Quranic Reflections - Islamic School of Stanford

Surat Ash-Shu’ara (The Poets)
This Surah is Makkan. It was revealed after Surat Al-Waqi-ah, and it comes after
Surat Al-Furqan in the order of the Qur’an. The number of its Ayahs is 227.
Narrate on my behalf even one ayah
Surat Ash-Shu’ara is about the importance of conveying the message to people
through the best effective means. In the time of Prophet Musa (Moses), the means was
magic, and at the age of Prophet Mohammad (SAWS), it was poetry and poets (hence
comes the name of the Surah).
This Surah was revealed in a time when the Muslims needed to learn the methods of
information and communication. The beginning of the public preaching of the
message of Islam had then begun. The Prophet (SAWS) stood on Al-Safa Mountain
and announced that the call to Islam had to be done publicly for the first time in
Makkah. In this way, the Surah shows clearly the importance of the means of
communication and information in the process of Da’wa (Calling to Allah and Islam).
The danger of audible speech
Media is a double-edged sword. It is used either to mislead people or to guide them.
For this reason, Allah (SWT) ended the Surah saying what can be translated as: “As
for the poets, the erring ones follow them, See you not that they speak about
every subject (praising people - right or wrong) in their poetry And that they
say what they do not do. Except those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah -
Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous deeds, and remember Allah much, and
vindicate themselves after they have been wronged (by replying back in poetry to
the unjust poetry (which the pagan poets utter against the Muslims)). And those
who do wrong will come to know by what overturning they will be
overturned”(TMQ, 26:224-227).
Poets in the time of Prophet (SAWS) or Media in our current time may mislead people
and prevent them from worshipping Allah (SWT). On the other hand, they may give
people the right information about religion and hence guide them to righteousness.
Therefore, preachers to Allah’s (SWT) way should use these means, the role of which
grows in our age.
Keys of the hearts
As we have seen before, the Prophets’ (SAWS) stories come in a Surah to serve its
objective. When the Surah spoke about Prophet Musa (AS), it stated how he had
feared his words might not produce the desired impact on his people. He said “And
my breast straitens, and my tongue expresses not well. So send for Harun
(Aaron) (to come along with me)”. (TMQ, 26:13). All Prophets (SAWS) stories that
came in the Surah were focusing on the dialogue of the Prophet (SAWS) with his
people. This is what we find in the stories of Musa (AS), Ibrahim (Abraham) (AS),
Noah (AS), Hud (AS), Saleh (AS), Loot (AS) and Shu’aib (AS). We find the focus on
“he said and they said”. The style of the dialogues in the Surah is wonderful. It
prepares the Prophet (SAWS) to begin the stage of public preaching, which was