Al-Mizan - An Exegesis of the Qur’an Volume 32

Al-Mizan - An Exegesis of the Qur’an Volume 32

Author: Allamah As-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn At-Tabatabai

Translators: Alexander Khalili & Dr. Amina Inloes

Published by Tawheed Institute Australia

This volume covers the exegesis of chapters 31, 32, 33 and 34.

Like most Meccan chapters, Sūrah Luqmān (31), Sūrah al-Sajdah (32), and Sūrah Sabaʾ (34) revolve around the central concepts of Islamic doctrine – monotheism, the afterlife, and prophethood – as well as ethical and moral exhortations. Sūrah Luqmān, however, is unique, in that it details the teachings of the sage Luqmān, thought to have lived in Ethiopia around 1100 BC. While accounts of Luqmān circulated in the Arabian Peninsula prior to Islam, he is one of the few Qur’anic sacred figures to lack a direct parallel in the Bible. Therefore, ʿAllāmah includes a special discussion on who he was, what narrations say about him, and whether he was a prophet.

Sūrah al-Aḥzāb (33) differs from the other chapters analyzed in this volume, in that it discusses real-time concerns troubling the nascent Muslim polity in Medina, and the urgent need to set laws, establish social standards, and arrange for defence. Although an important event discussed in this chapter is the Battle of Khandaq (627 CE), which the exegesis includes lengthy historical narrations on, this chapter also shows that many challenges were internal. For instance, it condemns gossiping, hypocrisy, and sedition. It aims to correct harmful behavior and poor manners, such as eyeing the Prophet’s wives. It urges the believing women to don outer garments discourage catcalling or abuse. From this chapter, one gets a sense of the uphill battle the Prophet sometimes faced in building his community, and his patience.

Pages: 270

ISBN: 978 0 6484212 8 3