1: Sura, 2.

225 (Ayat ul Kursi)

Allah. There is no god but He, the living, the self-subsisting, eternal. No
slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on
earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permits? He
knows what is before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass any of
His knowledge except as He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and
the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is
the Most High, the Supreme

Theme:
Theme of this long verse is God himself. It’s a verse of sura al-Baqarah, a
Madni sura. It begins with the expression of the shahada (declaration of
oneness of God) and then elaborates various aspects of unity of God that
make him matchless God is fee from all weaknesses and limitations, has
perfect knowledge of all times, is not dependent on anyone for his survival
and enjoys autonomy in exercising His authority. His authority and his rule
encompass the entire universe. This makes God not only unique but also
elevates him to the heights, we just can’t imagine and that is mentioned in
the Quran as: “then he established himself on the throne” (10:3, 13:2)
Importance of the Theme:
This passage tells Muslims to believe in Tawhid in terms of God’s
uniqueness, majesty and glory. The theme is important for Muslims as it
crystallizes the belief of Tawhid and trains them to condemn shirk. There is
repetitive mention of God’s authority, unlimited knowledge and powers in
order to strengthen the faith of its readers. For example, it says “He is
exalted in power, Wise. He created the heavens without any pillars”31:9-10,
luqman) and “but God is the one free of all wants “(35:15,Fatir). The
objective is to remind Muslims that God alone is to be worshipped and no
authority can be compared with him. Many Muslims recite this verse
regularly to reiterate God’s power and high position as compared to any
worldly authority.
2: Surah: 6. 101—103 (Al-
An’aam)
A: Theme:
Theme of this passage is God in Himself. It elaborates some of the
fundamental aspects of unity of God (Tawhid). It describes God as the
originator of universe and rejects any kind of misconception of God having
any family. It also refers to His unbounded knowledge, power and grasp on
His created world. The passage further stresses on the sublime nature of
God and inability of human imagination to encompass God’s person, though
He himself can see to the unfathomable depths, as endorsed elsewhere in
the Quran: “for God is He Who understands the finest mysteries” (22:63).
B: Importance of the theme
This passage is important for Muslims to clearly understand the doctrine of
Tawhid in terms of God’s nature and powers. Muslims need to learn that
though God is too sublime to be perceived, He is everywhere and all
powerful. The Quran reminds Muslims this repeatedly: “and He is with you
where ever you are” (57:04, Al-hadid), and “for We are nearer to him (man)
than his jugular vein” (50:16, Qaf). The passage also categorically negates
the false belief of God having any wife or children and thus, it strikes at the
roots of shirk (associating partners with God). Muslims, in this way, develop
a clearer concept of tawhid and feel themselves bound to adore God only.
They remember that shirk is the only unpardonable sin in the sight of God.

3: Sura 41.37 (Surah Fussilat)

A: Theme:
This verse is from sura Fussilat\Ha-Mim, an early makkan sura, it describes
the theme of God in Himself. It mentions some of the signs and phenomena
of nature that reflect God’s unity and majesty. It refers to the cycles of day
and night as evidence of divinity. The Quran supports it elsewhere as:
“behold! In the creation of the heavens and earth; in the alternation of the
night and the day….are signs for the people who are wise’’ (2:164). The
passage commands us to worship the Creator of the sun and moon and not
the creations themselves because the Creator is always superior to the
creations

B: Importance of the theme:

Theme of this passage urges Muslims to observe various objects of nature
that reflect God’s presence, majesty and glory. Since humans cannot afford
to see God physically, they are asked to identify the real creator through his
creations that bear witness to is existence. Such observation encourages
Muslims to develop a strong belief in Tawhid in all its aspects. The Quran,
for this reason, frequently refers to the need of pondering and observing:
“verily, in the alternation of the night and the day, and in all that God has
created in the heavens and the earth, are signs for those who fear Him”
(30:40, Al-Rum). So, Muslims should express their gratitude to God for
enabling them to see and think deeply.
Muslims will thus avoid Shirk that the earlier communities fell victim to, and
worship one Supreme God.

4: Sura Al-Shura (42.4-5)

A: Theme:
The two verses are from sura al-Shura, revealed in Makkan shortly after sura
Fussilat and its theme is God’s unity expressed by His grandeur and
authority. He enjoys unshared authority over entire universe. The Quran
says: “his are all things in the heaven and on the earth” (2:255). It also
mentions the effect of God’s might on the heavens that hardly sustain this
immense burden. The passage also refers to the countless angels who are
busy in the prayers and glorification of the Lord and also invoke His mercy
and pardon for humans who tend to disobey their lord. The Quran declares
this weakness of humans as: “It is man that wrongs his own soul” (10:44).

(b) Importance of the theme

Theme of this message guides Muslims about two articles of faith: belief in
Tawhid and angels. The passage tells Muslims about God’s power, authority
and glory in order to make them His obedient servants.
By referring to the angels praising God and seeking forgiveness for humans,
it tells them about God’s mercy. Humans, because of free will, can commit
sins but God is ready to forgive them. Belief in God’s mercy and forgiveness
prepares Muslims to repent over their misdeeds. The Quran re-assures
Muslims by saying: “Despair not of the mercy of God; for God forgives all
sins, for he is oft-forgiving, Most merciful’’ (39:53 al-zulmar). Surah 97(al-
Qadr) also tells about: “the angels and the spirit” descending in the night of
Power to distribute God’s mercy.

5: Sura Al- Ikhlas (112)

A: Theme:
Theme of this early Makkan is God in himself in terms of His unique person.
It outlines the most fundamental and cardinal aspects of Tawhid (oneness of
God). It out rightly declares God’s unity and emphatically negates the false
belief of God having ancestors and descendants. It further highlights God’s
unity by saying that God’s nature or person can never be compared to
anyone throughout the universe. It also mentions God’s freedom from time
and space by saying that he has always been and will always be there. This
way, the passage crystallizes the belief of Tawhid.

B: Importance of the Theme:

Theme of this passage purifies Muslim’s belief in Tawhid and that is why the
passage is named al-Ikhlas (the purity of faith). Muslims learn from this
passage that God is unique in all aspects. This uniqueness and supremacy of
God highlights human inability and limitation before his Lord. Thus, it
eliminates all forms and degrees of shirk or associating partners with God.
Muslims recite this sura in daily prayers in order to reiterate rejection of
shirk. It is so important that the holy prophet declared it equivalent to one
third of the Quran. Its theme is so important that the Quran repeatedly
mentions this: “and your God is one God” (2:163, al-Baqarah) and “God!
there is no God but He” (2:255). Belief in Tawhid, in turn affects the conduct
of Muslims as they develop a strong sense of God’s presence and
knowledge.

6: Sura 1 AL-FATEHA (1-7)

A: Theme:
This is the opening chapter of the Quran and its theme is God’s relation with
his created world. It is believed to be the first complete sura revealed in
Makkah. It declares that God alone is the sustainer of all the known and the
unknown worlds, ultimate source of mercy, justice and guidance for
mankind. Only He can guide man to the way of life acceptable to him though
he doesn’t compel anyone to follow that way. Instead, in the words of the
Quran, it is man’s duty to beg before Him for guidance: “and your Lord says:
call on Me, I shall answer your supplication” (40:60). He also tells man the
consequences of following this code of conduct or going astray. Therefore,
man needs to praise and worship him and resort to him alone.

B: Importance of the Theme:

This passages sums up the message of the Quran. Muslims are told to
worship God by following the right path contained in the Quran and Sunnah
and invoke God’s mercy, because according to the Quran: “he has inscribed
for himself the rule of mercy” (6:12, 54, al-An’aam). They should be pious
because God is not only Merciful, He is also Just as He will dispense absolute
justice on the Day of Judgment. They should remember that they will surely
get reward in the hereafter as is promised in the Quran: “and only on the
Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense” (3,185, al-Imran).
Obedience to God enables Muslims to earn His blessing and avoid his anger.

7: Sura Al-Baqarah (2.21-22)

A: Theme:
Theme of this passage is God and his created world. The two verses of sura
al-Baqarah a Madni sura outline God’s power to create and make
arrangements for the sustenance and growth of mankind through all ages.
The passage commands humans to identify their real Lord by serving and
worshipping Him. It further commands them to reject any form or degree of
associating partners with God as he alone is the supreme creator, cherisher
and care-taker of all as enunciated repeatedly in the Quran: “… there is no
god but I; therefore worship and serve Me” (21;25) and also, “and your God
is one God” (2:163).
B: Importance of the Theme:
The passage conveys the message of inculcating taqwa (piety/fear of God)
and a sense of gratitude to God for his countless bounties. Muslims should
closely observe God’s favour and blessing as is frequently mentioned in sura
55: “then which of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?, “ the best way
of remembering God’s favour is to obey and worship him by rejecting Shirk.
Taqwa is the focal point of a Muslim’s life and the Quran very clearly
instructs in this regard: “O, you who believe! Fear God as he should be
feared and die not except in a state of Islam” (3:102, al-Imran). So, Muslims
should sincerely worship God and refrain from sins.

8: Surah Al-Alaq (96:1-5)

A: Theme:
Theme of the passage is God and his created world. It mentions God’s
power to create and ensure the survival and growth of mankind. He created
man from a low origin and then matured him physically, intellectually and
spiritually by enabling him to read and write. Human ability to acquire
knowledge means to learn, both worldly and divine sciences so that man is
able to find means of physical survival as well as take care of his intellectual
and spiritual development. God has revealed divine books for spiritual
guidance of mankind. Thus, man is totally dependent on his creator Lord in
all spheres of life and activity.

B: Importance of the theme:

According to the theme of the passage, Muslims are required to
acknowledge God’s goodness and greatness as he created man from a low
origin and then enabled him to acquire worldly and religious knowledge.
Human ability to learn has made him superior to all other creatures and the
Quran endorses this fact: “We have indeed created man in the best of
moulds” (96:4al-Tin). Muslims are taught to identify their lord through the
perspective of religious knowledge and adore him alone because of his
bounty of divine guidance mentioned in the Quran: “It is He who has taught
the Quran” (55:2, al-Rahman).

9. Surah Al-Zilzal (99)

A: Theme:
Theme of the passage is God‘s relation with the created world. It elaborates
the events and the final outcome of the day of reckoning or end of time.
That day will be marked by the most intense convulsions that will reverse all
the normal physical phenomena. Mankind will be shocked to see earth
emitting all its hidden contents, as mentioned elsewhere in the Quran: “and
when the earth is flattened and casts forth what is within it and becomes
empty” (84:3-4). Finally all mankind will appear in the divine court of justice
for the rewards of their worldly deeds.

B: Importance of the Theme

This passage asks Muslims to have strong faith in God’s power to end time
and make all stand accountable before Him for the ultimate justice. With
such a belief , Muslims will learn about the worthlessness of this world and
realize the value of true worlds by saying: “Nay you prefer the life of this
world, but the hereafter is better and more enduring” (87:16, al-A’la).
Genuine and sincere faith in the hereafter shapes the conduct of Muslims.
this belief reminds them of God’s mercy justice and powers the Quran
repeatedly talks of this theme by using several expressions that include:
“when the sun is folded up” (sura: 81) “when the sky is clef a sunder” (sura
82) and “when the earth is flattened out” (sura 84 ). The objective of this
repetition is to remind Muslims of the Hereafter.

10: Sura Al-Nas (114)

A: Theme
This is the last surah of the Quran and its theme is God’s relation with his
created world. It mentions God’s three-fold relation with man and,
therefore asks man to seek God’s shelter against all evils that are crafted by
Satan and his host of assistants who may be humans or Jinns. They inject
devil in man’s heart and the Quran warns us about this: “for Satan is an
avowed enemy to man” (12:5).
Man should however, also remember the Qur’anic instruction: “and on God
let the believers put their trust” (99:51)

B: Importance of the Theme:

This passage together with sura 113, teaches Muslims to seek God’s refuge
against all evils as Satan is always there to misguide them. Muslims should,
however strengthen their relation with God toward of all evil forces. The
best way to do this is remember God as enunciated n the Quran:” and
establish regular prayer in order to remember me” (20:14, Taha). Recitation
of the Quran also shuns evil by bringing the reader closer to God: “when you
recite the Quran, seek God’s protection against the evil ones” (16:98, al-
Nahl). Muslims should also be ready to identify evil forces led by Satan and
his assistants who accomplish their ugly task in various ways the holy
prophet used to recite sura 113 and 114 to guard against evil, after his
Makkan enemies had cast magic spell on him.

11: Al-Baqarah (2:30-37)

A: Theme:
Theme of the passage is God’s messengers. It describes the story of
creations of Adam and his especially elevated status granted by God’s
decree. This superiority of Adam was duly acknowledged by all angels except
Iblis who showed arrogance (since he was a Jinn, not an angel). Adam and
Eve were granted paradise but Iblis maneuvered their exile from there, out
of jealousy and malice. On repentance on their mistake Adam and Eve were
pardoned by God who awarded them a new phase of worldly living. The
Quran mentions this phase at another place as: “it is We, Who have placed
you with authority on earth” (7:10).

B: Importance of the Theme:

Theme of this passage contains important lessons for Muslims. They are told
the reason for making human being superior over all other creatures. God
appointed man (byway of Adam) as his vicegerent on earth because of the
knowledge and free will. The free will is a test for humans as they can be
enticed by Satan to commit sins. The Quran warns about this by saying: “for
Satan is an avowed enemy to man” (12:5, Yusuf). The passage further tells
about God’s mercy and forgiveness as he accepted repentance by Adam.
The Quran reminds Muslims repeatedly of this attribute of God: “if anyone
does evil, or wrongs his own soul but afterwards seek God’s forgiveness. He
will find God Oft-forgiving and most Merciful” (4:110, Al-Nisa)

12: Al-An’aam (6:75-79)

A: Theme:
Theme of this passage is God’s messengers and this passage outlines the
story of Prophet Abraham in search of One Supreme God. Abraham was
gradually guided to identify the real Creator and Lord by way of his creations
such as the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. He eventually realized that God is
eternal and therefore He rejected the polytheism (shirk) that was the
hallmark of the society around him. He finally, declared the shahada
(proclamation of belief in one God) as a sign of acquiring internal peace.

B: Importance of the Theme:

Theme of this passage teaches Muslims to refuse Shirk i.e. associating
partners with God and to believe in Tawhid. They should learn that celestial
bodies merely reflect God’s glory and are only God’s creatures. They should
never be worshiped because the Quran categorically declares: “he has made
subject to you the night and the day; the sun and the moon; and the stars
are in subjection by his command” (16:12, al-Nahl). Muslims should also
believe God granted prophet-hood to his messengers by various modes and
that all these messengers preached the universal message of Tawhid.
Prophet Ibrahim’s proclamation of Tawhid was not different from the
shahada taught by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Therefore Muslims
should respect all the messengers equally.
13: Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:110)
A: Theme:
Theme of this passage is God’s association with His messengers. It describes
God’s address to Jesus in the Divine Court in the presence of children of
Israel. It outlines the prophetic signs of Jesus that include his ability to speak
from the cradle, give life to the dead and cure the leper and the blind. Above
all he was taught the divine wisdom through the Torah and the Gospel but
despite all this he was rejected by his people who even tried to crucify him.

B: Importance of the theme:

Muslims are taught many important things though the theme of this
passage. They are required to believe that, like other messengers Jesus was
also a man chosen by God. He was granted miraculous powers so that men
of wisdom should identify him. The Quran referred to this fact as: “thus does
God make clear to you His signs in order that you consider” (2:219, al-
Baqarah). Muslims also learn that God’s messengers were always rejected
despite such clear signs by the ‘spiritually dead’ and ‘sick in heart’ people
who are mentioned by the Quran as: “those who reject our signs are deaf
and dump and midst of darkness profound” (6:39, al-An’aam). Muslims also
learn that the rejecters of truth will stand accountable before God in the
Hereafter.
14: Sura Al-Duha (93)
A: Theme:
Theme of the passage is God’s special relation with the Holy Prophet. The
passage was revealed after a long break that worried the prophet, and his
makkan enemies began to mock him. God consoled him re-assuring that he
would not abandon him. God reminded the prophet some of His past
favours on him. The prophet was a born orphan but God made
arrangements for his growth and upbringing. God then granted him
prophet-hood, His greatest reward. Purpose of these reminders is to re-
assure him of similar support in future. However, God instructed him to be
kind to those in need as this would reflect his gratitude to God.

B: Importance of the Theme:

The theme of this passage teaches Muslims the importance of faith in God’s
help. The Holy Prophet (SAW) was re-assured by God in the midst of
mockery in Makkah. Muslims today should also retain their faith in difficult
times by remembering the Quranic promise: “So, verily with every difficulty
there is a relief” (94:5, al-Inshirah). Muslims should believe that all
messengers of God were rejected and ridiculed but they remained firm in
their mission. They should also believe that the relationship with God can be
strengthened by their kindness to the weak and unsupported people
because such an attitude is an expression of love for God. The Quran says:
“it is righteous to spend of your substance out of love for Him, for your kins,
for orphans” (2:177, al-Baqarah).

15: Sura Al-Kauthar (108)

A: Theme:
Theme of the passage is God’s relation with his messengers. It mentions
God’s special care for the Holy Prophet (SAW) in time of difficulties. The
Prophet was mocked by the Makkans on the death of his sons from Khadija
(RA). God consoled him by promising him abundance of success and
destruction of the ones who insulted him. He told the prophet to remember
God through regular prayer and to develop the spirit of sacrifice so that he
could continuously strengthen his bond with God and to get constant divine
support.

B: Importance of the Theme:

This passage, like surah 93, teaches Muslims to have faith in God’s support
that surely teaches the noble people. The holy prophet was assured of
“abundance” in the face of persecutions in Makkah. This “abundance” came
in the form of his countless followers and his descendants through his
daughter Fatima. His insulters, on the other hand, perished forever. So, a
noble mission always survives though it is rejected by the misguided people.
The Quran testifies to it: “rejected were the Messengers before you; with
patience and constancy they bore their rejection“ (6:34, al-An’aam). The
passage teaches Muslims to develop spirit of sacrifice and establish prayer
as these are the best means of getting closer to their lord, as is endorsed by
the Quran: “and establish regular prayer in order to remember Me” (20:14,
Taha).

qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
qqqqqqqqq