Al Hejr

This article is about the Quranic sura. For other uses, see Al Hijr.

Al-Ḥijr (Arabic: الحِجْرْ, lit. 'The Stoneland')^[1] is the 15th sūrah (chapter of the Quran). It has 99 āyāt (verses).

Surah 15 of the Quran

الحِجْرْ‎ Al-Ḥijr The Stoneland
Qira'ahⓘ English text
Classification	Meccan
Other names	Al-Hijr Valley
Position	Juzʼ 13-14
Hizb no.	27
No. of verses	99
No. of Rukus	6
No. of words	657
No. of letters	2882
← 14: Ibrahim 16: An-Nahl →

Mada'in Salih
مَدَائِن صَالِح

Hegra (Mada'in Salih)
Shown within Saudi Arabia
Alternative name	Al-Hijr ٱلْحِجْر Hegra
Location	Al Madinah Region, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates	26°47′30″N 37°57′10″E
Type	Settlement
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâ’in Sâlih)
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii
Designated	2008 (32nd session)
Reference no.	1293
Region	Arab States

Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is an Meccan surah revealed during the mid period and received by Muhammad shortly after chapter 12, Yusuf, during his last year in Mecca. Like other surahs of this period, it praises God. Parts of Q15:4-74 are preserved in the Ṣan‘ā’1 lower text.^[2]

This surah takes its name from 80th verse (āyah),^[3] which refers to Mada'in Saleh, a pre-Islamic archaeological site, also called Hegra (from Arabic: الحِجَارَة, romanized: al-ḥijāra, lit. 'the Stones') or al-Ḥijr (Arabic: الحِجر, romanized: al-ḥijr, lit. 'the Stone').

Summary

1-3 Unbelievers will one day wish themselves Muslims

4-5 Every nation has its day of grace

6 Muhammad charged with demoniacal possession by the disbelievers (the Quraysh)

7 The unbelievers say a true prophet would have come with a company of angels

8 Angels are not sent to gratify curiosity, but to minister judgment

9 God the revealer and preserver of the Quran

10-11 The former prophets were laughed to scorn

12-15 The scoffing Quraysh judicially blinded

16-20 God declares his glory in the heaven and the earth

21-22 He is active in every part of Nature

23-25 He is the God of life, death, and judgment

26-29 God says men created of clay—the Jinn of fire

29-33 Iblis, unlike the angels, refuses to prostrate to Adam

34-38 He is cursed and respited until the judgment

39-40 Satan declares to God his purpose to seduce men

41-42 The elect are safe from Satan’s power

43-44 The seven gates of hell will receive Satan’s followers

45-50 Paradise joys in store for true believers

51-77 The story of Abraham and Lot's conflict

78-79 The unbelieving Midianites are destroyed

80-81 The scoffing inhabitants of al Hijr reject their prophets though accompanied with miracles

82-84 Rock-hewn houses fail to save them

85-86 The heaven and earth created in righteousness

87 Command to repeat the seven verses (al-Fatiha)

88-90 Muhammad not to consider the prosperity of infidels

91-93 The enemies of God will surely be punished

94-96 Muhammad commanded to preach boldly

97-99 He is exhorted to praise and serve God until death ^[4]

Central Theme

This surah contains brief mentions of Tawhid, and provides an admonition to the disbelievers. The primary subjects of the surah are:

1. cautioning the individuals who dismissed the message and
2. providing solace and support to Muhammad,

The Quran never limits itself to mere rebuke; reproach and reprimand. It depends on its statute. The surah contains brief contentions for Tawhid and admonition in the tale of Adam and Satan.^[5]

Exegesis

15:9 Preservation of the Quran

15:9 We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We ^{[note 1]} will assuredly guard it (from corruption). Translation Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938) ^[6]

Ibn Kathir says, "God, may He be exalted, stated that He is the One Who revealed the Dhikr to him, which is the Qur'an, and He is protecting it from being changed or altered".^[1]

Notes

1. The first-person plural pronoun we as traditionally used by a sovereign (believed by Muslims to be God in this case) in formal speech to refer to themselves in their role as the monarch.