Surah As-Saaffat

As-Saaffat (Those Who Set the Ranks) is the 37th surah of the Quran. A Meccan surah of 182 short verses in the twenty-third juz, it is counted 56th in the traditional order of revelation, after Al-Anaam. It affirms the oneness of God, describes the Last Day, and recounts the stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elias, Lot and Jonah, before promising victory to God's messengers.

Name

The surah opens with an oath "by those ranged in rows" (37:1), understood as the angels standing in ranks for worship, as they themselves say near the end: "We are those who stand in rows, and we are those who glorify" (37:165–166). The oaths lead to a single statement: "Your God is One" (37:4).

Themes

• The heavens and the unseen (37:6–10). The nearest heaven is adorned with stars and guarded against rebellious devils.
• The Last Day (37:11–74). Those who scoffed at resurrection are gathered with what they worshipped; they had grown arrogant when told "There is no god but God" (37:35). The sincere servants of God rest in Paradise, one of them glimpsing his former companion in the midst of Hell, while the tree of Zaqqum grows at the bottom of the Fire (37:62–66).
• The prophets (37:75–148). Each story ends with a greeting of peace, "Peace be upon Noah", "upon Abraham"... Abraham breaks his people's idols and is thrown into the fire; he then sees in a dream that he is sacrificing his son, who replies: "Father, do as you are commanded" (37:102); the son is ransomed "with a great sacrifice" (37:107). Since the glad tidings of Isaac come afterwards (37:112), most commentators hold that the son was Ishmael. Elias rebukes those who invoke Baal (37:125); Jonah, swallowed by the fish, would have remained in its belly until the Day of Resurrection "had he not been one of those who glorify God" (37:143–144).
• Refutation (37:149–166). The claim that the angels are daughters of God, or that God has kinship with the jinn, is rejected.

Closing verses and recitation

God's word has gone forth that His messengers will be helped and that His host will prevail (37:171–173). The surah closes: "Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of might, above what they describe; peace be upon the messengers; and praise be to God, Lord of the worlds" (37:180–182). According to Ibn Umar, the Prophet used to order them to keep the prayer light, yet he would lead them in prayer reciting As-Saaffat (al-Nasa'i, graded sahih).

The story of Jonah is also told in Yunus and Al-Anbiya, and Abraham's struggle against idols in Al-Anbiya and Maryam.