من أخذ السبع الأول من القرآن فهو حبر
Whoever takes up the first seven surahs of the Qur’an is a scholar (habr).
Virtues and benefits of Surah Al-An’am
Al-An’am is one of the first seven surahs of which the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever takes up the first seven surahs of the Qur’an is a scholar”, and one of the seven long surahs given in place of the Torah. It was revealed in Mecca all at once according to the careful exegetes; Mujahid speaks of five hundred angels, but the reports of “seventy thousand angels” are weak.
Its virtues at a glance
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Whoever takes up the first seven is a scholar
It is one of the first seven surahs of which the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever takes up the first seven surahs of the Qur’an is a scholar (habr).”
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One of the seven long surahs
It is one of the seven long surahs given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Torah, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’. Ibn Abbas said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was given seven of the long Mathani, and Moses was given six. These seven begin with Al-Baqarah, and Sa’id ibn Jubayr counted Al-An’am among them.
Good (hasan)At-Tayalisi (1012), Ahmad and Al-Bayhaqi Authentic (sahih)Abu Dawud (1459), An-Nasa’i and Al-Hakim
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Revealed all at once
According to the careful exegetes, it was revealed in its entirety in Mecca at one time; Mujahid (a Successor) said, with a good chain, that five hundred angels escorted it. The hadiths attributing the seventy thousand angels to the Prophet ﷺ are weak.
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It gathers the foundations of faith
According to some scholars, it is the first and richest of the surahs revealed after the command to preach openly: it gathers the sound beliefs, argues for the foundations of religion, refutes the doubts of deniers and invalidates corrupt beliefs.
Hadiths on its virtues
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
أعطيت مكان التوراة السبع الطوال، ومكان الزبور المئين، ومكان الإنجيل المثاني، وفضِّلت بالمفصل
I was given the seven long surahs in place of the Torah, the Mi’in in place of the Psalms, the Mathani in place of the Gospel, and I was favoured with the Mufassal.
أوتي رسول الله ﷺ سبعًا من المثاني الطول، وأوتي موسى عليه السلام ستًّا، فلما ألقى الألواح رفعت ثنتان وبقي أربع
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was given seven of the long Mathani, and Moses (peace be upon him) was given six; when he threw down the Tablets, two were taken up and four remained.
نزلت سورة الأنعام كلها جملة معها خمسمائة ملك يزفونها ويحفونها
Surah Al-An’am was revealed in its entirety all at once, accompanied by five hundred angels escorting and surrounding it.
Widespread but unproven narrations
The hadith of Jabir, “This surah was escorted by so many angels that they blocked the horizon”, has a broken chain; that of Ibn Umar, “Surah Al-An’am was revealed to me all at once, escorted by seventy thousand angels”, is weak, as is Ibn Abbas’s saying about the seventy thousand angels. What is established with a good chain is Mujahid’s saying: five hundred angels.
لما نزلت سورة الأنعام سبح رسول الله ﷺ ثم قال: «شيع هذه السورة من الملائكة ما سد الأفق»
When Surah Al-An’am was revealed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ glorified Allah and is reported to have said: “This surah was escorted by so many angels that they blocked the horizon.”
نزلت علي سورة الأنعام جملة واحدة يشيعها سبعون ألف ملك لهم زجل بالتسبيح والتحميد
“Surah Al-An’am was revealed to me all at once, escorted by seventy thousand angels resounding with glorification and praise.”
نزلت سورة الأنعام بمكة ليلًا جملة، ونزل معها سبعون ألف ملك يجأرون حولها بالتسبيح
Surah Al-An’am was revealed in Mecca, at night, all at once, and seventy thousand angels came down with it, raising their voices in glorification around it.
What the surah is about
- Rooting faith: making Allah known and proving His oneness, His Messenger’s truthfulness and the Last Day
- Arguing with the idolaters and deniers of the resurrection, and refuting their doubts
- Praise of Allah who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light
- Scenes of the Day of Resurrection and the regret of those who denied meeting Allah
- Comforting the Prophet ﷺ and strengthening his heart against his people’s rejection
- Allah’s knowledge: with Him are the keys of the Unseen, which none knows but He
- Abraham with his father and his people, and the invalidation of star worship
- Invalidating the bans and permissions the idolaters invented for livestock and crops
Main purpose: To establish the creed of Allah’s oneness and refute the errors of the idolaters.
About Surah Al-An’am
Al-An’am has one hundred and sixty-five verses. The sixth surah in the order of the Qur’an, it is the first Meccan surah in that order: it is preceded by Al-Fatihah, Al-Baqarah, Ali ’Imran, An-Nisa and Al-Ma’idah, all Medinan except Al-Fatihah. It is the 56th in order of revelation, after Al-Hijr, probably in the fourth year of the mission. According to the careful exegetes, it was revealed in Mecca all at once. It is named after livestock (camels, cattle, sheep), mentioned six times in four verses.
Tafsir of Surah Al-An’am Listen to Al-An’am by other reciters
Detailed study in Arabic
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
- التعريف بسورة الأنعام
- فضائل سورة الأنعام و خصائصها
- مَقاصِد سُورة الأنعامِ
- متى نزلت سورة الأنعام؟
- طبيعة الفترة التي نزلت فيها سورة الأنعام
- أين نزلت سورة الأنعام؟
- لماذا سميت بسورة الأنعام؟
- مناسبة سورة الأنعام لما قبلها
- تلخيص سورة الأنعام
- الأحاديث الواردة في الفضل ودرجتها
Virtues of other surahs
All 114 surahs- Virtues of Surah Al-Kahf A light between two Fridays and protection from the Dajjal
- Virtues of Surah Al-Mulk Intercedes for its reciter and protects from the grave’s punishment
- Virtues of Surah Ya-Sin Whoever recites it at night seeking Allah’s Face is forgiven
- Virtues of Surah Al-Baqarah Satan flees the house where it is recited; it is the peak of the Qur’an
- Virtues of Surah Al-Fatihah The greatest surah of the Qur’an, without which there is no prayer
- Virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas It equals a third of the Qur’an; loving it earns Allah’s love
- Virtues of Surah Al-Waqi’ah One of the surahs that greyed the Prophet ﷺ; he recited it at Fajr
- Virtues of Surah Ar-Rahman Recited by the Prophet ﷺ to the jinn, who responded better than people
- Ayat al-Kursi The greatest verse in the Book of Allah, a guard against Satan