Surah Al-Mu’minun: What Are True Believers Like?
The 23rd Surah of the Quran has 118 verses and is in the 18th Juz of the Holy Book. It is the 74th Surah revealed to the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Its name is Al-Mu’minun (the faithful, the believers) because it refers to the salvation of the faithful in its first verse (Prosperous are the believers), and then describes 15 of their characteristics.
Warning the believers to avoiding idle talk, encouraging them to do charity and good deeds, referring to the stories of Prophet Nuh (AS) and Prophet Moses (AS), creation of man and the Resurrection Day are among other subjects of the Surah.
In his Al-Mizan Exegesis of the Quran, Allameh Tabatabaei says faith in God and the Resurrection Day, describing the believers’ characteristics and the moral vices of the disbelievers, good news and warnings given to the faithful and the disbelievers, and punishments given to people of the past are among the main topics of the Surah.
The contents of Surah Al-Mu’minun can be divided into seven categories:
The first part that begins with the first verses elaborate on the characteristics that help the believers to succeed, characteristics that cover all aspects of their life.
In the second part, different signs of God and examples of the amazing world of creation on the earth and in the sky as well as creation of mankind, animals and plants have been mentioned.
The third part narrates the stories of a number great prophets like Nuh (AS), Hud (AS), Moses (AS), and Jesus (AS), referring to some events in their life.
In the fourth part, the oppressors and unjust-doers are warned with logical reasons and sometimes with grave warnings to change their path so that they may return to God.
The fifth part offers a brief discussion on the Resurrection Day and in the sixth part, the Surah talks about God’s dominance over the world and how His command rules all over the universe.
And in the seventh part, it again talks about the Resurrection Day, judgment and assessment of deeds, and reward for the righteous and punishment for unjust-doers.
The Surah ends with the introduction of the purpose of creation. Overall, the Surah offers a series of lessons on beliefs and practical issues and shows the path of the believers from the beginning to the end.
