The Poets

Ash Shuara

Verses

227

Revelation

Makki

Period

Middle Makkan

Surah No.

26 / 114

Overview

Surah Ash-Shu'ara takes its name from the concluding passage on poets, which distinguishes between those who use their gifts in service of truth and those who use them for vanity or deception. The surah narrates in detail the stories of seven prophets (Musa, Ibrahim, Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut, and Shu'ayb) and ends with the claim that the Quran is a divine revelation, not the work of a poet or a devil.

أسباب النزول

Occasion of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)

Revealed in the middle Makkan period. The closing passage about poets was revealed when the Quraysh accused the Prophet of being a poet and described the Quran as poetry. In Arab culture, poets were considered inspired by jinn and were sometimes treated with scepticism. The surah was also meant to console the Prophet by showing him that all prophets faced similar rejection, and that divine assistance ultimately came.

Key Themes

Stories of seven prophets and their rejected communitiesThe Prophet is not a poet, soothsayer, or magicianThe Quran is a clear Arabic revelation from the trustworthy spiritDivine vengeance for the oppressorsDistinction between righteous and corrupt use of languageThe mercy of Allah for those who believeThe cosmic scope of divine power

Notable Verses

26:193-195

“The Trustworthy Spirit (Jibril) has brought it down upon your heart so that you may be of the warners, in a clear Arabic language.”

This verse identifies the angel Jibril as "the Trustworthy Spirit" and confirms the Quran was revealed to the Prophet's heart in clear Arabic. This refuted the claim that he composed it himself or received it from jinn.