The Tafsir of Surat An-Nazi`at (Chapter - 79) Which was revealed in Makkah
Ayahs Covered
Common Words
Other Scholars on These Ayahs
By those that wrest by the angels who wrest the souls of disbelievers violently;
by those that draw out by the angels who draw out the souls of believers gently;
by those that glide serenely by the angels who descend from the heavens with His command exalted be He;
by those that race forward by the angels who race forward to Paradise with the souls of believers;
and by those that direct the affair by the angels who direct the affairs of this world that is to say they descend with the directions for it from God the response to all of these oath clauses has bee...
the day when the Tremor quakes that is to say the first blast as a result of which everything will be shaken violently thus it the subject has been described in terms of the effect it produces
and is followed by the Aftershock the second blast; between the two blasts is a span of forty years the sentence tatba‘uhā’l-rādifatu is a circumstantial qualifier referring to al-rājifa ‘the Tremor’ ...
on that day hearts will be trembling frightened and anxious
their eyes humbled abject because of the terror that they see.
They those of the mentioned hearts and eyes will say mockingly and in rejection of the Resurrection ‘Are we indeed read a-innā pronouncing both hamzas or by not pronouncing the second and inserting an...
What! When we have been decayed bones?’ nakhira a variant reading has nākhira ‘decayed and withered’ will we have life again?
They will say ‘That return of ours to life then if it were true would be a ruinous return!’.
God exalted be He says But it the Aftershock which will be followed by the Resurrection will be only a single blast and so when it is blasted
behold then they all creatures will be upon the surface of the earth alive after having been dead inside it.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The trumpet (sur) which will be blown.
“Whoever enters a horse (in a race) between two other horses, not knowing whether it will win, that is not gambling. But whoever enters a horse (in race) between two other horses, certain that it will...
“Let those who lift their gaze to the heavens desist, or their sight will not come back.”
It was narrated to me, and that which followed.
`Abdullah said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) arranged for a horse race, and the prepared horses were given less food for a few days before the race to win the race, and were allowed to run from Al-Hafya to Thani...
I love, and what follows subsequently.
‘Abd Allah bin Umar said “The Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) held race between the horses which had been made lean by training from Al Hafya’. The goal was Thaniyyat Al Wada’ and he held a race between the hors...
People should avoid lifting their eyes towards the sky while supplicating in prayer, otherwise their eyes would be snatched away.
The Prophet (ﷺ) arranged for a horse race of the horses which had not been made lean; the area of the race was from Ath-Thaniya to the mosque of Bani Zuraiq. (The sub-narrator said, "`Abdullah bin `U...
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had a race of the horses which had been especially prepared for the purpose from Hafya' to Thaniyyat al-Wada' (the la...
Ibn Kathir Commentary
Related Tafsir
The Tafsir of Surat An-Nazi`at (Chapter - 79) Which was revealed in Makkah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Swearing by Five Characteristics that the Day of Judgement will occur
Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Abbas, Masruq, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Abu Salih, Abu Ad-Duha and As-Suddi all said,
وَالنَّـزِعَـتِ غَرْقاً
(By those who pull out, drowning.) "These are the angels who remove the souls from the Children of Adam." Among them are those whose souls are removed by the angels with difficulty, as if he is being drowned during its removal. There are those people whose souls the angels remove with ease, as if they were unraveling him (i.e., his soul from him) due to their briskness. This is the meaning of Allah's statement,
وَالنَّـشِطَـتِ نَشْطاً
(By those who free briskly.) This has been mentioned by Ibn `Abbas. In reference to Allah's statement,
وَالسَّـبِحَـتِ سَبْحاً
(And by the swimmers, swimming.) Ibn Mas`ud said, "They are the angels." Similar statements have been reported from `Ali, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, and Abu Salih. Concerning Allah's statement,
فَالسَّـبِقَـتِ سَبْقاً
(And by the racers, racing.) It has been narrated from `Ali, Masruq, Mujahid, Abu Salih, and Al-Hasan Al-Basri that this means the angels. Then Allah says,
فَالْمُدَبِّرَتِ أَمْراً
(And by those who arrange affairs.) `Ali, Mujahid, `Ata', Abu Salih, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas, and As-Suddi all said, "They are the angels." Al-Hasan added, "They control the affairs from the heaven to the earth, meaning by the command of their Lord, the Mighty and Majestic."
The Description of the Day of Judgement, the People, and what They will say
Then Allah says,
يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الرَّاجِفَةُ - تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ
(On the Day the Rajifah shakes, followed by the Radifah.) Ibn `Abbas said, "These are the two blasts (of the Trumpet) -- the first and the second." Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and others have made similar statements. It has been reported from Mujahid that he said, "In reference to the first, it is the statement of Allah,
يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الرَّاجِفَةُ
(On the Day the Rajifah shakes,) This is similar to Allah's statement,
يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الاٌّرْضُ وَالْجِبَالُ
(On the Day the earth and the mountains shake.) (73:14) The second is Ar-Radifah, and it is like the Allah's statement,
وَحُمِلَتِ الاٌّرْضُ وَالْجِبَالُ فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةً وَحِدَةً
(And the earth and mountains shall be removed from their places, and crushed with a single crushing.) (69:14)" Concerning Allah's statement,
قُلُوبٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاجِفَةٌ
(Hearts that Day will tremble.) Ibn `Abbas said, "This means afraid." Mujahid and Qatadah also said this.
أَبْصَـرُهَا خَـشِعَةٌ
(Their vision humiliated.) meaning, the eyes of the people. It means that the eyes will be lowly and disgraced from what they will witness of terrors. Allah then says,
يَقُولُونَ أَءِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِى الْحَـفِرَةِ
(They say: "Shall we indeed be brought back from Al-Hafirah") meaning, the idolators of the Quraysh and whoever rejects the Hereafter as they did. They consider the occurrence of the resurrection after being placed in Al-Hafirah -- which are the graves -- as something farfetched. This has been said by Mujahid. They feel that this is something impossible after the destruction of their physical bodies and the disintegration of their bones and their decaying. Thus, Allah says,
أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَـماً نَّخِرَةً
(Even after we are bones Nakhirah) It has also been recited: (نَاخِرَةً) (Nakhirah) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah, all said, "This means decayed." Ibn `Abbas said, "It is the bone when it has decayed and air enters into it." Concerning their saying,
تِلْكَ إِذاً كَرَّةٌ خَـسِرَةٌ
(It would in that case be a return with loss.) (79:12) Muhammad bin Ka`b said that the Quraysh said, "If Allah brings us back to life after we die, then surely we will be losers." Allah then says,
فَإِنَّمَا هِىَ زَجْرَةٌ وَحِدَةٌ - فَإِذَا هُم بِالسَّاهِرَةِ
(But it will be only a single Zajrah. When behold, they are at As-Sahirah.) meaning, this is a matter that is from Allah that will not occur twice, nor will there be any opportunity to affirm it or verify it. The people will be standing and looking. This will be when Allah commands the angel Israfil to blow into the Sur, which will be the blowing of the resurrection. At that time the first people and the last people will all be standing before their Lord looking. This is as Allah says,
يَوْمَ يَدْعُوكُمْ فَتَسْتَجِيبُونَ بِحَمْدِهِ وَتَظُنُّونَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً
(On the Day when He will call you, and you will answer with His praise and obedience, and you will think that you have stayed but a little while!) (17:52) Allah has also said,
وَمَآ أَمْرُنَآ إِلاَّ وَحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ
(And our commandment is but one as the twinkling of an eye.) (54:50) Allah also says,
وَمَآ أَمْرُ السَّاعَةِ إِلاَّ كَلَمْحِ الْبَصَرِ أَوْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ
(And the matter of the Hour is not but as a twinkling of the eye, or even nearer.) (16:77) Allah then says,
فَإِذَا هُم بِالسَّاهِرَةِ
(When behold, they are at As-Sahirah.) Ibn `Abbas said, "As-Sahirah means the entire earth." Sa`id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and Abu Salih have all said this as well. `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Ad-Dahhak, and Ibn Zayd have all said, "As-Sahirah means the face of the earth." Mujahid said, "They will be at its (the earth's) lowest part, and they will be brought out to highest part." Then he said, "As-Sahirah is a level place." Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said,
فَإِذَا هُم بِالسَّاهِرَةِ
(When behold, they are at As-Sahirah.) "Allah says,
يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الاٌّرْضُ غَيْرَ الاٌّرْضِ وَالسَّمَـوَتُ وَبَرَزُواْ للَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ
(On the Day when the earth will be changed to another earth and so will be the heavens, and they will appear before Allah, the One, the Irresistible.) (14:48) and He says,
وَيَسْـَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْجِبَالِ فَقُلْ يَنسِفُهَا رَبِّى نَسْفاً - فَيَذَرُهَا قَاعاً صَفْصَفاً - لاَّ تَرَى فِيهَا عِوَجاً وَلا أَمْتاً
(And they ask you concerning the mountains: say, "My Lord will blast them and scatter them as particles of dust. Then He shall leave them as a level smooth plain.You will see therein nothing crooked or curved.) (20:105-107) and Allah says,
" وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ الْجِبَالَ وَتَرَى الاٌّرْضَ بَارِزَةً
(And the Day We shall cause the mountains to pass away, and you will see the earth as a leveled plain.) (18:47) and the earth will be brought forth which will have mountains upon it, and it will not be considered from this earth (of this life). It will be an earth that no sin will be performed on it, nor will any blood be shed upon it."