الدخان
Ad-Dukhan
The Smoke • makkah • 59 Verses
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وَٱلْكِتَٰبِ ٱلْمُبِينِ
Commentary:
See 26:3; 27:2 and 28:3.
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَٰرَكَةٍ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ
97:2.
Commentary:
In this verse the Quran is stated to have been revealed in the blessed night which elsewhere is called لیلة القدر i.e. the "Night of Destiny" (97:2). According to authentic traditions of the Holy Prophet, the "Night of Destiny" falls in the last ten nights of Ramadan, the month in which the Quran began to be revealed (2:186), to be exact, on its 24th night (Masnad & Jarir). The blessed night, or the "Night of Destiny", is the Quranic metaphor for a period of time when spiritual darkness enshrouds the entire face of the earth and mankind wallows in the quagmire of sin and iniquity. It is then that a Divine Reformer is raised to reclaim and regenerate corrupt humanity. The night which gave to humanity its greatest Teacher and the last and most perfect Divine Law, was indeed a "Night of Destiny" for it. The blessed night or the "Night of Destiny" may also be taken as covering the whole period in which the Quran continued to be revealed.
97:2.
Elsewhere in the Qur’an, it is called the "Night of Destiny" (97:2). According to authentic traditions of the Holy Prophet, the "Night of Destiny" generally falls in the last ten nights of Ramadan, the month in which the Qur’an began to be revealed (2:186), to be exact, on its 24th night (Musnad & Jarir). The blessed night, or the "Night of Destiny," is the Quranic metaphor for a period of time when spiritual darkness enshrouds the entire face of the earth and a Divine Reformer is raised to reclaim and regenerate corrupt humanity. The night which gave to humanity its greatest Teacher and the last and most perfect Divine Law was, indeed the "Night of Destiny" for it. This night may also be taken as covering the whole period in which the Qur’an continued to be revealed.
فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ
97:5.
Commentary:
The "Night of Destiny" or the time of the advent of a great Divine Reformer heralds a new era, a new order of things, when, in fact, the future of humanity is decreed and decided. The time when the Quran was revealed was humanity’s greatest "Night of Destiny", for it was then that the foundations were laid of man’s destiny for all time to come.
97:5.
The "Night of Destiny" or the time of the advent of a great Reformer heralds a new era, a new order of things, when, in fact, the future of humanity is decreed and decided. The time when the Qur’an was revealed was humanity’s greatest "Night of Destiny," for it was then that the foundations were laid of man’s destiny for all time to come.
أَمْرًا مِّنْ عِندِنَآ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ
رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
Commentary:
The advent of a Divine Reformer or of a new revelation is indeed a great mercy of God to mankind. It seems that a Prophet or a Divine Reformer comes in response to the agonised cries of the righteous men of the time that God might raise one who should call and lead erring humanity to the way of righteousness; and God does raise a Prophet or a Divine Reformer in the fulness of time. Being All-Knowing, He knows full well when the spiritual needs of mankind call for the appearance of a Prophet.
رَبِّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَآ ۖ إِن كُنتُم مُّوقِنِينَ
19:66; 37:6; 44:8; 78:38.
Commentary:
The verse points to the object of the appearance of a Divine Reformer which is to call men to God, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Who gives life and causes death.
19:66; 37:6; 44:8.
لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۖ رَبُّكُمْ وَرَبُّ ءَابَآئِكُمُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
7:159; 10:57; 57:3.
10:57; 57:3.
بَلْ هُمْ فِى شَكٍّ يَلْعَبُونَ
فَٱرْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِى ٱلسَّمَآءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُّبِينٍ
Important Words:
For دخان (smoke) see 41:12.
Commentary:
The reference in the verse may be to the severe famine that overtook Mecca and lasted for several years till Abu Sufyan, then a great leader of disbelief, came to the Holy Prophet and begged him to pray for deliverance from the scourge. The famine is said to have been so severe that the Meccans ate hides, bones and even dead bodies (Bukhari, Abwabul-Istisqa). The famine has been described by the word دخان (smoke) because, as the tradition goes, the hunger was so severe that people felt a sort of smoke hanging before their eyes. Or the word may have been used because there was no rain for a long time in Mecca, and the whole atmosphere had become dusty, for دخان also means dust.
The verse may also be taken as referring to the last two world wars in which towns and cities were burnt down to rubble and the smoke that rose from their ruins filled the whole atmosphere with smoke and dust.
The reference may be to the severe famine that overtook Mecca and lasted for several years till Abu Sufyan, then a great leader of disbelief, came to the Holy Prophet and begged him to pray for deliverance from that terrible scourge. The famine is said to have been so severe that the Meccans ate hides, bones and even dead bodies (Bukhari, Kitabul-Istisqa’). The famine has been described by the word Dukhan (smoke), because, as the tradition goes, the hunger was so severe that people felt a sort of smoke hanging before their eyes. Or, the word may have been used because there was no rain for a long time in Mecca, and the whole atmosphere had become dusty, for, Dukhan also means dust (Lane). The verse may also be taken as referring to the last two World Wars in which towns and cities were burnt down to rubble and the smoke that rose from their ruins filled the whole atmosphere with smoke and dust.
يَغْشَى ٱلنَّاسَ ۖ هَٰذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
رَّبَّنَا ٱكْشِفْ عَنَّا ٱلْعَذَابَ إِنَّا مُؤْمِنُونَ
7:135; 43:51.
7:135; 43:51.
أَنَّىٰ لَهُمُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ وَقَدْ جَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مُّبِينٌ
Commentary:
The verse means to say that, now that the Meccans have been visited with Divine punishment, they cry that if it is removed, they would repent and reform. Their present show of humility, however, is only a temporary phase. There has come to them a great Prophet, whose whole life lay before them like an open book. They knew that he was honest, sincere, truthful and trusty. Yet they rejected such a paragon of truth and righteousness. What trust could then be placed in their word?
ثُمَّ تَوَلَّوْا۟ عَنْهُ وَقَالُوا۟ مُعَلَّمٌ مَّجْنُونٌ
15:7; 37:37; 68:52.
37:37; 68:52.
إِنَّا كَاشِفُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابِ قَلِيلًا ۚ إِنَّكُمْ عَآئِدُونَ
يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ ٱلْبَطْشَةَ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰٓ إِنَّا مُنتَقِمُونَ
Commentary:
The "great seizure" may refer to the defeat of the Quraish at the Battle of Badr or to the Fall of Mecca when all their glory departed and their pride was humbled in the dust. They came to the Holy Prophet (whom they had hounded out of Mecca only eight years before) begging for mercy.
The 'great seizure' may refer to the defeat of the Quraish at the Battle of Badr, or to the Fall of Mecca.
۞ وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَجَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ كَرِيمٌ
أَنْ أَدُّوٓا۟ إِلَىَّ عِبَادَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ
Important Words:
أدوا (deliver) is formed from أدی. They say أداہ i.e. he paid it, conveyed it or delivered it (Lane).