By Imam Johari Abdul Malik
Greetings of peace and success to all who have submitted their will to the will of The Supreme source of Peace and Prosperity in this life and the next, Allah; God Almighty, The Wise.
In reflecting on the 8th Juz of the Quran, The final revelation to all the worlds, I would like to emphasize the following concepts and provide background on the structure of the Quran while highlighting verses in the 8 Juz (section).
What is a “juz’” of The Qu’ran?:
The main division of the Qur’an is into surah’s (Chapter like units) and ayat (verse like subunits). The Qur’an is additionally divided into 30 equal sections, called juz’ (plural: ajiza). The divisions of juz’ do not fall evenly along chapter lines. These divisions make it easier to pace the reading over a month’s period, reading a fairly equal amount each day. This is particularly important during the month of Ramadan, when it is recommended to complete at least one full reading of the Qur’an from cover to cover.
The eighth juz’ of the Qur’an contains parts of two surahs of the Quran:
The last part of Surah Al-An’am (The Cattle) from verse 111 to the end) and
The first part of Surah Al-A’raf (The Heights) from 1 to verse 87).
The first part of this juz’, Surah Al-An’am, was revealed in Makkah prior to the migration to Madinah. The later was revealed in Medina.
In Juz 8 after discussions of earlier revelations and relationships with People of the Book (Christians and Jews), the argument turns to paganism, and the pagans’ rejection of the Unity of Allah.
We, in America, are in a Medina type of context: Living in a multicultural, multi religious society with Christians, Jews and others, while we are also dealing with a Meccan type context: Muslims are a religious Multi-ethnic minority which is not in control and are being discriminated against in our own land.
What is the main theme of Juz 8?
Sura Al-An’am continues with a reminder that believers should avoid people who are stubborn and rebellious. They may seem successful in some areas of this life, but they will receive their due punishment from Allah on the Day of Judgment. Even if they were to see the most incredible of miracles, they would not be convinced of the Truth.
Miracles only work on people who have Iman – A true and affirmative relationship with Allah (God). There are miracles everywhere, but only the people of iman and Taqwaa (a motivating connection with God) are aware. Seeing is not believing-Believing is what you do when you cannot see.
Allah has sent a series of Messengers with the Truth. Allah/God promises not to destroy a people without first giving them a chance to believe, a warning brought by a Messenger (6:131).
Throughout the Quran, and here, warnings are addressed specifically to pagans. They ascribe “partners” with Allah and create traditions and rituals with no basis in faith: “…forging lies against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and heeded no guidance” (6:140).
There is also a specific warning against those who “break up their religion into sects” (6:159).
Despite all the pessimism and superstitions of the unbelievers, Allah’s decrees will come to pass. Muslims are advised to always follow the Straight Way of Allah with full dedication.
Continuing this theme in Surah A’raf, the reader is reminded of previous generations of prophets who faced the same difficulties as the Prophet Muhammad and his followers. The stories of several prophets are told: Adam, Noah, Hud, Saleh, Lot, and Shu’aib. They were all initially resisted and rejected, but in the end the truth prevailed. We would be wise to learn from the past.
Juz 8
What can we learn from this Juz?
Allah concludes al-An’am by continuing on the topic of Tawhid (Divine Oneness of God)
• To worship Allah alone, and to follow the Way of Allah upon unity without dividing
• The superstitious beliefs of the pre-Islamic Arabs and Allah’s refutation of them;
• The story of Adam and the creation of Hawa (Eve), and their fall following the deceit of Satan who is a constant enemy to mankind;
• To beware of Allah’s enemies and to follow the revelation and the Prophets – indeed, that Hell is the end abode of Allah’s enemies;
• The stories of Nuh (Noah) and the Great Flood, Hud, Salih, Lut (Lot) and Shu’ayb. All of these prophets were resisted but the victory was ultimately theirs and evil was humbled – in the end, Allah’s plan never fails.
The late Dr. Ahmed Sakr outlines the following themes:
Surah An’aam
Themes:
The Concept of God-Creed
Concept of Revelation and The Message
Concept of the Day of Judgement: Reward and Punishment
Stories of 18 Prophets Mentioned
Final Remark
Allah has created the entire universe and subjugated all things for the benefits of humankind. We should be grateful for the blessings of Allah
Surah Al-A’raf
One of the longest Meccan surahs. (Except 163-170)
Al-A’raf is a wall between heaven and hell
It is the first Siraj to go into detail regarding prophets (Noah, Hud, Salih, Lut, Shu’aib, Musa)
Themes
Proof of the Oneness of Allah
Day of judgement: Reward or Punishment
Affirmation of Revelation and the message
The Concept of God-Creed
Concept of Revelation and The Message
Concept of the Day of Judgement: Reward and Punishment
Stories of 18 Prophets Mentioned
Final Remark
Allah has created the entire universe and subjugated all things for the benefits of humankind. We should be grateful for the blessings of Allah
Surah Al-A’raf
One of the longest Meccan surahs. (Except 163-170)
Al-A’raf is a wall between heaven and hell
It is the first Surah to go into detail regarding prophets (Noah, Hud, Salih, Lut, Shu’aib, Musa)
Themes
Proof of the Oneness of Allah
Day of judgement: Reward or Punishment
Affirmation of Revelation and the message
Let us make the best use of Ramadan to get closer to the message of Allah to empower our spirits to stand-firmly for peace and justice. Let us loose our shyness about speaking the truth as we know it, sharing the love and mercy of Allah, the guidance and compassion of all of the Prophets, and culminating with our beloved and final messenger Muhammad, sallahu alayhi wa salaam.
As-Salaamu Alaikum
Ramadan Mubarak,
Imam Johari Abdul-Malik is the Director of Outreach at the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center and former Muslim Chaplain at Howard University
@imamjohari
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