102- AT-TAKATHUR
VYING FOR INCREASE
Most maintain that al-Takāthur is a Makkan sūrah, believed to follow Sūrah 108, al-Kawthar, in the chronological order of revelation, while a minority maintain that it is a Madinan surah. It takes its name from the mention of takāthur (vying for increase) in the first verse and was reportedly called “The Sūrah of the Grave” by some Companions of the Prophet (Āl). According to the most well attested occasion of revelation, this sūrah was revealed about two clans of the Quraysh, Banū ʿAbd Manāf and Banū Sahm, who heaped abuses upon each other, leading them to count the respective chiefs, leaders, and members of each clan in order to see which one of them had more.
The Banū ʿAbd Manāf said, “We have more leaders, chiefs, and members!” The Banū Sahm said the same. When it appeared that the Banū ʿAbd Manāf had more members, they said, “Let us also count the dead among us.” They visited the graveyards, counted the dead, and concluded that the Banū Sahm had more, for they were greater in number in the pre-Islamic period. Others say that these verses are a reference to the People of the Book or specifically to the Jews of Madinah. The first two verses speak of the delusion of accumulating worldly goods, which is referenced throughout the Quran (e.g., 3:14; 9:24), while the remaining verses (vv. 3–8) promise that those who persist in such behavior will know Hellfire with certainty.
(source: “The Study Quran” a new translation and commentary by Seyyed Hossein Nasr)
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