Overview - Surah 46: al-Ahqaf (Sand Dunes)
The Surah gives warnings to those who deny the truth. When Allah's punishment comes then neither the sea, nor the dry land can protect. There is a reference in this Surah to the people of 'Ad and Allah's punishment for their sins.
Sections:
- Allah sent down the Qur'an and He has created the heaven and earth. The gods of Shirk have created nothing. Is there any proof for Shirk? The truth of this revelation is manifest.
- The Qur'an verifies the previous revelations.
- The fate of 'Ad.
- Warnings to those who deny the truth. A group of Jinn accept the message. Be patient in giving the message of Allah.
The Surah takes its name from the Ayat, وَاذْكُرْ أَخَا عَادٍ إِذْ أَنذَرَ قَوْمَهُ بِالْأَحْقَافِ وَقَدْ خَلَتِ النُّذُرُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّـهَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ "And mention, [O Muhammad], the brother of 'Aad, when he warned his people in the [region of] al-Ahqaf - and warners had already passed on before him and after him - [saying], "Do not worship except Allah. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a terrible day." (46:21).
The following Surahs all have the letters, Ha-Meem as their opening Ayaat and interestingly what is common to all of them is their mentioning of the Prophet Musa. These Surahs are;
Surah 40: al-Ghafir
Surah 41: Fussilat
Surah 42: Shurah
Surah 43: Zukhruf
Surah 44: Dukhan
Surah 45: Jathiyah
Surah 46: al-Ahqaaf
There are 35 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 35 |
| Total Words * | 643 |
| Root Words * | 185 |
| Unique Root Words * | 1 |
| Makki / Madani | Makki |
| Chronological Order* | 66th (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | 10th year of Prophethood |
| Events during/before this Surah*
Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 3, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 2, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 1, 2nd Migration to Abyssinia, Physical beating and torture of some Muslims - 1st Migration of Muslims to Abyssinia, Public Invitation to Islam - Persecution of Muslims; antagonism - ridicule - derision - accusation - abuse and false propaganda., Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam
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| Events during/after still to occur*
1st Pledge of Aqabah,2nd Pledge of Aqabah,,Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah,Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhud,,Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah,Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers,,Conquest of Makkah - Battle of Hunain,Hajj led by Abu Bakr - Expedition of Tabuk,Farewell Hajj by Prophet - Death of Prophet - End of Divine Revelation
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| Names of Prophets Mentioned
Musa
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| Surah Index
‘Aad, Adversity (patience during) , Apostasy (do not ask for speedy doom for apostates) , Astronomy (motion of objects in the Universe) , Behaviour (towards parents) , Children, Children (of Israel) , Hell, Hud, Jinn, Moses, Qur’an, Resurrection, Resurrection (Day) , Resurrection (of humans) , Revelation, Weather (rain) , Weather (wind)
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The subject matter of the Surah is to warn the disbelievers of the errors in which they were involved, and also persisted arrogantly, and were condemning the man who was trying to redeem them. They regarded the world as a useless and purposeless place where they were not answerable to anyone. They thought that invitation to Monotheism (Tawhid) was false and stuck to the belief that their own deities were actually the associates of God. They were not inclined to believe that the Qur’an was the Word of the Lord of the worlds. They had a strange erroneous concept of apostleship on the basis of which they were proposing strange criteria of judging the Prophet’s claim to it. In their estimation one great proof of Islam’s not being based on the truth was that their elders and important chiefs of the tribes and so called leaders of their nation were not accepting it and only a few young men, and some poor folks and some slaves had affirmed faith in it. They thought that Resurrection and life after death and the rewards and punishments of the Hereafter were fabrications whose occurrence was absolutely out of the question.
In this Surah each of these misconceptions has been refuted in a brief but rational way, and the disbelievers have been warned that, if they would reject the invitation of the Qur’an and the Prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad, by prejudice and stubbornness instead of trying to understand its truth rationally, they would only be preparing for their own doom.
Ahqaf is the place of dwellings of the nation of Aad in southern Arabia.
The Surah begins and ends by drawing the attention of the reader/listener to the the creation of the heavens and earth. By observing the creation we find that nothing exists except it has a specificed and pre-defined purpose. That was determined by the Creator and His creation reflects His grand abilities.
مَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا عَمَّا أُنذِرُوا مُعْرِضُونَ "We did not create the heavens and earth and what is between them except in truth and [for] a specified term. But those who disbelieve, from that of which they are warned, are turning away." (46:3)
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّـهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلَمْ يَعْيَ بِخَلْقِهِنَّ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَىٰ أَن يُحْيِيَ الْمَوْتَىٰ ۚ بَلَىٰ إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ "Do they not see that Allah, who created the heavens and earth and did not fail in their creation, is able to give life to the dead? Yes. Indeed, He is over all things competent. " (46:33)
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)
1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)
Late 9th – early 10th century AD
Late 9th – early 10th century AD
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = 1* | ||
| # | Root Word | Frequency in Surah | Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | ق و ل | 20 | 1722 |
| 2. | أ ل ه | 18 | 2851 |
| 3. | ك و ن | 16 | 1390 |
| 4. | ٱلَّذِى | 15 | 1464 |
| 5. | ق و م | 11 | 660 |
| 6. | ب ي ن | 9 | 523 |
| 7. | إِلَّا | 8 | 663 |
| 8. | ك ف ر | 8 | 525 |
| 9. | ر أ ي | 8 | 328 |
| 10. | إِلَىٰ | 8 | 742 |
| Root Word | Frequency in Surah |
Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| ق و ل | 20 | 1722 |
| أ ل ه | 18 | 2851 |
| ك و ن | 16 | 1390 |
| ٱلَّذِى | 15 | 1464 |
| ق و م | 11 | 660 |
| ب ي ن | 9 | 523 |
| إِلَّا | 8 | 663 |
| ك ف ر | 8 | 525 |
| ر أ ي | 8 | 328 |
| إِلَىٰ | 8 | 742 |
- The prayers of a 40 year old monotheistic father for his parents and his children. (46:15)
Tafsir Zone
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Overview (Verses 26 - 28) Useless Power With this image of death and destruction, the surah addresses the present generation who follow in the 'Ad's footsteps, giving them a telling reminder: We had securely established them in a manner in which We have never established you; and We had endowed them with hearing, and sight, and hearts. Yet nothing did their hearing, sight and hearts avail them since they persisted in denying God's revelations. They were overwhelmed by the very thing which they had mocked. (Verse 26) Those very people who were destroyed by the storm wind had once been established in the land in a way that had not been granted to the Arabs of Makkah. This is a general reference to what they had been given of power, wealth, knowledge and life's luxuries. They were also endowed with sharp faculties of hearing and sight, as well as hearts. The Qur'an uses different ways of referring to the faculty of understanding, citing it alternatively as heart, mind or brain, when all refer to the same ability. Yet none of these faculties was of any use as the `Ad rendered them useless when "they persisted in denying God's revelations." (Verse 26) Denying God's revelations suppresses senses and faculties and screens them from His source of light and understanding, blunting them altogether. "They were overwhelmed by the very thing which they had mocked. (Verse 26) This refers to the punishment they were warned about and which they derided. The lesson to be drawn here is that no one should ever be too proud of his power, wealth or knowledge, thinking that these can afford him absolute protection. We see in what happened to the 'Ad a natural power being used against people, destroying them and all that they enjoyed. Nothing was left of them except their empty and desolate dwellings. Winds are a universal power operating all the time in accordance with the system God has placed in the universe. He may use them to destroy certain places as part of His overall scheme of things. There is no need, then, within this context, to upset or disrupt the universal system, as some people mistakenly suggest. The One who has put the system in place is the One who has determined the fates of individuals and communities. Every single thing, event, movement and person are taken into account within the overall system and the operation of His law. Like all other universal powers, winds are controlled by God, fulfilling the role He has assigned to them and to the universe. The same applies to humans at whose disposal God has placed certain universal powers. When people undertake something, they are in fact fulfilling the role assigned to them by God, for His purpose. Their freedom of action and choice is part of the overall law that ensures universal harmony. Indeed everything is set according to a fine measure, with nothing falling short or causing disruption. This part of the surah concludes by drawing people's attention to the lessons learnt from the fates suffered by the communities in the areas not far from around Makkah: We have also destroyed other communities that once lived around you, and We gave Our message in various ways so that they might return to the right way. Why did those whom they had set up as deities beside God, hoping that they would bring them nearer to Him, give them no help? Indeed, they utterly failed them. Such were their lies and such their false inventions. (Verses 27-28) God destroyed the communities who rejected the messengers sent to them, such as the 'Ad in the Valley of the Sand Dunes in the south of Arabia, the Thamad at Hijr in the north, the people of Sheba in Yemen, the Madyan whose former homes the Makkans passed on their way to Syria and the people of Lot whose dwellings were along the route the Arabs took on their summer journey to the north. God gave His message to these people in different ways so as to give such erring communities a chance to repent and change their ways. They, however, persisted with their errors and so incurred God's punishment, which was inflicted on them in various ways. What happened to them was so serious that it became part of the history one generation reports to the next. The idolaters in Makkah were aware of this, given they passed by these areas on their travels. Their attentions are thus drawn to the real facts. God destroyed the unbelievers before them while their deities, whom they claimed drew them nearer to God, were utterly unable to save them: "Why did those whom they had set up as deities beside God, hoping that they would bring them nearer to Him, give them no help?" (Verse 28) They could not furnish them with any support. "Indeed, they utterly failed them." They left them to their fate. Indeed, they did not know how to reach them, let alone spare them God's punishment. "Such were their lies and such their false inventions. (Verse 28) All their claims about so-called deities are lies and fabrications. These too will inevitably be destroyed. What end, then, did those Arabs who took false deities for themselves expect? |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
Mawdudi
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
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Overview (Verses 26 - 28) Useless Power With this image of death and destruction, the surah addresses the present generation who follow in the 'Ad's footsteps, giving them a telling reminder: We had securely established them in a manner in which We have never established you; and We had endowed them with hearing, and sight, and hearts. Yet nothing did their hearing, sight and hearts avail them since they persisted in denying God's revelations. They were overwhelmed by the very thing which they had mocked. (Verse 26) Those very people who were destroyed by the storm wind had once been established in the land in a way that had not been granted to the Arabs of Makkah. This is a general reference to what they had been given of power, wealth, knowledge and life's luxuries. They were also endowed with sharp faculties of hearing and sight, as well as hearts. The Qur'an uses different ways of referring to the faculty of understanding, citing it alternatively as heart, mind or brain, when all refer to the same ability. Yet none of these faculties was of any use as the `Ad rendered them useless when "they persisted in denying God's revelations." (Verse 26) Denying God's revelations suppresses senses and faculties and screens them from His source of light and understanding, blunting them altogether. "They were overwhelmed by the very thing which they had mocked. (Verse 26) This refers to the punishment they were warned about and which they derided. The lesson to be drawn here is that no one should ever be too proud of his power, wealth or knowledge, thinking that these can afford him absolute protection. We see in what happened to the 'Ad a natural power being used against people, destroying them and all that they enjoyed. Nothing was left of them except their empty and desolate dwellings. Winds are a universal power operating all the time in accordance with the system God has placed in the universe. He may use them to destroy certain places as part of His overall scheme of things. There is no need, then, within this context, to upset or disrupt the universal system, as some people mistakenly suggest. The One who has put the system in place is the One who has determined the fates of individuals and communities. Every single thing, event, movement and person are taken into account within the overall system and the operation of His law. Like all other universal powers, winds are controlled by God, fulfilling the role He has assigned to them and to the universe. The same applies to humans at whose disposal God has placed certain universal powers. When people undertake something, they are in fact fulfilling the role assigned to them by God, for His purpose. Their freedom of action and choice is part of the overall law that ensures universal harmony. Indeed everything is set according to a fine measure, with nothing falling short or causing disruption. This part of the surah concludes by drawing people's attention to the lessons learnt from the fates suffered by the communities in the areas not far from around Makkah: We have also destroyed other communities that once lived around you, and We gave Our message in various ways so that they might return to the right way. Why did those whom they had set up as deities beside God, hoping that they would bring them nearer to Him, give them no help? Indeed, they utterly failed them. Such were their lies and such their false inventions. (Verses 27-28) God destroyed the communities who rejected the messengers sent to them, such as the 'Ad in the Valley of the Sand Dunes in the south of Arabia, the Thamad at Hijr in the north, the people of Sheba in Yemen, the Madyan whose former homes the Makkans passed on their way to Syria and the people of Lot whose dwellings were along the route the Arabs took on their summer journey to the north. God gave His message to these people in different ways so as to give such erring communities a chance to repent and change their ways. They, however, persisted with their errors and so incurred God's punishment, which was inflicted on them in various ways. What happened to them was so serious that it became part of the history one generation reports to the next. The idolaters in Makkah were aware of this, given they passed by these areas on their travels. Their attentions are thus drawn to the real facts. God destroyed the unbelievers before them while their deities, whom they claimed drew them nearer to God, were utterly unable to save them: "Why did those whom they had set up as deities beside God, hoping that they would bring them nearer to Him, give them no help?" (Verse 28) They could not furnish them with any support. "Indeed, they utterly failed them." They left them to their fate. Indeed, they did not know how to reach them, let alone spare them God's punishment. "Such were their lies and such their false inventions. (Verse 28) All their claims about so-called deities are lies and fabrications. These too will inevitably be destroyed. What end, then, did those Arabs who took false deities for themselves expect? |
- Surah 46. Al-Ahqaf - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGiamNr5bgs&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN&index=46
- Surah 46. Al-Ahqaf Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUd_th3-dys&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM&index=46
- Surah 46. Al-Ahqaf Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5I5b3Rz8us&index=46&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe
- Surah 46. Al-Ahqaf muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXj2TJq1HDQ&index=46&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG
