Essence of the Holy Qur’an — Page 91
91 Chapter 43 Az-Zukhruf $ H$ > (Revealed before Hijrah) Date of Revelation and Context According to Qur t ub i there exists complete unanimity of opinion among scholars that this S u rah was revealed at Mecca. Ibn ‘Abb a s also lends his powerful support to this view. It is, however, difficult to assign an exact date to its revelation. Scholarly opinion generally is inclined to place it towards the end of the fourth or the beginning of the fifth year of the Call. The previous S u rah had ended on the note that the revelation which descends on Heavenly Messengers and Prophets by Divine command possesses an element of mystery. It was further stated that before revelation actually descended upon the Holy Prophet, he was not conversant with its nature and significance. The present S u rah opens with the affirmation that because the Qur’ a n has been revealed in a most clear and eloquent language and because also it deals with all basic truths and its teaching is easily comprehensible, therefore, in spite of the element of mystery in its revelation, there is no reasonable ground for anyone to reject it. It further says that God would not stop sending fresh revelation whenever there was genuine need for it, just as Prophets of God did not cease to come because they were mocked and jeered at. The phenomenon of the advent of Divine Reformers will continue despite anything the disbelievers might say or do. Subject-Matter The S u rah like the three preceding Chapters opens with the declaration that the Qur’ a n has been revealed by God, the Lord of all Honour and Praise, and proceeds to deal with the subject of Divine Unity—its basic theme—in a way and form different from that in which it has been dealt with in other Chapters of the Ha M i m group. It says that God, in order to establish His Unity, has been sending, from time immemorial, His Messengers and Prophets. They preached and taught that God is One. They were rejected and opposed and persecuted. But this did not cause God to stop sending new Prophets and new revelations. Prophets continued to appear in the fulness of time, and the greatest of them came in the person of the Holy Prophet Mu h ammad. The S u rah develops this argument and says that God has created the heavens and the earth for the service of man and has made full provision for his physical needs. When He has taken so much care to provide for his material needs and physical comforts, it is inconceivable that He should have neglected or ignored to make similar provision for his moral and spiritual requirements. It is to meet man’s moral needs that God sends a new revelation. But in their ignorance and folly disbelievers set up equals to God in various shapes and forms; and even go so