Ta Seen Meem. These are verses of the Book that makes things clear. Would you, perhaps, torment yourself to death (with grief) because they would not believe? If We will, We can send down to them from the skies a sign before which their necks will remain bent in submission. (The Poets: Al-Shu’ara: 26: 1-4)
These are the opening verses of Surah 26, entitled The Poets. The main theme discussed in this surah pervades all surahs revealed in Makkah during the early period of Islam. This theme is faith, tackled in all its major aspects: God’s oneness: “Do not invoke any other deity side by side with God, lest you find yourself among those suffering punishment.” (Verse 213); fearing the Day of Judgment: “Let me not suffer disgrace on the Day when all shall be raised from the dead; the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit; but only the one who comes to God with a sound heart (will be happy).” (Verses 87-89); belief in the revelation bestowed from on high to Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Most certainly, this (Qur’an) has been bestowed from on high by the Lord of all the worlds. The trustworthy Spirit has brought it down into your heart — so that you may give warning.” (Verses 192-194); and explaining the risks to which anyone who denies the faith exposes himself including destructive punishment that may take place in this world, or punishment in the hereafter that awaits the unbelievers: “They have indeed denied (the truth of revelation); and they will in time come to understand what it was they were wont to deride.” (Verse 6) “Those who are bent on wrongdoing will in time know how an evil turn their destiny will surely take.” (Verse 227)
The surah also consoles the Prophet as he faces the determined denials of his message and divine revelation: “Would you, perhaps, torment yourself to death (with grief) because they would not believe?” (Verse 3) It reassures the believers and strengthen their resolve to endure all the hardships they were facing, presenting them with examples of earlier believers who remained steadfast in the face of similar difficulties.
The main body of the surah is devoted to historical accounts that take up 180 verses of the surah’s total of 227. Apart from these historical accounts, the surah includes a short introduction and final comments, but the three elements form a single coherent unit that presents the main theme in different styles, serving a single objective. Hence, only the relevant episodes of each history are presented in the surah.
An air of warning, rejection of God’s messages, and the subsequent punishment prevails in the surah. This is only logical since the surah provides a response to the Qurayshi unbelievers who denied Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), derided his warnings, turned their backs on God’s revelations, hastened the threatened punishment and described revelation and the Qur’an as either sorcery or poetry inspired by devils.
The entire surah forms one unit, but we will divide it into short passages according to the order it follows. Hence we start today with commenting on its introductory verses.
The surah begins with three separate Arabic letters Ta Seen Meem, indicating that the verses of the Qur’an, the book that sets things in full clarity, including the present surah, are made out of such letters. These letters are available to those who deny divine revelation, and they cannot produce out of them anything similar to this clear book.
The nature of the book is discussed in the beginning and the end of the surah, just like it is discussed in every surah which has a similar beginning using similar separate letters.
The surah then addresses the Prophet who is concerned about the idolaters and saddened by their rejection of his message and the Qur’an. It comforts the Prophet telling him that the whole matter is not worth all his concern. God could have easily forced them to believe by showing them some clear sign that they would not be able to resist: “Would you, perhaps, torment yourself to death (with grief) because they would not believe? If We will, We can send down to them from the skies a sign before which their necks will remain bent in submission to it.”
There is here a note of remonstration with the Prophet for showing too much concern about the unbelievers and their attitude: “Would you, perhaps, torment yourself to death (with grief) because they would not believe?” The Prophet is shown here to be suffering as a result of their attitude, because of his certainty that their rejection would inevitably incur punishment. Since those people were his own clan and community, he takes the matter to heart and feels very heavy at the inevitable prospect. God, however, is too caring to leave him to his grief which weighs heavily on him. The surah tells him that his responsibility does not include bringing them into the fold of believers. Had it been God’s will, He would have sent down a miraculous, overpowering sign that would have left all their arguments meaningless, and they would have had no option but to declare their belief in God and submission to Him. The verse gives a graphic picture of their submission to such a sign: “Their necks will remain bent in submission.” The picture here shows their necks permanently bent and they can never look up.
But God Almighty has not chosen to give such compelling sign with His last message. He has made its overpowering sign the Qur’an, a complete and perfect code of living that is miraculous in every aspect.
The Qur’an is miraculous in its construction and artistic presentation, maintaining the same features of excellence at the same level throughout. Thus, it is totally unlike human works where we note variation of standard, power and level even by the same author and within the same work. By contrast the Qur’an maintains its artistic characteristics at the same level throughout, which indicates that it is the work of the One who is not influenced by changing situations and temporary circumstances.
We will look at the miraculous nature of the Qur’an in more details next week, God willing.