Surah Al-Qamar – Yousef Bin Noah Ahmad

Al-Qamar (The Moon) is the 54th surah of the Quran. It is a Meccan surah of 55 verses and the 37th in the traditional order of revelation, after At-Tariq. Also known by its opening words, Iqtarabat as-Sa'a ("The Hour has drawn near"), it takes its name from the splitting of the moon mentioned in verse 1 and warns the deniers of Mecca through the fate of earlier peoples.

The splitting of the moon

"The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has split" (54:1). Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and Anas ibn Malik reported, in al-Bukhari and Muslim, that the moon split in two in the Prophet's lifetime, after the Meccans had asked him for a sign, and Ibn Mas'ud recalls the Prophet ﷺ saying "Bear witness". Yet whenever they see a sign, they turn away and call it passing magic (54:2).

Themes

• Five accounts of peoples who rejected warnings: Noah's people and the flood, 'Ad and the raging wind, Thamud and the she-camel, the people of Lot, and Pharaoh's household (54:9–42).
• A refrain repeated four times: "We have made the Quran easy to remember; is there anyone who will take heed?" (54:17, 22, 32, 40).
• A warning to Quraysh: "The assembly will be routed and will turn their backs" (54:45). Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet recited this verse as he came out of his tent on the day of Badr (al-Bukhari).
• Divine decree: "We have created everything according to a measure" (54:49). According to Abu Hurayra, in Muslim, this came down when the polytheists of Quraysh disputed with the Prophet about destiny.
• The God-fearing among gardens and rivers, "in a seat of truth, near a Sovereign, All-Powerful" (54:54–55).

Recitation and related surahs

Abu Waqid al-Laythi reported that the Prophet recited Al-Qamar together with Qaf in the prayers of the two Eids (Muslim). It follows An-Najm and precedes Al-Rahman, which is likewise built around a refrain.