The Majestic Quran

61. As-Saff The Rows This short Madinan chapter motivates the believers to be brave: to practice what they say, and not be like the hypocrites who say one thing and do another. It encourages them to stand up for justice when called to do so, and not to shy away from the momentous responsibility of defending the truth. The hypocrites who had deserted the Muslims in the battle of Uhud are reprimanded. The central theme of the chapter is to encourage Muslims to keep their word; a unity between professed faith and practical life. The believers are warned of the vicious intentions of the Makkan disbelievers to extinguish God’s light. However, God promises that Islam’s light will prevail and spread. There is nothing that the disbelievers can do to stop this religion of truth being triumphant. A Divine promise and good news of victory to encourage them to continue with the struggle in God’s path. Naturally, the Prophet was disheartened by the hypocrites’ actions, but the Quran comforted him by giving examples of two great Prophets: Moses and Jesus, who were similarly let down. By giving the example of Moses and Jesus , the chapter challenges Jews and Christians to examine their heritage and conscience: their prophets had already predicted the coming of Muhammad r as the final Messenger. In the Gospel of John 14: 15, Jesus speaks to the Disciples and tells them, “If you love me keep my commands, and I will ask the Father to give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” Who was this advocate? We believe it is our beloved Prophet Muhammad r .