The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 475
They are kind and sympathetic towards their fellow beings and believe also in the Hereafter. Thus there is a world of difference between disbelievers and followers of the Quran. According to Ibn 'Abbās and Ibn Zubair the Surah was revealed at Mecca. Other Muslim scholars also support this view. Summary of the Subject Matter A Whereas the preceding Sūrah, i. e. (Ash-Shu'arā') opened with the abbreviated letters (Ṭā Sīn Mīm), this Surah begins with the letters (Ta Sin), the letter (Mīm) having been omitted. This shows that the subject matter of the present Surah constitutes a continuation and extension of the subject matter of its predecessor, though in a little different form. The Surah begins with a brief reference to the vision which Moses, the great Israelite Prophet, saw of Divine majesty and proceeds to give a somewhat detailed account of David and Solomon in whose reigns the Israelite conquests, power and material glory reached their zenith; the implication being that Muslims will also make equal, even greater, conquests and will rule over vaster lands and that their splendour, grandeur and glory will last much longer, but if like the Israelites they abandoned the path of rectitude and took to evil practices, they too will forfeit God's favour and will be visited with Divine punishment. After this, the Surah deals at some length with the two most fundamental and basic religious beliefs existence of God and life after death. To support and substantiate the first thesis, viz. the existence of God, the Surah adduces arguments from nature, man's inner self and from his collective life. After alluding to the fact that God's great powers are manifested in the marvellous working of the laws of nature, the Surah advances the acceptance of prayer by God as an invincible argument in proof of His existence. It portrays very graphically that when man in the hour of distress cries to God in the agony of his soul, God listens to his cry. Indeed, if man had not witnessed great miracles being performed through the power of prayer God's existence would have remained enshrouded in mystery and doubt. Another unanswerable argument given by the Surah is that God reveals Himself to His Messengers and righteous servants and vouchsafes to them the knowledge of the unknown, instances of which are to be witnessed in every age. After having dealt with the subject of the existence of God, the Surah, proceeds to deal with the second most important religious subject, viz. life after death. After briefly pointing to other arguments it advances as one unassailable proof in support of life after death the great moral and spiritual revolution which the Holy Prophet brought about among his people, and then proceeds to expatiate upon it. The argument begins and develops in this way. 2389