Surah An-Naba is the first chapter in the last section of the Qur'an (Juz 30). It is also called Surah 'Amma Yatasaa'aloon, Surah Amma, Surah Al-Mu'assirat, and Surah At-Tasaa'ul. These five names are derived from the words mentioned in the Surah.
It is a purely Makkan Surah, consisting of 40 verses in the Kufi and Makkan Qur'anic manuscripts, and 41 verses in other versions. It was revealed after Surah Al-Ma'aarij and before Surah An-Naazi'aat.
Among the main objectives of this Surah are:
Rebuking the disbelievers for their idle talk about the Qur'an without knowledge, Threatening them with a dreadful fate if they persist in their arrogance, Presenting various proofs of the Oneness of Allah and the manifestations of His power, Describing the punishment prepared for the disbelievers and the reward for the righteous, Warning humanity about the necessity of performing good deeds before the Day of Judgment arrives, a day when regret for past deeds will be of no benefit.
The last section of the Qur'an (Juz 30) comprises 37 Surahs, all of which are Makkan, except for Surahs Al-Bayyinah and An-Nasr. These Surahs are characterized by their brevity, though they vary in length. Most of them emphasize The Oneness of Allah, The divine origin of the Qur'an, The truthfulness of the Prophet Muhammad Peace Upon him, in conveying his message, The comparison between the good outcome for the righteous and the bad outcome for the wicked, The repeated reminders of the horrors of the Day of Judgment and its inevitability, Warnings against heedlessness in preparing for that Day, The abundant favors of Allah upon humanity, The destruction that befell past deniers of the truth.
All of this is conveyed in a magnificent and miraculous style that humbles hearts, moves souls, and causes the skin of those who fear their Lord to shiver.
The term 'Amma' is a compound of two words: the preposition 'an' and the interrogative particle 'ma'. Originally, the phrase was 'an ma, but the nun was assimilated into the mim due to their shared nasal quality (ghunnah), and the alif was omitted to distinguish a question from a statement. The preposition and its object are linked to the verb yatasaa'aloon ("they ask one another").
And the Questioning:
The term At-Tasaa'ul (التساؤل) is a verbal noun derived from As-Su'al (السؤال), which means that some people ask one another about a specific matter, either to genuinely seek the truth or as a form of mockery.
The term An-Naba (النبأ) refers to news in general, though some interpret it as news of great significance and importance.
The meaning here is: What are these disbelievers questioning about? What is it that they are asking one another about? They are questioning the great news, the significant information brought to them by the Messenger of Allah peace and blessings be upon him and expressed in the Qur'an. This includes: That the Resurrection is true, That the Qur'an is from Allah, That the Messenger of Allah Peace Upon him, is truthful in what he commands or forbids.
Allah begins this discourse with an interrogative style to captivate the listener's attention toward the matter being discussed and to highlight its gravity and importance.
The pronoun in yatasaa'aloon (ÙŠَتَسَاءَÙ„ُونَ - "they question") refers to the disbelievers, who were frequently asking one another about the Prophet peace upon him and the message he conveyed from his Lord.
Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Haatim narrated from Al-Hassan that when the Prophet peace upon him was sent as a messenger, the disbelievers began asking one another about his mission and the message he had brought. Thus, the verse was revealed:
{عَÙ…َّ ÙŠَتَسَاءَÙ„ُونَ. عَÙ†ِ النَّبَØ¥ِ الْعَظِيمِ}
"About what are they questioning one another? About the great news...."
The pronoun in yatasaa'aloon can correctly refer to them, even though they were not previously mentioned explicitly, because they are clearly identified through the context. It was they, and none other, who were mockingly questioning among themselves about the message brought by the Prophet peace upon him.
Abdulwahab Ibn Yusuf Isah
Qur'an Chronicles
