Al-Anbiyaʼ ( ar, الأنبياء, ; "The Prophets") is the 21st chapter (

sūrah A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah (''Al-Ka ...

) of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...

with 112 verses ( āyāt). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed revelation (''

asbāb al-nuzūl Occasions or circumstances of revelation ( ''al-nuzūl'', ) names the historical context in which Quranic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''asbāb'' is ...

''), it is an earlier "

Meccan surah The Meccan surat are, according to the timing and contextual background of supposed revelation (''asbāb al-nuzūl''), the chronologically earlier chapters (''suwar'', singular ''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. The traditional chronological order attribu ...

", which means it is believed to have been revealed in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...

, rather than later in Medina. Its principal subject matter is

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the ...

s of the past, who also preached the same faith as

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

Summary

*1-4 The judgment of careless and mocking

Quraish The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qu ...

near *5 The Makkan people regard Muhammad as “a forger” *6 Miracles not performed by Muhammad because former nations received no benefit from seeing them *7-8 The former

prophets In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

were but mortal men *9 God favours his prophets but judges infidels *10 The Quraish mentioned in the Quran *11-15 The unbelieving cities and scoffers destroyed *16-17 The heavens and the earth not created in play *18 The truth must triumph *19-22

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

serve God, therefore not to be worshipped *23 God is sovereign *24 The great sin of idolatry *25 All apostles testified to God’s unity *26 Angels are not the daughters of God but only 'His' honoured servants *27-28 Angelic intercession only by divine permission *29 The doom of angels who usurp divine honours *30-34

God’s works In theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is God's intervention in the Universe. The term ''Divine Providence'' (usually capitalized) is also used as a title of God. A distinction is usually made between "general providence", which ...

the proof of his divinity 35-36 None immortal but God *36-37 Muhammad regarded by the Makkans as a scoffer *38-39 Men hasty to call down divine wrath on themselves *40-41 Threatened vengeance will descend suddenly *42-43 The doom of those who mocked former prophets *44 The gods of the idolaters unable to deliver their votaries *45 God will triumph over the infidels *46 Muhammad only a warner *47 The deaf will not hear the warnings of God *48 God will judge righteously *49-51 Moses and Aaron, like Muhammad, received a revelation * The Story of Abraham **52 He receives a revelation 53-57 Reproaches his father and people with idolatry 58 He devises a plot to destroy the idols 59-60 He destroys the idols of the Chaldeans 61-62 He is accused before the people 63-64 He lays the blame on the largest idol **65-66 The Chaldeans at first disposed to repent, but they draw back 67 Abraham reproaches them for their idolatry 68 They command him to be burned alive 69-70 God miraculously delivers him **71-73 He receives the promise of Isaac and Jacob *74-75 Lot delivered from Sodom *70-77 Noah delivered from the Flood 77 The persecutors of Noah drowned *78-80 The wisdom of David and Solomon 81-82 Winds and demons subject to Solomon *83-84 Job is delivered from his affliction *85-88 Other prophets receive mercy from God *89-90 Zachariah’s prayer answered *91 God’s favour to Mary and Jesus *92-93 The true religion one, but Jews and Christians have sects *94 The faithful certain to be rewarded *95-97 Infidels to be judged at the resurrection *98-100 Idolaters with their gods to be cast into hell *101-103 The reward of the righteous *104 The heavens to be rolled away at the judgment *105-106 The righteous shall inherit the earth *'
107
109 Muhammad proclaims himself to be a warner *110-111 God knoweth the secret thoughts of the infidels *112 God will judge the infidels and show mercy to his prophet

Historical context

Muslims believe this sura was revealed in the Second Meccan Period and is listed as Number 65 according to the Nöldeke Chronology. Within its verses are found numerous evocations of earlier

Judeo-Christian The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's borrowing of Jewish Scripture to constitute the "Old Testament" of the Christian Bible, o ...

prophets. These examples help to emphasize and define Muhammad's role as a messenger within the Quranic context. Additionally, the incorporation of pre-existing Biblical and Judaic scriptures integrate Muhammad's prophetic mission into a larger religious framework, thus broadening the horizons of both the Quran as a text and Islam as a religious movement. The sura is thematically and stylistically characteristic of the Second Meccan Period. The verses identify the religious agency of

by relating him to preexisting Judeo-Christian figures, and from there illustrate common notional doctrines, such as:

Islamic eschatology Islamic eschatology ( ar, علم آخر الزمان في الإسلام, ) is a field of study in Islam concerning future events that would happen in the end times. It is primarily based on hypothesis and speculations based on sources from ...

embodied in the Day of Judgment, the fates of the disbelievers and the believers, and the mercy of God. In terms of ordering and delivery, sura 21 contains a tripartite composition and traceable "ring structure", in which the path of

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

comes full circle through the sequence of three distinct parts. Consisting of 112 verses in total, The Prophets maintains the Quran's distinctive voice, in which the verses seem conscious of their own revelation and also depend on other Suras to illustrate particular messages. This clear self-referentiality, or "self-declaration", and intertextuality are perceptibly unique to the Quran and possess the book with a consciousness distinct from other religious texts.

Exegesis

1-40 the oneness of God

''Affirm the revelation and commits Muhammad to his role as the chosen prophet. It declares the oneness of God in his creation''.

41-49 the narratives of earlier prophets

''Seek to draw examples of faith and righteousness through the narratives of earlier prophets. This method of revelation simultaneously thrusts the Quran upward and integrates the religious identity of Islam into a broader existing context''.

73 doing of good deeds, establishment of prayer, and giving of zakah

In a letter to his companions,

Ja'far al-Sadiq Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Ṣādiq ( ar, جعفر بن محمد الصادق; 702 – 765 CE), commonly known as Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (), was an 8th-century Shia Muslim scholar, jurist, and theologian.. He was the founder of th ...

describes the importance of obedience to the prophets of Allah and cites the following in support of this: "And We made them Imams guiding by Our command. And We inspired to them the doing of good deeds, establishment of prayer, and giving of zakah; and they were worshippers of Us."(21:73)

92-112 divergent fates of believers and non-believers

''Work to conclude the sura with another affirmation of revelation, this time through identification of the divergent fates of the believers and non-believers on the Day of Judgment. The chapter ends with a final exaltation of Allah's merciful nature.''

References

External links

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Quran 21

Clear Quran translation Mustafa Khattab is a Canadian–Egyptian Muslim scholar, author, youth mentor, public speaker, imam, and university chaplain. He holds a professional ijâzah in the Ḥafṣ style of recitation. He is known for his translation of the Quran in ...

Q21:2
50+ translations, islamawakened.com {{Authority control Anbiya Abraham in Islam David Solomon Lot (biblical person) Isaac Jacob Noah Job (biblical figure) Gog and Magog John the Baptist