Sūrat Ṣād is a Meccan surah. It is said to have been revealed after Sūrat al-Qamar.
The surah starts with one of the disjointed letters, and after some initial exhortation, proceeds to confront the disbelievers, warning them of the punishment that befell previous nations. We are then told some stories of previous prophets, ending with the story of the creation of Prophet Adam (a).
The main theme and objective of the surah is a comfort to Prophet Muhammad (s) after he was ridiculed by his people. God reminds that many previous prophets also faced opposition when they tried to bring positive change to their people. This is approached under two different major themes.
The first major theme can be summarised in the fourth verse, They consider it odd that there should come to them a warner from among themselves. The Meccans belied the message of the Prophet, thinking it unbelievable that a man they knew only yesterday could be receiving revelation from God today. The surah tells us that this descent of revelation has happened in order to warn them, and it relates the stories of some previous prophets that are far more extraordinary, saying, in a sense, ‘far more unusual things have happened before’, and that ‘there is a lot that man does not know’. Closely tied to all this is the idea that this is simply a reminder, and that there is no reason to be so surprised as the Quran is essentially only relating what has been said before. In brief, surprise and familiarity are the antithetical keywords when considering this theme.
Another major theme of the surah is brought up in the second verse, Yet the faithless dwell in conceit and defiance. The self-proclaimed might, the ego of the faithless Meccan elite and their spiteful and petty defiance and opposition to the Prophet and the message of God is crystallised in their mocking supplication, Our Lord! Hasten on for us our share before the Day of Reckoning (verse 16). The surah’s stories and examples draw parallels to this throughout human history, the realities of the hereafter, and the story of man’s most ancient foe. It is all meant to showcase that these attitudes are so deeply ingrained in some people that they are incapable of accepting change and new ideas.
Regarding the occasion of revelation of this surah, Abū Jahl and some other members of Quraysh asked Abū Ṭālib to arrange a meeting with the Prophet. When the Prophet entered the meeting he did not see anyone except idolaters in the house, so he said: ‘Greetings to those who follow guidance,’ and then sat down. Abū Ṭālib then informed him of the purpose of the meeting, and the Prophet said: ‘Is there a better word than this available to them? Through this they will gain leadership over the Arabs and bend their necks.’ Abū Jahl said: ‘Yes, and what is this word?’ He replied: ‘Say: “There is no god but God.”’ They then placed their fingers in their ears and left, saying, We did not hear of this in the latter-day creed. This is nothing but a fabrication (verse 7).
This surah is closely linked to the previous surah in its content and has been considered a supplement to it. The previous surah ended with a warning to the disbelievers who hastened the punishment, Do they seek to hasten Our punishment? (37:176) and a reminder that God has sent prophets to warn people. This surah relates the same foolish call of hastening the punishment (verse 16) and relates to us the role of prophets as warners. Perhaps, also as the previous surah ended in the declaration of the faithless – Had we possessed a reminder from the ancients, we would surely have been Allah’s exclusive servants (37:168-169) – this surah begins with the Quran bearing the reminder.
[1] Tibyan, 8/540. [2] Zamakhshari, 4/70. [3] Kafi, 2/649. [4] Nemuneh, 19/203; Tantawi, 12/125.