40. Mumin

Syed Abu-Ala' Maududi's Chapter Introductions to the Quran



Name

The Sura takes its name Al Mu'min from verse 28 implying thereby that it is a Sura in which Al Mu'min (the Believer of Pharaoh's people) has been mentioned.

Period of Revelation

According to Ibn'Abbas and Jabir bin Zaid this Sura was sent down consecutively after Sura AzZumar and its present position in the order of the Suras in the Quran is the same as its chronological order.

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.