الأحقاف
Al Ahqaf
Verses
35
Revelation
Makki
Period
Late Makkan
Surah No.
46 / 114
Al-Ahqaf is the final surah of the Hawamim group and takes its name from the sandy region of Al-Ahqaf in southern Arabia where the 'Ad people lived before their destruction. The surah addresses the Quraysh's rejection of the Quran by inviting them to compare it with previous scriptures, narrating the destruction of 'Ad as a warning, and remarkably recounting the episode of the jinn who listened to the Quran and immediately believed – a contrast that shamed the human disbelievers. It also affirms the obligations of children towards parents.
أسباب النزول
Revealed in the late Makkan period as the final surah of the Hawamim sequence. The episode of the jinn listening to the Quran (46:29-32) is reported to have occurred during the Prophet's return from Ta'if, where he had been rejected and stoned. While human beings rejected his message, unseen beings accepted it – a powerful consolation and a humbling contrast for the Quraysh.
“And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment.”
A comprehensive command of ihsan (excellent treatment) towards parents, connected here to the particular hardship of a mother's pregnancy and nursing, making the obligation especially weighty.
“And [mention] when We directed to you a few of the jinn, listening to the Quran.”
Opens the famous passage on the jinn who heard the Quran and immediately embraced Islam, which is also the subject of Surah Al-Jinn (72).