The Economic System of Islam — Page 22
22 Emphasis on Ameliorating the Conditions of Emphasis on Ameliorating the Conditions of Emphasis on Ameliorating the Conditions of Emphasis on Ameliorating the Conditions of the Poor in Early Islamic Teachings. the Poor in Early Islamic Teachings. the Poor in Early Islamic Teachings. the Poor in Early Islamic Teachings. History shows that the first chapter to be revealed was S u rah al- ‘Alaq (Chapter 96). The opening verses of this S u rah were revealed in the first instance, followed by a gradual revelation of the whole chapter, spread over a short time period. Four of the chapters that followed immediately after this S u rah have been called a ‘soliloquy’ by Sir William Muir, a well-respected European Orientalist, who was, at one time, the Lieutenant Governor of U. P. He held that these chapters gave expression to the thoughts that filled the mind of the Holy Prophet sa prior to his claim of Prophethood. According to Sir William Muir these four chapters are S u rah al-Balad, S u rah ash-Shams, S u rah al-Lail and S u rah a d - D u ha. Muslim scholars believe that these four chapters were revealed after S u rah al-‘Alaq , and historical evidence supports this view. However, Muir was of the opinion that these four chapters were revealed prior to S u rah al-‘Alaq. His argument was based on the thesis that S u rah al-‘Alaq begins with the Arabic word iqra’ , meaning, ‘read’. Thus it must be the case—according to Muir— that there were chapters that had been already revealed and were to be read. In any event, these four chapters of the Holy Quran are the very earliest chapters according to Islamic history, and according to Muir they were revealed even before the Holy Prophet sa claimed that he has been commissioned as a Prophet. When we look at these four chapters, we find that three of them declare taking care of the poor to be necessary for salvation and national progress. They