JUZ NINE
The ninth juz of the Qur’an begins at verse 88 of Surah al-Aʿraf and ends at verse 40 of Surah al-Anfal. These two surahs follow very different themes. Surah al-Aʿraf is the second of two surahs focused on our theology. Surah al-Anfal is the first of two surahs focused on the military struggles of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his companions. Thus, the theme of theology runs through the first half of this juz, then there is a shift to military struggles. The shift is not disconnected though; the verses opening Surah al-Anfal ground it in Islamic theology and remind us that victory is from Allah, and to earn a blessed victory we must be true believers. The link between a strong theology and a successful military campaign connects these two chapters of the Qur’an.
There are many parallels between Surah al-Anʿam and al-Aʿraf. Surah al-Anʿam spoke about Allah sending worldly possessions as a punishment to those who disbelieved before snatching it all away with their destruction. Surah al-Aʿraf mentions how Allah blesses the worldly possessions of those who obey Allah. Surah al-Anʿam discusses the stories of the perished nations who enjoyed the blessings of this world and then were punished. Surah al-Aʿraf discusses the stories of those who obeyed Allah, and as a result, received blessings in this world and the next. The following two verses are a beautiful illustration of this.
When they forgot the reminders, We opened the doors for all things they wanted. Once they were intoxicated, We seized them suddenly and they were left in a state of despair.
If only the people believed and feared Allah, We would have opened for them the barakah, but they denied so We seized them.
The juz begins in the middle of the story of Shuʿayb which gives us an example of both types of people. Shuʿayb was a wealthy trader whose wealth was blessed due to his piety. His people were wealthy traders who earned Allah’s anger due to their cheating. In the end, Allah destroyed his people, yet he and the righteous were spared and continued to be blessed. This story teaches us that when Allah’s punishment comes, worldly means have no benefit. Earning the blessings of Allah should be the priority of every believer.
The verse quoted above appears immediately after this story as a reflection on it. Had the people of Madyan believed, they would have experienced barakah in their wealth as Shuʿayb did. They feared that accepting Islam would cause them to lose their wealth. The reality is the opposite of what they feared. This story was very relevant to the people of Makkah as they shared the same fear. The Quraysh were wealthy traders who feared losing their wealth if they embraced Islam. Instead, Allah put barakah in the wealth of Muslims and made Makkah a center of blessed commerce, which it remains today.
Another story in this juz is the story of Moses and the magicians of Pharaoh. When the magicians witnessed the miracles of Moses, they immediately believed and gave up everything in this world for Allah. They were threatened and killed by Pharaoh but did not waver in their faith. The believer knows that the true blessings lie in the afterlife.
The next surah is a shift back to Madinan revelation. Surah al-Anfal was revealed shortly after the Battle of Badr as a reflection on the battle itself. It is the shortest surah in the first third of the Qur’an after al-Fatiḥah and is placed here due to its relation to Surah al-Tawbah which some companions considered an extension of it.
When the Qur’an was compiled, Ibn ʿAbbas asked Uthman , “What is your
reasoning with Surah Al-Anfal, which has less than a hundred verses, and Surah al-Tawbah, which has more than a hundred verses, yet you put them together without writing in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful between them and you placed them with the seven long surahs. Why did you do that?”
Uthman responded, “Al-Anfal was among the first to be revealed in Medina
and al-Tawbah was among the last of those revealed of the Qur’an and their discussions resemble each other, so we thought that they were part of each other. Then the Messenger of Allah died, and it was not clear to us if they were part of each other. For this reason, we put them together without writing in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful and we included them with the seven long surahs.”
Surah al-Aʿraf ended with the story of Moses and his followers defeating the Pharaoh. Surah al-Anfal was revealed after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his companions defeated the Quraysh at Badr. There are many parallels between these stories. The followers of Moses had to flee Egypt; the companions had to flee Makkah. The Pharaoh was killed in this event; the Pharaoh of this nation, Abu Jahl, was killed at Badr. These stories give hope to the oppressed that Allah will grant them victory over their oppressors eventually. This is one of the core themes found throughout this juz of the Qur’an: the triumph of the oppressed over the oppressors.
By Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ismail Kamdar
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