الفجر
Surah Al-Fajr
The Dawn · Surah 89 · Meccan · 30 verses
1وَٱلۡفَجۡرِ ١By the Dawn.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, the oaths at the start of this surah draw attention to changes that lead man from darkness to light, from sorrow to joy. Dawn is the passage from night’s darkness to morning’s light.2وَلَيَالٍ عَشۡرࣲ ٢And ten nights.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, “the ten” said absolutely brings to mind the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, up to the Feast; some say the last ten nights of Ramadan.3وَٱلشَّفۡعِ وَٱلۡوَتۡرِ ٣And the Even and the Odd.InsightElmalılı, citing al-Razi, says this is what the Arabs called “even and odd”: all numbers and beings are either even or odd.4وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَسۡرِ ٤And the night when it departeth.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, this is an oath by the time when night passes; a similar oath came in Surah al-Muddaththir.5هَلۡ فِي ذَٰلِكَ قَسَمࣱ لِّذِي حِجۡرٍ ٥There surely is an oath for thinking man.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, these oaths carry great meaning for one whose reason restrains him from evil: they are events that make a person think.6أَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ ٦Dost thou not consider how thy Lord dealt with (the tribe of) A’ad.InsightElmalılı notes that historians, as Ibn Khaldun mentions, divided the Arabs into four, and the “vanished Arabs” were peoples like ‘Ad who perished entirely.7إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلۡعِمَادِ ٧With many-columned Iram.InsightElmalılı relates three views on “Iram”: the name of a tribe, of a city, or of ‘Ad’s ancestors. “Of the pillars” may point to their tall buildings or their great stature.8ٱلَّتِي لَمۡ يُخۡلَقۡ مِثۡلُهَا فِي ٱلۡبِلَٰدِ ٨The like of which was not created in the lands.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, this plainly describes Iram as a city without equal. Even such a matchless city perished because of arrogance.9وَثَمُودَ ٱلَّذِينَ جَابُواْ ٱلصَّخۡرَ بِٱلۡوَادِ ٩And with (the tribe of) Thamud, who clove the rocks in the valley.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, Thamud cut the rocks in the valley to build houses; this was a strength and skill Allah had given them.10وَفِرۡعَوۡنَ ذِي ٱلۡأَوۡتَادِ ١٠And with Pharaoh, firm of might.InsightElmalılı recalls that “awtad” means stakes and is also used in the Qur’an for mountains. Pharaoh’s power and rule were like firm stakes; still they fell.11ٱلَّذِينَ طَغَوۡاْ فِي ٱلۡبِلَٰدِ ١١Who (all) were rebellious (to Allah) in these lands.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, each of them, trusting their power and following their desires, overstepped the limits of right and justice and attacked the rights of both people and the Creator.12فَأَكۡثَرُواْ فِيهَا ٱلۡفَسَادَ ١٢And multiplied iniquity therein.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, through oppression, waste and dissipation they spread corruption and ruined order, morals and minds.13فَصَبَّ عَلَيۡهِمۡ رَبُّكَ سَوۡطَ عَذَابٍ ١٣Therefore thy Lord poured on them the disaster of His punishment.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, Allah brought punishment on each of them fiercely and in succession, like pouring down the lashes of a whip.14إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِٱلۡمِرۡصَادِ ١٤Lo! thy Lord is ever watchful.InsightElmalılı explains “mirsad” as a lookout place and says there is an image here: Allah misses nothing and watches over everything.15فَأَمَّا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبۡتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَأَكۡرَمَهُۥ وَنَعَّمَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّيٓ أَكۡرَمَنِ ١٥As for man, whenever his Lord trieth him by honouring him, and is gracious unto him, he saith: My Lord honoureth me.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, the heedless person takes abundance and comfort given as a test to be absolute honour. Yet that too is a test.16وَأَمَّآ إِذَا مَا ٱبۡتَلَىٰهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيۡهِ رِزۡقَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّيٓ أَهَٰنَنِ ١٦But whenever He trieth him by straitening his means of life, he saith: My Lord despiseth me.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, restricted provision is also a test, to be rewarded in the Hereafter according to one’s patience; it lightens the reckoning and increases the reward.17كَلَّاۖ بَل لَّا تُكۡرِمُونَ ٱلۡيَتِيمَ ١٧Nay, but ye (for your part) honour not the orphan.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, it is right neither to count abundance as absolute honour nor scarcity as absolute humiliation; both are tests. The real measure is how one passes the test: do you honour the orphan?18وَلَا تَحَـٰٓضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلۡمِسۡكِينِ ١٨And urge not on the feeding of the poor.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, not only feeding but urging one another to feed the poor is asked for: spreading goodness in society.19وَتَأۡكُلُونَ ٱلتُّرَاثَ أَكۡلࣰا لَّمࣰّا ١٩And ye devour heritages with devouring greed.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, while they cared neither to honour the orphan nor to feed the poor, they devoured wealth left by others all at once, heedless of rights.20وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلۡمَالَ حُبࣰّا جَمࣰّا ٢٠And love wealth with abounding love.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, they cling to wealth with all their greed, not thinking that wealth hoarded and not spent on good is squandered by heirs in dissipation.21كَلَّآۖ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ دَكࣰّا دَكࣰّا ٢١Nay, but when the earth is ground to atoms, grinding, grinding.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, this is the warning “Do not do so!”: do not cling greedily to wealth; while you have the chance, do good for Allah and urge one another to honour the orphan and feed the poor.22وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلۡمَلَكُ صَفࣰّا صَفࣰّا ٢٢And thy Lord shall come with angels, rank on rank.InsightElmalılı says it is clear that Allah’s coming is not moving from place to place, and relates that commentators explained it as the coming of His command and judgement.23وَجِاْيٓءَ يَوۡمَئِذِۭ بِجَهَنَّمَۚ يَوۡمَئِذࣲ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ ٢٣And hell is brought near that day; on that day man will remember, but how will the remembrance (then avail him).InsightAccording to Elmalılı, that day Hell is brought out so it can no longer be denied by the arrogant. Man understands, but it is too late.24يَقُولُ يَٰلَيۡتَنِي قَدَّمۡتُ لِحَيَاتِي ٢٤He will say: Ah, would that I had sent before me (some provision) for my life.InsightElmalılı explains “sending ahead” as doing good deeds beforehand for the future. “My life” may be the life of the Hereafter or this world: “If only I had done something while alive.”25فَيَوۡمَئِذࣲ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُۥٓ أَحَدࣱ ٢٥None punisheth as He will punish on that day.InsightElmalılı gives two meanings: none can match the severity of the punishment Allah gives that day; or no one can bear the punishment that person deserves in his place.26وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُۥٓ أَحَدࣱ ٢٦None bindeth as He then will bind.27يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفۡسُ ٱلۡمُطۡمَئِنَّةُ ٢٧But ah! thou soul at peace.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, this call will come on that day. The soul at peace is one that has bound itself to its Lord through faith and obedience and found inner peace.28ٱرۡجِعِيٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةࣰ مَّرۡضِيَّةࣰ ٢٨Return unto thy Lord, content in His good pleasure.InsightAccording to Elmalılı, this is a return in which you are pleased with your Lord and He with you. Then you are invited among the righteous servants who worship sincerely, and into Paradise.29فَٱدۡخُلِي فِي عِبَٰدِي ٢٩Enter thou among My bondmen.30وَٱدۡخُلِي جَنَّتِي ٣٠Enter thou My Garden.