Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur

Themes and purpose:

This powerful Makkan surah, revealed all at once, is a comprehensive defense of monotheism. It lays out rational proofs for Allah’s sole divinity, Divine Justice, the Prophet’s truthfulness, and the resurrection, while systematically refuting polytheism and the pre-Islamic superstitions of the Arabs especially their fabricated rulings about cattle and crops.”

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan by agreement. Reports of a few Madinan exceptions are weak.

Context (Unique Revelation): According to the stronger opinion, it was revealed "all at once, at night, in Makkah". This would make it the only long surah to be revealed all at once. This is most likely because it deals with establishing core beliefs and rebutting false ones, unlike surahs dealing with practical rulings (aḥkām), where it is often beneficial for them to be revealed gradually, according to needs and events.

Chronology: It has been counted as the 55th surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat al-Ḥijr and before Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: "Sūrat al-Anʿām" (Livestock). This has been its only known name since the time of the Prophet (ﷺ). The word al-anʿām is repeated six times, specifically in the context of refuting the pre-Islamic superstitions and false prohibitions the polytheists had invented regarding livestock.

Virtue: It was famously revealed accompanied by 70,000 angels chanting God’s praises (tasbīḥ and taḥmīd).

Ayah Count: 165 (Kūfan), 167 (Makkan/Madinan), or 164 (Shāmī/Baṣran).

Surah Overview:

• Establishing that all praise and sole divinity belong to Allah, the Creator, and refuting all claims of supposed partners (idols, jinn). [1-4, 100-102]
• Warning deniers of the punishment that befell past nations and the horrors they will face at death and resurrection. [6, 11, 93-94]
• Refuting the polytheists' mocking demands for miracles. [7-9, 37, 109]
• Proving the Quran’s truth by pointing out that the People of the Book recognise it as genuine revelation. [20, 114]
• Scenes from the resurrection of the disbelievers.  [27–32, 94]
• Consoling the Prophet (ﷺ) and reminding him that his job is to warn, not to force belief or reveal the unseen on demand. [33-35, 50, 66, 107]
• Reminding the disbelievers that they already call on Allah alone in times of distress. [40-41]
• Affirming that people’s true rank is by piety and belonging to Allah’s religion, not by wealth or lineage. [52–54, 132]
• Affirming that Allah alone knows the unseen, encompasses all creation and decree, and rules with perfect truth and justice. [59–63, 115]
• Presenting the example of Abraham’s debate with his father and people as a model. [74-83]
• Reminding the ummah that the Quran is a great favour like the Book of Moses, making them the final righteous community with multiplied reward. [91–92, 154–157, 160–165]
• Declaring Allah free from having any child, spouse, or likeness. [100-101]
• Exposing pre-Islamic superstitions, especially their false prohibitions regarding cattle and crops. [136-145]
• Defining true piety not as arbitrary self-deprivation but as restraining the soul from destructive desires. [118-121, 151-153]
• Refuting the claim “If Allah had willed, we would not have committed shirk,” by clarifying the truth of Divine Will, human freedom, and Allah’s perfect justice. [148–150]