Q(a): Describe what the following Surah tell Muslims about the circumstances in which they were revealed:

112 (Surah Ikhlas) and 108 (Al-Kauthar) (10) [J/2013]

Surah Al-Ikhlas

 This Surah was revealed in early days in Makkah when some people had questioned the Holy Prophet
(‫ )ﷺ‬about the description and nature of God.
 The Quraish, The Jews and Christians asked questions about Allah. Abdullah bin Masud has reported
that some pagans of Makkah asked the Prophet: “Give us the genealogy of your Lord” thereupon in
response to their query, Allah revealed Surah Ikhlas.
 Later when the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬migrated to Madina, the Jews came close to him, trying to overcome him
through their extensive knowledge.
 It is reported from HazratAnas that some Jews of Khyber said, “O AbulQasim, Allah created the angles
from light, Adm from rotten clay, Iblis from the flame of fire, the sky from smoke, and the earth from
foam of water. Now tell us about your lord (of what He is made of)”. Although their question was not
to gain knowledge to get their uncertainty cleared, but still Allah sent HazratJibrail, he said: “O
Muhammad say to them: HuwaAllahuahad.” and tell them that He was never created and He is not
perceivable and no one can understand His origin.
 Ibn Abbas (Rz) has reported that Christians of Najran along with seven priests also asked the same
question from Prophet Muhammad asking about the detailed description of God and inquiring about
the element God is created of they said: “O Muhammad tell us what is your Lord like and of what
substance He is made.” The Prophet replied, “My Lord is not made from any substance. He is unique
and exalted above everything.” Thereupon Allah sent down this Surah.
 It is believed that this Surah was revealed more than once whenever Prophet (PBUS) was asked about
the description of God but that is not the case. It is that whenever the Prophet ( ‫ )ﷺ‬was asked questions
about Allah, Allah inspired Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬to recite the words of Surah Ikhlas. Consequently, Surah Ikhlas
is a Makki Surah.
 This Surah rejects all false beliefs about God as it rejects the possibility of any family or associates as
Makkan polytheists used to believe. It also demolished the possibility of God having any offspring as
Jews believed and Christian idea of the trinity. This Surah clarifies that God does exist as personality
not an imagination or philosophy.

Al-Kauthat:

 This Surah was revealed when Prophet Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬was undergoing suffering of mental torture
and mocking.
 When the two sons of Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬Qasim and Abdullah died in infancy, the Quraish got a chance to
mentally torture him and mock him by calling ‘Abtar’ (the one who is cutoff from his root) They said
“His line has come to an end: now he is Abtar”.
 His own uncle Abu Lahab rushed to the pagans and gave them ‘good news’ that “Muhammad has
become childless this night, or he is cutoff from root”.
 This movement was followed by Uqba bin AbiMuit, Abu Jahal and other wicked Makkans and they
started propagating that Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬has no more male offspring that’s why he has come to an end
 and there will be none to carry on his message and religion. His death will be actually the death of this
mission.
 Muhammd bin Ishq says: “Whenever the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was mentioned before A’asbinWa’il the chief of
Makkah, he used to say: Let him be alone for he is only a childless man with no male offspring. When
he dies, these will be no one to remember him.”
 The combination of poisonous words of Makkan and the misery of losing two sons turned into a great
grief for the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬.
 Allah revealed Surah Al-Kauthar (108:1-3) to console Prophet Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬and promised him that
his enemy will be cutoff and his mission will surely remain, there will be uncountable message bearers
of Islam. Now we can see millions of people who proudly associate themselves with Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬but no
one would remember wicked Makkans.
 To fill his heart with joy and happiness, Allah promised him abundant blessings that include the river of
paradise (Al-Kauthar), guidance, support, success in this life and the next.

Q(a): Describe what the following Surah tell Muslims about the circumstances in which they were
revealed: 99 (Al-Duha) and 114 (Al-Nas) (10)

Al-Duha:

 This Surah was revealed in Makkah when there was a pause in revelation for quite a long time (6
months according to some traditions) which resulted in the sadness of the prophet ( ‫)ﷺ‬.
 This event of pause had two effects on Prophet’s (‫ )ﷺ‬life. Firstly, Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬sensed very fearful view
whether he had committed some errors because of which Allah had been displeased with him and
stopped sending revelations.
 Secondly, when the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬had no new revelation to present before Makkans, they started
mocking him saying his Prophethood has expired and his God has forsaken him.
 Therefore, Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬was given consolation through revelation of this Surah saying that the
pause was vital for enriching his confidence by giving him glad tidings of success in future.
 The swearing of an oath by bright morning and immobility of night was to assure the Prophet that
Allah had not been displeased with him and reply to wicked Makkans in their own language. As it
stated “Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased”.
 In later verses he was promised success in future. And also Allah reminded his previous countless
blessings such as providing shelter and guardian in the form of Abu Talib when he was an orphan,
financial ease through Hazrat Khadija Rz, and guidance through HazratJibrail (A.S).
 At last, Allah demands that to treat the creature of God nicely and serve humanity with the maximum
possible extant to repay for the favours of Allah upon him. It is stated “Therefore do not treat the
orphan with harshness; not drive the beggar away; But tell about the bounties of Your Lord”.

Al-Nas:

 Mufassireen-e-Quran have two different opinions on the subject of the revelation background of
this Surah.
 The first opinion is that when the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬climbed the Mount of Safa and started open
preaching and went against all forms of Shirk by false belief or actions, the Quraish got angry and
responded with aggressive and brutal torture.
 As his mission started to extend, the opposition by the Quraish also became more severe.
 They did their strenuous effort to stop this message to spread. They testified various approaches to
stop the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬from preaching that include the bribe and kingship they offered him which
were rejected by the Prophet moreover Abu Jahal detested him out of jealousy as Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was
gaining popularity when the people of other tribes converted to Islam.
 They plotted to assassinate or at least harm him through magic. They hired a magician who casted
black magic on Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. Allah revealed these verses and inspired Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬to seek Allah’s
refuge from all types of visible and invisible evil forces.
 The second opinion is that it was revealed in 7 A.H after the pact of Hudaibiya when a Jew from
Khyber named Labib bin Aa’sim casted magic spells on Prophet. He was offered three gold coins to
do so.
 The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬had a Jewish boy as attendant, he provided Labib with Prophet’s (‫ )ﷺ‬comb and hair
on it. Labib placed his satanic spells on it and buried it in the bottom of dried well(Dharwan) of
Banu Zuraiq.
 Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was affected by this for approximately forty days.
 Allah informed him in dream through the angels, HazratJibrail and Hazrat Mikael about it and
revealed Surah Nas and Falaq which are called “Muawwadatin”.
 Hazrat Ali Rz, Hazrat Ammar and Hazrat Zubiar were sent to take out the material used by Labib
and Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬would recite one verse and lose one knot, as soon as 11 th knot was loosened,
Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬regained his health. Later on, Labib confessed his sin after being questioned but the
Prophet(‫ )ﷺ‬forgave him.

Q(a)From the Quranic passages you have studied, outline the relationship between God and any Two
of his messengers who were sent before Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h)

 The relationship between Allah and His messengers, including Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) and Hazrat Isa
(A.S), shows Allah's role as the Lord of all prophets and highlights His guidance and support in their
missions. Allah sent messengers to different communities throughout history to preach the
message of His oneness and to guide people to righteousness. These messengers were human
beings who lived ordinary lives, and they were sent to specific tribes or nations. While some
messengers were given divine books to guide their people, not all of them were granted such
books. However, each messenger was blessed with Allah's bounties and helped by miraculous
interventions to support their mission.
Allah as a Lord of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S)
 In the case of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S), Allah’s relationship with him is deeply rooted in a personal
quest for the true Lord. As mentioned in Surah Al-Anaam (6:75-79), Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S)
questioned the idol worshipping practices of his people. His ancestors worshipped idols, but
Ibrahim could not accept them as his gods. Living among the Chaldeans, who had knowledge of
stars and heavenly bodies, Ibrahim started to question the nature of divinity, considering the
 possibility that celestial objects could be worshipped. However, Ibrahim transcended this physical
understanding and recognized the spiritual reality behind the physical world.
 In his search for the true God, Ibrahim declared that the sun, the moon, and the stars could not be
his Lord, as they were temporary and had no power of their own. He rejected the idea of
worshipping these objects, which appeared and disappeared. Instead, he affirmed that the One
who created these objects is the true Lord. Ibrahim’s statement, “This is my Lord,” signifies his clear
recognition of the Creator behind all that he could see in the universe. Allah guided Ibrahim to a
deeper understanding, and Ibrahim became a prophet dedicated to the worship of the one true
God.
Allah as a Lord of Hazrat Isa (A.S)
 Similarly, in the case of Hazrat Isa (A.S) (Jesus), Allah’s relationship with him is highlighted in Surah
Al-Maidah (5:110). On the Day of Judgment, Allah will recount the special favors He granted to
Hazrat Isa (A.S) and his mother, Hazrat Maryam (A.S). One of the most remarkable aspects of
Hazrat Isa's life was his miraculous birth to a mother without a father, a miracle in itself.
Additionally, Isa (A.S) was blessed with the ability to perform many miracles by the will of Allah. He
gave life to a bird from clay, healed the sick, and spoke eloquently from a young age.
 However, the Quran emphasizes that these miracles were performed not by the power of Isa (A.S)
himself, but by the power of Allah. Allah gave Isa the ability to do these things through the Holy
Spirit, which is as powerful in the spiritual world as electricity is in the physical world. The miracles
performed by Isa (A.S) were clear signs of Allah’s power, and not something that Isa (A.S) could do
on his own. Furthermore, when certain people rejected Isa’s message and plotted to crucify him,
Allah saved him from their plans.
 In both cases, the relationship between Allah and His messengers shows that Allah is the true Lord
who guides, empowers, and protects His chosen servants. The miracles and signs given to Hazrat
Ibrahim (A.S) and Hazrat Isa (A.S) serve as evidence of Allah’s mercy and power, reminding
believers of the importance of worshipping the one true God.