NAME: الحج, Al-Hajj.
Name taken from Verse 27 where there is a mention of “Al-Hajj”. The account of Hajj/Pilgrimage is given from verse 25-37.
٢٧ وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَىٰ كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ
27 And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass
But It does not mean that this name is the actual topic discussed in the whole Surah. It is just a reference and mark/symbol to distinguish this Surah from others as is with most other Surahs of Quran. While there are diversified topics discussed in these Surahs.
ENGLISH NAME: The Pilgrimage.
CHAPTER NUMBER: 22
SURAH HAJJ TOTAL VERSES: 78
SURAH HAJJ TOTAL WORDS: 1,279
TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 693
TOTAL LETTERS: 5,314
REVELATION PERIOD:
Medinan, Approx. 623 – 628 AD. Except verse# 1-24, may be revealed between Mecca and Medina.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
God, Disbelievers, Ibrahim/Abraham, Believers, Satan/Devil.
SURAH HAJJ MAIN TOPICS:
Existence of God, Hajj/Pilgrimage, Sacrifice, 1Day Of God Is Like 1000 Years Of Us, Satan/Devil With Every Prophet, Those Who Migrated For The Cause Of Allah Shall Be Rewarded
SURAH HAJJ KEY VERSES:
١٨ أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ وَالْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوَابُّ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ ۗ وَمَنْ يُهِنِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ مُكْرِمٍ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۩
18 Do you not see that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth and the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the moving creatures and many of the people? But upon many the punishment has been justified. And he whom Allah humiliates – for him there is no bestower of honor. Indeed, Allah does what He wills.
٢٥ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ الَّذِي جَعَلْنَاهُ لِلنَّاسِ سَوَاءً الْعَاكِفُ فِيهِ وَالْبَادِ ۚ وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
25 Indeed, those who have disbelieved and avert [people] from the way of Allah and [from] al-Masjid al-Haram, which We made for the people – equal are the resident therein and one from outside; and [also] whoever intends [a deed] therein of deviation [in religion] or wrongdoing – We will make him taste of a painful punishment.
٤٠ الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّا أَنْ يَقُولُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ۗ وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا ۗ وَلَيَنْصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ
40 [They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right – only because they say, “Our Lord is Allah.” And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.
٤٧ وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَنْ يُخْلِفَ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ ۚ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
47 And they urge you to hasten the punishment. But Allah will never fail in His promise. And indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count.
٧٣ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَنْ يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ ۖ وَإِنْ يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئًا لَا يَسْتَنْقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ۚ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ
73 O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued.
٧٥ اللَّهُ يَصْطَفِي مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا وَمِنَ النَّاسِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ
75 Allah chooses from the angels messengers and from the people. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing.
SUMMARY OF TOPICS
1-2(Terror Of The Last Hour), 5( Doubt About The Resurrection, Logical Reply And Daily Life Proofs, Embryo, Creation And Old Age), 8-10(People Dispute About God And Invoke Other Deities, Without Knowledge),11-13(And Of The People Is He Who Worships Allah On An Edge. If He Is Touched By Good, Reassured, If Struck By Trial, He Turns On His Face), 15(Angry Despaired Person Example: Whoever Thinks That Allah Will Not Assist Him In This Life And The Hereafter, Let Him Stretch A Rope To The Ceiling, Then Let Him Cut (It) Off, And See If His Struggle Will Take Away That At Which He Is Enraged), 18(Future Prediction: Don’t You See All In Heaven And Earth Glorify God And Many Of The People), 19-22 (The Disbelievers Will Have Garments Of Fire, Boiling Water In Hell And Beaten With Iron Hammers), 26-29(Hajj Topic: Allah Commanded Ibrahim To Built Kaaba, ), 31(Example Of One Who Make Partner With Allah; As Though He Had Fallen From The Sky And Was Snatched By The Birds), 34-37(Regarding Sacrifice, Flesh Not Reach To Allah Verse37), 38-40(Allah Defend Believers, Sanction/Permission Of Fight In Self Defense, Allah Repelling), 46(It Is Not Eyes That Are Blinded, But Blinded Are The Hearts Which Are Within The Breasts.), 47(1Day Of God Is Like 1000 Years Of Us), 52-53(Satan/Devil With Every Prophet: Satan Threw Into Prophets Desire But Allah Abolishes That Which Satan Throws), 58-64(Those Who Migrated For The Cause Of Allah Shall Be Rewarded), 65(Allah Given Man Power On All Earth And Subjected Everything), 67-69(Allah Will Judge Between You On The Day Of Resurrection Concerning That Over Which You Used To Differ), 73(Example Of A Fly), 75(Allah Chooses Messengers Fm Angels& Man), 77-78(Religion Of Your Father Abraham, Allah Named You Muslims Before, Jihad, No Hardship, Messengers Witness Over Mankind, Hold Fast The Rope Of Allah)
SURAH HAJJ BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACK GROUND
This Surah has 78 verses divided into 10 Rukus/Sections. This Surah was revealed in Madina and partly in Mecca. However, opinion differs as some scholars say that it was totally revealed in Madina. Most consensus is that verses 1-24 revealed in Mecca and 25-78 in early days of Madani life of Prophet Muhammad. The Surah takes its name from verse 27 where there is a mention to the rite of pilgrimage that Muslims believe was begun by Prophet Ibrahim.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said that reciting this Surah bear the rewards equal to the number of people who have been for Hajj and those who will go for pilgrimage in the future.
The Surah begins with the depiction of the Day of Judgement and the fear and terror that it will cause and reminds about the approaching end of the world. The Surah tells the history and purpose for which the Sacred Mosque “Kaaba” was built by Prophet Ibrahim on God’s command and that pilgrimage had been enjoined for the worship of One God only. Surah also states that the polytheists have no right to stop people from visiting this Sacred Mosque. This is the Surah where believers were officially given the name “Muslim” and according to many commentators of Quran verse 39 of this Surah is the first verse that grants the Muslims permission to wage war against polytheists principally because of not allowing them to visit the “Kabba.”
