Background of Revelation
There are clear indications in the subject matter of this Sura to the conditions in which it was revealed. The disbelievers of Makkah at that time were engaged in two kinds of the activities against the Holy Prophet. First
they were creating every kind of suspicion and misgiving in the minds of the pqople about the teaching of the Quran and the message of Islam and about the Holy Prophet himself by starting many disputes and discussions
raising irrelevant objections and bringing ever new accusations so that the Holy Prophet and the believers were sick of trying to answer them. Second
they were preparing the ground for putting an end to the Holy Prophet himself. They were devising one plot after the other
and on one occasion had even taken tha practical steps to execute a plot. Bukhari has related a tradition on the authority of Hadrat Abdullah bin Amr bin 'As saying that one day when the Holy Prophet was offering his Prayer in the precinct's of the Kabbah
suddenly 'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ait
rushed forward and putting a piece of cloth round his neck started twisting it so as to strangle him to death. Hadrat Abu Bakr
who happened to go there in time
pushed him away. Hadrat Abdullah says that when Abu Bakr was struggling with the cruel man
he was saying words to the effect: "Would you kill a man only because he says: Allah is my Lord?" With a little variation this event has also been mentioned in Ibn Hisham
Nasa'i and Ibn Abi Hatim .
Theme and Topics
Both aspects of this have been clear]y stated at the very outset
and then the whole following discourse is a most effective and instructive review of them. As an answer to the conspiracies of murder
the story of the Believer of the people of Pharaoh has been acknowledge the prophethood of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace)
your power and authority will come to an end. That is why you are straining every nerve to frustrate and defeat him." In the same connection
the disbelievers have been warned again and again to the effect:"If you do not desist from wrangling against the Revelations of Allah
you will be doomed to the same fate as the nations of the past. Much worse torment awaits you in the Hereafter. Then you will repent
but it will be too late.