(a) briefly describe the main theme(s) in each passage. [4]
(b) briefly explain the importance of these themes in a Muslims life today. [4]
1: sura, 2.225 (Ayat ul Kursi)
A: Theme:
Theme of this long verse is
God himself. It’s a verse of sura al-baqara, a Madni sura. It begins with the
expression of the shahada (declaration of oneness of God) and then elaborates
various aspects of unity of God that make him matchless God is fee from all weaknesses and
limitations, has perfect knowledge of all times, is not dependent on anyone for
his survival and enjoys autonomy in exercising His authority. His authority and
his rule encompass the entire universe. This makes God not only unique but also
elevates him to the heights, we just can’t imagine and that is mentioned in the
Quran as: “then he established himself on the throne” (10:3, 13:2)
B: Importance
of the Theme:
This passage tells Muslims to believe in Tawhid in
terms of God’s uniqueness, majesty and glory. The theme is important for
Muslims as it crystallizes the belief of Tawhid and trains them to condemn
shirk. There is repetitive mention of God’s authority, unlimited knowledge and
powers in order to strengthen the faith of its readers. For example, it says “He
is exalted in power, Wise. He created the heavens without any pillars”31:9-10,
luqman) and “but God is the one free of all wants “(35:15,Fatir).
The objective is to remind Muslims that God alone is to be worshipped and no
authority can be compared with him. Many Muslims recite this verse regularly to
reiterate God’s power and high position as compared to any worldly authority.
2: Surah:
6. 101—103 (Al-An’aam)
A: Theme:
Theme of this passage is God in Himself. It
elaborates some of the fundamental aspects of unity of God (Tawhid). It
describes God as the originator of universe and rejects any kind of
misconception of God having any family. It also refers to His unbounded knowledge,
power and grasp on His created world. The passage further stresses on the
sublime nature of God and inability of human imagination to encompass God’s
person, though He himself can see to the unfathomable depths, as endorsed
elsewhere in the Quran: “for God is He Who understands the finest mysteries”
(22:63).
B: Importance of the theme
This passage is important for Muslims to clearly
understand the doctrine of Tawhid in terms of God’s nature and powers. Muslims
need to learn that though God is too sublime to be perceived, He is everywhere
and all powerful. The Quran reminds Muslims this repeatedly: “and He is with
you where ever you are” (57:04, Al-hadid), and “for We are nearer to him (man)
than his jugular vein” (50:16, Qaf). The passage also categorically negates the
false belief of God having any wife or children and thus, it strikes at the
roots of shirk (associating partners with God). Muslims, in this way, develop a
clearer concept of tawhid and feel themselves bound to adore God only. They
remember that shirk is the only unpardonable sin in the sight of God.
3: sura 41.37 (Surah Fussilat)
A: Theme:
This verse is from sura fussilat\Ha-Mim, an early
makkan sura, it describes the theme of God in Himself. It mentions some of the
signs and phenomena of nature that reflect God’s unity and majesty. It refers
to the cycles of day and night as evidence of divinity. The quran supports it
elsewhere as: “behold! In the creation of the heavens and earth; in the
alternation of the night and the day….are signs for the people who are wise’’
(2:164). The passage commands us to worship the Creator of the sun and moon and
not the creations themselves because the Creator is always superior to the
creations
B: Importance
of the theme:
Theme of this passage urges Muslims to observe
various objects of nature that reflect God’s presence, majesty and glory. Since
humans can not afford to see God physically, they are asked to identify the
real creator through his creations that bear witness to is existence. Such
observation encourages Muslims to develop a strong belief in Tawhid in all its
aspects. The Quran, for this reason, frequently refers to the need of pondering
and observing: “verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all
that God has created in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who fear
Him” (30:40, Al-Rum). So, Muslims should
express their gratitude to God for enabling them to see and think deeply.
Muslims will thus avoid Shirk that the earlier
communities fell victim to, and worship one Supreme God.
4: Sura Al-Shura (42.4-5)
A: Theme:
The two verses are from sura al-Shura, revealed in Makka
shortly after sura fussilat and its theme is God’s unity expressed by His
grandeur and authority. He enjoys unshared authority over entire universe. The
Quran says: “his are all things in the heaven and on the earth” (2:255). It
also mentions the effect of God’s might on the heavens that hardly sustain this
immense burden. The passage also refers to the countless angels who are busy in
the prayers and glorification of the Lord and also invoke His mercy and pardon
for humans who tend to disobey their lord. The Quran declares this weakness of
humans as: “It is man that wrongs his own soul” (10:44).
(b) Importance of the theme
Theme of this message guides Muslims about two
articles of faith: belief in Tawhid and angels. The passage tells Muslims about
God’s power, authority and glory in order to make them His obedient servants.
By referring to the angels praising God and seeking
forgiveness for humans, it tells them about God’s mercy. Humans, because of
free will, can commit sins but God is ready to forgive them. Belief in God’s
mercy and forgiveness prepares Muslims to repent over their misdeeds. The Quran
re-assures Muslims by saying: “Despair not of the mercy of God; for God forgives
all sins, for he is oft-forgiving, Most merciful’’ (39:53 al-zulmar). Surah
97(al-Qadr) also tells about: “the angels and the spirit” descending in the
night of Power to distribute God’s mercy.
5: Sura
Al- Ikhlas (112)
A: Theme:
Theme of this early Makkan is God in himself in terms
of His unique person. It outlines the most fundamental and cardinal aspects of Tawhid
(oneness of God). It out rightly declares God’s unity and emphatically negates
the false belief of God having ancestors and descendants. It further highlights
God’s unity by saying that God’s nature or person can never be compared to
anyone throughout the universe. It also mentions God’s freedom from time and
space by saying that he has always been and will always be there. This way, the
passage crystallizes the belief of Tawhid.
B:
Importalnce of the Theme:
Theme of this passage purifies Muslim’s belief in Tawhid
and that is why the passage is named al-Ikhlas (the purity of faith). Muslims
learn from this passage that God is unique in all aspects. This uniqueness and
supremacy of God highlights human inability and limitation before his Lord. Thus,
it eliminates all forms and degrees of shirk or associating partners with God.
Muslims recite this sura in daily prayers in order to reiterate rejection of
shirk. It is so important that the holy prophet declared it equivalent to one
third of the Quran. Its theme is so important that the Quran repeatedly
mentions this: “and your God is one God” (2:163, al-Baqarah) and “God! there is
no God but He” (2:255). Belief in Tawhid, in turn affects the conduct of
Muslims as they develop a strong sense of God’s presence and knowledge.
6: Sura
1 AL-FATEHA (1-7)
A: Theme:
This is the opening chapter of the Quran and its
theme is God’s relation with his created world. It is believed to be the first
complete sura revealed in Makka. It declares that God alone is the sustainer of
all the known and the unknown worlds, ultimate source of mercy, justice and
guidance for mankind. Only He can guide man to the way of life acceptable to
him though he doesn’t compel anyone to follow that way. Instead, in the words
of the Quran, it is man’s duty to beg before Him for guidance: “and your Lord
says: call on Me, I shall answer your supplication” (40:60). He also tells man
the consequences of following this code of conduct or going astray. Therefore,
man needs to praise and worship him and resort to him alone.
B: Importance
of the Theme
This passages sums up the message of the Quran.
Muslims are told to worship God by following the right path contained in the
Quran and Sunnah and invoke God’s mercy, because according to the Quran: “he
has inscribed for himself the rule of mercy” (6:12, 54, al-an’am). They should
be pious because God is not only Merciful, He is also Just as He will dispense
absolute justice on the Day of Judgment. They should remember that they will
surely get reward in the hereafter as is promised in the Quran: “and only on
the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense” (3,185, al-Imran). Obedience
to God enables Muslims to earn His blessing and avoid his anger.
7: Sura
Al-Baqarah (2.21-22)
A: Theme:
Theme of this passage is God and his created world. The
two verses of sura al-Baqarah a Madni sura outline God’s power to create and
make arrangements for the sustenance and growth of mankind through all ages. The
passage commands humans to identify their real Lord by serving and worshipping Him.
It further commands them to reject any form or degree of associating partners
with God as he alone is the supreme creator, cherisher and care-taker of all as
enunciated repeatedly in the Quran: “… there is no god but I; therefore worship
and serve Me” (21;25) and also, “and your God is one God” (2:163).
B: Importance of the Theme:
The passage conveys the message of inculcating taqwa
(piety/fear of God) and a sense of gratitude to God for his countless bounties.
Muslims should closely observe God’s favour and blessing as is frequently
mentioned in sura 55: “then which of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?,
“ the best way of remembering God’s favour is to obey and worship him by
rejecting Shirk. Taqwa is the focal point of a Muslim’s life and the Quran very
clearly instructs in this regard: “O, you who believe! Fear God as he should be
feared and die not except in a state of Islam” (3:102, al-Imran). So, Muslims
should sincerely worship God and refrain from sins.
8: Surah Al-Alaq (96:1-5)
A:
Theme:
Theme of the passage is God and his created world. It
mentions God’s power to create and ensure the survival and growth of mankind. He
created man from a low origin and then matured him physically, intellectually
and spiritually by enabling him to read and write. Human ability to acquire
knowledge means to learn, both worldly and divine sciences so that man is able
to find means of physical survival as well as take care of his intellectual and
spiritual development. God has revealed divine books for spiritual guidance of
mankind. Thus, man is totally dependent on his creator Lord in all spheres of
life and activity.
(b) Importance
of the theme:
According to the theme of the passage, Muslims are
required to acknowledge God’s goodness and greatness as he created man from a
low origin and then enabled him to acquire worldly and religious knowledge. Human
ability to learn has made him superior to all other creatures and the Quran
endorses this fact: “We have indeed created man in the best of moulds” (96:4al-Tin).
Muslims are taught to identify their lord through the perspective of religious
knowledge and adore him alone because of his bounty of divine guidance
mentioned in the Quran: “It is He who has taught the Quran” (55:2, al-Rahman).
9. Surah Al-Zilzal (99)
A: Theme:
Theme of the passage is God‘s relation with the
created world. It elaborates the events and the final outcome of the day of
reckoning or end of time. That day will be marked by the most intense
convulsions that will reverse all the normal physical phenomena. Mankind will
be shocked to see earth emitting all its hidden contents, as mentioned
elsewhere in the Quran: “and when the earth is flattened and casts forth what
is within it and becomes empty” (84:3-4). Finally all mankind will appear in
the divine court of justice for the rewards of their worldly deeds.
(b) Importance of the Theme
This passage asks Muslims to have strong faith in
God’s power to end time and make all stand accountable before Him for the
ultimate justice. With such a belief , Muslims will learn about the
worthlessness of this world and realize the value of true worlds by saying: “Nay
you prefer the life of this world, but the hereafter is better and more
enduring” (87:16, al-A’la). Genuine and sincere faith in the hereafter shapes the
conduct of Muslims. this belief reminds them of God’s mercy justice and powers
the Quran repeatedly talks of this theme by using several expressions that
include: “when the sun is folded up” (sura: 81) “when the sky is clef a sunder”
(sura 82) and “when the earth is flattened out” (sura 84 ). The objective of
this repetition is to remind Muslims of the Hereafter.
10: Sura Al-Nas (114)
A: Theme
This is the last surah of the Quran and its theme is
God’s relation with his created world. It mentions God’s three-fold relation
with man and, therefore asks man to seek God’s shelter against all evils that
are crafted by Satan and his host of assistants who may be humans or Jinns. They
inject devil in man’s heart and the Quran warns us about this: “for Satan is an
avowed enemy to man” (12:5).
Man should however, also remember the Quranic
instruction: “and on God let the believers put their trust” (99:51)
(b) Importance of the Theme:
This passage together with sura 113, teaches Muslims
to seek God’s refuge against all evils as Satan is always there to misguide
them. Muslims should, however strengthen their relation with God toward of all
evil forces. The best way to do this is remember God as enunciated n the Quran:”
and establish regular prayer in order to remember me” (20:14, Taha). Recitation
of the Quran also shuns evil by bringing the reader closer to God: “when you
recite the Quran, seek God’s protection against the evil ones” (16:98, al-Nahl).
Muslims should also be ready to identify evil forces led by Satan and his
assistants who accomplish their ugly task in various ways the holy prophet used
to recite sura 113 and 114 to guard against evil, after his Makkan enemies had
cast magic spell on him.
11: Al-Baqarah (2:30-37)
A:
Theme:
Theme of the passage is God’s messengers. It
describes the story of creations of Adam and his especially elevated status
granted by God’s decree. This superiority of Adam was duly acknowledged by all
angels except Iblis who showed arrogance (since he was a Jinn, not an angel). Adam
and Eve were granted paradise but Iblis maneuvered their exile from there, out
of jealousy and malice. On repentance on their mistake Adam and Eve were
pardoned by God who awarded them a new phase of worldly living. The Quran mentions
this phase at another place as: “it is We, Who have placed you with authority
on earth” (7:10).
(B) Importance
of the Theme:
Theme of this passage contains important lessons for
Muslims. They are told the reason for making human being superior over all other
creatures. God appointed man (byway of Adam) as his vicegerent on earth because
of the knowledge and free will. The free will is a test for humans as they can
be enticed by Satan to commit sins. The Quran warns about this by saying: “for Satan
is an avowed enemy to man” (12:5, Yusuf). The passage further tells about God’s
mercy and forgiveness as he accepted repentance by Adam. The Quran reminds
Muslims repeatedly of this attribute of God: “if anyone does evil, or wrongs
his own soul but afterwards seek God’s forgiveness. He will find God
Oft-forgiving and most Merciful” (4:110, Al-Nisa)
12: Al-an’aam
(6:75-79)
A:
Theme:
Theme of this passage is God’s messengers and this
passage outlines the story of Prophet Abraham in search of One Supreme God. Abraham
was gradually guided to identify the real Creator and Lord by way of his
creations such as the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. He eventually realized that
God is eternal and therefore He rejected the polytheism (shirk) that was the hallmark of the society around him. He
finally, declared the shahada (proclamation of belief in one God) as a sign of
acquiring internal peace.
B: Importance
of the Theme:
Theme of this passage teaches Muslims to refuse Shirk
i.e. associating partners with God and to believe in Tawhid. They should learn
that celestial bodies merely reflect God’s glory and are only God’s creatures. They
should never be worshiped because the Quran categorically declares: “he has
made subject to you the night and the day; the sun and the moon; and the stars
are in subjection by his command” (16:12, al-Nahl). Muslims should also believe
God granted prophet-hood to his messengers by various modes and that all these messengers
preached the universal message of Tawhid. Prophet Ibrahim’s proclamation of Tawhid
was not different from the shahada taught by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Therefore
Muslims should respect all the messengers equally.
13: Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:110)
A: Theme:
Theme of this passage is God’s association with His
messengers. It describes God’s address to Jesus in the Divine Court in the presence of children
of Israel.
It outlines the prophetic signs of Jesus that include his ability to speak from
the cradle, give life to the dead and cure the leper and the blind. Above all
he was taught the divine wisdom through the Torah and the Gospel but despite
all this he was rejected by his people who even tried to crucify him.
B: Importance of the theme:
Muslims are
taught many important things though the theme of this passage. They are
required to believe that, like other messengers Jesus was also a man chosen by
God. He was granted miraculous powers so that men of wisdom should identify him.
The Quran referred to this fact as: “thus does God make clear to you His signs
in order that you consider” (2:219, al-Baqarah). Muslims also learn that God’s
messengers were always rejected despite such clear signs by the ‘spiritually
dead’ and ‘sick in heart’ people who are mentioned by the Quran as: “those who
reject our signs are deaf and dump and midst of darkness profound” (6:39, al-An’am).
Muslims also learn that the rejecters of truth will stand accountable before
God in the Hereafter.
14: Sura Al-Duha (93)
A: Theme:
Theme of the passage is God’s special relation with
the Holy Prophet. The passage was revealed after a long break that worried the
prophet, and his makkan enemies began to mock him. God consoled him re-assuring
that he would not abandon him. God reminded the prophet some of His past
favours on him. The prophet was a born orphan but God made arrangements for his
growth and upbringing. God then granted him prophet-hood, His greatest reward. Purpose
of these reminders is to re-assure him of similar support in future. However,
God instructed him to be kind to those in need as this would reflect his
gratitude to God.
B: Importance of the Theme:
The theme of this passage teaches Muslims
the importance of faith in God’s help. The Holy Prophet (SAW) was re-assured by God in the midst of mockery
in Makkah. Muslims today should also retain their faith in difficult times by
remembering the Quranic promise: “So, verily with every difficulty there is a
relief” (94:5, al-Inshirah). Muslims should believe that all messengers of God
were rejected and ridiculed but they remained firm in their mission. They
should also believe that the relationship with God can be strengthened by their
kindness to the weak and unsupported people because such an attitude is an
expression of love for God. The Quran says: “it is righteous to spend of your
substance out of love for Him, for your kins, for orphans” (2:177, al-Baqarah).
15: Sura Al-Kauthar (108)
A: Theme:
Theme of the passage is God’s relation with his
messengers. It mentions God’s special care for the Holy Prophet (SAW) in time
of difficulties. The Prophet was mocked by the Makkans on the death of his sons
from Khadija (RA). God consoled him by promising him abundance of success and
destruction of the ones who insulted him. He told the prophet to remember God
through regular prayer and to develop the spirit of sacrifice so that he could
continuously strengthen his bond with God and to get constant divine support.
B: Importance of the Theme:
This passage, like surah 93, teaches Muslims to have
faith in God’s support that surely teaches the noble people. The holy prophet
was assured of “abundance” in the face of persecutions in Makka. This “abundance”
came in the form of his countless followers and his descendants through his
daughter Fatima. His insulters, on the other hand, perished for ever. So, a
noble mission always survives though it is rejected by the misguided people. The
Quran testifies to it: “rejected were the Messengers before you; with patience
and constancy they bore their rejection“ (6:34, al-An’am). The passage teaches
Muslims to develop spirit of sacrifice and establish prayer as these are the
best means of getting closer to their lord, as is endorsed by the Quran: “and
establish regular prayer in order to remember Me” (20:14, Taha).
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