Reflection of Juz’ 7 by Dr. Nisa Muhammad

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Juz 7: From Law to Light—Reflections on Al-Ma’idah and Al-An’am

In the seventh part of the Qur’an—Juz 7—I am struck by the profound transition it offers the believer. Allah is so kind in this arrangement. This Juz completes Surah Al-Ma’idah and opens the gates of Surah Al-An’am. It is a movement from the intricate social laws of Madinah to the soaring theological poetry of Makkah. I find in this transition a powerful metaphor for the struggle of Black Muslims: the movement from establishing justice in a fractured society to remembering our ultimate origin in the Oneness of God.

The Closing of Al-Ma’idah: A Theology of Liberation

The ending of Al-Ma’idah (The Table Spread) is heavy with responsibility. We encounter the narrative of the disciples of ‘Isa (Jesus), asking for a table from heaven. But woven through these verses is a profound critique of the religious gatekeepers of the past. Allah warns against those who make their rabbis and monks into lords beside Him.

When I read this through the lens of the Black experience, I feel a deep resonance. For centuries, our people were told that their worth was determined by the whims of masters, by the legislature of Jim Crow, or by a distorted theology that painted God in the image of the oppressor. But this Juz reminds us that sovereignty belongs to Allah alone. To stand for justice—to be “witnesses in justice” (5:8)—we must first dethrone the false idols of our time. Whether those idols are systems of white supremacy, materialism, or the desire for acceptance from the dominant culture, Al-Ma’idah commands us to stand firm. It tells us that the straight path is not paved with appeasement, but with accountability.

The Opening of Al-An’am: The Dignity of Origins

Then, the landscape shifts. We step into Surah Al-An’am (The Cattle), a Makkan revelation. If Madinah is the city of law, Makkah is the city of the heart. The tone changes to a rhythmic declaration of Tawhid—the Oneness of God.

Allah begins: “All praise is due to Allah, who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light” (6:1).

There is a spiritual anthropology here that heals the wounded soul. In a world that often tries to dehumanize Black bodies, Al-An’am restores our spiritual genealogy. It reminds us that our lineage does not begin on the shores of the Atlantic; it begins with the breath of the Divine. Allah speaks of the pagans who “have taken gods besides Him…yet they cannot create anything” (6:101).

I reflect on this often: the oppressor may possess the guns, the ships, and the chains, but they possess no power to create a soul. They cannot create light, nor can they block the light of guidance. In Al-An’am, we see the futility of the tyrants. They are described as deaf, dumb, and blind—spiritually incapacitated.

Ibrahim (Abraham) is mentioned here, breaking the idols of his people. I see in that act a template for our own liberation. We are called not just to reject physical shackles, but to break the mental idols of inferiority. We are called to look at the stars, the moon, and the sun—as Ibrahim did—and declare, “I do not love things that set” (6:76).

Allah begins: “All praise is due to Allah, who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light” (6:1).

A Reflection for the Road

Juz 7 is a call to return to our primordial nature (fitrah). It tells us that before we were categorized by the color of our skin or the texture of our hair, we were souls sworn to the Lord of the Worlds.

In the closing verses of Al-Ma’idah, the believers are described as helpers (ansar) of Allah. To be a Black Muslim is to embrace that title fully. We help the cause of Allah by witnessing the truth, by breaking the idols of false hierarchy, and by grounding ourselves in the reality that the only True King is the One who made the heavens and the earth.

This Juz asks us: Who is your Lord? And the answer we give, with every breath and every struggle, is: Our Lord is the Creator of all things, and He is the One who hears and knows all.

Nisa Muhammad is a lover of most things Black and Muslim, especially modest fashion. She is Sapelo Square’s Director of Content and Programs. She has been with Sapelo since the beginning and has served as Politics Editor and Intern Coordinator. Dr. Muhammad is the creator of Sapelo’s highly successful Freedom School.