Essence of the Holy Qur’an — Page 58
58 Chapter 26 Ash-Shu‘ar a ’ $ 8 (Revealed before Hijrah) Date of Revelation and Context A large majority of Muslim scholars regard this S u rah as of Meccan origin. It is entitled Ash-Shu‘ar a ’ (poets) in order to drive home to Muslims the supreme lesson that success comes to a people only when their profession and practice go together and that empty talk like that of the poets leads nowhere. From this S u rah a departure has been made in the subject-matter of the preceding sixteen Chapters. From S u rah Y u nus the Qur’ a n had directed its address principally to the Jews and the Christians. With this Chapter the believers take their place; and the form, nature and scope of the address have been changed; therefore, a change has also taken place in the Muqa tt a‘ a t placed at the head of the S u rah. The preceding S u rah had ended on the note that it would be a great mistake to suppose that God would allow the time- honoured system that had come into being through the great religions of the world to be destroyed. On the contrary, He had created man to demonstrate in his person His great attributes and in order also that he should respond to the Divine Call. If man does not fulfil the object of his creation, then there is no need or justification for him to exist and no need for God to feel any hesitancy in destroying him. In this S u rah we are told that in his love and solicitude for humanity, the Holy Prophet felt grieved at this apprehended possibility and desired that man may be saved. The destruction of man also clearly does not seem to be in harmony with the Divine design which is that he should be vouchsafed the opportunity to discover, with his own will and endeavour, the way of nearness to God and then should try to attain it. But if he refuses to do so, he should suffer the consequences of his refusal. The S u rah further says that if man had not been endowed with the discretion and the ability to make a choice, he would have become a mere machine and an automaton and would not have been the image of his Creator as he is considered to be. So he must act and conduct himself in harmony with Divine scheme without which he cannot attain true and real salvation. Subject-Matter At the outset the S u rah makes the claim that the Qur’ a n gives its own proofs and arguments and needs no extraneous help or support to substantiate and establish the truth of its claims and teachings and proceeds to say that when for the fulfilment of human requirements and needs, God has created pairs in all things in the physical world, it stands to reason that in the spiritual realm also He should have created their counterparts. Then quite appropriately the S u rah