NAME: المؤمنون, Al-Mu’minoon.
Name taken from Verse 1 where there is a mention of “Al-Mu’minoon”.
١ قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
1 Certainly will the believers have succeeded:
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 Believers.
CHAPTER NUMBER: 23
SURAH MUMINUN TOTAL VERSES: 118
SURAH MUMINUN TOTAL WORDS: 1,052
TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 622
TOTAL LETTERS: 4,483
REVELATION PERIOD:
Meccan, Approx. 615 – 619 AD.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
God, Believers, Nuh/Noah, Ad, Hud, Moses, Pharaoh, Jesus, Maryam/Marry, Disbelievers.
SURAH MUMINUN MAIN TOPICS:
Traits Of Believers, Stages Of Embryo Creation, Prophet Nuh Story, Prophet Hud Story, Prophet Moses story, Religion Is One For All Mankind, After Death Barzakh/Barrier in-between, Time Stayed on Earth look like a Day Or less Than that.
SURAH MUMINUN KEY VERSES:
١٢ وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ مِنْ طِينٍ
12 And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay.
١٣ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُطْفَةً فِي قَرَارٍ مَكِينٍ
13 Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging.
١٤ ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ ۚ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ
14 Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators.
٥٠ وَجَعَلْنَا ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَأُمَّهُ آيَةً وَآوَيْنَاهُمَا إِلَىٰ رَبْوَةٍ ذَاتِ قَرَارٍ وَمَعِينٍ
50 And We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign and sheltered them within a high ground having level [areas] and flowing water.
١١٢ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ عَدَدَ سِنِينَ
112 [Allah] will say, “How long did you remain on earth in number of years?”
١١٣ قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ فَاسْأَلِ الْعَادِّينَ
113 They will say, “We remained a day or part of a day; ask those who enumerate.”
١١٤ قَالَ إِنْ لَبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ۖ لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
114 He will say, “You stayed not but a little – if only you had known.
SUMMARY OF TOPICS
1-7(Traits Of Believers, Pray, Zakat, No Sex Except With Wives Or Those Their Right Hands Possess), 12-18(Stages Of Creation, Embryo, Bones, Flesh, Creation, Death Etc), 23-29(Prophet Nuh Story, People Disbelieved Him, Allah Drowned All In Great Flood.), 31-43(Prophet Hud Story, Sent To Ad, Denied, Allah Destroyed Them In A Mighty Blast), 45-49 (Prophet Moses, Sent To Pharaoh, Denied And God Destroyed Them), 50(Jesus And Maryam On High Place), 51-61(Religion Is One For All Mankind, Traits Of Believers), 62(And We Do Not Lay On Any Soul A Burden Except To The Extent Of Its Ability), 74-83(Those Not Believe Are Strayed From Path, He Who Produced For You Hearing And Vision And Hearts, They Say We Do not Believe In Hereafter, This Is Not But Legends Of The Former Peoples ), 84-87(Even Disbelievers Say All Created By Allah), 96(Repel Evil With Good), 99-101(When Death Comes, They Wish To Go Back In World, But A Barzakh/Barrier Between Them, No Relations Among Them On The Last Day), 107-108(They Will Try To Speak With Allah; But Allah Will Say “Remain Despised Therein And Do Not Speak To Me), 112-114(How Long Stayed In Earth; They Will Say, “We Remained A Day Or Part Of A Day)
SURAH MUMINUN BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACK GROUND
This Surah has 118 verses divided into 6 Rukus/Sections. This Surah was revealed in Mecca. At a time when there was the peak of a famine in the region. The intense friction had begun between Prophet Muhammad and the disbelievers, though persecution had not yet begun. There is a tradition related by Urwah bin Zubair that Umar bin Khattab said, “This Surah was revealed in my presence and I remember that Prophet Muhammad said that ten such verses (Beginning 10 verses of this Surah) have been sent down to me that the one who qualifies/acts upon them, will most surely go to Paradise.
In another tradition, the Prophet said “On the Last Day, the angels will give glad tidings about a Garden of delight to those who recite Surah Muminun, and when the Death Angel comes to take their soul, he will give them such great tidings that they will be delighted.
Like other Surahs revealed in Mecca, we find the emphasis on monotheism or the Oneness of God and the institution of Prophethood. It narrates the God’s majesty reflected in the natural wonders of creation and in numerous signs in the world and in man’s own self and draws attention to various stages of human creation and uses all this to state the certainty of the hereafter and the judgment and accountability that all will face there.
