Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is an earlier Meccan surah, received by Muhammad shortly after chapter 12, Yusuf, during his last year in Mecca. Like other surahs of this period, it praises God. Parts of Q15:4-74 are preserved in the Ṣan‘ā’1 lower text.[2]
This surah takes its name from 80th verse (āyah),[3] which refers to Mada'in Saleh, a pre-Islamic archaeological site, also called Hegra (from Arabic: الحِجَارَة, romanized: al-ḥijāra, lit. 'the Stones') or al-Ḥijr (Arabic: الحِجر, romanized: al-ḥijr, lit. 'the Stone').
Summary
1-3 Unbelievers will one day wish themselves Muslims
88-90 Muhammad not to consider the prosperity of infidels
91-93 The enemies of God will surely be punished
94-96 Muhammad commanded to preach boldly
97-99 He is exhorted to praise and serve God until death [4]
Central Theme
This surah contains brief mentions of Tawhid, and provides an admonition to the disbelievers. The primary subjects of the surah are:
cautioning the individuals who dismissed the message and
providing solace and support to Muhammad,
The Quran never limits itself to mere rebuke; reproach and reprimand. It depends on its statute. The surah contains brief contentions for Tawhid and admonition in the tale of Adam and Satan.[5]
Exegesis
15:9 Preservation of the Quran
15:9 We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We [note 1] will assuredly guard it (from corruption). Translation Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)[6]
Ibn Kathir says, "God, may He be exalted, stated that He is the One Who revealed the Dhikr to him, which is the Qur'an, and He is protecting it from being changed or altered".[1]
Notes
^The first-personpluralpronounwe as traditionally used by a sovereign (believed by Muslims to be God in this case) in formal speech to refer to themselves in their role as the monarch.
^Wherry, Elwood Morris (1896). A Complete Index to Sale's Text, Preliminary Discourse, and Notes. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik (translator), Al-Qur'an, the Guidance for Mankind - English with Arabic Text (Hardcover) ISBN0-911119-80-9
Abdullah, A. (2011). Role of context and objectives of the Surah in shaping the episodes of the Qurʼanic narrative: the narrative of Lot as an example. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 28(4), 31–64.
Boullata, I. J. (2000). Literary structures of religious meaning in the Qurʼān. London: Curzon Pr.
Haggar, D. A.Repetition: A key to qur'anic style, structure and meaning. (Order No. AAI3447474, Dissertation Abstracts International, A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1661.
Neuwirth, A. (2000). Referentiality and textuality in Sūrat al-Hijr: Some observations on the Qur'anic "canonical process" and the emergence of a community. (pp. 143–172). Curzon.
Ohlander, E. S. (2010). Qur'anic studies. (pp. 81–93). De Gruyter.
