The Qur'an - Translated with a New Introduction - A.J. Droge
46. The Sand Dunes
The Qur'an - Translated with a New Introduction - A.J. Droge
A.J. Droge [+]
A. J. Droge is the translator of The Qur’an: A New Annotated Translation (Equinox, 2013), and the author of Homer or Moses? Early Christian Interpretations of the History of Culture and A Noble Death: Suicide and Martyrdom among Christians and Jews in Antiquity (with J.D. Tabor).
Description
This is the last of a group of seven sūras known as the ‘Ḥawāmīm,’ from the two letters (Ḥā’ Mīm) with which they all begin. It opens with a declaration of the ‘sending down’ of the Qur’ān, and then condemns the folly of idolatry in the face of God’s power and providence. The Prophet is set forth as a typical messenger whose ‘Book’ confirms the ‘Book of Moses.’ Next comes the story of the punishment of the people of ‘Ād, followed by one about a band of jinn who came to believe after listening to the Prophet recite from the Qur’ān. A conclusion stresses the certainty of resurrection and judgment. The title of Q46 refers to ‘the sand dunes’ where the ‘Ād were destroyed (Q46.21).