The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 357
Date of Revelation CHAPTER 15 AL-HIJR (Revealed before Hijrah) The consensus of scholarly opinion is that the whole Surah was revealed at Mecca. Abū Ḥayyān says that this Surah is Meccan without any difference of opinion among the commentators of the Quran (Muḥīt). It is remarkable that the Surah deals with a question, the importance of which is enhanced by the fact of its having been revealed at Mecca. Connection with the Preceding Sürah In the preceding Surah it was pointed out that the former Prophets possessed no material means, yet they succeeded in their mission because they had the Word of God to guide and help them. So will the Holy Prophet succeed in his mission. The Word of God, the Surah emphatically declares, is a great force before which nothing can stand. The forging of lies against God is no easy thing because an impostor and a forger of lies against God soon meets his deserved end. Thus it is shown that the Quran is the revealed word of God and possesses irrefutable proofs to establish its Divine origin. Subject Matter The basic theme of the Surah is that no Scripture can approach the Quran in beauty and grandeur. It is a book par excellence. It stands unequalled and unrivalled. Its beauties and excellences are so many and so obvious that even disbelievers on many occasions are forced to admit that they have nothing like the Quran and wish that they too had possessed a book like it. In spite of this confession on the part of disbelievers about the unrivalled superiority of the Quran, they do not see their way to accept it and do not realize that by their hesitancy to accept the Quran, they would become permanently deprived of truth and would draw upon their heads the displeasure and punishment of God. As the Quran has been revealed for the guidance of mankind, its Message is bound to succeed and nothing can stand in its way. Those who hesitate or refuse to accept it will themselves be the sufferers. The Surah proceeds to say that if the Quran is ridiculed and treated with contempt, it is nothing to be wondered at, for the revelations of previous Prophets also were held up to scorn. But the scoffers do not appreciate this simple and patent fact that it is no easy thing to forge lies against God because to do so is to invite sure destruction. The All-Powerful God sees to it that lies are not forged against Him and that a forgery becomes easily distinguishable 1565