الصف
As Saff
Verses
14
Revelation
Madani
Period
Madinan
Surah No.
61 / 114
As-Saff calls the believers to align their words with their deeds, warns against the hypocrisy of promising what one does not fulfil, and presents the example of the Israelites' rejection of Musa and then of 'Isa. The surah emphasises that 'Isa gave glad tidings of a coming prophet named Ahmad (another name of Muhammad), and culminates in a powerful call to strive in Allah's cause with wealth and life – the trade that guarantees salvation.
أسباب النزول
Revealed to address the gap between the believers' verbal commitment to jihad and their actual resolve when the call came. Some companions had asked the Prophet what deeds were most beloved to Allah, and when the answer involved striving in His cause, some fell short of their promise. The reference to 'Isa's announcement of Ahmad was also revealed to confirm the authenticity of the Prophet's mission against Jewish and Christian claims.
“And giving good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.”
The words of 'Isa ibn Maryam foretelling the Prophet Muhammad by his name Ahmad, a passage Muslims cite as the Quranic evidence of Biblical prophecy of the final prophet.
“O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment?”
The divine offer of a spiritual transaction – belief and striving with wealth and life – framed as the most profitable of all commerce, leading to forgiveness and eternal gardens.