{
  "number": 61,
  "slug": "saff",
  "name": "As-Saff",
  "arabicName": "الصف",
  "meaning": "The Ranks",
  "period": "Madinan",
  "juz": 28,
  "tagline": "WORDS MADE TRUE THROUGH COMMITMENT",
  "overview": "The surah confronts the gap between promises and actions. The steadiness of joined ranks, the memories of Moses and Jesus, and the disciples’ response build a call to committed faith, shared responsibility, and hope in divine help.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Arabic text · quranjson (MIT)",
      "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/semarketir/quranjson/master/source/surah/surah_61.json"
    },
    {
      "title": "Sahih International · English translation (AlQuran Cloud)",
      "url": "https://alquran.cloud/quran/en.sahih"
    },
    {
      "title": "Word glosses · Quranic Arabic Corpus (GPL-3.0)",
      "url": "https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=61&verse=8"
    },
    {
      "title": "Word glosses · Quranic Arabic Corpus (GPL-3.0)",
      "url": "https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=61&verse=10"
    },
    {
      "title": "Word glosses · Quranic Arabic Corpus (GPL-3.0)",
      "url": "https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=61&verse=12"
    },
    {
      "title": "Word glosses · Quranic Arabic Corpus (GPL-3.0)",
      "url": "https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=61&verse=14"
    },
    {
      "title": "Word glosses · Quranic Arabic Corpus (GPL-3.0)",
      "url": "https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=61&verse=4"
    },
    {
      "title": "Word glosses · Quranic Arabic Corpus (GPL-3.0)",
      "url": "https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=61&verse=5"
    },
    {
      "title": "Word glosses · Quranic Arabic Corpus (GPL-3.0)",
      "url": "https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=61&verse=6"
    },
    {
      "title": "Word glosses · Quranic Arabic Corpus (GPL-3.0)",
      "url": "https://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=61&verse=1"
    },
    {
      "title": "Surah introduction · Quran.com",
      "url": "https://quran.com/61/info"
    },
    {
      "title": "The question about beloved deeds · Tirmidhi 3309",
      "url": "https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3309"
    },
    {
      "title": "Muhammad and Ahmad · Bukhari 3532",
      "url": "https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3532"
    },
    {
      "title": "622–632 CE period boundaries · Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911)",
      "url": "https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Mahomet"
    },
    {
      "title": "The 622 CE Hijrah · Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911)",
      "url": "https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Hejira"
    }
  ],
  "verses": [
    {
      "n": 1,
      "arabic": "سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ",
      "translation": "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth exalts Allah, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise."
    },
    {
      "n": 2,
      "arabic": "يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ",
      "translation": "O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do?"
    },
    {
      "n": 3,
      "arabic": "كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ",
      "translation": "Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do."
    },
    {
      "n": 4,
      "arabic": "إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ صَفًّۭا كَأَنَّهُم بُنْيَٰنٌۭ مَّرْصُوصٌۭ",
      "translation": "Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a [single] structure joined firmly."
    },
    {
      "n": 5,
      "arabic": "وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ يَٰقَوْمِ لِمَ تُؤْذُونَنِى وَقَد تَّعْلَمُونَ أَنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا زَاغُوٓا۟ أَزَاغَ ٱللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَٰسِقِينَ",
      "translation": "And [mention, O Muhammad], when Moses said to his people, \"O my people, why do you harm me while you certainly know that I am the messenger of Allah to you?\" And when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people."
    },
    {
      "n": 6,
      "arabic": "وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَٰبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًۭا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ مِنَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَمُبَشِّرًۢا بِرَسُولٍۢ يَأْتِى مِنۢ بَعْدِى ٱسْمُهُۥٓ أَحْمَدُ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ قَالُوا۟ هَٰذَا سِحْرٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ",
      "translation": "And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, \"O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.\" But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, \"This is obvious magic.\""
    },
    {
      "n": 7,
      "arabic": "وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ وَهُوَ يُدْعَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلْإِسْلَٰمِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ",
      "translation": "And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah untruth while he is being invited to Islam. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people."
    },
    {
      "n": 8,
      "arabic": "يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِـُٔوا۟ نُورَ ٱللَّهِ بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَٱللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِۦ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ",
      "translation": "They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it."
    },
    {
      "n": 9,
      "arabic": "هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُۥ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ",
      "translation": "It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allah dislike it."
    },
    {
      "n": 10,
      "arabic": "يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ تِجَٰرَةٍۢ تُنجِيكُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍۢ",
      "translation": "O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment?"
    },
    {
      "n": 11,
      "arabic": "تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَتُجَٰهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِأَمْوَٰلِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ",
      "translation": "[It is that] you believe in Allah and His Messenger and strive in the cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives. That is best for you, if you should know."
    },
    {
      "n": 12,
      "arabic": "يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَيُدْخِلْكُمْ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ وَمَسَٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةًۭ فِى جَنَّٰتِ عَدْنٍۢ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ",
      "translation": "He will forgive for you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence. That is the great attainment."
    },
    {
      "n": 13,
      "arabic": "وَأُخْرَىٰ تُحِبُّونَهَا ۖ نَصْرٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَفَتْحٌۭ قَرِيبٌۭ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ",
      "translation": "And [you will obtain] another [favor] that you love - victory from Allah and an imminent conquest; and give good tidings to the believers."
    },
    {
      "n": 14,
      "arabic": "يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُونُوٓا۟ أَنصَارَ ٱللَّهِ كَمَا قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ لِلْحَوَارِيِّۦنَ مَنْ أَنصَارِىٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ قَالَ ٱلْحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنصَارُ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَـَٔامَنَت طَّآئِفَةٌۭ مِّنۢ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَكَفَرَت طَّآئِفَةٌۭ ۖ فَأَيَّدْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ عَلَىٰ عَدُوِّهِمْ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ ظَٰهِرِينَ",
      "translation": "O you who have believed, be supporters of Allah, as when Jesus, the son of Mary, said to the disciples, \"Who are my supporters for Allah?\" The disciples said, \"We are supporters of Allah.\" And a faction of the Children of Israel believed and a faction disbelieved. So We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became dominant."
    }
  ],
  "glosses": [
    [
      "Glorifies",
      "Allah",
      "whatever",
      "(is) in",
      "the heavens",
      "and whatever",
      "(is) in",
      "the earth.",
      "And He",
      "(is) the All-Mighty,",
      "the All-Wise."
    ],
    [
      "O",
      "(you) who",
      "believe!",
      "Why",
      "(do) you say",
      "what",
      "not",
      "you do?"
    ],
    [
      "Great is",
      "hatred",
      "with",
      "Allah",
      "that",
      "you say",
      "what",
      "not",
      "you do?"
    ],
    [
      "Indeed,",
      "Allah",
      "loves",
      "those who",
      "fight",
      "in",
      "His Way",
      "(in) a row",
      "as if they",
      "(were) a structure",
      "joined firmly."
    ],
    [
      "And when",
      "said",
      "Musa",
      "to his people,",
      "\"O my people!",
      "Why",
      "do you hurt me",
      "while certainly",
      "you know",
      "that I am",
      "(the) Messenger",
      "(of) Allah",
      "to you?\"",
      "Then when",
      "they deviated,",
      "(was caused to) deviate",
      "(by) Allah",
      "their hearts.",
      "And Allah",
      "(does) not",
      "guide",
      "the people,",
      "the defiantly disobedient."
    ],
    [
      "And when",
      "said",
      "Isa,",
      "son",
      "(of) Maryam,",
      "\"O Children",
      "(of) Israel!",
      "Indeed, I am",
      "(the) Messenger",
      "(of) Allah",
      "to you,",
      "confirming",
      "that which",
      "(was) between",
      "my hands",
      "of",
      "the Taurat",
      "and bringing glad tidings",
      "(of) a Messenger",
      "to come",
      "from",
      "after me,",
      "whose name (will be)",
      "Ahmad.\"",
      "But when",
      "he came to them",
      "with clear proofs,",
      "they said,",
      "\"This",
      "(is) a magic",
      "clear.\""
    ],
    [
      "And who",
      "(is) more wrong",
      "than (one) who",
      "invents",
      "upon",
      "Allah",
      "the lie",
      "while he",
      "is invited",
      "to",
      "Islam?",
      "And Allah",
      "(does) not",
      "guide",
      "the people",
      "[the] wrongdoers."
    ],
    [
      "They intend",
      "to put out",
      "(the) light",
      "(of) Allah",
      "with their mouths,",
      "but Allah",
      "will perfect",
      "His Light",
      "although",
      "dislike",
      "the disbelievers."
    ],
    [
      "He",
      "(is) the One Who",
      "sent",
      "His Messenger",
      "with guidance",
      "and (the) religion",
      "(of) the truth,",
      "to make it prevail",
      "over",
      "the religion",
      "all of them,",
      "although",
      "dislike (it)",
      "the polytheists."
    ],
    [
      "O",
      "(you) who",
      "believe!",
      "Shall",
      "I guide you",
      "to",
      "a transaction",
      "(that) will save you",
      "from",
      "a punishment",
      "painful?"
    ],
    [
      "Believe",
      "in Allah",
      "and His Messenger",
      "and strive",
      "in",
      "(the) way",
      "(of) Allah",
      "with your wealth",
      "and your lives.",
      "That",
      "(is) better",
      "for you",
      "if",
      "you",
      "know."
    ],
    [
      "He will forgive",
      "for you",
      "your sins",
      "and admit you",
      "(in) Gardens",
      "flow",
      "from",
      "underneath it",
      "the rivers",
      "and dwellings",
      "pleasant",
      "in",
      "Gardens",
      "(of) Eternity.",
      "That",
      "(is) the success",
      "the great."
    ],
    [
      "And another",
      "that you love -",
      "a help",
      "from",
      "Allah",
      "and a victory",
      "near;",
      "and give glad tidings",
      "(to) the believers."
    ],
    [
      "O you",
      "who",
      "believe!",
      "Be",
      "helpers",
      "(of) Allah",
      "as",
      "said",
      "Isa,",
      "son",
      "(of) Maryam,",
      "to the disciples,",
      "\"Who",
      "(are) my helpers",
      "for",
      "Allah?\"",
      "Said",
      "the disciples,",
      "\"We",
      "(are) the helpers",
      "(of) Allah.\"",
      "Then believed",
      "a group",
      "of",
      "Children",
      "(of) Israel",
      "and disbelieved",
      "a group.",
      "So We supported",
      "those who",
      "believed",
      "against",
      "their enemy",
      "and they became",
      "dominant."
    ]
  ],
  "titles": [
    "Creation’s glorification",
    "Why say what you do not do?",
    "The weight of an unfulfilled claim",
    "Ranks like a joined structure",
    "Moses addresses his people",
    "Jesus announces a messenger after him",
    "False claims made against Allah",
    "A light that cannot be extinguished",
    "Guidance and the religion of truth",
    "A different kind of commerce",
    "Faith expressed through resources and effort",
    "Forgiveness and an enduring home",
    "Help and a victory hoped for",
    "The disciples answer the call"
  ],
  "notes": [
    "The heavens and earth glorify Allah, whose might and wisdom frame the chapter. The opening places human promises within a wider order. The following address asks whether believers’ own words are matched by their conduct.",
    "The question is directed to believers themselves: why say what you do not do? It makes integrity an internal responsibility before confronting opponents. A declared intention must be tested by the action that follows.",
    "The distance between speech and conduct is described as deeply hateful. This intensifies the preceding question rather than introducing a different fault. The chapter calls for dependable commitment, not an appearance maintained through confident words.",
    "The verse explicitly describes fighting in ranks for Allah’s cause, comparing their cohesion to a solid structure. In its setting of armed conflict, the image values steadfast cooperation. It does not identify contemporary enemies or authorize private violence.",
    "Moses asks why his people hurt him despite knowing his mission. Their turning away precedes the account of their hearts straying. The verse offers a warning through an earlier community without supplying a date or a new biographical episode.",
    "Jesus, son of Mary, confirms the Torah and announces a later messenger named Ahmad in the Arabic. Pickthall renders the name as the Praised One. Bukhari 3532 records Muhammad identifying Ahmad among his names.",
    "Inventing a false claim about Allah is condemned while the person is being called to Islam. The focus is a serious misuse of religious speech. This continues the concern with truthful words and responsible response.",
    "The opponents’ attempt is compared with extinguishing a light by their mouths. The image contrasts fragile human opposition with the completion of divine guidance. The illustrated light is symbolic; it is not a depiction of Allah.",
    "The messenger is sent with guidance and the religion of truth, whose prevailing is affirmed. The verse expresses the surah’s promise concerning the message. It is not a timetable for modern political events or a command to target other communities.",
    "The language of commerce introduces an exchange whose value exceeds ordinary profit. The question invites attention before the terms are stated. The next verses connect faith and commitment with forgiveness and an enduring reward.",
    "Belief is joined to striving with possessions and lives. In the chapter’s context, commitment includes the demands of conflict and collective responsibility. The verse answers the earlier challenge about claims that remain unsupported by action.",
    "Forgiveness, gardens, flowing rivers, and good dwellings describe the promised reward. The passage’s commerce is therefore measured beyond immediate gain. These gardens belong to the hereafter, not an identified earthly estate or archaeological site.",
    "Divine help and a near victory are named as another blessing the audience desires. The verse adds encouragement without specifying a battle or a calendar date. This edition does not attach that promise to a modern campaign.",
    "The disciples answer Jesus with readiness to help Allah’s cause, becoming an example for believers. The verse also records differing responses among the Children of Israel. It presents a narrative of faith and support without naming every disciple."
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "start": 1,
      "end": 4,
      "title": "Let words stand as firmly as joined ranks",
      "summary": "Believers are challenged to match speech with conduct, with a solid structure illustrating shared steadfastness in the chapter’s setting of conflict.",
      "reflection": "Which commitment would become more credible through one specific action?"
    },
    {
      "start": 5,
      "end": 9,
      "title": "Earlier messengers and a message that endures",
      "summary": "Moses and Jesus are recalled as the surah rejects false religious claims and affirms the persistence of guidance.",
      "reflection": "How do you distinguish confidence in a claim from faithfulness to its truth?"
    },
    {
      "start": 10,
      "end": 14,
      "title": "A lasting exchange and the response of helpers",
      "summary": "Faith and committed effort are described through the image of commerce, followed by forgiveness, help, and the example of Jesus’s disciples.",
      "reflection": "What can you contribute when a good commitment requires more than words?"
    }
  ],
  "timeline": [
    {
      "title": "Moses and Jesus · earlier prophetic accounts",
      "year": null,
      "body": "Verses 5–6 recall Moses and Jesus before the mission of Muhammad. The chapter gives this relative sequence without supplying birth years, lifespans, or exact locations for these sayings.",
      "source": "https://sacred-texts.com/isl/pick/061.htm"
    },
    {
      "title": "622–632 CE · majority Madinan classification",
      "year": 622,
      "endYear": 632,
      "body": "Most authorities classify As-Saff as Madinan, though the introduction records other views. These years mark the historical period boundaries, not an exact revelation date for this surah.",
      "source": "https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Mahomet"
    },
    {
      "title": "A question about beloved deeds · report undated",
      "year": null,
      "body": "Tirmidhi 3309 records Abdullah ibn Salam’s account of companions asking which action Allah most loved, followed by the surah’s recitation. No exact date is provided.",
      "source": "https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3309"
    }
  ],
  "places": [
    {
      "id": "madinah",
      "name": "Madinah · the majority historical setting",
      "body": "The usual Madinan classification supplies the broad setting of the address. No specific camp, battlefield, or place of recitation is established here.",
      "lat": 24.4672,
      "lon": 39.6111,
      "source": "https://quran.com/61/info",
      "image": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "earlier-missions",
      "name": "The earlier communities of Moses and Jesus",
      "body": "The surah names the messengers and their audiences but not the sites where these particular sayings occurred. The landscape is illustrative and does not identify a verified preaching place.",
      "source": "https://sacred-texts.com/isl/pick/061.htm",
      "image": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "promised-gardens",
      "name": "Gardens beneath which rivers flow",
      "body": "Verse 12 describes the promised hereafter. Its garden scene is a thematic evocation, without a map pin or a claim to portray the unseen exactly.",
      "source": "https://sacred-texts.com/isl/pick/061.htm",
      "image": 2
    }
  ],
  "people": [
    {
      "id": "moses",
      "title": "Moses · Musa",
      "body": "Moses confronts the hurt caused by people who know his role as a messenger. He precedes Jesus and Muhammad in the chapter’s remembered sequence; no precise ancient dates or portrait are supplied.",
      "verse": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "jesus",
      "title": "Jesus, son of Mary · Isa ibn Maryam",
      "body": "Jesus confirms the Torah, announces a later messenger, and calls his disciples to help. These are Quranic descriptions of his mission; no physical depiction or supposed grave is added.",
      "verse": 6
    },
    {
      "id": "ahmad",
      "title": "Muhammad · also named Ahmad",
      "body": "Verse 6 uses Ahmad, translated by Pickthall as the Praised One. Bukhari 3532 preserves Muhammad’s statement that Ahmad is among his names.",
      "url": "https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3532",
      "label": "Read the primary report"
    },
    {
      "id": "disciples",
      "title": "The disciples · al-Hawariyyun",
      "body": "They answer Jesus’s call with a commitment to help Allah’s cause. The surah supplies their collective response rather than a complete list of names or individually dated biographies.",
      "verse": 14
    },
    {
      "id": "abdullah-salam",
      "title": "Abdullah ibn Salam · narrator of a question",
      "body": "Tirmidhi 3309 records his account of companions asking about the most beloved deed and hearing this surah recited. The report provides context without an exact calendar date.",
      "url": "https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3309",
      "label": "Read the report about deeds"
    }
  ],
  "history": [
    {
      "title": "A majority Madinan classification",
      "body": "The introduction records a majority Madinan view alongside alternative classifications. This edition uses that majority label and does not adopt a precise revelation order or attach every verse to one battle.",
      "source": "https://quran.com/61/info"
    },
    {
      "title": "From a wish to a responsibility",
      "body": "In Tirmidhi 3309, companions express readiness to do the deed most beloved to Allah. The report connects their question with the opening challenge about words and actions.",
      "source": "https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3309"
    },
    {
      "title": "Ahmad in the text and in the report",
      "body": "The Arabic names Ahmad; Pickthall translates the name’s sense. Bukhari 3532 independently preserves Ahmad among the Prophet’s names, making the translation choice clearer for English readers.",
      "source": "https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3532"
    },
    {
      "title": "The solid structure is a comparison",
      "body": "Verse 4 uses an architectural image for cohesion in battle. The picture can show joined stonework and ordered ranks without identifying an unsourced engagement or portraying a prophet.",
      "source": "https://sacred-texts.com/isl/pick/061.htm"
    }
  ],
  "revelationNote": "Usually classified as Madinan, with alternative views noted in the introduction. The 622–632 CE range gives period boundaries, not a dated revelation or battle. Earlier prophetic scenes and promised gardens are illustrative; Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad are not depicted."
}