Sūrah Al-Qamar The Moon: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī The Source Commentary

Surah Overview

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahالقمرMakkī 55 versesMoon-splitting, four destroyed nations, the repeating refrain

Key DisagreementDid the moon-splitting already happen or is it eschatological?Miracle historicityAl-Ṭabarī: already happened established through chains from Ibn Masʿūd, Anas, and multiple witnesses; past tense is definitive

Competing OpinionsWere the Meccans presented actual evidence they rejected?Miracle rejectionAl-Ṭabarī: yes chains confirm the Quraysh witnessed it but called it "persistent magic" the surah's opening records their rejection

MethodologyMulti-witness chain verification for the moon-splitting historical eventHistorical miracle verificationAl-Ṭabarī collects eyewitness chains from multiple Companions to verify the miracle's historicity

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

The moon-splitting (54:1) is one of the most extensively chain-verified miracles in al-Ṭabarī's tafsīr. He collects chains from Ibn Masʿūd, Anas ibn Mālik, Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān, and Ibn ʿAbbās all affirming the event happened during the Prophet's lifetime in Mecca. His tarjīḥ is unequivocal: the past tense "inshaqqa" (was split) confirms it already occurred. The chain from Ibn Masʿūd who was present is the strongest evidence. The Quraysh response ("persistent magic") is itself recorded through chains as historical fact.

The four-nation refrain "fa-kayfa kāna ʿadhābī wa-nudhur" (how then was My punishment and warning?) and "wa-laqad yassarnā l-Qurʾāna li-l-dhikri fa-hal min muddakir" (We have made the Quran easy for remembrance is there any who will remember?) are analyzed by al-Ṭabarī as rhetorical devices. He traces through chains from Mujāhid: each nation's story ends with this divine question inviting comparison with the Quraysh who are now in the same position as the destroyed nations.

اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ Iqtarabati l-sāʿatu wa-nshaqqа l-qamar "The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has split." (54:1) Al-Ṭabarī presents the chain from Ibn Masʿūd: "I saw the moon split into two halves, one behind Mount Ḥirāʾ and one in front of it, and the Prophet said: 'Bear witness.'"

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ Wa-laqad yassarnā l-Qurʾāna li-l-dhikri fa-hal min muddakir "And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?" (54:17, repeated) Al-Ṭabarī treats the four-time repetition as a divine challenge and structural device each recurrence after a destroyed nation's account invites the listener to self-apply.

Moon-splitting chains: The multi-witness chain verification including an eyewitness (Ibn Masʿūd) makes this one of al-Ṭabarī's most robustly established miracle accounts.
Quraysh response chain: Their accusation of "persistent magic" is itself chain-verified the rejection is as documented as the miracle.
Rhetorical refrain: The repeated "is there any who will remember?" is analyzed as a structural device creating a rhythm of invitation through historical warning.
Historical parallelism: Al-Ṭabarī uses the four-nation sequence to show the Quraysh in the same position same warning, same choice, same potential consequence.
Quran ease: "Made the Quran easy for remembrance" generates chains on what "taysīr" means al-Ṭabarī: its language, message, and memorization are all made accessible by divine design.

Surah Overview

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

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