AyaSeerah
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Surah 26 · Makkah · 227 āyāt

Phase 03 · The boycott and the Year of Sorrow(c. 7–5 BH) — view in timeline

Ash-Shu'araThe Poets

الشعراء

A Makkan surah (47th revealed) that answers the charge that the Prophet ﷺ was 'just a poet' by walking through seven earlier prophets — Mūsā, Ibrāhīm, Nūḥ, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Lūṭ, Shuʿayb — each rejected by his own people with a near-identical refrain, each rescued while the deniers were destroyed. It closes by drawing the line between revelation and poetry, naming the true believing poets as those who act on what they say.

Why it was revealed

After private daʿwah, Allah commanded the Prophet ﷺ to warn his nearest kin publicly. He climbed al-Ṣafā and called the clans of Quraysh by name, declaring his message openly for the first time — an event this surah's closing address to 'your nearest kin' recalls.

Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4770; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4770, 4801; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4801; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 208; Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān on 26:227 (no authentic hadith fixes a single occasion; al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm on 26:224–227; treated as general exegetical comment)

Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما reported that when 'And warn your closest kindred' (26:214) was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ went out to al-Ṣafā and called out, 'Yā ṣabāḥāh!' Quraysh gathered, and he named clan after clan — 'Banū Fihr, Banū ʿAdī...' — asking, 'If I told you that horsemen were coming from behind this mountain to raid you, would you believe me?' They said, 'We have never known you to lie.' He said, 'Then I am a warner to you before a severe punishment.' Abū Lahab said, 'Ruin upon you the rest of the day! Is this why you gathered us?' — and Sūrat al-Masad was then revealed about him.

Cited toṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4770, 4801; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 208

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

Revelationc. 10–9 BH · Age c. 43 · Makkah

Command to warn his nearest kin

After years of private calling, this āyah commanded open warning beginning with his own clan — the pivot from quiet daʿwah to public proclamation.

Recalled in āyah 214

وَأَنذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ ٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ

And warn, [O Muḥammad], your closest kindred.

Cited toṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4770

  • Madd — 2 vowels
  • Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
  • Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
  • Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
  • Ghunnah — 2 vowels
  • Qalqalah
  • Ikhfāʾ
  • Ikhfāʾ shafawī
  • Idghām shafawī
  • Idghām with ghunnah
  • Idghām without ghunnah
  • Idghām mutajānisayn
  • Idghām mutaqāribayn
  • Iqlāb
  • Hamzat al-waṣl
  • Lām shamsiyyah
  • Silent letter

Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).

THEME 01Āyāt 10–68

Mūsā and Firʿawn: the clearest sign against the mightiest tyrant

Mūsā عليه السلام is sent to Firʿawn with the staff-turned-serpent and the white hand, is mocked and threatened, still faces down the magicians, and Allah splits the sea for the believers while drowning Firʿawn's army — Quraysh's own trade route past Egypt made this history impossible to dismiss.

Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

From the tafsīr

The magicians, brought to defeat Mūsā, fall in prostration the instant they see the truth of the sign, showing that expertise in trickery is precisely what let them recognise a miracle was not trickery.

Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

'So We inspired Mūsā: strike the sea with your staff' (26:63) — the sea split into twelve paths, each like a solid mountain, and Firʿawn's army was lured in and drowned as the believers watched from safety.

Cited toAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān

Key takeaways

  • Those most trained to detect a fraud (the magicians) were the first to recognise the sign as real.

    Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • Worldly power (Firʿawn's throne, army, threats) is no match for a single divine command.

    Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • Allah rescues believers and destroys deniers in full view of both parties — the outcome is public, not hidden.

    Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

Reflect

Where do you rely on visible strength the way Firʿawn relied on his army and magicians?

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Question 1 of 2

Why were the magicians uniquely positioned to see the sign was genuine?

Question 2 of 2

How did Allah save the believers at the sea?

THEME 02Āyāt 69–104

Ibrāhīm's argument against idols and his father

Ibrāhīm عليه السلام questions his people and his father about worshipping idols that neither hear nor help, then lists Allah's attributes one by one — Creator, Guide, Feeder, Healer, the One who gives life and death and will forgive on the Day of Judgement — ending in a prayer for a sound heart on that Day.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr

From the tafsīr

Ibrāhīm's questioning ('Do they hear you when you call? Or do they benefit or harm you?') is not seeking information — it is exposing to his people, by their own admission, that their worship rests on nothing.

Cited toIbn Kathīr

'Except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart' (26:89) — qalbun salīm is a heart free of shirk, rancour and attachment to this world above the Hereafter; wealth and children avail nothing on that Day.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān

Key takeaways

  • True worship must be tested against what the worshipped object can actually do.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr

  • Ibrāhīm confronts his own father with the same clarity he shows strangers — kinship does not soften truth.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr

  • The measure of success on Judgement Day is the state of the heart, not wealth or lineage.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr

Reflect

What do you rely on the way Ibrāhīm's people relied on idols — something that cannot truly help or harm?

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Question 1 of 2

Why does Ibrāhīm ask whether the idols hear or benefit them?

Question 2 of 2

What does qalbun salīm ('a sound heart', 26:89) mean according to al-Qurṭubī?

THEME 03Āyāt 105–140

Nūḥ and Hūd: the same refrain against two different peoples

Nūḥ عليه السلام is rejected by his people who scorn that only 'the lowest' followed him; Hūd عليه السلام warns ʿĀd against building monuments on every high place and relying on fortresses. Both narratives share the identical formula: 'I am to you a trustworthy messenger... so fear Allah and obey me... I ask of you no payment.'

Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr

From the tafsīr

Nūḥ's people objected that only the poor and lowly believed in him; his reply was that he does not judge by wealth or status — his account with them is only with Allah.

Cited toIbn Kathīr

ʿĀd built āyāt (landmarks/monuments) on every high place 'for amusement' and made maṣāniʿ (strongholds/reservoirs) hoping to live forever — Hūd's warning targets exactly this false sense of permanence.

Cited toAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān

Key takeaways

  • Rejecting a message because of who accepted it first is a recurring, and false, objection.

    Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr

  • Every prophet in this surah asks for no wage — sincerity of the caller is part of the proof of the call.

    Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr

  • Monuments and fortifications cannot postpone a decreed end.

    Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr

Reflect

Do you ever discount truth because of who else believes it?

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Question 1 of 2

What does Hūd criticise ʿĀd for building?

Question 2 of 2

Why did Nūḥ's people refuse to believe, according to 26:111?

THEME 04Āyāt 141–191

Ṣāliḥ, Lūṭ and Shuʿayb: the she-camel, the outrage, and the scales

Ṣāliḥ عليه السلام gives Thamūd the she-camel as a sign they hamstring anyway; Lūṭ عليه السلام confronts a people who 'approach males' and abandon what Allah created for them as mates; Shuʿayb عليه السلام warns the People of the Wood (Ashāb al-Aykah) against cheating in the measure and scale. Each ends the same way: the messenger is disbelieved, and the nation is destroyed.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr

From the tafsīr

The she-camel had her turn to drink and the people their turn; hamstringing her despite the warning of a fixed punishment ('the punishment of a known day') brought the ṣayḥah (blast) that levelled them.

Cited toIbn Kathīr

Shuʿayb's command 'give full measure and do not be of those who cause loss' addresses commercial honesty as directly as the other prophets addressed worship — dishonest trade is treated as a form of corruption on earth.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī

Key takeaways

  • A miraculous sign given clearly (the she-camel) can still be met with defiance rather than belief.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr

  • Lūṭ's people are condemned specifically for transgressing what Allah made permissible and lawful for them.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr

  • Cheating in trade (measure, scale, giving people less than their due) is placed on the same moral level as the other nations' sins.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī; Ibn Kathīr

Reflect

Which small, everyday dealings (weighing, measuring, promising) might carry more weight before Allah than we assume?

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Question 1 of 2

Describe the she-camel sign and Thamūd's reaction.

Question 2 of 2

What specific wrongdoing does Shuʿayb condemn in his people?

THEME 05Āyāt 192–227

Revelation is not poetry, and not every poet is condemned

The surah closes by affirming the Qur'ān descended through Jibrīl in clear Arabic speech, that the devils could never have brought it down, and that it is unlike the poets who wander aimlessly, say what they do not do — except those who believe, do righteous deeds, remember Allah often, and defend themselves after being wronged.

Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr

224

وَٱلشُّعَرَآءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ ٱلْغَاوُۥنَ

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And the poets - [only] the deviators follow them;

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227

إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًا وَٱنتَصَرُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوا۟ ۗ وَسَيَعْلَمُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَىَّ مُنقَلَبٍ يَنقَلِبُونَ

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

Except those [poets] who believe and do righteous deeds and remember Allāh often and defend [the Muslims] after they were wronged. And those who have wronged are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned.

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From the tafsīr

'And the poets — [only] the deviators follow them' (26:224) refers to those who ally with falsehood-praising poets; the exception in 26:227 names believing poets whose speech matches righteous action, such as those who defended the Prophet ﷺ with truthful verse.

Cited toIbn Kathīr

The condemnation is not of poetic craft itself but of aimlessness — 'they roam in every valley' — and of saying what one does not practice; the exception restores integrity between word and deed.

Cited toAl-Ṭabarī

Key takeaways

  • The Qur'ān's source (Jibrīl, in clear Arabic) is stated precisely to rule out the poetry accusation.

    Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr

  • Being eloquent is not condemned; being all talk with no righteous action is.

    Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr

  • The Qur'ān distinguishes categories carefully rather than issuing a blanket judgement — a model for how believers should assess people and speech.

    Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī; Ibn Kathīr

Reflect

Does your own speech match your own actions, or do you 'say what you do not do'?

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What kind of poet is exempted at the end of the surah?

Question 2 of 2

Why specify the trustworthy spirit as the carrier of revelation?

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VOCABULARY

Roots from this surah

Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.

ن ذ ر

āyāt 214 and throughout the prophetic narratives

to warn, to give notice of coming danger

  • أَنذَرَhe warned
  • نَذِيرa warner
  • إِنذَارthe act of warning

ك ذ ب

āyāt 12, 105, 117, 123, 141, 176 (each nation's denial)

to lie, to deny as false

  • كَذَّبَhe denied/rejected as a lie
  • كَاذِبa liar
  • تَكْذِيبdenial

أ م ن

āyāt 3, 8, 51, 67, 103, 121, 139, 158, 174, 190, 227

to be secure, to trust, to believe

  • آمَنَhe believed
  • مُؤْمِنbeliever
  • أَمَانَةtrust, something entrusted

ه د ي

āyāt 62, 78

to guide, to lead rightly

  • هَدَىٰhe guided
  • هُدًىguidance
  • مُهْتَدٍrightly guided

ع ز ز

āyāt 9, 68, 104, 122, 140, 159, 175, 191 (closing refrain: 'the Almighty, the Merciful')

might, honour, invincibility

  • عَزِيزthe Almighty, the Mighty
  • عِزَّةmight, honour
  • أَعَزَّhe strengthened, honoured

ر ح م

āyāt 9, 68, 104, 122, 140, 159, 175, 191 (closing refrain)

mercy, tenderness

  • رَحِيمthe Merciful
  • رَحْمَةmercy
  • رَحِمwomb, kinship tie

ش ع ر

āyāt 224 (title theme of the surah)

to perceive, to compose poetry (a heightened sensing/perceiving)

  • شِعْرpoetry
  • شَاعِرpoet
  • شَعَرَhe perceived, sensed

ص ل ح

āyāt 227

to be sound, righteous, to set right

  • صَالِحrighteous
  • صَٰلِحَاتrighteous deeds
  • إِصْلَاحreform, setting right

Carry this with you

  • Every rejected prophet faced the same core accusations — the pattern itself is a sign, not a coincidence.
  • No messenger in this surah asked his people for payment; sincerity is part of the proof of a true call.
  • A miracle witnessed does not guarantee belief — the magicians believed instantly, Thamūd disbelieved despite the she-camel.
  • Public daʿwah, beginning with one's own closest kin, is a command, not merely a personal choice.
  • Dishonesty in trade (measure and scale) is placed alongside disbelief and immorality as a corruption Allah's messengers confronted directly.
  • The Qur'ān is precise about its own source (Jibrīl, clear Arabic) to rule out every alternative explanation offered by its critics.
  • Words and deeds must match — this is the very standard by which the surah distinguishes idle poets from believers.
  • Allah's closing pairing of 'the Almighty, the Merciful' after every destroyed nation shows that justice and mercy are never separated in His response to disbelief.

Where this surah connects

Cross-surah threads

Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.

Refuge, protection and the unseen harm2 movementsThe signs you already walk on2 movementsOne Lord, one dominion1 movementThe Hour and the accounting1 movementThe four trials1 movementProvision, wealth and the tongue that forgets1 movement
All threads →

Sources behind Sūrah Ash-Shu'ara

Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.

Other references1

  • treated as general exegetical comment)
FINAL ASSESSMENT

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Ash-Shu'ara — full exam

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Ash-Shu'ara · Ṣāliḥ, Lūṭ and Shuʿayb: the she-camel, the outrage, and the scales

Describe the she-camel sign and Thamūd's reaction.

Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol