Ash-Shura (Consultation)
Verse 1 - 3
Table of Contents
Section (juz’ 25)
Number of Verses: 53
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This Meccan Chapter has fifty three Verses and its title derives from the question of shura (“consultation”) referred to in Verse 38.
The Chapter treats of the basic tenets of the Islamic faith, e.g. Divine Unity, Resurrection, Prophethood, as well as ethical and social issues. From amongst the twenty-nine Chapters opening with detached letters, the longest series of detached letters is attested in the Chapter in question.
It is worthy of note that the Chapter unravels the mystery of detached letters, since they are followed by:
“Likewise Allah, the Omnipotent, the All-Wise sends Revelation unto you,”
i.e. the Revelation is sent down employing the Arabic letters of alphabet available to everyone whom are challenged to produce the like of it.
The Merits of Recitation of the Chapter
According to a tradition narrated from the Noble Prophet (S):
“One who recites Surah al-Shura is among those on whom angels send down Divine Mercy and for whom they ask forgiveness.1
Surah al-Shura - Verses 1-3
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ حم (1) عسق (2) كَذلِكَ يُوحِي إِلَيْكَ وَ إِلَی الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (3)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
1. Ha-Meem.
2. ‘Ayn-Sin-Qaf.
3. Likewise Allah, the Omnipotent, the All-Wise sends Revelation unto you [O Muhammad] as [He sent Revelation to] those before you.
The detached letters in Verse 2 allude to the Divine Beauteous Names: the All-Wise (hakim), the All-Glorious (majid), the Omniscient (‘alim), the All-Hearing (sami’), the Omnipotent (qadir) making reference to Divine Favors and Bounties bestowed upon His Messenger (S).
Detached letters are to be attested elsewhere in the Chapter. The ones mentioned in the first and the second Chapters, numbering five, are the most detailed of all. The detached letters Ha-Meem (HM) open seven Qur’anic Chapters1 , but further detached letters, i.e. Ayn-Sin-Qaf , are found in the Chapter in question.
It was recurrently mentioned above that much has been said regarding the Qur’anic detached letters and exegets have dealt with the subject in many a discussion.
According to the renowned Qur’anic exeget, Tabarsi, eleven interpretations have been provided for Qur’anic detached letters whose remarkable discussions were briefly treated in the opening sections of Chapters 2, 3, 7, and 19.
Following detached letters, as usual, mention is made of Revelation and the Holy Qur’an, saying:
“Likewise Allah, the Omnipotent, the All-Wise sends Revelation unto you [O Muhammad] as [He sent Revelation to] those before you.”
The adverb
“likewise”
actually makes a reference to the contents of the Chapter and its exalted subject matter.
It is worthy of note that Divine Revelation springs from the same fountainhead - Divine Omniscience and Omnipotence and the contents of Revelation are in principle the same with regards to all Prophetic Calls, though there exist minor changes in terms of requisites of the time, evolution of man, and generalities.
It is noteworthy that mention is made of seven Divine Attributes each of which is in some way related to the question of Revelation, two instances of which are:
“the Omnipotent, the Omniscient.”
These two Attributes necessitate that Divine Revelation be wise and harmonious with human evolutionary requirements.
The verbal form:
yuha (“sends down Revelation”)
is in the present tense and indicates that sending down Divine Revelation has been an ongoing process from the creation of Adam to the time of the Seal of the Prophets (S).
The phrase:
qablaka (“before you”)
which is addressed to the Noble Prophet (S) is recurrent and indicates that he had predecessors in Prophethood.
The point is that
ba’daka (“after you”)
is not attested in the Holy Qur’an which indicates that the Noble Prophet of Islam (S) is the last Prophet. Despite the fact that the Noble Prophet of Islam (S) is the Seal of the Prophets, his name precedes others which indicates his exalted state.
Divine Omnipotence, Omniscience, Wisdom, and Glory are all manifested in Divine Revelation, hence Divine Revelation and Word deserve further attention.
All Noble Prophets (as) are all related to the springhead of Divine Omnipotence and Glory; as a consequence of which whoever confronts them in opposition will tread the path to perdition.
It is one of the inimitabilities of the Holy Qur’an that clauses and expressions are made of common letters and words the like of which may not be produced by anyone. The system of making Laws, i.e. Revelation and Guidance, belongs to the Creator of the order of creation, e.g. that of the heavens and the earth, Who presides over the world of existence.
Footnotes
40-46 ↩