God Swears 11 Times in Surah Ash-Shams
Ash-Shams is the 91st chapter of the Quran that has 15 verses and is in the 30th Juz.
It is Makki and the 26th Surah revealed to the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
The word Shams (the sun) comes 34 times in the Quran, including in the first verse of this Surah that gives it its name.
At the beginning of the chapter, God swears 11 times in seven verses, the highest number in any Surah of the Quran. God swears by the sun, the sun’s brightness, the moon that follows the sun, the day when it brightens the earth, the night when it covers the earth with darkness, the sky, Him Who established it, the earth, Him Who spread it, the soul, and Him Who made it perfect.
The reason for these swears coming one after another is that a very important issue is going to be mentioned, something that is as great as heavens, earth, moon and sun. It has been said that swears in the Quran have two purposes: Highlighting the importance of what God swears by, and highlighting the important of the subject mentioned afterward.
Surah Ash-Shams underscores the purity of Nafs (the soul) and considers it a means for getting saved whereas if it is impure, it causes losing hope. The verses remind us that people distinguish between good and bad based on their internal God-given cognition, and that we should purify our soul by doing good deeds, otherwise we won’t reach happiness.
The Surah cites the example of the people of Thamud who disobeyed their prophet, Salih (AS), and killed the camel that was a divine miracle and, thus, were punished by God.
According to a Hadith from Imam Sadiq (AS), the sun symbolizes the Holy Prophet (PBUH) who shed light on the religion, the moon symbolizes Imam Ali (AS) who (received) the knowledge that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had, the night symbolizes oppressive rulers and kings and the day symbolizes great leaders who light up the path of religion.
