الحج
Al Hajj
Verses
78
Revelation
Madani
Period
Early Madinan
Surah No.
22 / 114
Surah Al-Hajj is distinguished by containing two passages where prostration (sujud) is prescribed. It opens with a vivid and terrifying description of the Day of Judgement and the confusion of the Hour. The surah then transitions to the institution of Hajj and its rituals, the history of the Kaaba, and the first explicit permission given to Muslims to fight in self-defence. It also contains one of the most powerful passages about the signs of Allah in the natural world.
أسباب النزول
This surah contains both Makkan and Madinan passages and was likely compiled from revelations received across different periods. The permission to fight (verses 39-40) was the first Quranic authorisation of defensive warfare, revealed shortly after the Hijra when the Muslims were still being persecuted and their properties confiscated in Makkah. The passage on Hajj was revealed to remind the believers of the ancient institution established by Ibrahim.
“Permission to fight has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory.”
The first verses of the Quran permitting warfare, revealed after years of the Muslims enduring persecution without retaliation. This verse establishes that fighting is permitted only in response to aggression.