MAJOR THEMES OF THE QUR’AN

a) Briefly describe the main theme(s) in each passage.

Instructions:

In Part a) you are expected to identify the main themes of the Quran that appear in th
passages .Answers should focus on themes rather that the contents themselves of the
passages. Simple summaries of passages will not give you high marks.

b) Briefly explain the importance of these passages in a Muslim’s life today.

Instructions:

In Part b) you are expected to show how each passage you select is connected to the life .You
need to highlight the teachings you learnt from it and provide illustration of its
implementation in your life.

Allah in Himself is a theme of the Quran which covers the concepts about Tawhid in Islam. Your
syllabus wants you to cover multiple Quranic passages following the theme.

The Quranic passages are:

1. Surah Baqarah (Ayat ul Kursi): 2:255

2. Surah An’aam: 6:101-103
3. Surah Fussilat: 41:37
4. Surah Shura: 42:4-5
5. Surah Ikhlas: 112

1. Surah Baqarah(2:255-Ayat-ul-Kursi)

a) Theme: Allah in Himself, His unity in Supreme Knowledge and Authority.

It is also called: Verse of Throne”
Main Teachings:
 This passage mentions about Allah that He is unlike other beings because He doesn’t
have any relation, partner or associate like humans.
 It also tells us that Allah has the greatest knowledge of everything due to the fact that
He is the maker of all in the universe and that He exists in every time.
 He has the knowledge of all times; Past, Present and Future.
 Allah not only knows what we see, He also knows what we can’t view like the things in
the heavens, things inside the crust of earth and mountains etc.
 He also can see what is in person’s heart.As the Holy Quran mentions:
  Relevant Refrence: “It is He who knows what is open in speech and what you hide(in
your hearts).” (21:110) Al-Ambiya.
 Throne is the symbol of power which tells us how great His authority is.

b)
Significance:
 This passage tells Muslims to believe in Tawhid in terms of God’s uniqueness,
majesty and glory. 
 The theme is important for Muslims as it crystallizes the belief of Tawhid and
trains them to condemn shirk. 
 There is repetitive mention of God’s authority, unlimited knowledge and
powers in order to strengthen the faith of its readers. 
 For example, it says “He is exalted in power, Wise. He created the heavens
without any pillars”31:9-10, luqman) and “but God is the One free of all
wants “(35:15,Fatir). 
 The objective is to remind Muslims that God alone is to be worshipped and
no authority can be compared with him. 
 Many Muslims recite this verse regularly to reiterate God’s power and high
position as compared to any worldly authority.

Surah An’aam (6:101-103):

 The verses are from Surah Al-An’aam which is a late Makkan Surah and it was revealed to answer the
questions of the Jews and Christians about Tawhid (oneness of God).
 The Theme of this passage is God in Himself. 
 The Surah highlights God’s power to create anything as He created the “heavens and earth”. Allah has
the greatest knowledge because He is always watching everything and this theme is also covered in
the later verse.
 The passage further stresses on the sublime nature of God and
inability of human imagination to encompass God’s person, though He
himself can see to the unfathomable depths, as endorsed elsewhere in
the Quran: “for God is He Who understands the finest mysteries”
(22:63).     
(b)Importance:
  This passage is important for Muslims to clearly understand the
doctrine of Tawhid in terms of God’s nature and powers. Muslims need
to learn that though God is too sublime to be perceived, 
 He is everywhere and all powerful. 
 The Quran reminds Muslims this repeatedly: “and He is with you
where ever you are” (57:04, Al-hadid), and 
 “for We are nearer to him (man) than his jugular vein” (50:16,
Qaf). 
 The passage also categorically negates the false belief of God having
any wife or children and thus, it strikes at the roots of shirk (associating
partners with God). 
 Muslims, in this way, develop a clearer concept of tawhid and feel
themselves bound to adore God only. 
 They remember that shirk is the only unpardonable sin in the sight of
God.

3.Sura (41.37)(Surah  Fussilat)

(a)Main Theme:
 This verse is from sura fussilat Ha-Mim, an early makkan sura, 
 it describes the theme of God in Himself. 
 It mentions some of the signs and phenomena of nature that reflect
God’s unity and majesty. 
 It refers to the cycles of day and night as evidence of divinity. 
 The quran supports it elsewhere as: “Behold! In the creation of the
heavens and earth; in the alternation of the night and the
day….are signs for the people who are wise’’ (2:164). 
 The passage commands us to worship the Creator of the sun and
moon and not the creations themselves because the Creator is always
superior to the creations 
(b)Importance:
 Theme of this passage urges Muslims to observe various objects of
nature that reflect God’s presence, majesty and glory. 
 Since humans cannot afford to see God physically, they are asked to
identify the real creator through his creations that bear witness to is
existence. 
  Such observation encourages Muslims to develop a strong belief in
Tawhid in all its aspects. 
 The Quran, for this reason, frequently refers to the need of pondering
and observing: “Verily, in the alternation of the night and the day,
and in all that God has created in the heavens and the earth, are
signs for those who fear Him” (30:40, Al-Rum).  
 So, Muslims should express their gratitude to God for enabling them to
see and think deeply.
 Muslims will thus avoid Shirk that the earlier communities fell victim to,
and worship one Supreme God.
4.Sura Al-Shura (42.4-5)  
(a)Main Theme:
 The two verses are from sura al-Shura, revealed in Makka shortly after
sura fussilat and its theme is God’s unity expressed by His grandeur
and authority. 
 He enjoys unshared authority over entire universe. 
 The Quran says: “His are all things in the heaven and on the earth”
(2:255). 
 It also mentions the effect of God’s might on the heavens that hardly
sustain this immense burden. 
 The passage also refers to the countless angels who are busy in the
prayers and glorification of the Lord and also invoke His mercy and
pardon for humans who tend to disobey their lord. The Quran declares
this weakness of humans as: “It is man that wrongs his own soul”
(10:44).
(b) Importance:
 Theme of this message guides Muslims about two articles of faith:
belief in Tawhid and angels. 
 The passage tells Muslims about God’s power, authority and glory in
order to make them His obedient servants.
 By referring to the angels praising God and seeking forgiveness for
humans, it tells them about God’s mercy. Humans, because of free
will, can commit sins but God is ready to forgive them. 
 Belief in God’s mercy and forgiveness prepares Muslims to repent over
their misdeeds. 
 The Quran re-assures Muslims by saying: “Despair not of the mercy of
God; for God forgives all sins, for he is oft-forgiving, Most merciful’’
 (39:53 al-zulmar). Surah 97(al-Qadr) also tells about: “the angels
and the spirit” descending in the night of Power to distribute God’s
mercy.

5.Sura Al- Ikhlas(112)

(a)Main Theme:

 Theme of this early Makkan is God in himself in terms of His

unique person. 
 It outlines the most fundamental and cardinal aspects of
Tawhid (oneness of God). 
 It out rightly declares God’s unity and emphatically negates the
false belief of God having ancestors and descendants.
 It further highlights God’s unity by saying that God’s nature or
person can never be compared to anyone throughout the
universe. 
 It also mentions God’s freedom from time and space by saying
that he has always been and will always be there. 
 This way, the passage crystallizes the belief of Tawhid.

(b)Importalnce:

 Theme of this passage purifies Muslim’s belief in Tawhid and

that is why the passage is named al-Ikhlas (the purity of faith). 
 Muslims learn from this passage that God is unique in all
aspects. 
 This uniqueness and supremacy of God highlights human
inability and limitation before his Lord. 
 Thus, it eliminates all forms and degrees of shirk or associating
partners with God. 
 Muslims recite this sura in daily prayers in order to reiterate
rejection of shirk. 
  It is so important that the holy prophet declared it equivalent to
one third of the Quran.
 Its theme is so important that the Quran repeatedly mentions
this: “and your God is one God” (2:163, al-
Baqarah) and “God! there is no God but
He” (2:255). 
 Belief in Tawhid, in turn affects the conduct of Muslims as they
develop a strong sense of God’s presence and knowledge.     

Allah’s relationship with the created world

6. Sura Al-Fateha (1) Opening Chapter of
Quran
(a)Main Theme:

 This is the opening chapter of the Quran and its theme is

God’s relation with his created world. 
 It is believed to be the first complete sura revealed in Makka. It
declares that God alone is the sustainer of all the known and
the unknown worlds, ultimate source of mercy, justice and
guidance for mankind. 
 Only He can guide man to the way of life acceptable to him
though he doesn’t compel anyone to follow that way. Instead,
in the words of the Quran, it is man’s duty to beg before Him
for guidance: “and your Lord says: call on Me, I
shall answer your supplication” (40:60). 
 He also tells man the consequences of following this code of
conduct or going astray. 
 Therefore, man needs to praise and worship him and resort to
him alone.
(b)Importance:

 This passages sums up the message of the Quran. 

 Muslims are told to worship God by following the right path
contained in the Quran and Sunnah and invoke God’s mercy,
because according to the Quran: “he has inscribed
for Himself the rule of mercy” (6:12, 54, al-
an’am). 
 They should be pious because God is not only Merciful, 
 He is also Just as He will dispense absolute justice on the Day
of Judgment. 
 They should remember that they will surely get reward in the
hereafter as is promised in the Quran: “and only on the
Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full
recompense” (3:185, al-Imran).
 Obedience to God enables Muslims to earn His blessing and
avoid his anger.

 7.Sura Al-Baqarah  (2.21-22)

(a)Main Theme:

 Theme of this passage is God and his created world. 

 The two verses of sura al-Baqarah a Madni sura outline God’s
power to create and make arrangements for the sustenance
and growth of mankind through all ages. 
 The passage commands humans to identify their real Lord by
serving and worshipping Him. 
 It further commands them to reject any form or degree of
associating partners with God as he alone is the supreme
creator, cherisher and care-taker of all as enunciated
repeatedly in the Quran: “… there is no god but I;
 therefore worship and serve Me” (21;25)
and also, “and your God is one
God” (2:163).

(b)Importance:

 The passage conveys the message of inculcating taqwa

(piety/fear of God) and a sense of gratitude to God for his
countless bounties. 
 Muslims should closely observe God’s favour and blessing as
is frequently mentioned in sura 55: “then which of
the bounties of your Lord will you deny?,"
 The best way of remembering God’s favour is to obey and
worship him by rejecting Shirk. 
 Taqwa is the focal point of a Muslim’s life and the Quran very
clearly instructs in this regard: “O, you who believe!
Fear God as he should be feared and die
not except in a state of Islam” (3:102, al-
Imran). 
 So, Muslims should sincerely worship God and refrain from
sins.

8.Surah Al-Alaq (96:1-5)

(a)Main Theme:

 Theme of the passage is God and his created world. 

 It mentions God’s power to create and ensure the survival and
growth of mankind. 
  He created man from a low origin and then matured him
physically, intellectually and spiritually by enabling him to read
and write. 
 Human ability to acquire knowledge means to learn, both
worldly and divine sciences so that man is able to find means
of physical survival as well as take care of his intellectual and
spiritual development. 
 God has revealed divine books for spiritual guidance of
mankind. 
 Thus, man is totally dependent on his creator Lord in all
spheres of life and activity.

(b)Importance:

 According to the theme of the passage, Muslims are required

to acknowledge God’s goodness and greatness as he created
man from a low origin and then enabled him to acquire worldly
and religious knowledge. 
 Human ability to learn has made him superior to all other
creatures and the Quran endorses this fact: “We have
indeed created man in the best of
moulds” (96:4al-Tin). 
 Muslims are taught to identify their lord through the perspective
of religious knowledge and adore him alone because of his
bounty of divine guidance mentioned in the Quran: “It is He
who has taught the Quran” (55:2, al-
Rahman).
9.Surah Al-Zilzal (99)
(a)Main Theme:

 Theme of the passage is God‘s relation with the created world. 

 It elaborates the events and the final outcome of the day of
reckoning or end of time. 
 That day will be marked by the most intense convulsions that
will reverse all the normal physical phenomena. 
 Mankind will be shocked to see earth emitting all its hidden
contents, as mentioned elsewhere in the Quran: “and
when the earth is flattened and casts forth
what is within it and becomes empty” (84:3-
4). 
 Finally all mankind will appear in the divine court of justice for
the rewards of their worldly deeds.


(b)Importance:

 This passage asks Muslims to have strong faith in God’s power

to end time and make all stands accountable before Him for
the ultimate justice. With such a belief, 
 Muslims will learn about the worthlessness of this world and
realize the value of true worlds by saying: “Nay you
prefer the life of this world, but the
hereafter is better and more
enduring” (87:16, al-A’la). 
 Genuine and sincere faith in the hereafter shapes the conduct
of Muslims. This belief reminds them of God’s mercy justice
and powers the Quran repeatedly talks of this theme by using
several expressions that include: “when the sun is
 folded up” (sura: 81) “when the sky is clef a
sunder” (sura 82) and “when the earth is
flattened out” (sura 84). 
 The objective of this repetition is to remind Muslims of
the Hereafter. 

10.Sura Al-Nas (114)

(a)Main Theme

 This is the last surah of the Quran and its theme is God’s
relation with his created world. 
 It mentions God’s three-fold relation with man and, therefore
asks man to seek God’s shelter against all evils that are
crafted by Satan and his host of assistants who may be
humans or Jinns. 
 They inject devil in man’s heart and the Quran warns us about
this: “for Satan is an avowed enemy to
man” (12:5).
 Man should however, also remember the Quranic
instruction: “and on God let the believers put
their trust” (99:51)

(b) Importance:

 This passage together with sura 113, teaches Muslims to seek

God’s refuge against all evils as Satan is always there to
misguide them. 
 Muslims should, however strengthen their relation with God
toward of all evil forces. 
  The best way to do this is remember God as enunciated n the
Quran:” and establish regular prayer in order
to remember me” (20:14, Taha). 
 Recitation of the Quran also shuns evil by bringing the reader
closer to God: “when you recite the Quran, seek
God’s protection against the evil
ones” (16:98, al-Nahl). 
 Muslims should also be ready to identify evil forces led by
Satan and his assistants who accomplish their ugly task in
various ways the holy prophet used to recite sura 113 and 114
to guard against evil, after his Makkan enemies had cast magic
spell on him.

Allah’s Messengers
11.Sura Al-Baqarah   (2:30-37)
(a)Main Theme:

 Theme of the passage is God’s messengers. 

 It describes the story of creations of Adam and his especially
elevated status granted by God’s decree. 
 This superiority of Adam was duly acknowledged by all angels
except Iblis who showed arrogance (since he was a Jinn, not
an angel). 
 Adam and Eve were granted paradise but Iblis maneuvered
their exile from there, out of jealousy and malice. 
 On repentance on their mistake Adam and Eve were pardoned
by God who awarded them a new phase of worldly living. 
  The Quran mentions this phase at another place as: “it
is
We, Who have placed you with authority on
earth” (7:10).

(b) Importance:

 Theme of this passage contains important lessons for

Muslims. 
 They are told the reason for making human being superior over
all other creatures. 
 God appointed man (byway of Adam) as his vicegerent on
earth because of the knowledge and free will. 
 The free will is a test for humans as they can be enticed by
Satan to commit sins. 
 The Quran warns about this by saying: “for Satan is an
avowed enemy to man” (12:5, Yusuf). 
 The passage further tells about God’s mercy and forgiveness
as he accepted repentance by Adam. 
 The Quran reminds Muslims repeatedly of this attribute of
God: “if anyone does evil, or wrongs his own
soul but afterwards seek God’s
forgiveness. He will find God Oft-forgiving
and most Merciful” (4:110, Al-Nisa)

12.Sura Al-an’aam (6:75-79)

(a)Main Theme:
  Theme of this passage is God’s messengers and this passage
outlines the story of Prophet Abraham in search of One
Supreme God. 
 Abraham was gradually guided to identify the real Creator and
Lord by way of his creations such as the Sun, the Moon and
the Stars. 
 He eventually realized that God is eternal and therefore He
rejected the polytheism (shirk) that was the hallmark of the
society around him. 
 He finally, declared the shahada (proclamation of belief in one
God) as a sign of acquiring internal peace.

(b)Importance:

 Theme of this passage teaches Muslims to refuse Shirk i.e.

associating partners with God and to believe in Tawhid. 
 They should learn that celestial bodies merely reflect God’s
glory and are only God’s creatures. 
 They should never be worshiped because the Quran
categorically declares: “He has made subject to
you the night and the day; the sun and the
moon; and the stars are in subjection by his
command” (16:12, al-Nahl). 
 Muslims should also believe God granted prophet-hood to his
messengers by various modes and that all these messengers
preached the universal message of Tawhid
 Prophet Ibrahim’s proclamation of Tawhid was not different
from the shahada taught by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). 
 Therefore Muslims should respect all the messengers equally. 
13.Surah Al-Ma’idah  (5:110)
(a)Main Theme:

 Theme of this passage is God’s association with His

messengers. 
 It describes God’s address to Jesus in the Divine Court in the
presence of children of Israel. 
 It outlines the prophetic signs of Jesus that include his ability to
speak from the cradle, give life to the dead and cure the leper
and the blind. 
 Above all he was taught the divine wisdom through the Torah
and the Gospel but despite all this he was rejected by his
people who even tried to crucify him.

(b)Importance:

 Muslims are taught many important things though the theme of

this passage. 
 They are required to believe that, like other messengers Jesus
was also a man chosen by God. 
 He was granted miraculous powers so that men of wisdom
should identify him. 
 The Quran referred to this fact as: “thus does God
make clear to you His signs in order that
you consider” (2:219, al-Baqarah). 
 Muslims also learn that God’s messengers were always
rejected despite such clear signs by the ‘spiritually dead’ and
‘sick in heart’ people who are mentioned by the Quran
as: “those who reject our signs are deaf and
 dump and midst of darkness
profound” (6:39, al-An’am). 
 Muslims also learn that the rejecters of truth will stand
accountable before God in the Hereafter. 

God’s Relationship with Mankind

Q from the passages you have studied from the Qur’an, write about God’s
           Relationship with humankind.[10-J-12]

The passages from the Quran very clearly define the relationship of God with the humankind.
The purpose of the creation of human beings is well defined in passage six:
“O people! Adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and those who came before
you, so that you may have the chance to learn righteousness”.   [2:21-22]

The passage shows that the real purpose of the creation was to follow the way of Allah in this
world. The meaning of worship is to follow the way of Allah. That is the right and true path.
Sura Al Fatihah says:
“Show us the straightway. The way of those to whom YOU have given
  Your grace, not those who go astray”.

For this purpose Allah has defined it very clearly in the holy Quran to believe in three
concepts:
1: To believe in the Oneness of Allah. (Passages 1 to 5)
2: To be believe in the Day of Judgment where every believer will be rewarded and every
     non-believer will be punished. (Sura Al Zilzaal)
3: To believe in the prophets of Allah who were the means of communication between
     God and humanity. (Passages 11 to 15)

Passage 11, relating to Adam (as) shows that the human beings are the most superior of the
creation of Allah. For this reason Allah asked the angels and the the other creations to submit
to human beings. However Iblees who was a Jinn, refused to submit and he was destined to
hell. He got permission from God that he will make the humans go astray from the path of
God. Passage 11 says:
“The Satan made them slip from there, and got them out of what
   they had been in”.
Before sending human beings on earth, Allah created everything that was necessary for the
humankind. Passage 7 says that Allah created the heavens as canopy, the earth as couch
and created the water cycle in order to survive. After the creation, human race was the
believer in one God but gradually, they involved in shirk or making partners with Allah.
Therefore, Allah sent prophets one after the other to every nation who gave the message to
humanity mentioned above.

Among these prophets, there were some who were also given books and scriptures. Ibrahim
(as) was one of them. Essa (as) was the last one among the prophets of Bani Israel. From the
race of Ismail (as), the other son of Ibrahim (as), Allah chose Mohammad (sw) as the last
prophet and gave him his last complete book the holy Quran. With the Quran and the life of
the Prophet Mohammad (sw), a complete code of life designed by Allah Himself, is with us
and the human beings are responsible to accept this code because it is the best solution to all
human problems. If they refuse, they are responsible to answer Allah after their death.

Therefore all human beings are responsible to follow the way of Allah. If they follow the path
of Satan, they will be responsible for their own deeds. Every path is against Allah which is
against the last book of God, the holy Quran and also against the Sunnah of the Prophet
Mohammad (saw).