(al-Shu‘ara’...

Most surely there is a sign in this, but most of them do not believe. And most surely your Lord is Mighty, the Merciful. (al-Shu‘ara’, 26/189-191) The history of mankind and a thorough analysis of its development reveals a unique repository of information; realities are revealed through deep contemplation of these events – indeed, this is one of the soundest ways of discovering truths.

The Qur’an encourages man to discover these truths by studying the factors that led to the successes and failures, and the rise and fall of previous nations, and the fate of those who violated the truth. By deliberating over the laws and regular trends of history and studying accurate analyses of historical events, he can better interpret the various incidents and draw lessons and benefit from the events of the day.

The term, “ ’aziz ” (mighty) is one of the most beautiful qualities of God that the Qur’an employs with great emphasis and frequency. This great attribute has nearly always been used in conjunction with the term, “ hakim ” (wise) in the Qur’an, and this pairing is an indication of the wisdom of God’s speech; God, who is Mighty and Powerful, is at the same time all-Wise. However, in Surat ul Shu’ara’, this attribute of God has been mentioned in conjunction with another attribute: rahim (merciful).

In fact, these two attributes recur in successive verses in this chapter; verses that recount the abominable behaviour of communities who rose in defiance against the Prophets sent to them, and hindered their attempts to guide the people. In addition to the usage of the two terms side by side, their repetition is also instructive and noteworthy, as we will now explain: Surat ul Shu‘ara’ mentions the incidents that invariably occurred with the Prophets of God.