāb wa min Surah Ṣād; Ṭabarī, Tafsir, comments on Surah Ṣād 38: 5; Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Muṣannaf, Kitāb al-Maghāzī, Bāb fi Adha Quraysh li al-Nabī Ṣallā Allāh 'alayhi wa Sallama wa mä Laqiya minhum; Ibn Abi Ḥātim, Tafsir, comments on Surah Ṣād 38: 5; 'Abd al-Malik ibn Hishām, al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyah, Muṣṭafā al-Saqqa et al. eds., Beirut: Dār Iḥya' al-Turath al-'Arabi, n.d., vol. II, pp. 58-9.)

Abu Talib sent for the Prophet (peace be on him) and apprised him of the Quraysh's proposal. To this he replied: 'O uncle! I am propounding before them a word. Were they to accept it, it would exalt them above the Arabs, and the non-Arabs would become their tributaries.' On hearing this they were first puzzled. They did not know how they could spurn this seemingly beneficial 'word.' However, after a while they enquired what this 'word' was that he had to offer. The Prophet (peace be on him) replied: "There is none worthy of worship other than God.' On hearing this all of them suddenly got up and left, saying that which has been mentioned in the surah's outset.1

1. Hadith narrators differ as regards the precise wording used by the Prophet (peace be on him). According to one version, the Prophet (peace be on him) said: 'I want them to rally around a common word. Were they to affirm it the Arabs will become subservient to them and the non-Arabs will pay them jizyah (poll-tax).' (Ibn Abi Shaybah, Musnad, Kitāb al-Maghāzī, Bāb Adha Quraysh li al-Nabi Şalla Allah 'alayhi wa Sallama wa mä Laqiya minhum.) Others narrate the following version: 'I call upon them to utter a word. [If they do so] the Arabs will become subservient to them and by dint of it they will become masters of the non-Arabs.' (Tabari, Tafsir, comments on Surah Ṣad 38: 7.) Another tradition states that it was while addressing the Quraysh chiefs rather than Abu Talib that the Prophet (peace be on him) said to them: "There is just a word. Were you to give me that word, you will become masters of the Arabs and the non-Arabs too will become subservient to you.' (Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihāyah, Bāb Hijrat man Häjara min Aṣḥāb Rasul Allāh Ṣallā Allāh 'alayhi wa Sallama min Makkah ilā Arḍ al-Ḥabashah, Fașl fi Wafat Abī Țălib 'Amm Rasul Allāh Ṣallā Allāh 'alayhi wa Sallam...) According to still another tradition, the Prophet (peace be on him) said to them. 'How do you consider this proposition? I will suggest a word which, were you to affirm it, will make you masters of the Arabs and the non-Arabs too will become subservient to you'. (Ibn Jarir, Tafsir, comments on Surah al-An'ām 6: 108; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on Surah al-An'am 6: 108, with slight variation.) Leaving aside the minor verbal variations in these traditions, their message is the same. The substance of what the Prophet (peace be on him) had pointedly asked them was essentially the following: 'What is better for you, the statement presented by me, one whose acceptance will enable you to gain ascendancy over the whole of Arabia and the rest of the world, or that which you are prof- fering, claiming it to be a fair proposition? Is your interest better served by your embracing my call or by letting you remain as you are while I devote myself to worshipping God?'
2. In his al-Tabaqāt, Ibn Sa'd narrates the above account but claims that it did not take place when Abū Talib lay on his death-bed. Rather, he believes that the event took place when the Prophet (peace be on him) had embarked on public preaching and the news had begun to spread around Makkah that people were steadily joining his fold. It was then that several Quraysh chiefs successively called upon Abū Ṭālib, urging him to stop his nephew from preaching Islam. Ibn Sa'd believes that the above account reflects what transpired when one of these delegations met Abū Talib. (Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat al-Kubrā, Dhikr Mamshā Quraysh ilā Abī Talib fi Amrihi Şalla Allāh 'alayhi wa Sallam.)
3. Similarly, Zamakhsharī, Rāzī, Nīsāpūrī and other Qur'ān commentators also disagree with the version that the event took place when Abu Talib was on the verge of death. They are, instead, of the opinion that the Quraysh delegation visited Abu Talib after 'Umar's acceptance of Islam. In other words, it was 'Umar's conversion to Islam that caused them to panic. (Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshaf, comments on Surah Ṣād 38: 5; Rāzī, al-Tafsir al-Kabir, comments on Surah Ṣād 38: 5; Nīsāpūrī, Tafsir, comments on Surah Ṣad 38: 5.) This, however, is not corroborated by any primary sources. Nor have these scholars referred to any source in support of their contention. However, it seems to make sense that this event took place as a sequel to 'Umar's conversion to Islam. The Quraysh chiefs were undoubtedly perturbed by the spread of the Prophet's mission. Here was someone, indeed one from their own ranks, who was widely acclaimed for his unblemished character and conduct, who was now engaged in the dissemination of Islam. Moreover, he was supported by Abu Bakr, known in and around Makkah for his utter uprightness, honesty and intelligence. When they saw 'Umar joining the Prophet's camp, they were all the more shaken. This because 'Umar was known to be a man of exceptional courage and determination. Therefore, when he accepted Islam, all alarm bells began to ring.
4. Subject Matter and Theme
5. The surah opens with comments on the meeting mentioned above. Referring to the deliberations in this meeting, God emphatically suggests that what had led the unbelievers to spurn Islam's message was not that it was in any way faulty. Instead, their rejection stemmed from their overweening arrogance, their entrenched spite, and their blind adherence to the ways of their forefathers. They simply preferred to cling to their ancestors' false beliefs which they had inherited from the past. As the Prophet (peace be on him) exposed the falsity of their beliefs, they were hugely uncomfortable about the truth being preached to them. They, thus, felt prompted to dismiss the Prophet (peace be on him) as an impostor. Rather than embrace his message, which required affirmation of monotheism and the Hereafter, they made these doctrines butts of their mockery and ridicule. Both in the surah's opening and concluding parts, God clearly warns the unbelievers that notwithstanding their mockery of the Prophet (peace be on him), he would soon prevail. Indeed, before long they would find themselves subdued and vanquished in Makkah itself despite their fierce opposition and resistance.
6. This is followed by narratives of quite a few of God's Messengers. The stories of the Prophets David and Solomon (peace be on them) are especially recounted. The point brought home is that Divine justice is devoid of any undue bias, whether positive or negative. God loves those who do not insist on their error, who on realising their lapse are quite ready to repent and to live in the world with full consciousness of their accountability to Him.
7. This is followed by an account of the ultimate end that awaits both God's obedient and rebellious servants in the Hereafter. The unbelievers' attention is especially drawn to the following two points: (i) Their leaders, whom they follow along the path of error, will be the first to find themselves in Hell. Thereafter, they and their leaders will engage in mutual reproach regarding who was responsible for their sordid plight. (ii) To the utter surprise of the unbelievers, who dismiss believers with contempt, they will not find any trace of the believers in Hell while they themselves will be piteously groaning in it.
8. The story of Adam and Satan is related towards the end of the surah. The purpose is to impress upon the Quraysh unbelievers that the arrogance which had prompted them to reject the message of the Prophet (peace be on him) was no different from the arrogance of Iblis that had prompted him not to prostrate himself before Adam. Essentially, he was jealous of Adam's exalted position and disobeyed God, as a result of which he stands accursed for ever. The Makkan unbelievers were afflicted with the same kind of spite for the exalted status that had been bestowed upon the Prophet Muḥammad (peace be on him). The unbelievers are not willing to obey him, though it is God Who appointed him His Messenger. They were thus bound to meet the same fate that befell Iblis.