‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

The Characteristics of the Makkee Suwar

Certainly, all praise and thanks is due to Allaah, Creator and Sustainer of all the Worlds.
Blessings and peace are upon the most honored of the Prophets and Messengers, and upon his family,
and his companions, and those who followed them in goodness until the Day of Recompense.

When we look at the characteristics of those Suwar that are Makkee we have various matters to
consider. First and foremost is how we determine what is Makkee and what is Madanee. Second, we
must decide what knowledge will constitute ‘proof’ for the purposes of this determination. Finally, we
come to the actual characteristics themselves. It is my hope and desires to address these topics, briefly,
for the benefit of myself and the reader – and with Allaah lays all hope of success.

First, how do we determine what is Makkee or Madanee? There are three methods generally to
approaching this. The first is time-bound; did the revelation occur before or after the Hijrah. This is the
most preferred method, as it avoids some other problems of the following two. The second is based on
place; did the revelation occur in Makkah or Madeenah. The problem encountered here is that there are
times when a verse is revealed after the Hijrah, but in Makkah (i.e. where Allaah says what means, “This
day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you
Islam as religion.”1 which was at the Farewell Hajj). Also, you have verses that were revealed in places
other than Makkah or Madeenah. The last is based on the people being addressed; are they Makkan or
Madeenan. Again, we have a problem in that there are times when neither group is being addressed (i.e.
the People of the Book, etc.). So for our purposes we’ll stick with the practice of a large number of
scholars and use the time-bound definition for our determination – Allaahu A’lam.[ CITATION Abu99 \l
1033 ]

1
Soorah al-Maa’idah 5: 3
 The next matter we must consider is what should constitute ‘proof’ of a revelation’s place. In
general, the Prophet did NOT specify these matters. There are two approaches to this topic. First, a
statement of a Companion. This statement will come in an Athar relating to the revelation of that
particular Ayah; it’s time, place, circumstances, etc. Typically we’ll find these details in the books of
Asbaab un-Nuzool (Reasons of Revelation), but we may also find some details in the Tafaaseer. The
other method of establishing knowledge of a revelations place is through Ijtihaad (personal reasoning).
“In this method, a scholar will take the verses’ meaning and style into account and try to ‘presume’
whether the verse is makkee or madanee.” 2 A confirmed authentic report from a Companion is accepted
as undisputed fact and cannot be overruled by ijtihaad. Ijtihaad conversely is liable to be right or wrong,
and therefore it can be rejected. A Companion’s statement being accepted unrestrictedly should be
obvious; they were witnesses to the revelation, and have been praised by Allaah for their righteousness
and piety (i.e. where Allaah says what means, “And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the
Muhaajireen and the Ansaar and those who followed them with good conduct – Allaah is pleased with
them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow,
wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.” 3)

The ijtihaad alluded to above is accomplished by recourse to the characteristics of the Suwar.
This being the ‘meat’ of our topic we’ll spend a little more time and energy in delving into it. For the sake
of simplicity I’ll present various lists of attributes, for Makkee Suwar, proposed by different authors to
aid us in identifying those characteristics.

Our first list is from Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi, it’s taken from his book An Introduction to the
Sciences of the Qur’aan.

1. Tawheed
2. ‘Aqeedah
3. Morality
4. Stories of previous generations
5. Every instance of the oath, "‫"كال‬
6. Suwar beginning with disjointed letters, (i.e. "‫)"الم‬
a. Except Al-Baqarah& Aali ‘Imraan
7. Suwar with a verse of prostration
8. Suwar with stories of the previous prophets, Aadam, and the creation.
a. Except al-Baqarah
9. Short and succinct, using strong words and frequent oaths 4

Our next list, albeit a bit shorter, is from Ahmad Von Denfer’s book, Ulum al-Qur’an.
2
Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’aan, Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi, pg. 99
3
Soorah at-Tawbah 9: 100
4
Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’aan, Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi, ppg. 100-102
 1. Form of Address (“O Mankind” or “O People” generally Makke)
2. Theme (Tawheed, Shirk, Day of Resurrection, Moral Corruption, Stories of the Prophets)
3. Disjointed letters (Muqatta’aat or Huroof Tahajji, i.e. "‫)"الم‬
4. Any instance of "‫"كال‬
5. Any verses of prostration
6. Most from the Mufassal (i.e. after Soorah Qaaf)5

Our final example of a list of characteristics of Makkee Suwar is from Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal
Philips and his book Usool at-Tafseer.

1. Tawheed (The Oneness of Allaah)

2. Salaah (Formal Prayer)
3. The Unseen
4. Allaah’s Existence
5. Challenges
6. The People of Old
7. Eemaan
8. Short Verses6

When we compare all of these lists we come up with the following points of agreement as to the
characteristics of the Makkan Suwar. First and foremost the emphasis on Tawheed is a common
attribute of these Suwar. This is understandable when we consider the statement of ‘Aa`ishah that, "The
first thing that was revealed from the Qur'aan was a chapter from Al-Mufassal, and in it was mentioned
Paradise and Hellfire. When the people embraced Islam, the verses regarding legal and illegal things
were revealed. If the first thing to be revealed was: 'Do not drink intoxicants.' people would have said,
'We will never give up intoxicants."7 The next most common attribute is Stories from the Previous
Nations (i.e. Prophets/Messengers, Children of Israa’eel, etc.). Here the benefit is obvious if we consider
another statement of the Qur’aan; Allaah said what means, “And We made it a deterrent punishment
for those who were present and those who succeeded [them] and a lesson for those who fear Allaah.”8
The other points weren’t specific points of agreement, but they each have their value as an aid in
identifying the Makkee Aayaat/Suwar.

In closing I want to highlight the importance of this knowledge. It is through knowing these
matters, Makkee or Madanee that great insight into the fiqh contained in the Qur’aan can be derived.
These matters directly relate to Naasikh wa-Mansookh (Abrogator and Abrogated). They also relate to
the graduality of some rules and how they were revealed, etc. Lastly, if we reflect back on the statement

5
Ulum al-Qur’an, Ahmad Von Denfer, pg. 40
6
Usool at-Tafseer: The Methodology of Qur’aanic Explanation, Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, ppg. 206-211
7
Al-Bukhaaree
8
Al-Baqarah 2: 66
of ‘Aa`ishah, it is very informative as to the most effective approach in Da’wah and personality
development. Only by putting first things first can we begin to approach the success of the Prophet’s
(Allaah’s blessings and peace be upon him) generation. I pray that this short treatise has in some way
helped to elucidate the matter of the attributes of Makkee Aayaat/Suwar.

Glory is to You, O Allaah, and to You be Praise. I bear witness that nothing deserves to be
worshipped except You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn in repentance to You. Aameen.