In the Name of Almighty Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
26 آية
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Surah Al-Ghashiyah is the 88th chapter of the Quran, containing 26 verses. Revealed in Makkah, it opens by asking whether the news of the Overwhelming Event, the Day of Judgement, has reached the listener, and describes downcast faces, weary from toil, drinking from a boiling spring in the Fire, set against joyful faces in a lofty Garden, secure from all vanity. The surah points to Allah’s signs in creation, the camels, the sky, the mountains and the earth, as calls to reflection, and reminds the Prophet that his role is only to remind, not to compel, for it is to Allah that all will return for the final reckoning. Below you can read the full Surah Al-Ghashiyah 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
{ هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْغَاشِيَةِ }
{ ٱلْغَاشِيَةِ } { أَتَاكَ }
(1) – يَقُولُ تَعَالَى لِنَبِيِّهِ الكَرِيمِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: هَلْ بَلَغَكَ نَبَأُ يَوْمِ القِيَامَةِ؟
3. “Those unbelievers whose fearful faces are covered with shame and ignominy, laboured hard in their life on earth, but their deeds did not benefit them with Allah because they did not believe, nor were their actions purely for the sake of Allah. (The meaning could be that they persistently strived to do what exhausted them and caused them wretchedness, and eventually led them to the Fire.)
6. And when they ask for food, they will receive a bad-smelling bitter and thorny plant (like the cactus-thorn) which neither satisfies hunger nor nourishes them.”
9. These faithful believers will be pleased with their righteous deeds in life on earth and will find the reward for their efforts with their generous Lord.
14. There are drinking containers set on the edges of the water springs. Thus, whenever the inhabitants of Paradise wish to drink, they will find these containers within easy reach.
17. Do the unbelievers deny Almighty Allah’s power to resurrect the creatures after death? Let them contemplate the camels whose creation indicates the grandeur and might of the Creator. Camels are among the largest and strongest animals; they are also the most enduring for they endure thirst and hunger and are content with the little water and pasture available. Thus, He who created them and created the heavens and the earth is able to recreate them after their death, and raise them from their graves.
18. Allah Almighty continues to draw the attention of the unbelievers to His might; He tells them to look at the sky and its loftiness and at all the stars and planets it contains.
20. He also draws their attention to the earth and how it is spread out so that the creatures can benefit from it. The polytheists see all these marvellous creations before their eyes and see Allah’s wonderful inventions and conceive His grandeur. How can they not contemplate the power and greatness of the Creator? How do they not believe in Him and fear His punishment?
{ فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ }
(21) – ثُمَّ يَأْمُرُ اللهُ تَعَالَى رَسُولَهُ الكَرِيمَ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِـأَنْ يُذَكِّرَ النَّاسَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ، وَبِأَنْ يَعِظَهُمْ بِحُجَجِهِ وَبَرَاهِينِهِ، وَيُبلِّغَهُمْ رِسَالَتَهُ، وَيَقُولَ لَهُمْ إِنَّهُ إِنَّمَا بُعِثَ رَسُولاً مُبَلِّغَاً وَمُذَكِّراً.
Surah Al-Ghashiyah: Verse 21
21. Allah Almighty then commands His noble Prophet to remind the people of their Lord’s signs, to teach them through arguments and proofs, and convey Allah’s message to them and tell them that he is but a messenger sent to them to transmit the message of Allah.
22. He tells him that He did not send him to dominate and control them. Nor will he be asked to account for them. He should only advise them and convey his Lord’s message to them, not force them to faith. It is up to Allah to judge them after that.
26. He Almighty will call them to give account and recompense them for their deeds.
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.