وَمَا أُبَرِّئُُ 00 آل عمران
الر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُبِينٍ ﴿۱﴾
﴾1﴿ Alif-Laaam-Raa; tilka Aayaatul Kitaabi wa Qur-aa-nim Mubeen
﴾1﴿ Alif-Lam-Ra - These are the verses of the Book and the clear Qur'an
Relevancy:
This chapter differs from the previous one in that, in Surah Ibrahim, the reminder was about the Days of Allah, whereas in this chapter, five examples of those days are presented. Secondly, in that chapter, the Qur'an was mentioned as guidance to lead out of darkness, while in this chapter, rational arguments for this purpose are provided -
Claim of this surah:
The warning of punishment for those who deny monotheism is given by mentioning destroyed nations briefly in verses (4-5) and in detail by discussing three past nations and two groups from the people of Mecca. The reason for their punishment was their rejection of monotheism. Therefore, the affirmation of monotheism in this chapter is presented through three methods: First Method: Ten rational arguments.
Second Method: Refutation of three types of polytheism, which are: Polytheism in authority (shirk fi al-tasarruf), Polytheism in worship (shirk fi al-ibadah), and Polytheism in knowledge (shirk fi al-ilm).
Third Method: Mentioning seven (7) of Allah’s beautiful names (Asma al-Husna).
The declaration of monotheism is mentioned at the end of the chapter in verses (98-99) -
Summary of the surah:
This chapter is divided into three sections. The first section extends up to verse (15). In this section: Encouragement towards the Qur'an is presented in verse (1). A warning follows with the mention of the longing for faith in verse (2). Rebuke is given in verse (3). Worldly warnings are provided in verses (4-5), which represent the claim of this chapter. A reminder of the denial of the Messenger is given in verses (6-8). Encouragement towards the Qur'an appears again in verse (9). A reminder about the mockery of messengers spans from verses (10-13). A reminder about the denial of miracles out of stubbornness is addressed in verses (14-15).
In this verse, there is an encouragement towards the Quran (Alif Lam Ra). The discussion about the disjointed letters (Muqatta'at) has been mentioned previously, and this serves as evidence of the miraculous nature of the Quran. The term Al-Kitab (The Book) refers to the earlier scriptures, and it indicates that in this chapter, the events of past nations and future peoples are mentioned. This refers to two groups from among the people of Mecca: the dividers (Muqassimin) and the mockers (Mustahzi'in).