Surah Sad is among the surahs given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of earlier scriptures: it is one of the Mathani (or, in another view, the Mi’in) of the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’ (a good hadith). Its opening was revealed when the Prophet ﷺ called Quraysh to say “La ilaha illa-llah” (graded good by At-Tirmidhi), and it consoles him with the stories of David, Solomon and Job.
It is one of the Mathani given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Gospel; according to another view, one of the Mi’in given in place of the Psalms. Both categories appear in the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’.
When the Prophet ﷺ asked Quraysh for a single word by which the Arabs would submit to them – “La ilaha illa-llah” – and they replied: “Has he made the gods one God?”, the opening of the surah was revealed about them, up to “this is nothing but a fabrication”.
The surah consoles the Prophet ﷺ for his people’s rejection and commands him to be patient, following the messengers before him such as David, Solomon and Job, and the reward they received for their patience.
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
أعطيت مكان التوراة السبع الطوال، ومكان الزبور المئين، ومكان الإنجيل المثاني، وفضلت بالمفصل
“I was given in place of the Torah the seven long ones, in place of the Psalms the Mi’in, in place of the Gospel the Mathani, and I was favoured with the Mufassal.”
مرض أبو طالب، فجاءته قريش، وجاءه النبي ﷺ… فقال: يا ابن أخي! ما تريد من قومك؟ قال: إني أريد منهم كلمة واحدة، تدين لهم بها العرب، وتؤدي إليهم العجم الجزية، قال: كلمة واحدة! قال: يا عم! يقولوا: لا إله إلا الله، فقالوا: أإلهاً واحداً؟ ما سمعنا بهذا في الملة الآخرة إن هذا إلا اختلاق، قال: فنزل فيهم القرآن: ﴿ص والقرآن ذي الذكر﴾ إلى قوله: ﴿ما سمعنا بهذا في الملة الآخرة إن هذا إلا اختلاق﴾
Abu Talib fell ill; Quraysh came to him, and so did the Prophet ﷺ… Abu Talib said: “O son of my brother, what do you want from your people?” He said: “I want one word from them, by which the Arabs will submit to them and the non-Arabs will pay them tribute.” – “One word?” – “O uncle, let them say: La ilaha illa-llah.” They said: “One god? We have not heard of this in the latest religion; this is nothing but a fabrication.” So there was revealed concerning them: “Sad. By the Qur’an full of reminder…” up to “…this is nothing but a fabrication”.
جاء رجل إلى النبي ﷺ فقال: يا رسول الله، إني رأيتني الليلة وأنا نائم كأني أصلي خلف شجرة، فقرأت ص، فلما أتيت على السجدة سجدت، فسجدت الشجرة لسجودي فسمعتها وهي تقول: اللهم اكتب لي بها عندك أجرًا، وضع عني بها وزرًا، واجعلها لي عندك ذخرًا، وتقبلها مني كما تقبلتها من عبدك داود… فقرأ النبي ﷺ سجدة ثم سجد… فسمعته وهو يقول مثل ما أخبره الرجل عن قول الشجرة
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “O Messenger of Allah, last night I dreamt that I was praying behind a tree; I recited Sad and, when I reached the prostration, I prostrated and the tree prostrated with me. I heard it say: O Allah, record for me a reward with You for it, remove a sin from me for it, make it a treasure for me with You and accept it from me as You accepted it from Your servant David.” … The Prophet ﷺ recited a prostration passage, then prostrated… and Ibn Abbas heard him say the same words the man reported from the tree.
كان رسول الله ﷺ إذا تعار من الليل قال: لا إله إلا الله، الواحد القهار، رب السموات والأرض وما بينهما، العزيز الغفار
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ woke up at night, he would say: “There is no god but Allah, the One, the Subduer, Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving.”
Main purpose: To recount disputing in falsehood and where it leads.
Sad is the 38th surah in the order of the Qur’an, entirely Meccan, revealed after Al-Qamar; it is also called “the surah of David”. It complements As-Saffat, which precedes it, by mentioning prophets not named there, such as David and Solomon. At-Tirmidhi reports from Ibn Abbas that its opening was revealed when the Prophet ﷺ, at the house of his uncle Abu Talib, called Quraysh to say “La ilaha illa-llah”.
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
