A sura (pl. suwar) is a division of
the Quran, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided,
as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura (Al-Kawthar) has only
three ayat (verses) while the longest (Al-Baqara) contains 286 ayat. Of the 114
suras in the Quran, 86 are classified as Meccan while 28 are Medinan - this
classification is only approximate as regards location of revelation - in fact,
any sura revealed post-Hijrah is termed Medinan and any revealed before that
event is termed as Meccan. The Meccan suras generally deal with faith and
scenes of the Hereafter, while the Medinan suras are more concerned with
organizing the social life of the (then) nascent Muslim community.
Contents
Significance
Reciting suras
Prayer
Benefits of reciting suras
List of suras in the Quran
Names of suras in the Quran
Mathematical structure of suras
based on the number 19
Significance
According to the theory of
Nazm-e-Quran promulgated by the Farahi school, each sura has a central theme
(umud) around which the ayahs of the sura revolve. Notable scholars like Irfan
Ahmad Khan and Mohammed al-Ghazali have also supported this view.
Ayat and suras are believed to be
divinely determined in the text of the Quran, and hence carry special meaning.
Ruku (division of sura comprising several ayat) is a later arrangement created
for the ease of readability of later generations of Muslims.
Reciting
suras
Prayer
Suras are recited during salah while
in the position of Qiyam (standing upright). Sura Al-Fatiha is recited in every
unit of prayer followed by another sura (or part of it). In an obligatory
salah, after two units, only sura Al-Fatiha is recited.
Benefits
of reciting suras
Islamic tradition holds that there are
some suras, or parts thereof, that have certain benefits when recited. For
example, reciting sura Al-Fatiha is said[by whom?] to be a cure for illness.
List
of suras in the Quran
Suras in the Quran are not arranged in
the chronological order of revelation. Amin Ahsan Islahi says that the order of
revelation has no significance for the present times, and the present
arrangement is divinely ordained.[4] Regarding the names of various suras, it
is widely believed that this naming scheme is meant for the purpose of
identifying different suras.
Names
of suras in the Quran
The verses and suras when revelead to
Muhammad in the Quran did not come with a label attached to them. Muhammad, as
we find in many hadith, used to refer to shorter suras not by name, rather by
their first verse. For example: Abu Hurairah quoted Muhammad as saying,
"Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabb il-`Aalameen is the Mother of the Qur'an, the
Mother of the Book, and the seven repeated Ayat of the Glorious Qur'an." (Tirmidhi).
We also find hadith in which Muhammad used to refer to them by their name. For
example, 'Abdullah bin Buraydah narrated from his father, "I was sitting
with the Prophet and I heard him say, 'Learn Surat ul-Baqarah, because in
learning it there is blessing, in ignoring it there is sorrow, and the
sorceresses cannot memorize it."' (Ahmad ibn Hanbal)
Arab tradition, similar to other
tribal cultures of that time, was to name things according to their unique
characteristics. They used this same method to name suras. Most sura names are
found in hadith. Some suras were named according to their central theme, such
as Al-Fatiha (The Opener) and Yusuf (Joseph), and some were named for the first
word at the beginning of the sura, such as Qaf, Ya Sin, and ar-Rahman. Some
suras were also named according to a unique story or topic within the sura,
such as al-Baqara (The Cow), An-Nur (The Light), while other suras were named
according to a unique word used in them, such as Az-Zukhruf (The Ornaments of
Gold), Al-Hadid (The Iron), and Al-Ma'un (The Small Kindness).
Most names of the suras are still used
to this day. Several are known by multiple names: sura Al-Masadd (The Palm
Fibre) is also known as al-Lahab (The Flame). Sura Fussilat (Explained in
Detail) is also known as Ha-Meem Sajda ("...it is a surah that begins with
Ha Mim and in which a verse requiring the performance of sajdah (prostration)
has occurred.")
Mathematical structure of suras based
on the number 19
The Miracle of 19 researched by Rashad
Khalifa is a claim that the Quran is characterized by a unique phenomenon
wherein the suras are mathematically structured based on the number 19. His
research was initially accepted and endorsed by mainstream Muslims but was
rejected later. Some of the claims of Dr. Khalifa's research are:
The Quran consists of 114 suras, which
is 19 × 6
The Basmala occurs 114 times. Although
it is conspicuously absent from sura 9, it occurs twice in sura 27.
From the missing Basmala of sura 9 to
the extra Basmala of sura 27, there are precisely 19 suras.
The total of the 29 sura numbers where
the Quranic Initials occur is 2 + 3 + 7 +...+ 50 + 68 = 822, and 822 + 14 (14
sets of initials]) equals 836, or 19 × 44.
14 different Arabic letters, form 14
different sets of Quranic Initials (such as A.L.M. of 2:1), and prefix 29
suras. These numbers add up to 14 + 14 + 29 = 57 = 19 × 3.
Between the first initialled sura
(sura 2) and the last initialled sura (sura 68) there are 38 uninitialled suras
19 × 2.
Between the first and last initialed
sura there are 19 sets of alternating initialled and uninitialled suras.
The first Sura 96 and the last Sura
110 revealed demonstrate similar phenomenon of mathematical structure based on
the number 19.
References
- Exordium to Coherence in the Qur'an, Hamiduddin Farahi
- An Exercise in Understanding the Qur'an, Irfan Ahmad Khan
- A Thematic Commentary on the Qur'an, Muhammad al-Ghazali
- Tadabbur-i-Quran, Amin Ahsan Islahi
- "Sura Ha Meem Sajdah English".
- Mission to America: Five Islamic Sectarian Communities in North America, by Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and lane Idleman Smith, University Press of Florida, 1993, ISBN-10: 0813012163, ISBN-13: 978-0813012162, Chapter 6, page 137
- Quran: Visual Presentation of the Miracle, Rashad Khalifa Ph.D, ISBN 0-964894-30-2,1982 (for all Facts herein as referenced)
- Rashad Khalifa, 1982, Page 10, Fact 2
- Rashad Khalifa, 1982, Page 74, Fact 21
- Rashad Khalifa, 1982, Page 75, Fact 22
- Quran the final Testament, Translated from the Original, by Rashad Khalifa, ISBN 978-1-890825-00-3, Library of Congress: 2007938221, Page 376, Item 16, The Simple Facts
- Rashad Khalifa, 1982, Page 238, Fact 51
- Quran the final Testament, Translated from the Original, by Rashad Khalifa, ISBN 978-1-890825-00-3, Library of Congress: 2007938221, Page 376, Item 17, The Simple Facts
- Quran the final Testament, Translated from the Original, by Rashad Khalifa, ISBN 978-1-890825-00-3, Library of Congress: 2007938221, Page 376, Item 18, The Simple Facts
- Rashad Khalifa, 1982, Page 11, Fact 03
- Rashad Khalifa, 1982, Page 12, Fact 4
- Rashad Khalifa, 1982, Page 13, Fact 5
- Rashad Khalifa, 1982, Page 14, Fact 6
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