in
the name of allah, the beneficent, the merciful
sura nabaa
(the great news)
no. 78 (40 verses)
contents of the sura:
most of the verses of the last
part of the qur'an were revealed in
mecca. the nature of these suras
is that they put emphasis on the
creation and the resurrection, furnished with glad tidings and warnings;
usually in a shocking and
awakening tone. all the verses of the suras,
except a few, are short and full
of implications. for the same reason,
they affect, deeply, on any
conscious person and they awaken some of
the unaware, too. they give
spirit to dead-like people and make the
indifferent ones feel
responsibility. on the whole, they have a specific
case and an enthusiastic world of
their own, full of enlightenment and
attraction.
sura nabaa is not an exception to this general principle. it
begins with an awakening
question, and ends with a wonderful sentence
full of warning.
the contents of the sura can be divided into several parts:
1. the question that is stated in the first verse about
the `great news'
"naba`-in-'azim" or the hereafter.
2. examples of the types of
divine power in the heavens and on
earth, and also of men's lives
and their gifts as evidences to the
possibility of the resurrection and the hereafter.
3. preliminary signs of the resurrection.
4. reference to the painful chastisement of the
transgressors.
5. the encouraging gifts and blessings of heaven.
6. finally, the sura ends with some intensive warnings
about the
dreadful punishment, and then,
the sad destiny of the unbelievers.
the name of the sura, nabaa, is taken from its second verse,
but sometimes it is called
"amma", which is the first word in the first
verse.
the virtue in studying sura
nabaa:
there is a tradition from the
prophet (p.b.u.h.) which says: "he
who studies sura nabaa will be satiated, by allah, with a cold drink in
heaven".1
another tradition from imam sadiq says: "he who continues
studying sura nabaa, everyday, will
meet the holy shrine at mecca (kaaba)
before the year ends".2
again, another tradition from the prophet (p.b.u.h.) says: "he who
studies it (sura nabaa) and learns
it by heart, on the day of judgment, his
reckoning will be concluded (so
quickly) equal to the same length of time it
takes to say a single prayer".
1 majma`-al-bayan, vol.10, p.420.
2 tafsir-i-borhan,
vol. 4, p.419. |
