42-44 The separation of the wicked and the just on Judgement Day; rewards and punishments 45 God's goodness in his providence a sign to men 46 Those who rejected the former prophets were punished 47-49 God's mercy manifest in his works 50 A blasting wind sufficient to harden the hearts of the unbelievers 51-52 Muhammad unable to make the dead to hear or the blind to see 53 God the Creator 54-57 Believers and unbelievers on the resurrection day 58 The parables of the Quran rejected 59 Unbelievers are given over to blindness 60 Muhammad encouraged to steadfastness in the true religion Chronology Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is an earlier "Meccan surah", which means it is believed to have been revealed in Mecca, instead of later in Medina. Parts of Q30:38-50 are preserved in the Ṣan‘ā’1 lower text. According to Theodor Nöldeke, the surah of ar-Rum was the second-to-last Meccan surah and the 84th surah chronologically; however, he argues its 17th ayah was revealed during the Medinan period. While the first ayah of the surah refers to the defeat of the Byzantine Empire at the hands of the Sassanid Empire near Damascus in the spring of 614, Nöldeke notes that this does not necessarily indicate 614 was the year in which the surah was revealed. According to al-Tabari, it refers to the Battle of Adhri'at in 614, but this battle is ignored in other sources. Literary units In his tafsir, entitled "In the Shade of the Qur'an", Sayyid Qutb divides the surah into two halves, verses 1–32 and verses 33–60. Each section begins with an assertion of God's grace and mercy and ends with encouragement for Muhammad and his community. First Section "Signs to Reflect Upon" "The Natural Bond of Faith" Notes the Byzantine defeat and prophesies a coming victory promised by God "To Whom Power Belongs" Declares the truth of the universe "Invitation to Reflect" Reminds the believers of the fates of other disobedient communities "Two Divergent Wars" Describes the Last Judgment "Scene of God's Glory", "The Cycle of Life and Death", and "Man and the Universe" Offers praise for God and all His powers and signs "Analogy Drawn from Human Life" Uses a metaphor about slavery to condemn the sin of shirk "Concluding Directive to Prophet" Urges the listeners to turn to the truth and resist dividing into sects Second