Sürah Ṣād (The Arabic Letter: ص) is the 38th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 88 verses (āyāt) and one prostration / sajdah ۩ (38:24). Ṣād (ص ) is the name of the Surah derived from the eighteenth letter in the Arabic alphabet.
Surah Ṣād is a powerful Makkan surah that addresses one central crisis of the human heart: "Arrogance before truth vs humility before Allah." It exposes how ego, power, status, and envy prevent people from accepting guidance — and contrasts this with the character of Allah’s chosen servants, who combined authority with submission.
We have already shared the Tafseer / Exegesis of the Surah which can be read from links given below:
Herein under we will only present an 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. This 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.
Historical context
The Surah was revelated in Makkah when the Quraysh, the leading and ruling tribe of Makkah had out rightly rejected the call to Islam by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ because they felt threatened socially & politically and for the fear of losing grip of their stronghold they had been enjoying for centuries. They saw the Prophet ﷺ as a threat to their dominance and vehemently mocked the concept of Tawḥīd and Resurrection
Core theme (central axis)
This the core theme of the surah is based on confrontation with the Elite arrogance of polytheists of Makkah, specially the dominating tribe of Quraysh, Denial due to pride and Power resisting revelation. Thus it was revealed amid the conflict between Kibr (arrogance) that is refusal to submit and ʿUbūdiyyah (servanthood) - true honor.
The surah repeatedly shows that those who reject are not rejecting evidence — they are rejecting loss of status.
Major sections & message flow
- Quraysh’s arrogance & denial (38:1–16)
- They say: “Has he made the gods into One God? This is something strange!” (38:5)
- This is not intellectual confusion — It is ego resistance.
- Mockery of accountability They also demand: “When will this Judgment be?” (38:16)
- Correlation with modern arrogance: Modern arrogance also hides behind (1) “Science” (2) “Freedom” (3) “Progress” - But often it’s really: I don’t want to submit.
- Past nations destroyed by arrogance (38:12–14)
- The surah mentions people of Nūḥ (Prophet Noah), ʿĀd, Pharaoh, Thamūd and People of Lūṭ (Prophet Lot)
- This section shows how powerful civilizations fell because of moral rebellion, not lack of technology.
- Prophet Dāwūd (David) عليه السلام — justice & humility (38:17–26)
- Key verse: “O Dāwūd, We have made you a vicegerent on earth, so judge between people with truth and do not follow desire…” (38:26)
- Prophet Dāwūd is shown as a mighty king, a devoted worshipper, a just judge who despite all his powers and position was a humble servant of Allah, always quick to repent
- Timeless inference: This section unveils that leadership must be ruled by Truth and not by desire, ego and politics.
- This is extremely relevant today.
- Prophet (D) Sulaymān (Solomon) عليه السلام — power with submission (38:30–40)
- Prophet Sulaymān had wealth, Armies, Control of jinn & wind, yet he is described as: “An excellent servant. Indeed, he was one who constantly turned to Allah.” (38:30)
- The mention of Prophet Sulaymān is meant to show that true greatness is power with humility, and NOT power with arrogance - something which embodiment of many modern days leaders and politicians.
- Prophet Ayyūb (Job) عليه السلام — suffering & patience (38:41–44)
- This sections mentions patience of Prophet Ayyūb despite loses of his Health, Wealth and Stability. Yet he never accuses Allah.
- Key phrase: “Indeed, We found him patient. An excellent servant.” (38:44)
- Lesson: Faith is not proven in ease — it is proven in hardship.
- Iblīs — arrogance as the root of disbelief (38:71–85)
- This is one of the most important theological sections, wherein Iblīs boasts of his arrogance and says: “I am better than him.” (38:76)
- This is the first act of racism, classism, and egoism in history.
- The core diagnosis of kufr is not ignorance or lack of proof - but “I am better.”
- Relevance today: Any ideology built on: Superiority, Elitism, Ego identity is spiritually rooted in the logic of Iblīs.
- Qur’an as sincere advice (38:86–88)
- “It is nothing but a reminder for the worlds.” (38:87)
- It emphasized that the Qur’an is not a tool for power, a myth or a cultural text. It is a moral confrontation.
Important verses with timeless relevance
- 38:5 — Resistance to Tawḥīd “Has he made the gods into One God?” - Still today People resist moral authority of One God.
- 38:26 — Justice in leadership “Do not follow desire, lest it lead you astray from the path of Allah.” - This direct relevance to: (1) Judges(2) Politicians (3) Scholars (4) CEOs and even (5) Parents
- 38:30 — Definition of true success “An excellent servant.” - that is Success is not status, rather it is servanthood.
- 38:44 — Patience under trial “We found him patient.” That is suffering is not proof of rejection — It can be proof of elevation.
- 38:76 — Root of arrogance “I am better than him.” - Every form of Racism, Classism, Nationalism, Ego, and ideology echoes this sentence.
- 38:88 — Truth will manifest “And you will surely know its truth after a time.” That is Truth does not need propaganda. Time exposes it.
The Surah’s central mirror for today
Surah Ṣād asks modern humanity:
- Will you submit to truth even if it humbles you?
- Will you accept moral limits even if you have power?
- Will you let ego define you — or servanthood?
One-line summary
Surah Ṣād teaches that arrogance is the real enemy of faith, and humility is the true mark of greatness — whether you are a king, a prophet, or an ordinary believer.
Now let us share herein some of the selected ayat / verses from this surah already shared:
In time we will add more selected ayat / verses from this surah.
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 verses on 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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