This Surah was revealed in the last stage of the Prophet's residence at Makkah and during the same period in which Surahs Yunus, Hud and Al-A'raf were revealed.
- The Qur'an is the revelation of Allah.
- Trees, fruit, and vegetables are among the signs of Allah.
- Allah never changes the condition of a people unless they are willing to change themselves.
- Those who do not respond to the call of Allah will have no way to escape from the fire of hell.
- It is the remembrance of Allah that provides tranquility to hearts.
- Rasools have no power to show any miracle except by the leave of Allah.
The main theme of this Surah is that the Message of Allah is the Truth. It is a mistake for people to reject it. The arguments in the whole Surah turns around this theme, and the basic components of the Message which are Tawhid (God is One), Risalat (Prophethood) and Resurrection, are repeated over and over again. People are invited to believe in these facts for their own good and if they don't, they are warned about incurring their own ruin. This Surah not only provides reasoning to satisfy the mind, but also appeals to the heart to accept the faith. It puts forward logical arguments in support of the True Message and against the people's wrong notions. It makes frequent use of sympathetic advice to win over the hearts of disbelievers by warning them about the consequences of Kufr (unbelief) and the good results and rewards of having True Faith.
This Surah also answers the objections and doubts of the disbelievers which appeared to be a hindrance to accepting the Divine Message. It also provides comfort, hope, and courage to the believers who were passing through a long and hard ordeal.