The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5)

The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 537

Introduction CHAPTER 102 AT-TAKĀTHUR (Revealed before Hijrah) By common consent this is one of the earliest Surahs revealed at Mecca. Its subject matter also shows that it belongs to that period. In the preceding Surah, mention was made of the communities of disbelievers whom the Holy Prophet was to reform in his own time, in times following his death, and later, particularly, in the time of his Second Coming, in the person of the Promised Messiah. In the two chapters that immediately precede the present Surah, special mention was made of the punishment that was to overtake disbelievers in the Holy Prophet's own time and in the subsequent long career of Islam including the Age of his Second Advent. The Surah under comment deals with the factors which engender in man an inclination to, or a liking for, disbelief and which divert his attention away from God and truth. The Surah deals with a very common and deadly spiritual disease, viz. vying with one another in amassing worldly goods and taking pride in their abundance. The Holy Prophet often used to recite the Sūrah; he is reported to have said that the Surah was equal in weight and worth to a thousand verses (Bayan, Baihaqī & Dailamī), thus stressing its great importance. 3433