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سُورَةُ القَمَرِ · 54:1
MeccanRevelation order ٣٧Juzʾ ٢٧Page ٥٢٨

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٱقْتَرَبَتِ ٱلسَّاعَةُ وَٱنشَقَّ ٱلْقَمَرُ

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Saheeh International · EN

The Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two].

IntroductionRevelationTafsirTransmissionDebate
Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 1 of Sūrat Al-Qamar (The Moon), the 37th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 27. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
37 of 114
Surah
Al-Qamar (54)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

(The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain) [54:1]. Abu Hakim �Aqil ibn Muhammad al-Jurjani informed us (through verbal authorisation)> Abu�l-Faraj al-Qadi> Muhammad ibn Jarir> al-Husayn ibn Abi Yahya al-Maqdisi> Yahya ibn Hammad> Abu �Awanah> al-Mughirah> Abu�l-Duha> Masruq> �Abd Allah who said: �The moon was split at the time of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, so the Quraysh said: �This is an act of sorcery from the son of Abu Kabshah; he has cast a spell on you. Ask, therefore, the travellers whether they saw the moon split�. They asked some travellers and they confirmed it. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain. And if they behold a portent they turn away and say: Prolonged illusion) [54:1-2]�.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Hadith of Abu Waqid preceded, in which it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would recite Surah Qaf (chapter 53) and Iqtarabat As-Sa'ah (Al-Qamar, chapter 54), during (the 'Id Prayers of) Al-Adha and Al-Fitr. The Prophet ﷺ used to recite these two Surahs during major gatherings and occasions because they contain Allah's promises and warnings, and information about the origin of creation, Resurrection, Tawhid, the affirmation of prophethood, and so forth among the great objectives. بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانْشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ - وَإِنْ يَرَوْا آيَةً يُعْرِضُوا وَيَقُولُوا سِحْرٌ مُسْتَمِرٌّ - وَكَذَّبُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا أَهْوَاءَهُمْ ۚ وَكُلُّ أَمْرٍ مُسْتَقِرٌّ - وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُمْ مِنَ الْأَنْبَاءِ مَا فِيهِ مُزْدَجَرٌ - حِكْمَةٌ بَالِغَةٌ ۖ فَمَا تُغْنِ النُّذُرُ (1. The Hour h…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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