Al-Ḥajj (Surah 22)

Introduction

This Medinian sûrah takes its name from the passage that talks about pilgrimage rituals (verses 25-37), along with condemnations to the pagans for hindering the believers from reaching the Sacred House in Mecca. After fifteen years of persecution, here the believers receive the permission to fight back in self-defence (verse 39). Idolatry is condemned and the idols are rejected as pathetic, incapable of even creating a fly. In conclusion, the believers are told that they can achieve success through prayer and good deeds—a theme which extends to the beginning of the next sûrah. In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful