Sūrah 46 · Meccan

How Sūrah Al-Ahqaf was revealed.

Where and when it came down, what it teaches, and the hadith about it — all on one calm page.

Read Al-Ahqaf → The revelation story
Where revealed Meccan

Revealed in the Meccan period, before the migration to Madīnah.

Order of revelation #66

Its place in the traditional order in which the sūrahs were revealed.

Length 35 ayahs

4 reading sections in the Muṣḥaf.

The revelation story

How and when it came down.

This Makkan surah is dedicated to proving the Resurrection and the divine origin of the Quran against the polytheists. It establishes Monotheism through proofs in creation and uses the historical destruction of the powerful people of ʿĀd as a warning. The surah concludes with a command to the Prophet (ﷺ) to be steadfast.

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah is dedicated to proving the Resurrection and the divine origin of the Quran against the polytheists. It establishes Monotheism through proofs in creation and uses the historical destruction of the powerful people of ʿĀd as a warning. The surah concludes with a command to the Prophet (ﷺ) to be steadfast.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan according to the consensus of commentators.

Context: The surah was revealed during the Makkan period when persecution was high and the Prophet (ﷺ) needed consolation and strengthening. This is confirmed by the final command to "be patient as the resolute messengers were patient."

Chronology: It is counted as the 65th surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat al-Jāthiyah and before al-Dhāriyāt.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: The surah’s established name is "Sūrat al-Aḥqāf" (The Sandy Dunes). It is the only surah in the Quran to mention "al-Aḥqāf" [21], which refers to the region where the mighty people of ʿĀd, the nation of Prophet Hūd, lived and were destroyed.

Ayah Count: 34 ayahs (Majority) or 35 (Kūfan).

Surah Overview:

  • Affirming the Quran's divine origin and challenging the polytheists to produce a similar work. [1-3]
  • Proving Monotheism by showing the perfection of creation and refuting the power of all partners besides Allah. [3-6, 33]
  • Witnesses to Prophecy: Providing evidence of the Prophet’s truthfulness through the testimony of:
  • A believing Jewish scholar (ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām). [10]
  • A group of Jinn who heard and believed the Quran. [29-32]
  • Establishing the certainty of the Resurrection and Judgment. [20]
  • Historical Warning: Detailing the destruction of the mighty people of al-Aḥqāf (the nation of Hūd) as a severe lesson for the deniers of Makkah. [21-27]
  • Ethics of Kinship: Commanding righteousness towards parents. [15]
  • Consolation and Command: Concluding by commanding the Prophet (ﷺ) to "be patient as the resolute messengers were patient" and to wait for Allah’s promised victory. [35]

Sūrah background — via the Quran Foundation Content API. Shown as supplied by the provider. We do not edit, summarise or generate it.

Hadith about this sūrah

What the hadith say.

These 5 narrations in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī are connected to specific āyāt of this sūrah — a linkage reviewed by the Quran Foundation. Open any one to read it in full, in Arabic and English.

  1. Relates to āyah4
    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6647

    حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ عُفَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ قَالَ سَالِمٌ قَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ، يَقُولُ قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَنْهَاكُمْ أَنْ تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ عُمَرُ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا حَلَفْتُ بِهَا مُنْذُ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ذَاكِرًا وَلاَ آثِرًا‏.‏ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ [quran sura="46" aya_start="4" aya_end="4"]‏{‏أَوْ أَثَرَةٍ مِنْ عِلْمٍ‏}‏ يَأْثُرُ عِلْمًا‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ عُقَيْلٌ وَالزُّبَيْدِيُّ وَإِسْحَاقُ الْكَلْبِيُّ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ‏.‏ وَقَالَ ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ وَمَعْمَرٌ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ سَالِمٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ سَمِعَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عُمَرَ‏.‏

    Narrated Ibn `Umar: I heard `Umar saying, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to me, 'Allah forbids you to swear by your fathers." `Umar said, "By Allah! Since I heard that from the Prophet (ﷺ) , I have not taken such an oath, neither intentionally, nor by reporting the oath of someone else."

    Open at Sunnah.com →

  2. Relates to āyah10
    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3812

    حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مَالِكًا، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي النَّضْرِ، مَوْلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ مَا سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ لأَحَدٍ يَمْشِي عَلَى الأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ‏.‏ إِلاَّ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلاَمٍ قَالَ وَفِيهِ نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ ‏﴿‏وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ‏﴾‏ الآيَةَ‏.‏ قَالَ لاَ أَدْرِي قَالَ مَالِكٌ الآيَةَ أَوْ فِي الْحَدِيثِ‏.‏

    Narrated Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas: I have never heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying about anybody walking on the earth that he is from the people of Paradise except `Abdullah bin Salam. The following Verse was revealed concerning him: "And a witness from the children of Israel testifies that this Qur'an is true" (46.10)

    Open at Sunnah.com →

  3. Relates to āyah17
    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4827

    حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي بِشْرٍ، عَنْ يُوسُفَ بْنِ مَاهَكَ، قَالَ كَانَ مَرْوَانُ عَلَى الْحِجَازِ اسْتَعْمَلَهُ مُعَاوِيَةُ، فَخَطَبَ فَجَعَلَ يَذْكُرُ يَزِيدَ بْنَ مُعَاوِيَةَ، لِكَىْ يُبَايِعَ لَهُ بَعْدَ أَبِيهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ شَيْئًا، فَقَالَ خُذُوهُ‏.‏ فَدَخَلَ بَيْتَ عَائِشَةَ فَلَمْ يَقْدِرُوا ‏{‏عَلَيْهِ‏}‏ فَقَالَ مَرْوَانُ إِنَّ هَذَا الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ ‏﴿‏وَالَّذِي قَالَ لِوَالِدَيْهِ أُفٍّ لَكُمَا أَتَعِدَانِنِي‏﴾‏‏.‏ فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ مِنْ وَرَاءِ الْحِجَابِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِينَا شَيْئًا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ إِلاَّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ عُذْرِي‏.‏

    Narrated Yusuf bin Mahak: Marwan had been appointed as the governor of Hijaz by Muawiya. He delivered a sermon and mentioned Yazid bin Muawiya so that the people might take the oath of allegiance to him as the successor of his father (Muawiya). Then `Abdur Rahman bin Abu Bakr told him something whereupon Marwan ordered that he be arrested. But `Abdur-Rahman entered `Aisha's house and they could not arrest him. Marwan said, "It is he (`AbdurRahman) about whom Allah revealed this Verse:-- 'And the one who says to his parents: 'Fie on you! Do you hold out the promise to me..?'" On that, `Aisha said from behind a screen, "Allah did not reveal anything from the Qur'an about us except what was connected with the declaration of my innocence (of the slander).

    Open at Sunnah.com →

The link between each āyah and these narrations is the Quran Foundation's reviewed reference map. The wording is reproduced verbatim from a public-domain edition of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and is not edited, summarised or generated; every narration also opens at Sunnah.com so it can be checked against another copy.

Learning to pray as you read? How to pray step by step, how to perform wuḍūʾ, and how many rakʿahs each prayer has.