Editing Az-Zukhruf (section)

==Biblical references==
===Abraham===
Verses 20-80 of this surah introduce [[Abraham]] by way of a narrative of salvation history- a narrative that presents “excerpts of messages from the ‘book’ which, in turn, is clearly understood to be a corpus of literature apart from the rest of the known stories currently available through known tradition."<ref name="ReferenceC">Neuwirth, Angelika. "Structural, Linguistic and Literary Features." The Cambridge Companion to the Qurʼān. By Jane Dammen. McAuliffe. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2006. 106.</ref> Narratives of salvation history can be clearly identified by their distinct linguistic styles, new messages of imminent catastrophe, and their unique structure, which reflects that of a monotheistic liturgical service centered around the reading of the scriptures.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>

This salvation history introduces Abraham as having rejected the way his father and his people worshipped and embraced the truth of God. Those who rejected the message of God were consumed with “golden ornaments… mere enjoyments of this life” (43:35).<ref name=317MAS/> The disbelievers of the narrative pose the question, “why was this Qur’an not sent down to a powerful [wealthy] man, from either of the two cities?” (43:31).<ref name=317MAS/> The surah continues to affirm that God preferred to deliver His message to those who He taught Himself and who believed in Him, not to those who had material wealth. If wealth and power were of real value and the true reward, God would not have bestowed them upon the disbelievers and hypocrites. This narrative of salvation history also speaks of the rewards and punishments earned by the believers and disbelievers that God reserves for them in the “next life” (43:35),<ref>Haleem, M.A.S. Abdel. The Qur'an (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005) 317-318.</ref> referring to the Hereafter or the Judgment Day.

===Moses===
Another narrative of salvation history is marked by lines 46-80 which introduce [[Moses]] as a messenger and servant of God bearing no “gold bracelets” (43:53)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> and possessing no verifiable power and who attempts to enlighten the Pharaoh and the Kingdom of Egypt to the right path to God. Neither the people nor the Pharaoh were persuaded by a poor and powerless Moses and as they rejected God, they were punished and drowned and made into a lesson for following disbelievers. This narrative of salvation history reveals that worldly gains are not proof of a righteous or unrighteous life and that wealth is more often blinding and harmful than it is helpful. The narrative suggests that these riches are bestowed upon humanity as a test for which they will ultimately be questioned for come [[Judgment Day]]. This is structured very similarly to a lesson as one would hear in a [[monotheistic]] liturgical service and additionally addresses the coming of the Hour (43:63),<ref name="Haleem, M.A.S. Abdel 2005"/> or the Judgment Day.