Question 1:

Major themes
of the Qur’an
Q: Choose any two of the
following Passages from
the Quran and,

(a) Briefly describe the main

theme(s) in each
passage

(b) Briefly explain how each

passage presents these
theme(s) in a distinctive
way.
 Each
Passage has
2 parts

Part (ii)
Part (i) Main Presentation
Theme
of Theme
Part (i) Main Theme Answer (2 marks)
 Explain:
 Themes 60-80
words in
 Meanings
3
 Content minutes

 Teachings
 Quote Qur‟an verses/Ahadith to support and
illustrate points (optional)
 Demonstrate knowledge of Arabic
Part (ii) Presentation of Theme (2 marks)

 Explain:Howthemes have been

presented by Allah to make people
understand them
 How Allah teaches similar themes in other
Surahs verses, yet this one this different

3
minutes
Comparison Between (i) & (ii)
Part (i) Main Theme Part (ii) Presentation of
Theme

 Themes  How themes have

been presented by
 Meanings Allah to make
 Content people understand
 Teachings them
 How this passage is
different from other
similar passages
Lets Start the Lesson!
We shall study
three Himself

basic themes
of the
Quranic Relationship
with His

verses
Creation

Relationship
with His
Messengers
 Person

Powers Tauheed Attributes

Signs
Allah in Himself (Signs)
 “Among His signs are the night and
the day, and the sun and the moon.
Adore not the sun and the moon, but
adore Allah, who created them, if it is
Him you wish to serve” Surah
Fussilat/Sajda
Allah in Himself (Person)
 The Holy Quran describes and elaborates details
about the person of Allah.
 Usually certain symbolic expressions and parables
have been used for this purpose.
 For example, Surah An Nur describes Allah as a
'light',
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is
as if there were a Niche and within it a lamp: the Lamp enclosed in
Glass: the Glass as it were a brilliant star: lit from a blessed Tree, an
Olive, neither of the East nor of the West, whose Oil is well-nigh
luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! Allah doth set
forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things. (Nur : 35)
 Sura Ikhlas
Allah in Himself (Attributes)
 The Holy Quran describes and elaborates details about the
nature and attributes of Allah using parables & analogies
 Attributes of Allah
“Allah is He, than whom there is no other
god― the sovereign, the Holy One, the
Source of Peace (and Perfection). the
Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety,
the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the
Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above
the partners they attribute to Him. (23) He is
Allah the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower
of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the
Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the
heavens and on earth, declare His Praises
and Glory: and He is the exalted in Might, the
Wise. (Surah Al Hashr)
Allah in Himself (Powers)
 Another oft repeated theme is that of
Allah's Unmatchable power,
“ Verily, when He intends a thing, His
command is "Be" and it is! (36:82)
 Sura Al Anaam
Allah in Himself

Person

Signs Attributes

Powers
 Ayat Al Kursi (2:255)

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Allah! There is no God but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting. Neither slumber nor
sleep can seize Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in
the earth. Who will intercede with Him except by His Leave? He knows what is in
front of them and what is behind them, While they encompass nothing of His
Knowledge, except what He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the
earth, And He is never weary of preserving them. And He is the Sublime, the
Supreme.
Allah! There is no God but He, the Living, the
Self-subsisting
Neither slumber nor sleep can seize Him
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and
whatever is in the earth
Who will intercede with Him except by His
Leave?
He knows what is in front of them and what is
behind them, While they encompass nothing
of His Knowledge, except what He wills.
His Throne extends over the heavens and the
earth, And He is never weary of preserving
them.
And He is the Sublime, the Supreme.
 Comparison Between (i) & (ii)
Part (i) Main Theme Part (ii) Presentation of
Theme

 Themes  How themes have

been presented by
 Meanings Allah to make
 Content people understand
 Teachings them
 How this passage is
different from other
similar passages
The Main Theme(s)
1. The main theme of this passage, which we know as the
verse of the Throne, is the oneness of Allah, or Tawhid
2. Allah is a being unlike any other beings because he
knows everything and can do everything
3. Also He has neither parents nor children
4. Similarly Surah Ikhlas also states that He cannot be
compared to anyone or anything
5. His throne signifies His absolute power over all as well
as His absolute knowledge of everything.
The Presentation of the Theme
1. This passage teaches us the powers of Allah,
which are limitless in all aspects, thus clearly
marking the differences between Him and His
creation.
2. This passage states all this in a authoritative tone,
and declares its teachings in a distinctive manner.
3. It teaches multiple articles of faith and belief in very
few words, thus making it a unique passage.
4. Other Quranic verses similarly teach such themes
but seldom in so few words and also they tend to at
times give logical reasoning along with their
teachings such as Surah Anam which gives a logic
that Allah cannot have a son as He has no wife
Surah Al Anaam 6: 101 to 103

 101. To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the
earth: how can He have a son when He has no consort?
102. He created all things, and He has full knowledge of all things.
That is Allah, your Lord! There is no god but He, the Creator of
all things: then worship Him: and He has power to dispose of all
affairs.
103. No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all visions: He is
above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things.
 101. To Him is due the primal origin of the
heavens and the earth: how can He have
a son when He has no consort?
102. He created all things, and He has full
knowledge of all things. That is Allah,
your Lord! There is no god but He, the
Creator of all things: then worship Him:
and He has power to dispose of all
affairs.
103. No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp
is over all visions: He is above all
comprehension, yet is acquainted with all
things.
 Comparison Between (i) & (ii)
Part (i) Main Theme Part (ii) Presentation of
Theme

 Themes  How themes have

been presented by
 Meanings Allah to make
 Content people understand
 Teachings them
 How this passage is
different from other
similar passages
The Main Theme(s)
1. The main theme of this passage is the unlimited
power of Allah that proves Tauheed
2. It describes how He created all things including
the heavens and the earth from scratch
3. The Arabic word „Badee‟ means He who creates
without any raw materials to start with
4. It strongly refutes any concept of him being a
parent or husband when it is He who cannot even
be seen by anyone
5. Another important aspect of the theme is fact the
His knowledge is absolute.
6. These arguments establish Him as the sole being
to be worshipped.
Another Sample answer of the Theme
1. The doctrine of Tawhid is based on Allah's power of
creating His domain out of nothing and by His single
command, “ Be” (36:82) and that is the main theme
of this Surah: teaching Allah‟s Onesness by
explaining about His Person and Powers
2. Exercise of this power explains Allah's immense
power and unlimited knowledge
3. Demands us to demonstrate our belief by bowing
down before Him in all submission and worship like
the other creations: “ And the stars and the trees
both bow in adoration” (Surah 55).
4. This further negates any form of shirk (associating
partners with Allah), specially associating any
relatives with Him.
5. Surah Ikhlas more emphatically and explicitly
refutes the corrupted idea of assuming descendants
of Allah
6. Such degree of uniqueness of Allah renders our
imagination just helpless to comprehend His entity.
 The Presentation of the Theme
1. The teachings of this passage are the
Oneness of Allah, His Powers as well as His
Person which is beyond human
comprehension.
2. These are taught here in a distinctive manner
that uses common logic so people may
understand.
3. It also explains how unlimited and absolute
His Power of Creation and Knowledge are,
thus making it a logical result that we should
worship Him only.
4. This manner of explanation is distinct from
other passages as they usually only „declare‟
or „order‟ man to worship Him without giving
any reason or logic.
Surah Fussilat/Sajda; 41. 37

37. Among His signs are the night

and the day, and the sun and the
moon. Adore not the sun and the
moon, but adore Allah, who
created them, if it is Him you wish
to serve.
Allah in Himself

Person

Signs Attributes

Powers
Surah Fussilat/Sajda;41. 37
37. Among His signs are
the night and the day,
and the sun and the
moon. Adore not the Person
sun and the moon,
but adore Allah, who
created them, if it is
Him you wish to serve Signs Attributes

Powers
The Main Theme(s)
1. The main theme of this passage is
Tauheed or oneness of Allah which is being
taught by explaining His powers.
2. Throughout history, many people have
begun worshipping the sun and the moon
due to their beauty or power.
3. The Quran says that these are just signs of
Allah, who is the Creator of all.
4. Similar themes are found in many places in
the Quran such as in Surah Rehman where
Allah states that He has absolute power
over all heavenly bodies.
The Presentation of the Theme
1. Tauheed, the theme of this passage is
presented through a distinctive manner of
giving examples of His signs
2. Mankind should recognize the Designer of all
these and submit to His will.
3. This is distinctive from other verses such as in
Surah Ikhlas where Allah states the theme of
Tauheed but without explaining or using any
example
4. This passage urges us not only identify HIM
but also to Worship Him.
Surah As Shura 42: 4 & 5

4. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and

on earth: and He is most High, most Great.
5. The heavens are almost rent asunder from
above them, and the angels celebrate the
praises of their Lord, and pray for forgiveness
for beings on earth: Behold! Verily Allah is He,
the oft-Forgiving, the most Merciful.
Surah As Shura
 4. To Him belongs all
42: 4 & 5
that is in the heavens
and on earth: and He is Person
most High, most Great.
 5. The heavens are
almost rent asunder
from above them, and Signs Attributes
the angels celebrate the
praises of their Lord,
and pray for forgiveness
for beings on earth: Powers
Behold! Verily Allah is
He, the oft-Forgiving,
the most Merciful.
The Main Theme(s)
1. The main theme in this passage is Tauheed of
Allah as everything is His property.
2. His greatness and supremacy is evident by the fact
that the heavens are bent and on the brink of
falling to pieces due to the weight of the angels
worshipping Him.
3. It is no wonder that countless angels are
continuously engaged in glorifying the name of
Allah while seeking forgiveness for mankind.
4. Allah Himself has ordered them to do so as only
He Himself is full of forgiveness and mercy for His
creation.
5. Thus He has also ordered humankind to glorify
Him and then ask for forgiveness as in many other
verses in the Holy Quran
The Presentation of the Theme.
1. This passage presents the great mercy of Allah by
stressing on His supreme majesty.
2. The angels not only to celebrate His praise, and
also pray for forgiveness for us because Allah
Himself has ordered them.
3. The greatness as well as mercy of Allah is
presented here distinctively here by first stating His
being the owner and supreme Lord of everyone and
everything, yet His being kind and benevolent to His
creatures.
4. This is a distinct style from Surah Al-Fatiha where
Allah simply announces Himself as merciful but
doesn‟t discuss His rank and status
Surah Al-Ikhlas 112: 1-4

 In the name of Allah, most Gracious,

most Merciful.
1. Say: He is Allah, the One;
2. Allah, the Absolute (the Eternal).
3. He does not beget nor is He begotten,
4. And there is none like Him.
Surah Al-Ikhlas 112: 1-4
1. Say: He is Allah,
the One; Person
2. Allah, the Absolute
(the Eternal).
Signs Attributes
3. He does not beget
nor is He begotten,
4. And there is none Powers
like Him.
Main Theme(s)
1. This Surah is a comprehensive summary of
Tauheed
2. The theme clearly asserts Him being the one and
only god, thus negating any parenthood or kinship
assigned to Him by anyone
3. It defines the very nature of Allah to be free from
the phenomenon of birth as He is not in need of
anyone or anything
4. Allah‟s attribute “AsSamad” mentioned here
means „He who doesn‟t need anyone rather
everyone is in need of Him‟
5. Also by saying that He is incomparable with
everything, this Surah negates all forms of Shirk.
The Presentation of the Theme
1. The Surah Ikhlas presents the theme of Tauheed in a
very distinctive manner from most other passages of
the Holy Quran because it in covers so many aspects
of Tauheed in just four short sentences
2. It doesn‟t offer any sort of explanation or argument as
certain other passages, rather it simply makes a
statement of fact by saying that Allah is One, Absolute
and incomparable to anyone or anything
3. For example, in Surah Al-Maeda, Allah specifies that it
is disbelief to call Jesus the son of Allah
4. But here in Surah Al-Ikhlas, He simply declares that
He doesn‟t give birth at all
5. Thus all false beliefs regarding any son or daughter of
Allah are shattered.
Key Features of the Passages: Allah in Himself:
10marks
1. Allah in Himself (Person)
i. The Holy Quran describes and elaborates details about
the person of Allah.
ii. Usually certain symbolic expressions and parables have
been used for this purpose.
iii. For example, Surah An Nur describes Allah as a 'light',
(give example here) & Sura Ikhlas
2. Allah in Himself (Attributes)
i. The Holy Quran describes and elaborates details about
the nature and attributes of Allah using parables &
analogies
ii. Attributes of Allah: (Surah Al Hashr)
3. Allah in Himself (Powers)
i. Another oft repeated theme is that of Allah's
Unmatchable power,
ii. “ Verily, when He intends a thing, His command is "Be"
and it is! (36:82) & Sura Al Anaam
4. Allah in Himself (Signs)
i. “Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun
and the moon. Adore not the sun and the moon, but
Some of the Books authored by Maulvi Jahangir Mahmud