89. Al-Fajrالفجر

The Dawn · Meccan · 30 ayahs · 1 ruku

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

وَالْفَجْرِ ۟ۙوَالۡفَجۡرِۙ

By the Dawn,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَلَیَالٍ عَشْرٍ ۟ۙوَلَيَالٍ عَشۡرٍۙ

by the Ten Nights,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَّالشَّفْعِ وَالْوَتْرِ ۟ۙوَّالشَّفۡعِ وَالۡوَتۡرِۙ‏

by the even and the odd,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَالَّیْلِ اِذَا یَسْرِ ۟ۚوَالَّيۡلِ اِذَا يَسۡرِ‌ۚ

and by the passing night,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

هَلْ فِیْ ذٰلِكَ قَسَمٌ لِّذِیْ حِجْرٍ ۟ؕهَلۡ فِىۡ ذٰلِكَ قَسَمٌ لِّذِىۡ حِجۡرٍؕ

is there not in this strong evidence for a man of sense?

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

اَلَمْ تَرَ كَیْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ ۟اَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ

Have you not heard of how your Lord dealt with the tribe of ‘Ad,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

اِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ ۟اِرَمَ ذَاتِ الۡعِمَادِ

the people of Iram, the city of many pillars,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

الَّتِیْ لَمْ یُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِی الْبِلَادِ ۟الَّتِىۡ لَمۡ يُخۡلَقۡ مِثۡلُهَا فِى الۡبِلَادِ

the like of which has never been created in the land,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَثَمُوْدَ الَّذِیْنَ جَابُوا الصَّخْرَ بِالْوَادِ ۟وَثَمُوۡدَ الَّذِيۡنَ جَابُوا الصَّخۡرَ بِالۡوَادِ

and with the Thamud, who cut out [huge] rocks in the valley,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِی الْاَوْتَادِ ۟وَفِرۡعَوۡنَ ذِى الۡاَوۡتَادِ

and with Pharaoh of the stakes?

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

الَّذِیْنَ طَغَوْا فِی الْبِلَادِ ۟الَّذِيۡنَ طَغَوۡا فِى الۡبِلَادِ

All of them committed excesses in their lands,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

فَاَكْثَرُوْا فِیْهَا الْفَسَادَ ۟فَاَكۡثَرُوۡا فِيۡهَا الۡفَسَادَ

and caused much corruption in them:

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

فَصَبَّ عَلَیْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ ۟ۚۙفَصَبَّ عَلَيۡهِمۡ رَبُّكَ سَوۡطَ عَذَابٍ

so your Lord unleashed on them the scourge of punishment:

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

اِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ ۟ؕاِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالۡمِرۡصَادِؕ

for, indeed, your Sustainer is ever on the watch!

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

فَاَمَّا الْاِنْسَانُ اِذَا مَا ابْتَلٰىهُ رَبُّهٗ فَاَكْرَمَهٗ وَنَعَّمَهٗ ۙ۬— فَیَقُوْلُ رَبِّیْۤ اَكْرَمَنِ ۟ؕفَاَمَّا الۡاِنۡسَانُ اِذَا مَا ابۡتَلٰٮهُ رَبُّهٗ فَاَكۡرَمَهٗ وَنَعَّمَهٗ ۙ فَيَقُوۡلُ رَبِّىۡۤ اَكۡرَمَنِؕ‏

As for man, when his Lord tests him, through honour and blessings, he says, ‘My Lord has honoured me,’

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَاَمَّاۤ اِذَا مَا ابْتَلٰىهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَیْهِ رِزْقَهٗ ۙ۬— فَیَقُوْلُ رَبِّیْۤ اَهَانَنِ ۟ۚوَاَمَّاۤ اِذَا مَا ابۡتَلٰٮهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيۡهِ رِزۡقَهٗ فَيَقُوۡلُ رَبِّىۡۤ اَهَانَنِ‌ۚ

but when He tests him by straitening his means of livelihood, he says, ‘My Lord has disgraced me.’

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

Tafseer of 89:1–16

Man passes through two sets of circumstances in the world—sometimes finding or receiving things and sometimes losing them. Both eventualities, meant to gauge human reactions to different conditions, are for the purpose of putting man to the test. If the individual starts to boast when he receives something and acts negatively when things are taken away from him, he has failed the test.

كَلَّا بَلْ لَّا تُكْرِمُوْنَ الْیَتِیْمَ ۟ۙكَلَّا‌ بَلۡ لَّا تُكۡرِمُوۡنَ الۡيَتِيۡمَۙ

No indeed, but you show no kindness to the orphan,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَلَا تَحٰٓضُّوْنَ عَلٰی طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِیْنِ ۟ۙوَلَا تَحٰٓضُّوۡنَ عَلٰى طَعَامِ الۡمِسۡكِيۡنِۙ‏

nor do you urge one another to feed the poor,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَتَاْكُلُوْنَ التُّرَاثَ اَكْلًا لَّمًّا ۟ۙوَتَاۡكُلُوۡنَ التُّرَاثَ اَكۡلًا لَّـمًّا ۙ‏

and you greedily devour the inheritance of the weak,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَّتُحِبُّوْنَ الْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا ۟ؕوَّتُحِبُّوۡنَ الۡمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا ؕ‏

and you have a love of wealth which can never be satisfied.

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

كَلَّاۤ اِذَا دُكَّتِ الْاَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا ۟ۙكَلَّاۤ اِذَا دُكَّتِ الۡاَرۡضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا

No indeed! When the earth is crushed and ground to dust,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَّجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَالْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا ۟ۚوَّجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَالۡمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا

when your Lord comes down with the angels, rank upon rank,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَجِایْٓءَ یَوْمَىِٕذٍۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۙ۬— یَوْمَىِٕذٍ یَّتَذَكَّرُ الْاِنْسَانُ وَاَنّٰی لَهُ الذِّكْرٰی ۟ؕوَجِاىْٓءَ يَوۡمَئِذٍۢ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۙ‌ يَوۡمَئِذٍ يَّتَذَكَّرُ الۡاِنۡسَانُ وَاَنّٰى لَـهُ الذِّكۡرٰىؕ

and Hell is made to appear on that Day, then man will be mindful, but what will being mindful then avail him?

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

یَقُوْلُ یٰلَیْتَنِیْ قَدَّمْتُ لِحَیَاتِیْ ۟ۚيَقُوۡلُ يٰلَيۡتَنِىۡ قَدَّمۡتُ لِحَـيَاتِى‌ۚ

He will say, ‘Oh, would that I had provided beforehand for my life!’

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

فَیَوْمَىِٕذٍ لَّا یُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهٗۤ اَحَدٌ ۟ۙفَيَوۡمَئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهٗۤ اَحَدٌ

On that Day no one will punish as He punishes,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَّلَا یُوْثِقُ وَثَاقَهٗۤ اَحَدٌ ۟ؕوَّلَا يُوۡثِقُ وَثَاقَهٗۤ اَحَدٌ

and none can bind with bonds like His!

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

یٰۤاَیَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَىِٕنَّةُ ۟ۗۖيٰۤاَيَّتُهَا النَّفۡسُ الۡمُطۡمَئِنَّةُ

[But to the righteous, God will say], ‘O soul at peace,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

ارْجِعِیْۤ اِلٰی رَبِّكِ رَاضِیَةً مَّرْضِیَّةً ۟ۚارۡجِعِىۡۤ اِلٰى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرۡضِيَّةً‌

return to your Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing.

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

فَادْخُلِیْ فِیْ عِبٰدِیْ ۟ۙفَادۡخُلِىۡ فِىۡ عِبٰدِىۙ

Join My servants.

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَادْخُلِیْ جَنَّتِیْ ۟۠وَادۡخُلِىۡ جَنَّتِى

Enter My Paradise.’

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

Tafseer of 89:17–30

The other type of person is one who would bow down before God and thank Him when he received something, and when things were taken away from him, he would once again bow down before God and express his humility. It is the second type of person who has been called the contented soul or an-nafs al-mutmainnah.

The position of the contented soul is attained by one who ponders over God’s signs in the universe; who derives spiritual nourishment, learns lessons and receives guidance from historical events; who proves that if there is a clash between the self and the Truth, he will ignore the self and accept the Truth; who, after once accepting the Truth, never renounces it, whatever the cost.