The Tafsīr of Sūrat Al-'Ādiyāt (Chapter - 100)

Which was revealed in Makkah

Arabic quotation as printed; not matched to Tanzil, so not shown as the Qur’anجَزَآؤُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّٰتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِىَ رَبَّهُۥ إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا وَأَخْرَجَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا وَقَالَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَا لَهَا يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَىٰ لَهَا يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ ٱلنَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا۟ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُۥ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُۥ وَٱلْعَٰدِيَٰتِ ضَبْحًا فَٱلْمُورِيَٰتِ قَدْحًا فَٱلْمُغِيرَٰتِ صُبْحًا فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِۦ نَقْعًا فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِۦ جَمْعًا إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ لِرَبِّهِۦ لَكَنُودٌ وَإِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ وَإِنَّهُۥ لِحُبِّ ٱلْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِى ٱلْقُبُورِ

Qur’anبِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Qur’an 100:1–11وَٱلْعَٰدِيَٰتِ ضَبْحًا فَٱلْمُورِيَٰتِ قَدْحًا فَٱلْمُغِيرَٰتِ صُبْحًا فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِۦ نَقْعًا فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِۦ جَمْعًا إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ لِرَبِّهِۦ لَكَنُودٌ وَإِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ وَإِنَّهُۥ لِحُبِّ ٱلْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِى ٱلْقُبُورِ وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌۢ

«1. By the 'Ādiyāt (steeds), snorting.» «2. Striking sparks of fire.» «3. And scouring to the raid at dawn.» «4. And raise the dust in clouds the while.» «5. And penetrating forthwith as one into the midst.» «6. Verily, man is ungrateful to his Lord.» «7. And to that He bears witness.» «8. And verily, he is violent in the love of wealth.» «9. Knows he not that when the contents of the graves are poured forth?» «10. And that which is in the breasts shall be made known?» «11. Verily, that Day their Lord will be Well-Acquainted with them.»

Swearing by the Horses of War about the Ungratefulness of Man and His Zeal for Wealth

Allāh swears by the horses when they are made to gallop into battle in His path (i.e., Jihād),^{1Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:562.} and thus they run and pant, which is the sound that is heard from the horse when it runs.

Qur’an 100:2فَٱلْمُورِيَٰتِ قَدْحًا

«Striking sparks of fire.» meaning, the striking of their hooves on the rocks, which causes sparks of fire to fly from them.

Qur’an 100:3فَٱلْمُغِيرَٰتِ صُبْحًا

«And scouring to the raid at dawn.» meaning, the raid that is carried out in the early morning time. This is just as the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ used to perform raids in the early morning. He would wait to see if he heard the Adhān (call to prayer) from the people. If he heard it he would leave them alone, and if he didn't hear it he would attack. Then Allāh says,

Qur’an 100:4فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِۦ نَقْعًا

«And raise the dust in clouds the while.» meaning, dust at the place of the battle with the horses.

Qur’an 100:5فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِۦ جَمْعًا

«And penetrating forthwith as one into the midst.» means, then are all in the middle of that spot, together. Allāh's saying;

Qur’an 100:3فَٱلْمُغِيرَٰتِ صُبْحًا

«And scouring to the raid at dawn.» Ibn 'Abbās, Mujāhid and Qatādah, all said, "This means the invasion of the horses in the morning in the way of Allāh."^{2Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:562.} And His statement,

Qur’an 100:4فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِۦ نَقْعًا

«And raise the dust in clouds the while.» This is the place in which the attack takes place. The dust is stirred up by it. And His statement,

Qur’an 100:5فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِۦ جَمْعًا

«And penetrating forthwith as one into the midst.» Al-'Awfi narrated from Ibn 'Abbās, 'Aṭā, 'Ikrimah, Qatādah and Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk that they all said, "This means into the midst of the disbelieving enemy."^{3Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:564, 565.} Concerning Allāh's statement,

Qur’an 100:6إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ لِرَبِّهِۦ لَكَنُودٌ

«Verily, man is ungrateful (Kanūd) to his Lord.» This is the subject what is being sworn about, and it means that he (man) is ungrateful for the favors of His Lord and he rejects them. Ibn 'Abbās, Mujāhid, Ibrāhīm An-Nakha'i, Abu Al-Jawzā', Abu Al-'Āliyah, Abu Aḍ-Ḍuḥā, Sa'īd bin Jubayr, Muḥammad bin Qays, Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk, Al-Ḥasan, Qatādah, Ar-Rabī' bin Anas and Ibn Zayd all said, "Al-Kanūd means ungrateful."^{4Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:566.} Al-Ḥasan said, "Al-Kanūd is the one who counts the calamities (that befall him) and he forgets Allāh's favors."^{5Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:566.} Concerning Allāh's statement,

Qur’an 100:7وَإِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ

«And to that He bears witness.» Qatādah and Sufyān Ath-Thawri both said, "And indeed Allāh is a witness to that."^{6Aṭ-Ṭabari 24:576.} It is also possible that the pronoun (He) could be referring to man. This was said by Muḥammad bin Ka'b Al-Quraẓi. Thus, its meaning would be that man is a witness himself to the fact that he is ungrateful. This is obvious in his condition, meaning this is apparent from his statements and deeds. This is as Allāh says,

Qur’an 9:17مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يَعْمُرُوا۟ مَسَٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ شَٰهِدِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِم بِٱلْكُفْرِ

«It is not for the idolators, to maintain the Masājid of Allāh, while they witness disbelief against themselves.» (9:17) Allāh said;

Qur’an 100:8وَإِنَّهُۥ لِحُبِّ ٱلْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ

«And verily, he is violent in the love of wealth.» meaning, and indeed in his love of the good, which is wealth, he is severe. There are two opinions concerning this. One of them is that it means that he is severe in his love of wealth. The other view is that it means he is covetous and stingy due to the love of wealth. However, both views are correct.

The Threat about the Hereafter

Then Allāh encourages abstinence from worldly things and striving for the Hereafter, and He informs of what the situation will be after this present condition, and what man will face of horrors. He says,

Qur’an 100:9أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِى ٱلْقُبُورِ

«Knows he not that when the contents of the graves are poured forth?» meaning, the dead that are in it will be brought out.

Qur’an 100:10وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ

«And that which is in the breasts shall be made known?» Ibn 'Abbās and others have said, "This means what was in their souls would be exposed and made apparent."^{7Aṭ-Ṭabari 24 :569.}

Qur’an 100:11إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌۢ

«Verily, that Day their Lord will be Well-Acquainted with them.» meaning, He knows all of that they used to do, and He will compensate them for it with the most deserving reward. He does not do even the slightest amount of injustice.

This is the end of the Tafsīr of Sūrat Al-'Ādiyāt, and all praise and thanks are due to Allāh.