The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 267
CHAPTER 23 AL-MU'MINŪN (Revealed before Hijrah) Place and Date of Revelation It can be said without fear of contradiction that the whole of this Surah was revealed at Mecca. All authorities including Qurtubi agree on this point. There seems to exist some difference of opinion about the exact number of verses of this Surah. The people of Basra regard it as 119. They count vv. 46 & 47 as two separate verses while the Kūfīs, who hold that these two verses constitute one verse, place the number of the verses of the Surah at 118. We, however, hold that the number of the verses including the Bismillah is 119. At any rate there appears to exist no ground for some Christian writers to discover a plea to impugn the authenticity of the text of the Quran on the basis of this slight difference of opinion. There is to be found complete unanimity among scholars that the whole text of the Quran as it exists today is the revealed Word of God and is completely immune from all human interference and interpolation. Thus, a seeming difference in the number of the verses of this Surah can cast no reflection on the reliability and authenticity of its text. There is sufficient internal evidence to show that the Surah was revealed towards the end of the Holy Prophet's stay at Mecca. Suyūtī regards it as the last Surah to be revealed at Mecca while some other commentators assign its revelation to Medina. But not much weight is attached to this latter opinion. Wherry fixes sixth or seventh year of the Call as the time of its revelation. But the text of the Surah and Islamic traditions contradict Wherry's assumption. The view however, seems to be more akin to reality that the Surah was revealed towards the end of the Meccan period, just before Hijrah, though actually it may not have been the last Surah to be revealed at Mecca as Sayūtī thinks. Connection with the Preceding Sürah In the closing verses of the last Surah the believers were told to turn to God and obey His commandments as in this lay the secret of their future progress and prosperity. They were also enjoined to wage war with the sword so that those who drew the sword against Islam should themselves perish by the sword. They were further enjoined to strive in the way of the Lord with the Quran. The alternative commandment of jihad sometimes with the sword and another time with the Quran has made provision for both the contingencies. Neither were non-Muslims compelled to accept Islam by force nor were believers required to accept any commandment against their conscience. The believers were further told that jihad with the Quran meant 2181