91. Ash-Shamsالشمس

The Sun · Meccan · 15 ayahs · 1 ruku

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحٰىهَا ۟وَالشَّمۡسِ وَضُحٰٮهَا

By the sun and its rising brightness

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَالْقَمَرِ اِذَا تَلٰىهَا ۟وَالۡقَمَرِ اِذَا تَلٰٮهَا

and by the moon as it follows it,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَالنَّهَارِ اِذَا جَلّٰىهَا ۟وَالنَّهَارِ اِذَا جَلّٰٮهَا

and by the day as it reveals its glory

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَالَّیْلِ اِذَا یَغْشٰىهَا ۟وَالَّيۡلِ اِذَا يَغۡشٰٮهَا

and by the night when it draws a veil over it,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَالسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنٰىهَا ۟وَالسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنٰٮهَا

by the sky and how He built it

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَالْاَرْضِ وَمَا طَحٰىهَا ۟وَالۡاَرۡضِ وَمَا طَحٰٮهَا

and by the earth and how He spread it,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَنَفْسٍ وَّمَا سَوّٰىهَا ۟وَنَفۡسٍ وَّمَا سَوّٰٮهَا

by the soul and how He formed it,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

فَاَلْهَمَهَا فُجُوْرَهَا وَتَقْوٰىهَا ۟فَاَلۡهَمَهَا فُجُوۡرَهَا وَتَقۡوٰٮهَا

then inspired it to understand what was right and wrong for it.

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

قَدْ اَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكّٰىهَا ۟قَدۡ اَفۡلَحَ مَنۡ زَكّٰٮهَا

He who purifies it will indeed be successful,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسّٰىهَا ۟ؕوَقَدۡ خَابَ مَنۡ دَسّٰٮهَا

and he who corrupts it is sure to fail.

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

Tafseer of 91:1–10

Almighty God has made threefold arrangements for the guidance of man. On the one hand, the universe has been so constructed that it has become the practical manifestation of God’s will. On the other hand, the human psyche has been infused with an intuitive consciousness of good and bad. Thereafter, it was arranged that Truth and falsehood, justice and injustice be revealed clearly through the prophets in a language understandable to the people. Even after this, if people do not adopt the right path, they are undoubtedly transgressors.

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُوْدُ بِطَغْوٰىهَاۤ ۟كَذَّبَتۡ ثَمُوۡدُ بِطَغۡوٰٮهَآ

The Thamud tribe rejected the truth because of their arrogance,

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

اِذِ انْۢبَعَثَ اَشْقٰىهَا ۟اِذِ انۡۢبَعَثَ اَشۡقٰٮهَا

when the most wicked man among them rose up.

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ نَاقَةَ اللّٰهِ وَسُقْیٰهَا ۟ؕفَقَالَ لَهُمۡ رَسُوۡلُ اللّٰهِ نَاقَةَ اللّٰهِ وَسُقۡيٰهَا

Then the messenger of God said to them, ‘This is God’s she-camel. Let her drink.’

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

فَكَذَّبُوْهُ فَعَقَرُوْهَا— فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَیْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْۢبِهِمْ فَسَوّٰىهَا ۟فَكَذَّبُوۡهُ فَعَقَرُوۡهَا ۙفَدَمۡدَمَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ بِذَنۡۢبِهِمۡ فَسَوّٰٮهَا

But they gave him the lie, and hamstrung the she-camel. So their Lord destroyed them for their crime and razed their city to the ground.

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

وَلَا یَخَافُ عُقْبٰهَا ۟۠وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقۡبٰهَا

He did not fear the consequences.

— Tazkirul Quran (En)

Tafseer of 91:11–15

The she-camel of the Prophet Salih, in a way, symbolised the principle that one should respect the rights of others and discharge one’s duties to them accordingly, even if they are helpless and weak. It is quite possible that a creature which, to all appearances, is only a ‘she-camel’, may be God’s sign brought before people to test them.