Bayan ul Quran - English, by Dr. Israr Ahmed (رحمه الله)

075 - Al-Qiyamah ( The Resurrection ) - سورة القيامة Themes and purpose: This Makkan surah is dedicated to proving the certainty of the Resurrection and Judgment. It establishes this reality through powerful oaths and the stages of human creation. The surah warns humanity against prioritizing fleeting worldly life and concludes with a decisive confrontation between the dying man and the impending...

074 - Al-Muddaththir ( The One Enveloped ) - سورة المدثر Themes and purpose: This Makkan surah marks the formal commencement of the Prophet’s mission, following the initial pause in revelation. Its primary purpose is to command the Prophet (ﷺ) to rise and warn the people, affirm Monotheism, establish the necessity of spiritual and physical purity, and issue a severe warning of Resurrection and Hel...

073 - Al-Muzzammil (The One wrapped in Garments) - سورة المزمل Themes and purpose: This surah is the code for prophetic training, commanding the Prophet (ﷺ) to rise for night prayer as preparation for conveying the weighty revelation. Its purpose is to fortify the Prophet’s resolve, guarantee divine support against the polytheists, and establish the initial, mandatory laws of worship and spiritual...

072 - Al-Jinn ( The Jinn ) - سورة الجن Themes and purpose: This Makkan surah primarily seeks to prove the truth of the Quran and the prophethood of Muḥammad (ﷺ) by documenting the hidden miracle of the Jinn’s conversion. It establishes monotheism, refutes the worship of the Jinn and the practice of soothsaying, and warns the polytheists of their impending punishment and eventual regret. Context of...

071 - Nooh - سورة نوح Themes and purpose: This Makkan surah is primarily dedicated to affirming monotheism and prophethood by recounting the comprehensive mission of Prophet Noah. Its purpose is to warn the polytheists that their continued association with God will result in the same catastrophic, inescapable punishment that destroyed the first major nation to deny its messenger. Context of Revela...

070 - Al-Ma'arij (The Ways of Ascent ) - سورة المعارج Themes and purpose: This Makkan surah centers on proving the absolute certainty of the Day of Judgment and the impending punishment, which the polytheists challenged Allah to hasten. It establishes monotheism through proofs of creation, describes the terrifying ascent of the angels and the long duration of the Final Day, and contrasts the v...

069 - Al-Haaqqah ( The Inevitable ) - سورة الحاقة Themes and purpose: This Makkan surah is primarily dedicated to establishing the absolute certainty and terrifying reality of the Resurrection and Judgment. It achieves this by citing the historical destruction of past nations (Thāmūd, ʿĀd, people of Pharaoh) as undeniable proof of Allah’s power, while defending the Prophet’s (ﷺ) integrity against...

068 - Al-Qalam ( The Pen ) - سورة القلم Themes and purpose: This early Makkan surah is an affirmation and defense of the Prophet Muḥammad’s (ﷺ) moral character and the truth of the Quran. It refutes the polytheists’ claims that he was a madman or poet. It confirms the importance of writing and knowledge for the Ummah, warns the arrogant Makkans of impending worldly punishment, and commands the Pro...

067 - Al-Mulk ( Dominion ) - سورة الملك Themes and purpose: This Makkan surah is dedicated to proving Allah’s absolute sovereignty and the certainty of the Resurrection. It affirms that life and death serve as a test for deeds, warns against the deception of the devils, and challenges the polytheists to find any flaw in creation as proof of their error and impending punishment. Context of Revelati...

066 - At-Tahrim ( The Prohibition ) - سورة التحريم Themes and purpose: This Madinan surah serves as a lesson in domestic ethics and legal authority. Its core purpose is to correct the Prophet (ﷺ) for forbidding what Allah made lawful, to establish the law of expiation for oaths, and to issue a severe warning to the Prophet’s wives against internal division, using the fates of the wives of Nūḥ and...

065 - At-Talaq ( The Divorce ) - سورة الطلاق Themes and purpose: This Madinan surah completes the legal code regarding marital separation. Its primary purpose is to establish the precise method and limits of divorce (ṭalāq), the rules of the waiting period (ʿiddah), and the subsequent laws of financial support and breastfeeding. The surah interweaves these laws with strong exhortations to piety, a...

064 - At-Taghabun ( Mutual Loss & Gain ) - سورة التغابن Themes and purpose: This Madinan surah asserts Allah’s sovereignty and proves the certainty of the Resurrection through universal glorification. Its core purpose is to define the principles of spiritual loss and gain (al-taghābun), warning believers against the corrosive influence of their disbelieving spouses and children, and commanding...

063 - Al-Munafiqoon ( The Hypocrites ) - سورة المنافقون Themes and purpose: This Madinan surah is dedicated entirely to exposing the nature and threat of hypocrisy. Its core purpose is to warn the believers against internal division and treachery, specifically detailing the speeches, false oaths, and seditious plots of ʿAbd Allah ibn Ubayy. It concludes by urging the faithful to prioritize spendin...

062 - Al-Jumu'ah ( Friday ) - سورة الجمعة Themes and purpose: This Madinan surah affirms the universal mission of the Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ) to the Arabs and all subsequent peoples. It confirms the obligation of Friday Prayer (ṣalāt al-Jumuʿah), emphasizes the superiority of the final Revelation and its people, and condemns those Believers who, when tested, prioritize fleeting commerce over the...

061 - As-Saff ( The Row ) - سورة الصف Themes and purpose: This Madinan surah is a rebuke and an exhortation, commanding unity and commitment to striving in Allah’s way. It begins with a direct condemnation of those who make promises they do not fulfill. The surah affirms the truthfulness of the prophets (highlighting Moses and Jesus), promises Muslims victory and divine aid, and emphasizes that fa...

060 - Al-Mumtahanah ( The Woman to be examined ) - سورة الممتحنة Themes and purpose: This Madinan surah establishes the fundamental principle of loyalty and disavowal (al-walā’ wa-al-barā’), strictly prohibiting alliance with enemies of the faith. It defines the legal and ethical framework for dealing with polytheists, providing a key legal procedure for testing the sincerity of believing women re...

059 - Al-Hashr ( The Gathering ) - سورة الحشر Themes and purpose: This Madinan surah analyzes the military victory over the Jewish tribe of Banū al-Naḍīr. Its core purpose is to prove Allah’s absolute power and authority, establish the division of the spoils among the poor, and contrast the loyalty of the believers with the deceitful treachery of the hypocrites who allied with the Madinan Jews. Co...

058 - Al-Mujadilah ( She That Disputeth ) - سورة المجادلة Ayahs: 22 - Revelation Place: Medina Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur Themes and purpose: This Madinan surah primarily concerns the establishment of Islamic law by abolishing the unjust pre-Islamic practice of ẓihār (likening one's wife to one's mother). The surah then focuses on purging the community of internal dangers by exposing th...

057 - Al-Hadid ( The Iron ) - سورة الحديد Ayahs: 29 - Revelation Place: Medina Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur Themes and purpose: This surah affirms Allah’s absolute majesty, power, and knowledge. It commands faith and spending, contrasting the believers' light with the hypocrites' darkness on Judgment Day. It warns against hard-heartedness and explains that Allah sent messengers with the B...

056 - Al-Waqi'ah ( The Event ) - سورة الواقعة

055 - Ar-Rahman ( The Most Graciouse ) - سورة الرحمن

054 - Al-Qamar ( The Moon ) - سورة القمر

053 - An-Najm ( The Star ) - سورة النجم

052 - At-Tur ( The Mount ) - سورة الطور

051 - Adh-Dhariyat ( The Wind that Scatter ) - سورة الذاريات