English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 27: Al-Naml — The Naml (Revealed at Makkah: 7 sections, 93 verses)
Introduction:
The title of this chapter is taken from the mention in v. 18 of a tribe known as the Naml in the story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. It begins by dealing with the histories of Moses and Solomon, indicating the likeness of their lives with that of the Holy Prophet. He was a law-giver like Moses and eventually ruler of a kingdom as Solomon was, yet retained the simplicity of the life of Moses. The chapter then refers to the prophets Sālih and Lot whose opponents were destroyed and goes on to prophesy the triumph of the faithful and to indicate that in the Holy Prophet’s case this triumph would be generally through the spiritual resurrection of his opponents rather than their destruction. This chapter belongs to the middle period at Makkah.
List of Sections (Rukus):
- A Reference to Moses’ History (Verses 27:1–27:14)
- History of Solomon (Verses 27:15–27:31)
- History of Solomon (Verses 27:32–27:44)
- Salih and Lot (Verses 27:45–27:58)
- The Faithful will be Exalted (Verses 27:59–27:66)
- The Spiritual Resurrection (Verses 27:67–27:82)
- Passing Away of Opposition (Verses 27:83–27:93)