History of surah The Ranks

Name

It was called Surah Al-Saff because the word "Al-Saff" occurs in the fourth verses. What is meant by Al-Saff is “the row of fighters.” It has another less common name, Surat Al-Hawareen, and the Al-Hawareen are the close companions of Jesus.

Period of Revelation

The majority of the knowledgeable believed that Surat Al-Saff was revealed in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah after the migration of the Messenger of God, God's prayer and peace be upon him, and a few others of the knowledgeable believed that it was revealed in Makkah Al-Mukarramah before the migration of the Prophet, God's prayer and peace be upon him, and among the scholars, who held this opinion is the honorable companion Abdullah Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with him, and perhaps the reason for this disagreement between the two teams was the revelation of something from Surat Al-Saff in Makkah Al-Mukarrama, which is generally civil, and its revelation was after the revelation of Surat Al-Taghabun and before the revelation of Surat Al-Jumu'ah.

In the books of Asbab al-Nuzul, the reason for the revelation of Surat al-Saff in its entirety has been stated, and it is the same as the reason for the revelation of the first verse from it and the other, according to the commentators in the venerable hadith on the authority of Abdullah bin Salam - may God be pleased with him - it was transmitted that a group of the Companions of God's Messenger - may God be pleased with them - sat with God's Messenger, God's prayers and peace be upon him, and they asked him about the dearest deeds to God Almighty.
And it was reported that a group of the Companions - may God be pleased with them - used to say, "If only God, the Mighty and Majestic, had guided us to the most beloved deeds for Him, we would act upon them." At that time, jihad was not yet prescribed, so God Almighty imposed jihad on them, and when they learned about it, they involved on it.

Theme and topics

Surat Al-Saff refers to many themes and topics, and among these purposes are the following:

Admonishing those who say and do not act upon their words, so that their words contradict their deeds. God Almighty has warned against this characteristic and pointed out that it is not one of the characteristics of the true believers.
The call for class unity and cohesion of the Islamic nation and interdependence of its structure so that it is like a compact structure.
Calling for jihad for the sake of God and steadfastness in it, honoring the ranks of praying mujahideen, explaining the reward of jihad and that it is a rewarding deal with God Almighty if it is pure for His face, and the best reason for entering the gardens of eternity, and it is the door to victory and glory for Muslims.