Verses 1–17
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.
This sūrah was revealed in Mecca and consists of 17 verses. It warns people about the hereafter and proves it by drawing and emphasizing on God’s omnipotence. It points to the reality of that day, and concludes by forewarning the disbelievers. The context of the sūrah suggests that it was revealed in Mecca.
Commentary
وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ ١
(86:1): By the sky, and by the nightly visitor (al-ṭāriq)!
The root word ṭarq originally means “a sharp, audible blow.” One of its derivatives is miṭraqah (hammer). Another one is ṭarīq (path), since the travelers strike the ground with their feet. The word then came to be used for traveling in general. More specifically, it is used for traveling at night, because those who arrive at night usually find the doors locked, and have to knock. The word ṭāriq is used for any incident that occurs at night. In this verse, ṭāriq means a star which rises at night.
By the sky, and by the nightly visitor: This verse is an oath sworn on the heavens and the star which rises at night.
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ ٢
(86:2): And what will show you what is the nightly visitor?
This verse emphasizes what is being sworn upon—namely, al-ṭāriq (the nightly visitor).
النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ ٣
(86:3): It is the brilliant (al-thāqib) star.
The root meaning of thaqb is “piercing, tearing.” It also implies “brilliance and illumination” because a bright object pierces the darkness with its light. It also implies height and elevation. For instance, when a bird soars high, it is said: thaqab al-ṭayr. It is as though the bird tears through the air as it flies.
This verse interprets and describes the nightly visitor (). It is a response to an implied question, as if this were the dialogue:
“And what will show you what is the nightly visitor?” ().
“What is the nightly visitor?”
“It is the brilliant star” ().
إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ ٤
(86:4): There is no soul except (lammā) that there is a guardian (ḥāfiẓ) over it.
This is the main clause of the oath. The word lammā here is equivalent to illā (except, but, save). The meaning is: “There is no soul which does not have a guardian over it.” The purpose of the ḥāfiẓ (guard, watcher, protector) is to write the good and evil deeds which issue from the person, so they may be accounted on the Day of Resurrection, and the person may be compensated for them. The guardian is an angel, and what is guarded is a person’s acts; as God says: Indeed, there are over you guardians, noble writers, who know whatever you do ().
It would not be far-fetched to interpret the “guarding of the souls” as the preservation of their essence and deeds. In this interpretation, ḥāfiẓ is meant as a genus. It means that upon death, the guarded souls neither decay nor are destroyed, until God resurrects them to life by returning their souls. At that point, everyone will be the same person that they were in this world. Then they will be compensated according to their preserved deeds, whether good or evil. Many verses reinforce this idea, such as: Say, “You will be fully captured by the angel of death, who has been charged with you” (); Allah fully captures the souls at the time of their death, and those who have not died in their sleep. Then He retains those for whom He has ordained death (). This does not conflict with the verses we quoted from Sūrah al-Infiṭār [], which implies that the guardian angels are recorders and scribes, because preserving the souls is also a kind of recording and scribing, as this verse suggests: We used to record what you used to do (). We already discussed this idea [under verse ].
Objection: The chapter cannot prove the resurrection based on God’s omnipotence. Divine omnipotence applies only to what is possible, but returning human beings to their exact form is impossible because that would entail a second creation [not the same one as the first]. The second person that is created is only a like and resemblance of the first one, not the exact same person.
Response: Our explanation above should clarify the matter. What constitutes the reality of a person is their soul, not their body; and the soul is preserved. So, when a second body is created and the same soul is attached to it, that will be the exact same person that existed previously in this world—even if their body is a like or resemblance of the worldly body.
فَلْيَنْظُرِ الْإِنْسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ ٥
(86:5) So let man consider from what he was created.
That is: “What is their origin? What was the original substance that God turned into a human being?” The letter fāʾ (so, then, therefore) at the beginning of this verse is mentioned as a conclusion to the overall theme and context of the previous verses. The effective meaning is: “Every soul has a guardian over its essence and deeds. Their essence and deeds neither perish, nor are forgotten. Therefore, humans must acknowledge that they will be returned to their Lord and compensated for their deeds. They should not consider this an unlikely possibility. To arrive at this conclusion and acknowledgment, they must reflect on their origin, and keep in mind that they were created from a fluid that issues from between the loins and ribs. The One Who set in motion their creation from a mere drop has the power to return them to life after death.”
… he was created: This is stated in the passive voice, without mentioning God, the Creator. This usage alludes to the clarity of His work and involvement as the subject of the act. The same applies to the use of the passive voice in the next verse: He was created from an effusing fluid ().
خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ ٦
(86:6) He was created from an effusing (dāfiq, from dafq) fluid,
Dafq means “a rapid pouring and flowing of water.” An effusing fluid is the semen. The verse acts as a response to an implied question prompted by the last verse: from what he was created ().
يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ ٧
(86:7) which issues from between the loins (al-ṣulb) and the ribs (al-tarāʾib).
Ṣulb means “loins, back.” Tarāʾib is the plural of tarībah, meaning “breastbones, ribs.” Exegetes have differed incredibly over this verse and the previous one. Apparently the verse’s expression—from between the loins and the ribs—refers to a part of the body bounded by the bones of the loins and the bones of the chest.
إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَجْعِهِ لَقَادِرٌ ٨
(86:8) Indeed He is able to bring him back [after death] (rajʿihi),
Rajʿ is synonymous with iʿādah (returning, bringing back, restoring). The pronoun “He” refers to God. The verse should have naturally referred to God with a proper noun since there was no mention of Him in the previous verses. However, it only uses a pronoun because it is evident to Whom it refers. This is like the usage of the passive voice previously: he was created ().
The meaning is: “The One Who created human beings from the aforementioned fluid is certainly capable of bringing them back to life after death, for their restoration is similar to their original creation.” The power to do something implies the power to do something similar, for similar events are governed by the same law in terms of possibilities and impossibility.
يَوْمَ تُبْلَى السَّرَائِرُ ٩
(86:9) on the day when the secrets (al-sarāʾir, from sarīrah) are examined (tublá, from balāʾ):
This verse identifies the time of returning. Sarīrah (secret, intention) is “what someone hides in one’s heart and keeps to oneself.” Balāʾ means “examining, making known, studying, investigating.” The meaning is: “They will be returned on a day when whatever is hidden in their souls—including their beliefs and the consequences of their deeds, whether good or evil—will be revealed. The good and evil [beliefs and deeds] will be sifted apart, and people will be compensated accordingly.” The meaning of the verse is similar to: and whether you disclose what is in your hearts or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it ().
فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَلَا نَاصِرٍ ١٠
(86:10) and he shall have neither power nor helper.
One will have no strength to ward off God’s punishment, nor will they have anyone who would defend them on their behalf. In other words, one will have no strength whatsoever to avoid the unpleasant consequences of their beliefs and actions, whether on their own or through the help of another.
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ ١١ وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ ١٢
(86:11-12) By the heaven possessed of resurgence! By the earth possessed of splitting!
Here are two oaths, meant to emphasize the truth of the resurrection and the return to God. The heaven is resurgent in the sense of the apparent sequence of the rising and setting of the stars in cycles. Another suggested interpretation is the cycles of rainfall. The cleaving or furrowing of the earth refers to how it splits apart when plants grow. The connection between these two oaths and the message they emphasize—that is, the people returning to life after death, and emerging from the graves—should be clear.
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ ١٣ وَمَا هُوَ بِالْهَزْلِ ١٤
(86:13-14) It is indeed a decisive (faṣl) word, and it is not a jest (bil-hazl).
These two verses are the main clause of the oaths in the last two verses []. The pronoun “It” refers to the Qur’an. Faṣl means “distinguishing one thing from another such that there is a gap between them.” Hazl (humor, frivolity) is the antonym of jidd (serious, earnest).
The meaning is: “I swear by the heaven and the earth that the Qur’an is a speech which distinguishes truth from falsehood. It is not a frivolous speech. Thus, whatever it affirms is the truth without any doubt, and whatever it refutes is falsehood. Hence, what it says about the resurrection and the return is the truth, without any doubt.”
Some have suggested that the pronoun “It” refers to the aforementioned return and resurrection. However, the previous interpretation is more plausible.
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا ١٥ وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا ١٦
(86:15-16) Indeed they are devising a plot, and I [too] am devising a plot.
That is: “They plot to extinguish the light of God and render your call fruitless through their disbelief and denial of the hereafter. However, their very plots are My plot against them. I draw them step by step into perdition by giving them respite so they can dig their graves deeper. I allow them to throw themselves fully into misguidance by sealing their hearts and casting a veil over their hearing and sight. This is My scheme, which will bring eternal punishment down upon them.”
فَمَهِّلِ الْكَافِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًا ١٧
(86:17) So respite (fa-mahhil, from tamhīl) the faithless—respite them (amhilhum, from imhāl) a little (ruwayda).
The two verb forms tamhīl and imhāl are synonymous (granting respite, delaying, postponing). The difference is that the former is a gradual act, whereas the latter is a sudden occurrence and connotes a single action. Ruwayd means “a little, awhile.” The meaning is: “They have a plot, and I have a plot against them, which is their own plot. And Allah has [full] command of His affairs (). Therefore, be patient with them, and do not rush them. Be patient with them a little, for what has been promised to them will soon come to pass. After all, anything that is bound to come is [practically] near.”
Examining Narrations
- Concerning There is no soul except that there is a guardian over it () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: These are the angels.
- Concerning He was created from an effusing fluid () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: That is the sperm which vigorously gushes forth.
- Concerning which issues from between the loins and the ribs (al-tarāʾib) () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: That is the loins of the man and the tarāʾib of the woman, where tarāʾib refers to her chest.
Author’s comment: Since the narration does not name the Imam (muḍmar) and has no chain of transmission (mursal), it is not free from problems.
- Concerning on the day when the secrets are examined (tublá) () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: It [tublá] means yukshafu ʿanhā (are unveiled, are disclosed, are revealed).
- The Messenger of God said: God has entrusted four things to His creatures: the ritual prayers (ṣalāh), the obligatory poor-rate (zakāt), fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the ritual bath after sexual impurity (ghusl al-janābah). These are the secrets which God refers to: on the day when the secrets are examined ().
Author’s comment: This narration apparently states some applications of the verse [not its exclusive interpretation], as verified by the next narration.
- Muʿādh b. Jabal said: Once I asked the Messenger of God, “What are these secrets by which God will test His servants in the hereafter?” He said: “Your secrets are your deeds, including the prayer, fasting, zakāt (poor-rate, prescribed religious tax), ablution (wuḍūʾ), ritual bath from sexual impurity, and all religious obligations. This is because all acts are secret and hidden, such that one can say, ‘I prayed’ or ‘I made ablution’ while they have not. That is the meaning of the verse: on the day when the secrets are examined ().”
- Concerning and he shall have neither power nor helper () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: He will have no strength to overthrow his Creator, nor any helper to aid him from God if God wills any ill for him.
- Tafsīr al-Qummī says: By the heaven possessed of resurgence (): [It means] possessed of rain. By the earth possessed of splitting (): [It means] possessed of plants.
- Concerning It is indeed a decisive word () Imam al-Ṣādiq said: It means that the Qur’an distinguishes between truth and falsehood by clarifying them each.
- Al-Ḥārith al-Aʿwar said: Once I entered the mosque, and saw the people plunging in arguments and controversy. Then I went to see ʿAlī, and told him about it. He said: “So have they done it [finally]? I heard the Messenger of God say: ‘There shall certainly be a fitnah (ordeal, tribulation, discord).’
‘What will be the way out of it, O Messenger of God?’ I inquired.
‘The Book of God, He replied. ‘In it are reports of those before you, the news of those after you, and the ruling among you. It is a decisive word, and it is not a jest (). God shall destroy any tyrant who abandons it, and shall lead astray anyone who prefers to pursue their own desires away from it. It is the strong rope of God, the robust reminder (), and the straight path (). It is not overridden by whims and desires. The scholar will never be satiated from it. It shall not be lost in translation. It does not become outdated due to denial and rejection. Its wonders never cease. When the jinn heard it, they did not leave without saying: Indeed we heard a wonderful recitation, which leads to guidance (). Whoever speaks with it, speaks the truth. Whoever judges by it, judges justly. Whoever acts by it, will be rewarded. And whoever is called to it, is guided to the straight path.’”
In other words, the verse is not about particular guardian angels that each soul has, but it is about the preservation of the souls in general. (Ed.) ↩︎
Tirb means “similar, equivalent, counterpart.” It is used for almost any bone in the body that has a counterpart, such as the collarbones, the ribs, and the shoulder bones. In this verse, it can be interpreted as the two thighbones. Between the loins and the thighbones is a courteous indirect reference to the male reproductive organ. Maʿrifah, al-Tamhīd fī ʿulūm al-Qurʾān (Qum: Muʾassasat al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1410), . Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī and others, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i mihr (Qum: Pazhūhish-hāyi Tafsīr va ʿUlūm-i Qurʾān, 2008), 22:157. (Ed.) ↩︎
In his exegesis of the verse, al-Marāghī quotes a scientifically subtle explanation for the verse from some physicians. Interested readers should consult his Tafsīr. (Auth.) ↩︎
What is meant here is fāṣil as an active participial noun (ism al-fāʿil). However, the verse uses a maṣdar (infinitive noun, gerund) for emphasis. This is like saying “Zayd is justice” [instead of “Zayd is just”]. (Auth.) ↩︎
There is a clear subtlety in the usage of a little for the second verb, which implies immediate occurrence, as opposed to the first verb which implies gradualness. (Auth.)
Apparently the subtlety is that the second verb implies the imminence of their punishment. That is why it is qualified by a little: “Just bear with them a little bit; it will not be long before they are seized by God’s punishment.” (Ed.) ↩︎
This is a famous Prophetic narration and proverb that is reported in several Sunni and Shia sources. See volume 39, p. 235 of the English translation: hadith number 4 under verses . (Ed.) ↩︎
Majma’ al-bayān, on the authority of Abū al-Dardāʾ, with an unconnected chain of transmission (marfūʿ). ↩︎
Majma’ al-bayān. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Dārimī, al-Tirmidhī, Muḥammad b. Naṣr and Ibn al-Anbarī’s al-maṣāḥif. The same book has also reported a similar narration from the Prophet on the authority of Muʿādh b. Jabal, and a shorter version of it from ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn Mardawayh. ↩︎