Makkan Chapters — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 1
Introduction
In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 1), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding Makkan Chapters.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 1)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: X-A Glance at the Makkan Life
Pages: Book pp. 335–336 (PDF pp. 359–360)
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: [Compilation of the Qur’an] | Next: [Prophetic Evolution] »
Historical Account
As the Holy Qur’ān was being revealed, the Holy Prophetsa would recite it to his companions. They would either memorize it, or prepare various written manuscripts of it, for which the Holy Prophetsa had appointed numerous scribes among his literate companions. As such, we see that in the Jāhiliyyah, when Ḥaḍrat ‘Umarra furiously entered his sister’s home, they possessed a written form of the Holy Qur’ān, part of which Khabbāb bin Al-Aratra was reciting to the sister and brother-in-law of Ḥaḍrat ‘Umarra. Qur’ānic chapters have not been ordered in the Holy Qur’ān as per the sequence in which they were revealed. Rather, the Holy Prophetsa appointed their sequence himself under Divine command. As such, at the completion of one chapter, the Holy Prophetsa would instruct that place this chapter at the following place. Similarly, at the revelation of every verse, the Holy Prophetsa would say that place this verse in the following chapter at the following place. The sequence that was established of Qur’ānic verses and chapters by the Holy Prophetsa as per divine understanding has been maintained thus far. Moreover, the beauty of this sequence cannot remain hidden from those who reflect and contemplate.
[Mishkātul-Maṣābiḥ, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Ikhtilāfil-Qirā’āti wa Jam‘il-Qur’ān, Al-Faṣluth- Thālith, Ḥadīth No. 2222, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2003) * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Aḥmad bin ‘Alī bin Ḥajar ‘Asqalānī, Volume 9, pp. 26-27, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Kātibin-Nabiyyisa Sharḥu Ḥadīth 4990, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi]
Makkan Chapters
Since the revelation of religious law commenced in Makkah, for this reason principle injunctions relevant to belief had sufficed. Moreover, since polytheists and idolaters primarily resided in Makkah, for this reason, a majority of the Makkan verses refute the concept of polytheism and idolatry, and argumentation on the existence of God and His Unity have been emphasized. Following this, the truthfulness of his prophetic dispensation, evidence of the
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prophethood of the Holy Prophetsa, rebuttals to the allegations of the infidels and the stories of past prophets have been recorded. Furthermore, there are interesting discussions on the existence of angels, the day of resurrection, reward, chastisement, paradise, hell, destiny, etc. In addition to this, ignorant traditions and religious innovations have been prohibited, and attention has been drawn towards righteous habits, exemplary morals, and then the next higher status, ie., guidance has been given on means by which to tread the path of Divine gnosis, and to develop a Divine relationship with Allāh the Exalted.
In worship, with the exception of the injuction of Ṣalāt, the Makkan chapters are empty of all other injunctions; as such, no mention of Ḥajj, fasting, and Zakāt can be found anywhere, because they were all ordained in Madīnah. No mention of Jihād by the sword is found in the Makkan chapters either, because the Holy Prophetsa was ordered to pardon in Makkah, and the completion of argumentation was being done upon the infidels. When the completion of argumentation had been done and the infidels did not abstain from their persecution, rather, grew day by day, to the extent that the Holy Prophetsa and his companions were forced to leave their homeland, and even after the migration, the Quraish did not leave the Muslims in peace, it was only then that permission to perform Jihād by the sword was revealed by Allāh the Exalted.
Similarly, since the Islāmic society was in its elementary stages in Makkah, as a matter of fact, there was no real Islāmic society in Makkah, because the inhumane persecution of the Quraish had isolated the Muslims from each other, no social injunctions are found in Makkan chapters either. It is for this very reason that political injunctions are also non-existent in Makkan chapters as well. In other words, Makkan chapters are almost empty of matters of jurisprudence. This is why Makkan chapters are generally brief and their language is more powerful, forceful, and poetic, as compared to Medenite chapters, the style of which has changed due to an abundance of injunctions and the complications of jurisprudence. This change is very appropriate and befitting, because wisdom lies in a change of the style of communication, as per the occasion.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 1)
Section: X-A Glance at the Makkan Life | Navigation: « Previous: [Compilation of the Qur’an] | Next: [Prophetic Evolution] »