Understanding Islam — Page 116
DOES VIOLENCE ESCALATE IN EARLY ISLAM? 114 previous chapter, Al-Anf ā l. Every chapter of the Holy Quran starts with the words Bismill ā hir Ra ḥ m ā nir Ra ḥī m (In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful) and it is mentioned in the traditions of Prophet Muhammad sa that every time a new S ū rah was to be revealed these words ( Bismill ā h. . . ) would be revealed indicating the start of the revelation of the new S ū rah. In the case of S ū rah At-Taubah , that did not happen which is a clear indication that this S ū rah is to be seen as a part of the previous S ū rah – Al-Anf ā l – and not separate from it. Furthermore, S ū rah Al-Anf ā l was among the first to be revealed after the migration of Prophet Muhammad sa to Mad ī nah, and S ū rah At-Taubah was among the last to be revealed after the migration. 2 When we see these two chapters as a whole, we notice that Anf ā l contained a prophecy that God would give Muslims a great victory and this prophecy was made at a time when there were no signs of its fulfillment. Muslims were still a small community who had fled from their persecutors in Makkah. Years later when Makkah fell and the prophecy was fulfilled, the second part of Anf ā l was revealed and separately named At-Taubah. As a result, S ū rah At-Taubah (chapter 9) of the Holy