Traditionally and culturally, the Meccans — and Arabs in general during the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were renowned for their exceptional poetic skills. Poetry was the primary form of artistic expression, cultural memory, and communication. It helped to preserve Arab history, celebrated tribal achievements, and conveyed satire or praise. The Arabs prided themselves on eloquence and mastery of Arabic, which was considered the finest in its classical form.
When the Qur’an was revealed, its linguistic beauty and style surpassed all known poetry, even though it was not poetry itself. This deeply impressed some Arabs and unsettled others, especially poets and tribal leaders who feared losing influence. Surah Ash-Shu‘arā’ (The Poets) directly addresses these poets criticizing those who lead people astray with imagination and untruth, but exempting those who believe, do good deeds, and defend truth.
With this premise, we share some of the selected verses from Surah Ash-Shuʿarāʾ (الشعراء, ’ash-shu‘arā’; meaning: The Poets)) which is the 26th Surah (Chapter) the Qur’an). It is a Makkan surah with 227 verses with 11 Ruku mentioned in the Juzʼ 19. Its name, Ash-Shuʿarāʾ (“The Poets”), comes from verse 224, where poets are mentioned in a specific context toward the end of the surah.
We have already shared the Tafseer / Exegesis of the Sürah which can be read from links given below:
Herein under we will only present a condensed overview of the entire Sūrah, for the scope of this post is to only to introduce the Sūrah and provide links to some of the selected verses from this Sūrah for selective reading / references. The following bird eye view includes the context, major themes and subjects and lessons that we can learn from this Sūrah, followed by references to some of the selected verses already published.
Context
This surah was revealed in Makkah during a period when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was facing intense opposition from the Quraysh. It reassures him of his mission by recounting the struggles and victories of earlier prophets, emphasizing the consequences for those who rejected divine guidance.
Main Theme
The central theme is: The message of all prophets is the same: worship Allah alone and obey His messenger — rejection leads to destruction, while faith leads to salvation.
It emphasizes:
- The unity of the prophetic message.
- The fate of nations that rejected their prophets.
- The moral responsibility of the messenger to convey the truth.
- The distinction between truth-based guidance and entertainment-based eloquence.
Structure & Key Subjects
The surah follows a repetitive narrative pattern:
- Introductory verses (1–9) — Qur’an as a reminder; lament over people’s disbelief.
- Stories of the prophets — each story follows the same structure:
- Prophet’s call to worship Allah.
- People’s arrogance and rejection.
- Divine punishment on the rejecters.
- A reminder: "Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers."
- Allah’s reassurance: "And indeed your Lord — He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful."
- Prophets mentioned:
- Mūsā (Moses) — confrontation with Pharaoh.
- Ibrāhīm (Abraham) — rejection of idols.
- Nūḥ (Noah)
- Hūd (to the people of ʿĀd)
- Ṣāliḥ (to the people of Thamūd)
- Lūṭ (Lot)
- Shuʿayb (to the people of Madyan)
- Verses on the Qur’an’s authenticity (192–220).
Special Significance of the Poets Mentioned
- Verses 224–227 say: "And the poets — [only] the deviators follow them. Do you not see that in every valley they roam, and that they say what they do not do? Except those [poets] who believe and do righteous deeds..."
- Meaning: In pre-Islamic Arabia, poets were influential in shaping public opinion, often promoting tribal pride, mockery, or false ideals.
- For this reason, the Meccans initially labelled Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as a poet for the linguistic miracle of Qur'an was so absorbing that it had a deep impact on many of the polytheists and idolaters.
- However, the Qur’an warned that eloquence without truth can mislead.
- However, poets who use their words to support truth and justice are praised. This also rebuts Quraysh’s claim that Muhammad ﷺ was just a poet (26:224–227, 36:69).
Lessons for Today
- Consistency of Prophetic Message — Islam is not new; it’s the continuation of the same truth from all prophets.
- Warning Against Arrogance — History shows arrogance toward God’s guidance leads to downfall.
- Power of Words — Eloquence must be used responsibly; speech that misguides is dangerous.
- Hope for the Believers — Even in the face of mass rejection, Allah supports His messengers.
- Truth over Popularity — Like in the Prophet’s time, truth may be unpopular, but it’s what saves in the end.
We now share some of the verses from Sürah Ash-Shuʿarāʾ which have already been published covering some important messages:
- Verses 83-89: A Comprehensive Supplication attributed to Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham علي السلام)
- Verse 83: My Lord, endow me with knowledge and wisdom and join me with the righteous
- Verse 169: Prophetic Supplication of Prophet Lot (Lut عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ)
In time we will continue to add more selected verses from Sürah Ash-Shuʿarāʾ for information / education of our readers about Islam and Al Qur'an.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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