Medinan Suras

​Themes in Medinan Suras

By Alykhan Dhanani

Open Ended

What might be some of the themes/topics that Allah might have sent guidance or revelation during the Medinan period?

Poll

Some of the themes might include

• Succession of the Prophet

• Dealing with battles and wars

• Verses related to practice of faith

• Life after death

• Bay'a and community affairs

Medinan suras:

​Remember the context?

Prophet fled with his believers from Mecca to Medina.
He attained both temporal and religious authority
He was the master of the believers as well as the head of state
However, he also had his opponents waiting in Mecca
He also had a mission to get back the Ka'ba as a divine sacred space of worhsip

Open Ended

Indeed, those who believe, and the Jews, the Christians and the Sabians, who believe in Allah and the Last Day and who do good deeds, they shall all have their reward with their Lord. There shall be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve. (2:62)
What does verse tell us about the context, belief system and society?

Divine communication channels

Multiple Choice

How did Allah communicate with Prophet Muhammad

• By speaking directly to him
• Through dreams and visions
• Via written texts sent from heaven
• Through the Angel Gabriel (Jibril) delivering revelations.

Multiple Choice

How did Prophet Muhammad communicate with Allah?

• Through dreams and visions
• By speaking directly to Allah
• Through the writings of his followers
• Through form of meditation and contemplation

Poll

Does the Imam communicate with Allah?

• Yes

• No

• I don't know

Open Ended

Using any source - in few words:

Write down what does "Wahy" mean

Open Ended

Using any source - in few words:

Write down what does "ilham" mean

Open Ended

Using any source - in few words:

Write down what does "ta'yid" mean

Divine channels of communication

Term	Meaning	Who Receives It	Purpose	Qur’anic Link
Wahy	Revelation from Allah	Prophets only	Scripture & laws for all	4:163, 42:51
Ta’yīd	Divine support	Imams after Prophets	Lead & guide the community	Ismaili tradition
Ilhām	Inspiration in the heart	Any believer	Personal goodness & wisdom	91:8

Open Ended

How do we (Ismailis) hear Allah's message?