37: (Drawn Up in) Ranks
This chapter contains five long
sections arranged in 182 Meccan verses. It was
revealed after the chapter on Livestock
6 and before Luqman 31. Here we find
a vivid description of what men can expect to meet after Doomsday (I):
eternal
bliss, or the Infernal Tree (II). We also hear the story of several prophets
in rapid
narrative: Noah, Abraham and Isaac (III); Moses, Aaron. Elijah and Lot
(IV); and
finally Jonah (V), each summed up by a unifying refrain:' Thus We reward
those
who act kindly...
The angels drawn up in ranks finally speak out in V.
165, and we are
told at the very end that God is not a father (V). The word Jahim is used
rather
consistently for 'Hades, ` and not Jahannam or 'Hell', in an alliterative
effect.
The whole chapter provides a very moving picture.