Theme of Juz Twenty One –Matters of Faith

The 21st Juz begins with Surah Al-Ankabut, a Makkan Surah about the test of life and the way to pass that test i.e. Jihad against one’s soul. The word Jihad is used twice in this Surah (21:6) and in the closing verse, “Whoever strives for My Sake, I will guide him to My paths.” (21:69)

As a general rule, when the word Jihad appears in a Makkan Surah, it is talking about the internal Jihad and when it appears in a Madinan Surah, it is talking about physical warfare. The message of this Surah is that we all will be tested in a variety of ways, but if we strive to change ourselves and fight our wrong desires for the sake of Allah, He will guide us and assist us in passing this test.

This is followed by Surah Ar-Rum, a Makkan Surah focusing on the signs of Allah all around us, and many of its verses begin with “and from among His Signs is…” Allah has left clear signs of His Existence and Greatness in the universe we live in and even in our own marital relationships, yet many people ignore these signs and are ungrateful to their Creator.

The next Surah is also a Makkan Surah, Surah Luqman which through the wise advice of Luqman to his son, we learn the fundamentals of our religion. All of the fundamentals of this religion are summed up in this Surah which includes the importance of Tawheed and evil of Shirk, establishment of Salah, fulfilment of Zakah, avoidance of worldly distractions that lead people astray, importance of respect for parents and righteous upbringing of children, good character and humility and the importance of Dawah and patience.

Surah As-Sajdah, another Makkan Surah, follows Surah Luqman and focuses on Tawheed and our relationship with Allah. This includes a description of the qualities of the righteous worshippers as, “The only ones who truly believe in My verses are those who, when they are reminded of them, they fall into prostration and glorify their Lord with praise, and they are not arrogant. They wake up from their beds to call on their Lord out of fear and hope, and they spend (in charity) from that which I have provided for them.” (32:15-16)

The Juz ends in the middle of Surah Al-Ahzaab, a Madinan Surah which discusses both the aftermath of the battle of the trench, as well as Islamic family law. Both these topics run in the same Surah because in Madinah, the Muslims were learning the laws of Islam and practicing them, while fighting the enemies of Islam at the same time.

In between discussions about martyrdom, Jihad and dealing with hypocrites are verses about adoption, Hijab, treatment of one’s spouse and other family issues. Muslims are only given victory when we take the laws of Islam seriously. The early Muslims understood this, and were very careful to obey Allah’s commands and this empowered them and helped them defeat seemingly unsurmountable odds. Today, we look for solutions everywhere else, while ignoring the commands of Allah, and in doing so we break our link with the One who can give us victory.


Source: Themes of the Qur'an by Abu Muawiyah Ismail Kamdar