Exegesis of the Qur’an (Tafsir): Al-Hadid

We start our academic year of tafsir with Surah al-Hadid, The Iron. The 57th chapter of the Quran, comprising 29 verses, has been disagreed upon by scholars as to whether it is Makkan or Medinan. We will expound upon the themes and central arguments made by the surah, such as the Majesty and Omnipotence of God, His necessary existence, and the incumbency to believe in Him and His messengers. The surah highlights the Quran as the source of guidance and eternal success; it encourages the giving of charity, the promise of a felicitous outcome in the hereafter for believing men and women and the converse for disbelievers and hypocrites. It cautions believers from developing hard hearts, a condition that the people of the book had succumbed to, leading to corruption.

The chapter reminds about the hereafter and not seeking to amass worldly wealth; to have patience over the trials and difficulties one will face when attempting to fulfil the needs of people and to bring about a sense of equity. The surah concludes by encouraging believers to strive for righteousness, knowing they will be granted discernment in their affairs and receive double the reward, a bounty exclusively in Allah’s sovereignty, as it is solely His decision as to whom receives it.