In the Name of Almighty Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
46 آية
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Surah An-Nazi’at is the 79th chapter of the Quran, containing 46 verses. Revealed in Makkah, it opens with oaths by the angels who violently pull out the souls of the disbelieving and gently draw out the souls of the believing, affirming that the Resurrection will surely come to pass despite the deniers’ mockery. The surah briefly recalls the story of Moses and his call to Pharaoh, who denied and turned away and was seized with an exemplary punishment, poses the question of whether creating the heavens is harder than creating mankind, and describes the terror of the coming Overwhelming Event, closing with the reminder that knowledge of the Hour rests with Allah alone. Below you can read the full Surah An-Nazi’at 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.
1. Allah Almighty starts this verse by swearing by some of His creatures to reveal their greatness that what the holy Prophet brought concerning the Resurrection and the bringing forth of all the creatures before their Lord in the Hereafter to give account for their deeds, is doubtlessly true. Judgement Day will be a day on which terrors will become intensified and eyes will widen with fear at what they see. The angels (an-naziat) will tear out the souls of human beings. There are some whose souls they will tear out roughly, with violence, and they become totally immersed in ripping their hearts out; and some whose souls they take out gently as if they were unfastening them from a tie. (It is also said that the an-naziat are the planets that run in their orbits according to a precise system like the sun, and the moon. Thus the meaning of the singular noun an- naz’ would be “running” and that of gharqan would be “hurrying in its run”.)
2. Some angels draw out the souls smoothly and gently as if unfastening them from a bond. (Some have said that the an-naziat are planets, and that the nashitat are the planets that leave one constellation for another.)
3. Commentators have differed over the interpretation of sabihat (swimmers): – some have said that they are angels; – others have said they are stars that run smoothly in their orbits as if they were swimming in water; – still others have said they are ships that sail the seas.
4. There are several interpretations of sabiqat (those who outstrip): – some have said that they are angels racing to faith and belief, or racing forward with the souls of men to their destination in either Heaven or Hell; – others have said that they are the horses that race for the sake of Allah; – still others have said that they are the stars that overtake others in their race.
5. It was said that the mudabirat are the angels that arrange everything in the heaven and on the earth at the command of their Lord. (It was said that they are the planets that arrange certain matters of the universe through the appearance of some of their effects; the race of the sun and the moon, for instance, teach people calculation, the seasons, the months and the time of year; the change in season forms one of the reasons for life).
6. When the Hour arrives, the trumpet will be blown and the earth will tremble so violently that mountains will move making a loud noise. (This is the reply to the oath.)
7. Then the first blow on the trumpet will be followed by a second (ar-radifah, the blast). The earth and mountains will then be demolished, the sky will break apart, the planets and stars will scatter, and Allah will resurrect all the creatures.
8. The hearts of the unbelievers will be fearful when they realize that what the Messenger had brought to them was the truth but that they had disbelieved and treated his message as a lie.
10. The unbelievers of Quraish denied the possibility of resurrection after death when the dead are in their graves. (It was said that the meaning is as follows: They used to say: “Are we going to return to life to our former state before our death?” Thus the meaning of al-hafera would then mean the return of man to his former appearance in his life on earth.)
12. And they said that if what they were told about their return to life after death was true, they then would be ruined because they had denied the Resurrection. (They used to say this because they believed that the Resurrection was improbable and also to mock Mohammad and his companions.)
13. Allah Almighty answered them saying: “Do not consider it unlikely, and do not think it is difficult for Allah to accomplish. Only a single Cry will be released, by the will of Allah. ( Some say it is the second Cry.)
14. All the people will then be alive again on earth (or in the land of gathering).
{ هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰ }
{ أَتَاكَ }
(15) – شَقَّ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَكْذِيبُ قُرَيْشٍ لَهُ، وَاسْتِهْزَاؤُهُمْ بِهِ، فَذَكَّرَهُ اللهُ تَعَالَى بِقِصَّةِ مُوسَى، عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ، مَعَ فِرْعَوْنَ، لِيُسَلِّيَهُ، وَيُثَبِّتَ قَلْبَهُ، وَلِيَعْلَمَ أَنَّ العَاقِبَةَ لِلرُّسُلِ عَلَى أَعْدَاءِ اللهِ المُكَذِّبِينَ.
Surah An-Nazi’at: Verse 15
15. The denial of the Prophet by the people of Quraish and their mockery of him were difficult for the holy Prophet to bear. Thus Allah Almighty reminded him of the story of Moses with Pharaoh to console him and fortify his heart, and so that he would know that victory is for the messengers over the denying enemies of Allah.
(16) – فَقَالَ تَعَالَى لِرَسُولِهِ الكَرِيمِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: هَلِ اتَّصَلَ بِكَ خَبَرُ مُوسَى، حِينَمَا كَلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ نِدَاءً، وَهُوَ فِي وَادِي طُوىً المُطَهَّرِ المُبَارَكِ؟.
(وَطُوىً اسْمُ وَادٍ أَسْفَلِ جَبَلِ سيْنَاءَ).
Surah An-Nazi’at: Verse 16
16. Allah Almighty says to His noble Messenger: “Did you hear the news of Moses when His Lord called and spoke to him while he was in the sacred valley of Tua (the name of a valley at the foot of Mount Sinai)?”
17. Allah Almighty ordained His servant Moses to go to Pharaoh, the conceited tyrant, and to call him to worship Him and to stop all transgression and haughtiness.
20. When Pharaoh was not convinced by the call of Moses or by his logical argument, Moses then showed him a strong proof and a great miracle about the veracity of his prophecy and and the truth of his message. This consisted in the transformation of the staff into a big serpent, and in the removal of his hand white and shining from the front opening of his tunic without any harm or illness.
25. Allah Almighty took vengeance on him and made him an example to others like him. Allah will punish him in the Hereafter in Hell and evil will be his end. (It was said that the meaning is as follows: Allah Almighty punished him for having said that he was their great Lord, as well as for having denied Moses).
26. In the punishment and suffering that Allah inflicted upon Pharaoh, in this life and the Hereafter, there is a lesson and an example for those of sound mind.
27. Allah Almighty tells those who show animosity to the Prophet, and deny the Resurrection: “O you people, know that the creation of the heavens is far greater than your creation, and the achievement and construction of these are far more difficult than yours; and yet We have created them, and were not incapable of their creation.”
28. Almighty Allah created the firmament and gathered its separate parts and made it float in the high heaven, and He adjusted them so that each part was in its proper position.
31. He made water gush forth from the sources, rivers and streams and to overflow which helped the plants to grow so that men and cattle could eat from them.
32. He made the mountains firmly fixed in the earth, and made them like the pegs used to keep down the tents, so that the strong winds would not blow them away and the earth would not be shaken and throw the creatures on it about.
33. Allah Almighty created all this so that men and cattle could enjoy and benefit from it in their daily living. He makes people aware of all this so as to draw their attention to that He Who created this marvellous creation is not incapable of raising the dead from their graves on Judgement Day after they had turned to dust and the particles of their bodies had become scattered on the earth.
35. — and on that day man sees all his deeds, good and evil, recorded in his book of deeds. He thus remembers them, for he has forgotten them, but Allah has recorded and stored them for him;
40. But for he who knew that he would be brought before his Lord on Judgement Day and asked to give an account of his deeds, feared this day and took it into consideration, and restrained himself from committing any sins or following lust and passions,
42. The polytheists would ask the holy Prophet mockingly about the Hour: “When will it occur?” They would urge him to hasten it. The Prophet wished he could answer them in order that they might be guided, but Allah Almighty forbade him to wish for what was unattainable. For the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah Alone. The messenger’s duty is to warn men and to convey his Lord’s Message to them. As for the stubborn unbelievers, he should leave them alone.
43. Why is there unending mention of the Hour? And what is this interest in it that you do not tire from asking about it? The knowledge is not with you that you may tell them about it.
44. The knowledge of the Hour is with your Lord. No one knows its time but He. He did not disclose this knowledge to any close angel or to any prophet.
45. And you, O Messenger, were sent to strike fear in the hearts of those who are pious and warn them against the terrors of the Hour and the difficulty of judgement on the Day of Resurrection.
46. When the creatures all rise on Judgement Day and see the terror of the Hour, they will realize that life on earth was short, and they will see it as if it were only an evening or a dawn of a day. (Or they may think that their duration in their graves was very short.)
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.