thumb|right|Qur'an [[folio with the heading for the chapter Al-Qamar. End of the 9th or beginning of the 10th century. Kufic script. Bibliothèque nationale de France]]

Al-Qamar () is the 54th chapter (surah) of the Quran, with 55 verses (ayat).The Surah was revealed in Mecca. The opening verses refer to the splitting of the Moon. "Qamar" (), meaning "Moon" in Arabic, is also a common name among Muslims.

Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is a "Meccan surah", which means it is believed to have been revealed in Mecca, rather than later in Medina.

Summary

  • 1-2 The moon was split as a sign of the Judgement Day
  • 3-5 The disbelievers reject the Quran and warnings, instead choosing to follow their own desires.
  • 6 This verse talked about the prophecy where the infidels shall surely be overtaken suddenly by the voice of judgment day (which spoken by Israfil, archangel who blow the trumpet of armageddon).
  • 7 Infidels were said to regret in that judgment day.
  • 8 The infidels were gathered to Israfil.
  • 9-14 Noah was charged with imposture by his enemies, who were destroyed by the flood
  • 15-18 Noah's Ark, like the Quran, a sign to unbelievers who will not be warned
  • 19-22 The ʿĀdites destroyed for calling their prophet an impostor
  • 23-32 The Thamud destroyed for rejecting their prophet as an impostor
  • 33-40 The Sodomites destroyed because they rejected Lot as an impostor
  • 41-42 Pharaoh and his people destroyed for rejecting Moses as an impostor
  • 43-44 The people of Mecca warned by these examples of coming judgment
  • 45 The verse talks about divine intervention from God in the Battle of Badr, where the fewer and weaker Muslims won against the much bigger and stronger Meccan polytheists.. The consensus of Islamic scholars and clerics encloses various hadiths to interpret this divine intervention as taking the form as an army of angels, which came down led by Gabriel, Michael, Raphael|group="Notes"
  • 46-48 The people of Mecca warned by these examples of coming judgment
  • 49-51 God's decree certain and irresistible—illustrated by destruction of former nations
  • 52-53 All actions recorded in the Divine records
  • 54-55 In a seat of honor near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability.

(The pious shall dwell in the gardens of Paradise.)

Significance of Al-Qamar

Al-Qamar (), meaning "Moon" in Arabic, is an important title for surah 54. The first verse is traditionally thought to refer to a miracle performed by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Meccan phase of his career, in which he showed the Moon split in two in response to a challenge from his opponents. The disbelieving response is then recorded in the second verse "But if they see a sign they turn away and say 'Continuous sorcery!'" Several reports concerning this incident are contained in canonical hadith books, traced back to various Companions. According to those who downplay the miraculous elements, on the other hand, it foreshadows the inevitable Day of Judgment that will divide those who believe from those who disbelieve—those who are destined to Paradise and those who are destined to Hell. Because one of this Meccan surah's themes centers around the fate of those who disbelieve, the symbolic use of the Moon is meant to warn the disbelievers of their impending fate in the first verse, as “the hour draws near; the moon is split”. Additionally, the crescent moon acts as a vital symbol of Islam and thus, in this instance, may denote the importance of the emerging religion, as lunar cycles determine the structure of the Islamic calendar.

Chronology

Surah 54 is wholly Meccan (), as its verses “demonstrate complex reference and demanding grammatical connections to surrounding verses”. Indeed, it is a mixture of exclamatory statements and rhetorical questions directed towards Muhammad, which is yet another reference to the surah's Meccan nature. That God directly addresses Muhammad with personal pronouns, “you” and “your” and differentiates the unbelieving audience from His personal addresses to Muhammad with “they” and “them” Nöldeke, however, numbers this surah as the forty-ninth chronological surah. The difference in numerical order is, perhaps, due to the difference in Meccan and Medinan surahs within each edition. For instance, the Egyptian chronology indicates that there are eighty-eight Meccan surahs and twenty-six Medinan surahs; whereas Noldeke's chronology divides the Meccan period into three, with forty-eight in the first, twenty-one in the second, and twenty-one in the third in addition to twenty-four Medinan surahs.

Exegesis

This surah clearly directs its message toward the unbelievers in Mecca. Indeed, it covers themes of rejection, truth, and punishment, all of which are addressed in stories of previous peoples. The stories of the people of Noah, the people of ‘Ad, the people of Thamud, the people of Lot, and the people of Pharaoh represent times during which a people refused to believe the word of the above messengers; consequently, they suffered God's wrath. Each unit follows a similar pattern: first, God describes the peoples' refusal to believe and the resultant punishment for refusing to accept His warnings. As Carl Ernst writes in How to Read the Qur'an, surahs from the middle to late Meccan period follow a “tripartite division”, in which one observes a “ring structure, beginning and ending with parallel sections” of divine praise, heavy threats for the unbelievers, and staunch affirmations of the revelation. These parts bookend a somewhat larger middle section, which is “typically a narrative of prophecy and struggle”. Thus, this Meccan surah seems to connect the early Meccan period with the later, as traces of the shorter, more affirmative surahs can be found in particular verses, which resemble “powerful oath formulations” and generate fear in those who may not fully accept the Islamic faith. and to live eternally “among Gardens and rivers”. Such a choice acts as a testament to God's omnipotence and utter omniscience.

18 “everything is recorded”

God, is all-knowing, as the surah both begins and ends with a warning that “everything is recorded” Some versions interpret this line to say: “And certainly We have made the Qur'an easy to remember, but is there anyone who will mind?” The difference here is important because of the connotation of the Arabic word dhikr (), which can refer to lessons, the act of remembering, memorization, recalling, and many other meanings that come from the same root, which is used over 200 times in the Qur'an. This ayah could be referring to the lessons of faith and morality and the ease with which they can be gleaned from the Qur'an, as a book. However, it could also be using the word Qur'an () here to refer to its more literal Arabic meaning—which is “recitation”—rather than referring to the book itself. There is no doubt that this is an occasion where the Qur'an is self-referential, but it is interesting that in other sections of the Qur'an (12:2, 15:1), the word Qur'an, itself, seems to refer to the word of Allah as it is recited, which includes vowels (thus clarifying much of the meaning). (It is important to note that the Qur'an in its earliest written forms lacked most vowels and the written consonants served as a reminder for those reciting the Qur'an.) Thus, the verse could mean that the surahs are easily remembered because of their poetic and song-like form in their spoken versions: their rhyming schemes, cadences, and robust structure. According to the scripture, Allah then asks (rhetorically) who will take on the task of remembering or internalizing these words. The purpose of the middle section of this Surah, then, is to draw attention to examples from the past of unbelievers and their punishments, challenging the people of Muhammad's time to finally heed and recognize Allah's Prophet.

42 ...but they rejected all Our signs

It is narrated that Muhammad al-Baqir, when asked about verse [54:42]... but they rejected all Our signs..., replied that "signs refer to all the successors of the Prophets".

43-55 evils that will befall the unbelievers

The final section of the surah (54:43-55) returns to an apocryphal tone, warning of the evils that will befall the unbelievers in the end time. Again, “the Hour” () is used twice in these final ayaat to mention the Day of Judgment. At that time, those who are guilty are said to be dragged into the fires of Hell (), as Allah knows that the fate every group of disbelievers is the same—their time is limited. The last section closes the “ring” by reverting the narrative back to the introductory section, wherein we read of visual images of the Day of Judgment. Plus, consistent with Ernst's notions, the surah ends with a “flourishing” couplet that details the rewards of the “dutiful” in the afterlife, seated with “a most powerful king.”

The constant repetition in this surah is particularly relevant, as it contributes to the overall development of God's character. In his many rhetorical questions such as, “We have made it easy to learn lessons from the Quran: will anyone take heed?”