Theme of Juz Twenty Four - Aqeedah

The theme of the 24th Juz is similar to that of the 23rd, as it continues a series of Makkan Surahs dealing with aspects of Aqeedah. The first quarter comprises the rest of Surah Az-Zumar which is a strong reminder of the Afterlife and the fate of the believers and disbelievers therein.

The next Surah is Surah Mu’min, also known as Surah Ghaafir, which comprises almost half the Juz. This is a Makkan Surah and so it also revolves around aspects of Aqeedah. The focus in this Surah is firmly on Tawheed. The opening verses alone list many of the names and attributes of Allah, “Revelation of the book from Allah, The Might, All Knowing, Forgiver of sins, and Accepter of repentance, Severe in punishment and Infinite in bounty. There is no deity except Him. To Him is the return.” (40:2-3)

A reminder is given of the fate in the Afterlife of the believers and disbelievers, and then the story of Musa  and Pharaoh is brought up, but with a unique focus. This time the story focuses on a Mu’min (believer) from the Pharaoh’s own family.

The Dawah of this unidentified believer to Pharaoh and his people is narrated in great details, and many lessons can be extracted from this passage. One such lesson is that we should not judge people by whom they are related to, as from the family of Pharaoh came this brave believer, and Pharaoh’s own wife Aasiya is one of the four greatest women in history.

We also see in this believer’s Dawah, the courage and openness with which a true believer calls towards the truth. This is seen earlier in the Qur’an too when the magicians of Pharaoh embraced Islam and were willing to die for the truth. These stories are great examples of one of the most virtuous forms of Jihad; speaking the truth in front of a tyrant ruler.

The remaining sections of this Surah focus on reminders about the different aspects of Aqeedah which include Tawheed, the Afterlife and the Messengers. Towards the end of the Surah, we are reminded:“Definitely We sent Messengers before you. From them are those who We narrated to you and from them are those who we did not narrate to you.” (40:78) This verse reminds us that besides the dozens of Prophets mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadiths, there are thousands more whose stories are known only to Allah The All-Knowing.

The final Surah in this Juz is another Makkan Surah with two popular names, Surah Ha Meem Sajdah, also known as Surah Fussilat. Focusing once again on Aqeedah, the core theme here is revelation. Allah discusses the revelation of the Qur’an, its purpose, previous revelations, the humanity of Messengers that brought the revelation, the consequences of rejecting revelation and the rewards of accepting and following the revelation, and the importance of conveying that revelation to others.

The Surah begins by describing some of the qualities of the Qur’an, “A revelation from The Most Merciful, Specifically Merciful. A book whose verses have been detailed, an Arabic Qur’an for people who understand.” (41:2-3) Allah revealed the Qur’an out of His Mercy to humanity to detail for us how to live our lives in a way that pleases Him and benefits us. The Qur’an was revealed in Arabic so that its Message could be understood immediately by the people surrounding the Final Prophet .

The arguments of the disbelievers against the Qur’an are mentioned in this Surah, and they are reminded of Aad and Thamood, two nations before them who rejected the revelation and were destroyed because of it. Aad and Thamood are mentioned specifically as their lands were in Arabia and the people of Makkah were familiar with their story.

The Surah reminds us that our job is not just to believe in the revelation, but also to live by it and convey it to others, and so it includes the famous rhetorical question: “Who is better in speech than the one who invites to Allah, does righteous deeds and says I am one of the Muslims?” (41:33)


Source: Themes of the Qur'an by Abu Muawiyah Ismail Kamdar