Surah az-Zumar is one of my favorite surahs to recite and ponder over. The whole surah provides a very eloquent and beautiful message right before some of the companions of the Prophet (saw) migrated to Abyssinia. Since it was revealed in such a hostile environment, the surah’s main audience is the disbelieving Quraish. The believers are also addressed in the surah. The actual aim of the surah and message revolves around mankind adopting Islam and accepting Allah (swt) as the One and Only deity. This principle of tawheed and the eternal bliss that comes along with sincere belief is stressed over and over again in this surah, and in the whole Qur’an actually. The falsehood of shirk and the evil consequences of following it, have been explained in an extremely forceful way, and the people exhorted to give up their wrong way of life and return to the mercy of their Lord. In this very connection, the believers have been instructed, as if to say:
‘If a place has become narrow for the worship and service of Allah, His earth is vast: you may emigrate to some other place in order to save your faith: Allah will reward you for your patience.”On the other hand, the Holy Prophet has been encouraged, so as to say:”Tell the disbelievers plainly that they may do whatever they like, but their persecutions and tyrannies will never deter you from the way of Islam; that they may go on doing their worst to obstruct your way, but you will continue to perform your mission in spite of the adverse conditions and circumstances.”
My Daily Deen 