Surah Al-‘Adiyat (Those that Run)

العاديات

11 Verses

In the Name of Almighty Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
11 آية

بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Surah Al-Adiyat is the 100th chapter of the Quran, containing 11 verses. Revealed in Makkah, it opens with vivid oaths by the war-horses charging, striking sparks with their hooves, raiding at dawn and raising a trail of dust. It affirms that man is deeply ungrateful to his Lord, and bears witness to that himself by his intense love of wealth, before asking whether he does not know that when what lies in the graves is scattered forth and what is hidden in hearts is made known, his Lord will be fully aware of him on that Day. Below you can read the full Surah Al-Adiyat in Arabic with a clear English translation and a verse-by-verse tafsir (explanation of the meaning) from Aysar al-Tafaseer, with the option to jump to any specific verse.

Tafsir of the Verses

{ وَٱلْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحاً }
{ ٱلْعَادِيَاتِ }

(1) – يُقْسِمُ اللهُ تَعَالَى بِالخَيْلِ التِي تَجْرِي فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، فَيُسْمَعُ لَهَا زَفِيرٌ شَدِيدٌ لِشِدَّةِ عَدْوِهَا.

(وَيُقْسِمُ تَعَالَى بِالخَيْلِ لِيُعْلِيَ مِنْ قَدْرِهَا فِي نُفُوسِ المُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ، لِيَعْتَزُّوا بِهَا، وَيُكَرِّمُوهَا، وَيَتَّخِذُوهَا لِلجِهَادِ فِي سَبِيلِهِ تَعَالَى).

العَادِيَاتُ – الخَيْلُ.

ضَبْحاً – زَفِيرَ الخَيْلِ الشَّدِيدَ حِينَمَا تَرْكُضُ.
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 1
1. Allah Almighty swears by the horses that race for the cause of Allah; due to the swiftness of their running, the sound of their breathing as they exhale is heard. (Allah Almighty swears by the horses to increase their importance in the hearts of the believers among His servants, so that they might take pride in them, honour them, and use them to fight for the cause of Allah).
{ فَٱلمُورِيَاتِ قَدْحاً }
{ فَٱلمُورِيَاتِ }

(2) – وَالخَيْلُ التِي تَعْدُو فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ تَضْرِبُ بِحَوَافِرِهَا الأَرْضَ فَيَتَطَايَرُ الشَّرَرُ مِنْ آثَارِ ضَرْبِ الصُّخُورِ بِحَدِيدِ نِعَالِهَا.

المُورِيَاتُ – المُخَرِجَاتُ النَّارِ بِصَكِّ حَوَافِرِهَا بِالصَّخْرِ.
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 2
2. He also swears by the horses that run for the cause of Allah and hit the ground with their hooves, sending off sparks as a result of the violent contact between the rock and the iron on their hooves;
{ فَٱلْمُغِيرَاتِ صُبْحاً }
{ فَٱلْمُغِيرَاتِ }

(3) – وَالخَيْلُ التِي تغيرُ عَلَى الأَعْدَاءِ فِي الصَّبَاحِ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ لأَِخْذِهِمْ عَلى حِينِ غِرَّةٍ مِنْهُمْ.

” وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَنْتَظِرُ الصَّبَاحَ لِيُغِيرَ عَلَى مَنْ أَرَادَ الإِغَارَةَ عَلَيْهِ، فَإِذَا سَمِعَ فِي حَيِّهِم أَذَاناً كَفَّ عَنْهُمْ لأَِنَّهُ يُدْرِكُ أَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ مُسْلِمُونَ مُتَمَسِّكُونَ بِالصَّلاَةِ وَإِلاَّ أَغَارَ عَلَيهِمْ ” المُغِيرَاتِ صُبْحاً – المُبَاغِتَاتِ لِلعَدُوِّ وَقْتَ الصَّبَاحِ.
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 3
3. and the horses that attack the enemies at daybreak before sunrise, to take them by surprise. (The Messenger of Allah would wait for daybreak to begin an attack; if he heard the call for prayers in their quarter, he would desist from attacking them because he knew they were Muslims who were devoted to their prayers; otherwise he would attack them.)
{ فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِ نَقْعاً }
(4) – فَأَثَارَتِ الخَيْلُ الغُبَارَ أَثْنَاءَ رَكْضِهِنَّ لإِدْرَاكِ الأَعْدَاءِ، وَفِي جَرْيِهِنَّ فِي سَاحَةِ المَعْرَكَةِ.

أَثَرْنَ – أَخْرَجْنَ.

النَّقْعُ – الغُبَارُ.
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 4
4. The horses raised clouds of dust as they raced to catch up with the enemy in the battlefield.
{ فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِ جَمْعاً }
(5) – فَجَعَلْنَ الغُبَارَ يَتَوَسَّطُ جَمْعَ الأَعْدَاءِ حَتَّى يُصِيبَهُ الرُّعْبُ وَالفَزَعُ.

وَسَطْنَ – تَوَسَّطْنَ جَمْعَ الأَعْدَاءِ.
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 5
5. They caused the dust to pervade the midst of the enemy groups, stirring in them fear.
{ إِنَّ ٱلإِنسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ }
{ ٱلإِنسَانَ }

(6) – ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ اللهُ تَعَالَى مَا أَقْسَمَ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ أَنَّ الإِنْسَانَ لَشَدِيدُ الكُفْرَانِ وَالجُحُودِ لأَِنْعُمِ اللهِ.

كَنُودٌ – كَفُورٌ جَحُودٌ.

” وَعَرَّفَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الكَنُودَ فَقَالَ: الكَنُودُ الذِي يَأْكُلُ وَحْدَهُ، وَيَضْرِبُ عَبْدَهُ، وَيَمْنَعُ رِفْدَهُ ”
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 6
6. Allah Almighty then mentioned the reason for His oath, which is that man is truly ungrateful for Allah’s favours. (The Messenger describes the “ungrateful” and says: “The ungrateful eats alone, beats his slave, and withholds his assistance.”)
{ وَإِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ ذَلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ }
(7) – وَإِنَّ الإِنْسَانَ نَفْسَهُ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ كَنُودٌ فِي الكُفْرَانِ وَالجُحُودِ لأَِنْعُمِ اللهِ، وَأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُؤَدِّ حَقَّ رَبِّهِ عَلَيْهِ بِالشُّكْرِ. وَهَذِهِ شَهَادَةٌ مِنَ الإِنْسَانِ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِأَنَّهُ كَنُودٌ، وَهِيَ شَهَادَةٌ بِلِسَانِ الحَالِ.

(وَقِيلَ أَيْضاً إِنَّ الإِنْسَانَ يَشْهَدُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فِي الآخِرَةِ بِذُنُوبِهِ).
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 7
7. Man himself knows that he is ungrateful. He exceeds the limits of disbelief, he is ungrateful for Allah’s blessings, and he does not thank his Lord sufficiently. This is a man’s testimony against himself that he is ungrateful, the testimony of a spokesman. (It is said that man testifies against himself for his sins in the Hereafter.)
{ وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ ٱلْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ }
(8) – وَإِنَّ الإِنْسَانَ بِسَبَبِ حُبِّهِ الشَّدِيدِ لِلْمَالِ، وَشَغَفِهِ بِهِ وَتَعَلُّقِهِ بِجَمْعِهِ وَادِّخَارِهِ، لَبَخِيلٌ شَدِيدُ البُخْلِ، حَرِيصٌ مُتَنَاهٍ فِي حِرْصِهِ، وَمُمْسِكٌ مُتَنَاهٍ فِي إِمْسَاكِهِ.
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 8
8. Because of man’s great love of money and his passion and committment to amassing and saving it, he is extremely miserly, infinitely avaricious and immensely attached to it.
{ أَفَلاَ يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِي ٱلْقُبُورِ }
(9) – أَفَلاَ يَعْلَمُ هَذَا الإِنْسَانُ البَخِيلُ بِالمَالِ، الحَرِيصُ عَلَى جَمْعِهِ، أَنَّ اللهَ إِذَا بَعَثَ مَنْ فِي القُبُورِ مِنَ الأَمْوَاتِ.

بُعْثِرَ – أُثِيرَ وَأُخْرِجَ وَنُثِرَ.
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 9
9. Does that miser, who rapaciously amasses wealth, not know that when Allah raises the dead from their graves,
{ وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِي ٱلصُّدُورِ }
(10) – وَظَهَرَ مَا كَانَ النَّاسُ يُسِرُّونَهُ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ.

حُصِّلَ – جُمِعَ وَأُظْهِرَ.
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 10
10. and all the secrets which are kept in men’s hearts are revealed,
{ إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌ }
{ يَوْمَئِذٍ }

(11) – فَإِذَا بُعِثَ مَنْ فِي القُبُورِ، وَظَهَرَ مَا أَخْفَتْهُ الصُّدُورُ، فَحِينَئِذٍ يُدْرِكَ الإِنْسَانُ البَخِيلُ الكَنُودُ، الحَرِيصُ عَلَى جَمْعِ المَالِ، أَنَّ اللهَ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانَتْ تَنْطَوِي عَلَيْهِ نَفْسُهُ، وَأَنَّهُ مُجَازِيهِ عَلَى جُحُودِهِ وَكُفْرِهِ بِأَنْعُمِ رَبِّهِ عَلَيْهِ.
Surah Al-Adiyat: Verse 11
11. When Allah resurrects the dead, and what the souls conceal is revealed, that ungrateful miser who is eager to amass money will then realise that Allah knows what he concealed, and that he would punish him for his disbelief in and ungratefulness for the blessings His Lord bestowed on him.

Tafsir by Dr. Assaad Homad (1917–2011), Syrian scholar and jurist, author of Aysar al-Tafaseer, an accessible interpretation of the Quran reviewed by Sheikh Muhammad Mutwally Al-Shaarawi and certified by the Ministries of Awqaf in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. English translation by the Homad family. Read more about the author and this tafsir →

Source: This series of Tafsir books has been made available online by the family of Dr. Assaad Homad (may Allah have mercy on him). These volumes were entirely digitized to provide an accessible and easy format for todays digital age. Please keep Dr. Assaad and his family in your sincere prayers.
تم إتاحة هذه السلسلة من كتب التفسير عبر الإنترنت من قبل عائلة الدكتور أسعد حومد (رحمه الله). لقد قمنا برقمنة هذه المجلدات بالكامل لتوفير تنسيق يسهل الوصول إليه واستخدامه في عصرنا الرقمي الحالي. نرجو منكم ألا تنسوا الدكتور أسعد وعائلته من صالح دعائكم.