Message, Timing and Context
This Soorah describes how a group of Jinns heard the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam recite the Qur-aan and how they were so impressed with the beauty of the prose as well as the message that they became Muslim. ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Abbaas radhiallaahu ‘anhu reported, “The Prophet was travelling to ‘Ukaazh with some of his companions. On his way, he stopped at Nakhlah where he led Ŝalaatul Fajr. A group of Jinns was passing by. When they heard the recitation, they stopped and listened to it carefully.” This happened during the early period of the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam’s mission. It was a new experience for the Jinns. It also answered their curiosity about increased surveillance and increased meteoric activity that they had noticed in the last little while. They did not know the reason for the increased security. After listening to the verses, they realized that it was due to the revelation of the Qur-aan that the security in the heavens had been tightened.
The elementary nature of the points given at the end of the Soorah that the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was told to declare to the Makkans also indicates that this Soorah was revealed in the early period of the mission in Makkah[2].
The previous Soorah, Nooĥ, had given the Quraish of Makkah the example of the people of Nooĥ and their destruction. They were indirectly warned that their annoyance with and their arrogance against the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Qur-aan would bring them a similar fate. This Soorah gives the Makkans the example of the Jinns in order to make them realize how the Jinns listened to the same Qur-aan, saw the light, appreciated the beauty of its message and accepted the guidance, as compared to them who were turning away from this beautiful guidance. In addition to accepting the guidance, the Jinns went back to their folks and presented them the same guidance and tried to reform other misguided Jinns among them. The mention of this incident also consoles the Prophet by showing him that those who have goodness in their hearts are eager to accept the message, and thus, he should not feel disheartened by the violent reaction of the Makkans. Clearly, there is nothing wrong in the message or in its delivery. The problem is with the close-mindedness of the Makkans.
To those Arabs who were fond of listening to the fabricated reports that the soothsayers and fortune-tellers were claiming to be coming from Jinns, this Soorah informs them of a true anecdote of Jinns’ reaction to the Qur-aan, so that they also open their hearts for the message of the Qur-aan.
Foot Notes
[2] Some people, like Amin Ahsan Islahi, confuse the story of the Jinns mentioned in this Soorah with another story mentioned in Soorah Al-Aĥqaaf. That is a different incident that happened in the 10th year of the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam’s mission when he was coming back from Ŧaaif.
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