Selected Surahs and Their Teachings

Islamic Religious Studies · WAEC and JAMB · SS2 and SS3

These six short surahs are set because they contain the core of Islamic belief and conduct in a few lines each, and most Muslims recite them daily. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used several of them in prayer and in seeking protection, and WAEC asks you to give the teachings and the lessons rather than merely to recite.

What you need to know

Surah Al-Fatihah has seven ayat and is Makkan. It is called the Opening because it opens the Qur'an, and it is also known as Umm al-Kitab, the mother of the Book, and as As-Sab al-Mathani, the seven oft-repeated verses.
Al-Fatihah moves in three parts: praise of Allah as Lord of all the worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful and Master of the Day of Judgement; the declaration that it is Him alone we worship and from Him alone we seek help; and the prayer for guidance on the straight path, the path of those on whom Allah has bestowed favour, not of those who earned His anger nor of those who went astray.
Because no prayer is valid without it, Al-Fatihah is recited in every rak'ah. Its teachings are tawhid, total dependence on Allah, belief in the Day of Judgement, and the need for guidance, which is why it is called the summary of the whole Qur'an.
Surah Al-Ikhlas has four ayat and is Makkan. It was revealed when the idolaters asked the Prophet to describe the lineage of his Lord, and it answers that Allah is One, As-Samad, the Eternal and Self-Sufficient upon whom all depend, that He neither begets nor is begotten, and that there is none comparable to Him.
Al-Ikhlas therefore rejects every form of shirk at once: the idea of a divine family, the worship of idols or intermediaries, and any attempt to liken Allah to His creation. A well-known hadith states that it equals a third of the Qur'an in reward because it deals so completely with the subject of tawhid.
Surah Al-Asr has three ayat and is Makkan. Allah swears by time that mankind is in a state of loss, except those who have four things: faith, righteous deeds, mutual exhortation to truth, and mutual exhortation to patience.
Imam ash-Shafi'i is reported to have said that if people reflected on this surah alone it would be enough for them. Its teaching is that personal belief is not sufficient on its own, since a Muslim must also act rightly and take responsibility for others by encouraging truth and endurance, and that time is a capital that is spent whether or not it is used.
Surah Al-Ma'un has seven ayat. It asks who it is that denies the Din and answers by describing conduct rather than words: such a person drives away the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the poor.
The surah then pronounces woe on those who pray but are heedless of their prayer, who do it to be seen, and who withhold small acts of kindness and common necessities, which is what al-ma'un refers to. The lesson is that religion which does not show in the treatment of the weak is worthless, and that riya, performing worship for show, destroys its value.
Surah Al-Kafirun has six ayat and is Makkan. It was revealed when leaders of Quraysh proposed that the Prophet worship their gods for a period in exchange for their worshipping his Lord for a period.
The surah refuses the bargain completely, distinguishing what the Prophet worships from what they worship, and ends with the statement that they have their religion and he has his. It teaches firmness in creed and rejects any compromise in matters of worship, while at the same time establishing that faith is not to be forced on anyone.
Surah Al-Falaq has five ayat. It is a prayer for refuge with the Lord of the daybreak from the evil of what He has created, from the evil of darkness when it settles, from the evil of those who blow on knots, which refers to sorcery, and from the evil of the envier when he envies.
Together with Surah An-Nas, Al-Falaq is known as Al-Mu'awwidhatayn, the two surahs of seeking refuge. The Prophet used to recite them for protection, in the morning and evening remembrances and before sleep, and they teach that protection is sought from Allah alone and not from charms or amulets.
Taken together these surahs cover belief in one God, the purpose of worship, the measure of a successful life, care for the weak, integrity in faith and reliance on Allah for protection, which is why Nigerian students are taught them early and expected to explain as well as recite them.

Key terms

Al-Fatihah: The opening surah of the Qur'an, of seven verses, recited in every unit of the formal prayer.
As-Samad: A name of Allah in Surah Al-Ikhlas meaning the Self-Sufficient and Eternal, on whom all creation depends while He depends on none.
Al-Mu'awwidhatayn: Surahs Al-Falaq and An-Nas, recited together to seek Allah's protection from harm.
Riya: Performing an act of worship so that people will see and praise it, condemned in Surah Al-Ma'un as a form of hidden shirk.
Al-Ma'un: Small acts of kindness and everyday necessities lent or shared among neighbours, the withholding of which the surah condemns.
Makkiyyah: A surah revealed before the migration to Madinah, usually concerned with faith, resurrection and moral correction.
Tawhid: The oneness and uniqueness of Allah in His lordship, His right to worship, and His names and attributes.

Worked examples

State the teachings of Surah Al-Ma'un and show how they apply to Muslim society today.

Give the structure of the surah: first the question about who denies the religion, then the two acts that reveal it, then the woe on a particular kind of worshipper.
Explain each element in plain words, especially riya and al-ma'un.
Draw out the central teaching that belief is tested by treatment of the weak.
Apply it to named situations rather than speaking in general terms.

Answer: Surah Al-Ma'un opens by asking whether you have seen the one who denies the Din, and then identifies him not by what he says but by what he does: he is the one who repels the orphan harshly and does not encourage the feeding of the needy. The surah then pronounces woe upon worshippers who are heedless of their prayer, who perform it only to be seen by people, and who refuse even the small kindnesses and ordinary necessities that neighbours lend one another. Its teachings are: (i) true belief in the Day of Judgement shows itself in the treatment of orphans and the poor, so a person whose religion leaves the weak uncared for has denied it in practice; (ii) prayer performed carelessly or for display is condemned, because worship without sincerity and without attention is rejected; (iii) riya, doing religious acts for the praise of people, empties them of value; and (iv) refusing small help to a neighbour is treated as a serious fault, not a trifle. Applied today: wealthy Muslims who give lavishly where cameras are present but ignore the orphan in their own street fall under this warning; those who attend the mosque regularly while cheating in business or denying help to a struggling neighbour are described here exactly; and communities should organise reliable support for orphans, widows and the poor, through zakat and sadaqah properly administered, rather than leaving it to occasional display.

Give an account of the occasion of revelation of Surah Al-Kafirun and state three lessons from it.

State the situation in Makkah that produced the proposal, naming who made it and what exactly was offered.
Give the content of the surah in sequence without quoting at length.
State what the Prophet's response establishes about creed.
Then give the lessons, keeping each distinct and short.

Answer: In Makkah, after years in which the leaders of Quraysh had failed to stop the message by mockery, pressure and persecution, a group of them approached Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with a compromise. They proposed that he worship their deities for a period and that they in turn would worship his Lord for a period, so that both sides would be satisfied and the dispute ended. Surah Al-Kafirun was revealed in reply. It instructs the Prophet to address the disbelievers directly and to state that he does not worship what they worship, that they are not worshippers of what he worships, that he will not worship what they worship and they will not worship what he worships, and it closes with the declaration that for them is their religion and for him is his. Lessons: (i) matters of belief and worship admit no bargaining, however attractive the peace offered, because worship directed to anything besides Allah is shirk; (ii) a Muslim must be clear and courageous about his faith rather than blurring it to gain acceptance; (iii) the final verse establishes that people are not to be compelled in religion, so firmness in one's own creed goes together with leaving others to their choice and living peacefully among them; and (iv) persistence in truth eventually prevails, as the later history of the Makkan mission showed.

The mistake to avoid

Candidates answer a question on the teachings of a surah by writing out a translation and stopping there. Translation alone earns few marks; the examiner wants the teachings and their application. The other frequent error is attaching the wrong occasion of revelation, most often giving Al-Kafirun's occasion to Al-Ikhlas or the reverse. Al-Ikhlas answers a question about Allah's nature and lineage; Al-Kafirun answers a proposal to take turns in worship.

In the exam

For each of these surahs be ready to give three things: the number of verses and whether it is Makkan or Madinan, a clear summary of its content, and four or five teachings with modern application. Where there is a known occasion of revelation, state it, because it is usually worth marks. Keep any Arabic you write short and accurate; a full recitation written out poorly scores less than a well-organised explanation in English.