The Holy Qur'an: Chapter 101 Sūrat al-Qāriʻah - The Striking Calamity (Summary)

Allah Almighty has warned the disobedient and obedient alike in many chapters of the Holy Qur'an about a day when this world will come to a violent end - a day when there will be massive earthquakes and earth shaking violently and everything coming to a standstill. That will be End Day, the Day of Resurrection to take stock of the deeds of the good and bad. Like our previous post ( Sūrat az-Zalzalah ( The End day Earthquake )), 101 Sūrat al-Qāriʻah also encompass the same warning and paints the grim picture of the Doomsday.

Before commenting on the text of Sūrat al-Qāriʻah, please read the English translation of the Sūrat al-Qāriʻah to understand its plain meaning / translation :

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

• Al-Qari'ah (the striking Hour i.e. the Day of Resurrection),
• What is the striking (Hour)?
• And what will make you know what the striking (Hour) is?
• It is a Day whereon mankind will be like moths scattered about,
• And the mountains will be like carded wool,
• Then as for him whose balance (of good deeds) will be heavy,
• He will live a pleasant life (in Paradise).
• But as for him whose balance (of good deeds) will be light,
• He will have his home in Hawiyah (pit, i.e. Hell).
• And what will make you know what it is?
• (It is) a hot blazing Fire!

The opening three verses of surah almost coincide or reciprocate the opening three verses of Surah al-Haqqa (Chapter 69):

الْحَاقَّةُ
The Inevitable [Day]!
مَا الْحَاقَّةُ
What an Inevitable Day it is.
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحَاقَّةُ
And what will make you know what the Inevitable is?

As explained before, Allah has warned the man many a times in the Holy Qur'an of the inevitable that will happen and the day when the wrongdoers will repent and the those who did good and put their trust in Allah would rejoice. Now see the similarity of the warning contained in Chapter 69 above and Chapter 101 below

الْقَارِعَةُ 
The striking Hour,
مَا الْقَارِعَةُ 
What is the striking (Hour)?
وَوَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ
And what will make you know what the striking (Hour) is?

Qariah literally means the striking one. Qar is to strike one thing upon another so severely as to produce a noise. In view of this literal meaning, the word qariah is used for a dreadful disaster and a great calamity. [1]

Having described what is Qariah, the following verses explain how dreadful will be day when  mankind will be like moths scattered about and the mountains will be like carded wool. This is how the day of doomsday would be so like. Imagine the mountains turned like the carded wool - the strongest features on earth whithering away, then you may imagine what would be state of affairs of the man made structures.

And the the process of reward and punishment would commence. Those with heavier ,load of good deeds will land up in the much promised paradise. But those with a heavier load of bad deeds will be thrown into a pit - a pit of hot blazing fire. 

Such examples and warnings are given to man off and on in the Holy Qur'an for man may chose the righteous path, the path Islam shows promises for the good believers. But for those believers and non believers who choose a path of wordily pleasures, status and wealth while slandering others will have a tragic and painful ending, forever.

Here are some references from the Holy Qur'an which convey similar warnings to the man of their dreadful ending if they do not act upon the commandments of Allah:

On that Day the weight will be identical with the truth: accordingly, those whose scales, will be heavy will alone come out successful; and those whose scales are light will be the ones who will have incurred loss upon themselves. (Surah Al-Aaraf verses 8-9).

O Prophet, say to them: Should we tell you who are the most unsuccessful people and miserable failures in regard to their deeds? They are those whose all endeavors in the worldly life had gone astray from the right way, but they were under the delusion that everything they were doing, was rightly directed. These are the people who rejected the revelations of their Lord and did not believe that they would ever go before Him. Therefore, all their deeds were lost, for We will assign no weight to them on the Day of Resurrection. (Surah Al-Kahf verses 103-105).

If you have read this with the real intent of being blessed, you shall be so blessed if you continue to find truth, the path to salvation and eternal pleasures of paradise, IF you sacrifice the wordily pleasures for the pleasures that await in the hereafter. The choice is wide open.

You may now like to listen to Arabic recitation of Sūrat al-Qāriʻah with English subtitles:

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Part backwards for chapters in 30th Part are shorter and easier to understand)

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Sūrat az-Zalzalah ( The End day Earthquake ) - Summary 99th Chapter of Quran

The ending chapters of the Holy Qur'an carry almost the same message: Warnings and cautions from Allah for those who did bad deeds and disobeyed commandants of Allah and reward for those who followed the path shown in various chapters of the Holy Qur'an. And this chapter is no exception.

Whether or not it was revealed, at Makkah or Madinah, is disputed. Ibn Masud, Ata, Jabir, and Mjahid say that it is a Makki Surah and a statement of Ibn Abbas also supports this view. On the contrary, Qatadah and Muqatil say that it is Madani and another statement of Ibn Abbas also has been cited in support of this view. That it is a Madani Surah is reasoned from a tradition from Hadrat Abu Said Khudri, which Ibn Abi Hatim has related from him. He says: "When the verse Fa-man ya mal mithqala dharratin khairan yarah, wa man ya mal mithqala dharratin sharran yarah, was revealed, I said: "O Messenger of Allah, shall I really see my deeds? The Holy Messenger replied in the affirmative. I submitted: And every major sin? He replied yes. I said: And the minor sins too? He replied yes. Thereupon I exclaimed that I would then be ruined. The Holy Prophet said: Rejoice, O Abu Sa'id, for each good act will be equal to ten good acts like it." The basis of the argument for this Surah's being Madani is that Hadrat Abu Sa'ld Khudri was an inhabitant of Madinah and reached maturity after the Battle of Uhud. Therefore, if this Surah was revealed in his presence, as is apparent from his statement, it must be a Madani Surah. However, the practice that the Companions and their immediate successors followed in respect of the occasion of the revelation of the verses and Surahs, has already been explained in the Introduction to Surah Ad-Dahr above. Therefore, a Companion's saying that a verse was sent down on this or that particular occasion is no proof that it was sent down on that very occasion. It may well be that after coming of age when Hadrat Abu Sa'id heard this Surah for the first time from the Holy Prophet, terrified by its last portion he might have asked the Holy Prophet the questions which we have cited above, and he might have narrated the incident saying that when this verse was revealed he put this and this question to the Holy Prophet. In the absence of this tradition every reader who reads the Qur'an with understandings will feel that it is a Makki Surah. More than that: from its theme and style he would feel that it must have been sent down in the earliest stage at Makkah when the fundamental principles and beliefs of Islam were being presented before the people in a concise but highly effective way.

This chapter warns the wrongdoers of a huge earthquake that would bring the world to an end, destroying everything over it and throwing out what is contained under the earth, even the dead long since.

The surah begins by describing how on the Day of Judgment, the Earth will give off a terrible earthquake and "throw up her burdens". Through the inspiration of God, the Earth will bear witness to the actions of men it has witnessed. According to Michael Sells, the earth opening up and bearing forth her secrets in this sura is indicative of a birth metaphor. The earth al-'Ard in the feminine gender bears forth of how her lord revealed the final secret to her. Human beings will then realize that the moment of accountability has arrived. This meticulous accountability will reflect good and evil deeds that might have seemed insignificant at the time.

Verses 1-3  Terror on the Day of Judgment

This is the beginning of the end; the Final Day.  God is telling us quite clearly how the Day of Judgment will begin.  There will be a violent earthquake the like of which has not been seen before.   The whole earth will shake; one huge convulsion after the other.  It will shake, pause and then shake again, over and over until mountains fall and buildings crumble.   The earth will then be reduced to a flat surface. 

The violent shaking and convulsing will cause the earth to expel its burdens.  Islamic scholars have given this verse more than one meaning.  The first is that the bodies of the dead will be thrown out of their graves, resurrected.  Secondly the treasures of this world will be laid out exposing their insignificance.  What use are expensive cars and jewellery, for instance, when the earth and all that is in it has been shaken and flattened.  Thirdly the earth will cast out, as if it were a video recording, a record of all the deeds and actions that have taken place throughout its history.

All of humankind will look around afraid and transfixed.  Each person will be amazed and terrified at the same time and each person will ask himself or nobody in particular, what is happening!? What is wrong with this earth!? Slowly the fear will be replaced by the realization that this is the Day of Judgment and the terror will take on a new dimension.  This is the day that was promised, the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Judgement.

Verses 4 and 5  The earth bears witness:

The earth itself will bear witness as to what has happened on it.  Every single thing and every single person’s deeds and actions will be laid bare.  Humankind individually and as a whole will be bewildered.   Nothing has been hidden; the earth has recorded and remembered each and every action and reaction and now at the command of God it will reveal its long kept confidences.  And the forgetful will be reminded of the deeds and actions they have somehow dispelled from their consciousness.

God will cause the earth to speak or in some way reveal the events that have taken place; long kept secrets, true version of events lost in the midst of time, great deeds, and seemingly insignificant ones that were never acknowledged will now be clearly identifiable.  The earth will report its news; describe its condition and what has happened on it.  The earth obeys the orders of God in true and complete submission.  

Verses 6-8  The Results:

Many scholars believe that this is describing the people separated into categories depending on what their position will be in the Hereafter.  It is a scene indescribable in any human language.  The people are both terrified and amazed as they go to where they will be confronted with their deeds, both the good and the bad.  For many this will be more distressing than any earthly punishment because humankind is very good at hiding their crimes even from themselves.

In the seventh verse the use of the word ‘so’ denotes a conclusion.  So now you will see all the bad deeds and all of the good deeds you have ever done.  Nothing will be left out, even things as small as you could imagine; a speck of dust, or even an atom.  Having a good deed as small as an atom could mean a favorable outcome, likewise a bad deed, as tiny as an atom, may cast you into the abyss.

Before commenting on the text of Sūrat az-Zalzalah, please read the English translation of the Sūrat az-Zalzalah to understand its plain meaning / translation :

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

• When the earth is shaken with its (final) earthquake (Az Zalzalah).
• And when the earth throws out its burdens,
• And man will say: “What is the matter with it?”
• That Day it will declare its information (about all what happened over it of good or evil).
• Because your Lord has inspired it.
• That Day mankind will proceed in scattered groups that they may be shown their deeds.
• So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.
• And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.

This chapter in fact paints the doomsday scenario when massive and violent earthquakes will jolt and shake the entire earth, though it is known whether this would include the entire universe or our earth alone, which is certainly the case. All mighty structures that architects and countries boast today will fall like a pack of cards and there will be fires all over.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been quoted as informing: "The closer we get to the end of time, the more frequent earthquakes will become." And this is indeed reflected by the reality; just checking their increased occurrence over the past 2 decades bears this out. [3]

The mention of such massive life ending quakes have been mentioned in many parts of the Holy Qur'an:

“When the sky splits, the stars fall, the oceans boil, when graves are overturned.” (Quran 82: 1-4)

“Do not forget the End Day when the sun is folded and will lose its light. When the stars fall down and cease to exist. When the mountains are made to fly about. When the pregnant camels are abandoned by their owners (people will have no interest in their valuables). When even the wild beasts are gathered. When the oceans are set alight to boil. When souls are joined.” (Quran 81:1-7)

And then the graves would be split open and the dead would come to life and would ask what has happened and why they had been waken up from their slumber. This would include all dead, whether they were buried or drowned or frozen on the mountains.

According to Michael Sells, the earth opening up and bearing forth her secrets in this surah is indicative of a birth metaphor. The earth al-'Ard in the feminine gender bears forth of how her lord revealed the final secret to her. Human beings will then realize that the moment of accountability has arrived. This meticulous accountability will reflect good and evil deeds that might have seemed insignificant at the time. [2]

In an other explanation of the verse 2, it is opined that the word ‘akhraja’ used here is a strong word – it often refers to something being pushed or forced out. The burdens being thrown off are all the deeds, corruption and pollution of humans over the millennium of time.  The image created here is one of the Earth unable to digest the corruption of humanity, and finally in a state of sickness vomiting the unnatural, unwanted deeds of its inhabitants. [3]

This chapter started with something big and ends with the smallest of things.  Even a very ordinary small good has its own value and likewise even the most ordinary evil will also be considered and taken into account.  Thus, no good act, however small, should be left undone.   It may be that many such good deeds can collect and add up to be heavy on the Scale.  Likewise, even the most commonplace evil should also not be committed, because tiny sins done repeatedly can harden the heart and make it blind to the seriousness of greater offences.

The last two verses spell out very clearly who will be pardoned and who will be thrown into the burning hell forever. Such are the ways Allah forewarns the wrongdoers to still repent and come back to the path of truth, lest that day that will be anytime catches them unguarded and unprepared. That day there would be no going back, no forgiveness and no pardons, though Alla is all forgiving and merciful. And He may pardon someone with mountain loads of sins but one small act of kindness or good deed, or He may punish someone with mountain loads of good deed but one small act of bad deed. So before counting on Allah's mercy, do good now for Allah's wrath is unbearable.

You may now like to listen to Arabic recitation of Sūrat az-Zalzalah with English subtitles:

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Part backwards for chapters in 30th Part are shorter and easier to understand)

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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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The Holy Qur'an: Chapter 104 Sūrat al-Humazah (The Traducer / The Scorner)

There are many subjects that come repeatedly in various chapters of the Holy Qur'an to stress upon the subject matter and caution man to abstain from such acts as these make draw upon them the wrath of Allah not only in this world  but hereafter too.

In this Surah some of the evils prevalent among the materialistic hoarders of wealth in the pre-Islamic days have been condemned. Every Arab knew that they actually existed in their society; they regarded them as evils and nobody thought they were good. After calling attention to this kind of ugly character, the ultimate end in the Hereafter of the people having this kind of character has been stated. Both these things (i.e. the character and his fate in the Hereafter) have been depicted in a way which makes the listener automatically reach the conclusion that such a man fitly deserves to meet such an end. And since in the world, people of such character do not suffer any punishment, but seem to be thriving instead, the occurrence of the Hereafter becomes absolutely inevitable.

Just yesterday we shared Chapter 102 Sūrat at-Takāthur which cautioned those who have greed for more and enter into rivalry for worldly increase with others till they reach their graves empty handed and for such people the blazing fire of hell awaits. Sūrat al-Humazah also augments what Allah has already mentioned in the 104th chapter.

Before commenting on the text of this very important chapter of the Holy Qur'an, please read the English translation of the Sūrat al-Humazah to understand its plain meaning / translation :

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

• Woe to every scorner and mocker
• Who collects wealth and [continuously] counts it.
• He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal.
• No! He will surely be thrown into the Crusher.
• And what can make you know what is the Crusher?
• It is the fire of Allah, [eternally] fueled,
• Which mounts directed at the hearts.
• Indeed, Hellfire will be closed down upon them
• In extended columns.

Sūrat al-Humazah begins with two words “Humazat il- Lumazah” which together mean the same: The slanderers. While the first word means slanderers who hurt others by word of mouth, the second word means slanderers who hurt others by action. These are Traducers, the Backbiters, the Mockers and many such similar qualities of man which ultimately result into his destruction and have him taken to the fire of hell where he is "crushed" forever. [2]

It is for those people Allah has shown His remorse and sadness who while boasting of their edge over others in the community, take pride by defaming character or mocking the low social status of others, or even calling them with bad names to show their scorn tell lies about others to hurt their feelings and lowering them in eyes of others.

And such are the people who think that their reserves, wealth, properties and social status will enhance their lives and perhaps death would never beget them. And it is for these people Allah warns of them to be thrown into the Crusher - the blazing intense fire of hell, prepared for those who amassed wealth, scorned others due to their wealth and forgot commandments of Allah to spend in the name of Allah rather than keeping their wealth in secure vaults which is no use to the community with no circulation ability.

“Do you construct on every elevation a sign, amusing yourselves? And take for yourselves palaces and fortresses that you might abide eternally?” [Quran, 26: 128-129]

It is for them that a "fire which leapeth over the hearts" is promised. Some scholars like Ibn Kathir, Muhammad bin Ka`b interpret this verse believe that the Fire will devour every part of his body until it reaches his heart and comes to the level of his throat, then it will return to his body." [3]

So be warned, cautioned and watchful for what you do lest wrath of Allah falls both in this world and hereafter. 

You may now listen to the recitation of  Sūrat al-Humazah in Arabic with English subtitles

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Part backwards for chapters in 30th Part are shorter and easier to understand)
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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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The Holy Quran (Summary): Chapter 102 Sūrat at-Takāthur (Greed for More / The Rivalry for Worldly Increase)

Money, position and title in the society has always been the weakness of man. And there are many who in the lust and greed to have more and more go beyond limits of morality and decency in order to have more than their rivals or even colleagues to attain a false sense of pride. 

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been quoted as saying: “If the son of Adam had two valleys full of wealth, he would long for a third valley; the son of Adam's belly cannot be filled but by earth, to be from the Quran until Alhakum at Takāthur was sent down.” [Ubayy bin Ka'ab] 

Before commenting on the text of this very important chapter of the Holy Qur'an, please read the English translation of the Sūrat at-Takāthur to understand its plain meaning / translation :

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

• Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you
• Until you visit the graveyards
• “Nay! You shall soon know,"
• “Again, Nay! You shall soon know.”
• “Nay! Were you to know with the knowledge of certainty, (you would beware!)”
• You will surely see the Blazing Fire (of Hell)
• Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty
• Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure 

Now if we look  around, we see many rich and wealthy engaged in a battle over their rivals and competitors to have more than others to have an upper edge. Their clothes, way of living and extravagance is more of a show off. There have been instances when rich and famous Arab princes have booked entire aircraft merely to transport their falcons to places of hunting or have booked entire hotels even if a few had to stay. This is when one shows off to his competitors one's wealth to overawe others.

But when it comes to charity and helping others, they resist their hands searching even for few coins. And while their lust to pile up wealth, properties and bank vaults, they remain unaware of their graves which await them mercilessly. And when one enters one's grave, what is left behind becomes useless, rather one will have to answer for the wealth which was earned and collected in greed and lust and not to help others.

We have living examples around us who have robbed public money to build their personal empires with no fear of dying one day and going to their graves where nothing but their bad deeds would haunt them till the day of judgment and then the hellfire. It is not understood why such people forget their dead end when nothing will be of use to them.

It is for such people that Allah has repeatedly cautioned and warned them that they would soon know how they dug their own graves that would one day lead to the blazing fire of hell. And it would be then they would repent their days spent in false pleasure for a world where their stay was but temporary.

Let us all pray that we do not fall in the category of lusty and greedy who have blazing fire of hell in waiting for them.

You may now listen to Arabic recitation of Sūrat at-Takāthur with English subtitles:

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Surat Al-Adiyat - The Coursers / The Charging Battle Horses: Summary of 100th Chapter of The Holy Quran

Sūrat Al-ʿĀdiyāt is the 100th chapter of the Holy Qur'an contained in the 30th Part. It is one of those chapters that start with an incipit, that is the use of title of the chapter as a mention of the first few opening verses. Here the Al-ʿĀdiyāt, or the Coursers or the charging of the battle horses as been uses as vow by the Allah Almighty to mention the ungratefulness of men to Him.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

• By the racers, panting,
• And the producers of sparks [when] striking
• And the chargers at dawn,
• Stirring up thereby [clouds of] dust,
• Arriving thereby in the center collectively,
• Indeed mankind, to his Lord, is ungrateful.
• And indeed, he is to that a witness.
• And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense.
• But does he not know that when the contents of the graves are scattered
• And that within the breasts is obtained,
• Indeed, their Lord with them, that Day, is [fully] Acquainted

Here a question arises why Allah should vow of charging horses? The answer is much to simple: The panting charging battle horses producing sparks when their hooves strike the battle ground obey the command of their masters in the wake of a fierce enemy. They fall but never disobey or be disloyal to their riders. The charging by dawn is the typical Arab tactics of reaching very close to the enemy camps or the intended battlefield at night and charge at dawn and breach the enemy lines with ferocious looking animals charging fearlessly at the command of their riding warriors. 

In one explanation [3], aadiyAAT (feminine) = means female war horses. It is generally observed that Arabs prefer female horses in warfare because they are quicker and more agile

Using the example of these faithful beasts, Allah shows its disgust over the mankind which is ungrateful to Him despite being given and even gifted the best of the bounties of the world. 

Allah observes with sorrow that the man is more in love with the wealth Allah has given to him than the Giver Himself. And this ungratefulness of the men will one day bring to him the worst wrath of Allah when the graves would be opened and every dead will be put to life again and whatever is contained in their hearts will be openly revealed to them on the Day of Judgment. "And indeed, he is to that a witness" means that on the Day of Judgment, the man himself be witness to his own ungratefulness.

A similar warning has been given earlier in Al Quran Surah Al Qiyamah 75:14, "Rather, man, against himself, will be witness."

And surely such ungrateful will have no time to remorse or repent of their wordily deeds, and their only abode will be the Hell with raging fires and boiling waters. 

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The Holy Qur'an (Summary): Chapter 107 Sūrat al-Māʻūn (Small Kindnesses / Assistance)

Sūrat al-Māʻūn is a short surah of seven verses, and is contained in the last of the 30th part of the Holy Qur'an. Al Māʻūn means giving away in kindness or showing kindness or assisting the poor.

Ibn Marduyah has cited Ibn Abbas (may Allah bless them both) as saying that this Surah is Makki, and the same also is the view of Ata and Jabir. But Abu Hayyan in Al-Bahr al-Muhit has cited Ibn Abbas, Qatadah and Dahhak as saying that this Surah was revealed at Madinah. In our opinion there is an internal piece of evidence in the Surah itself which points to its being a Madani Revelation. It holds out a threat of destruction to those praying ones who are unmindful of their Prayers and who pray only to be seen. This kind of hypocrites were found only at Madinah, for it was there that Islam and the Muslims gained such strength that many people were compelled to believe from expedience, had to visit the Mosque, join the congregational Prayer and prayed only to be seen of others, so as to be counted among Muslims.


Contrary to this is, at Makkah conditions were altogether different. No one had to pray to be seen. There it was difficult even for the believers to pray in congregation; they prayed secretly and if a person prayed openly he did so only at the risk of his life. This kind of hypocrites found in Makkah did not comprise those who believed and Prayed to be seen but those who in their hearts had know, and acknowledged the Holy Messenger of Allah (upon whom be peace) to be on the true path, but were avoiding to accept Islam in order to maintain their Position of leadership and authority, or were not prepared to take the risk of being afflicted with the kind of hardships with which they found the believers afflicted in the society around them. This condition of the hypocrites at Makkah has been described in vv. 10-11 of Surah Al- Ankabut.

Read the English translation of the Sūrat al-Māʻūn:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

• Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense?
• For that is the one who drives away the orphan
• And does not encourage the feeding of the poor.
• So woe to those who pray
• [But] who are heedless of their prayer -
• Those who make show [of their deeds]
• And withhold [simple] assistance.

As can be seen by reading the translation of the surah, it talks of those who drive away the poor and needy and the orphans and do not give them their rightful share. And when they see someone hungry and penniless, they mock them and turn away from their assistance. Such are the people who do not even recompose.

Through this surah, Allah has stressed the need of looking after the orphans and the shelter-less and emphasizes on the fact lest poor are left unattended and the sin of leaving them comes on to the those near them and the community as a whole. And this show of kindness and assistance to the poor and needy and orphans should be done without any reference to the religion, beliefs, caste and creed for those who need around us become our collective responsibility.

However, those who give are warned not to do it as to boost their image or as a show off gesture. All acts of kindness and charity should be quietly done for the reward is by Allah not by the onlookers.

In one of the incidents quoted from the earl days of Islam is one which narrates about an orphans whose father left him some wealth and land which was usurped by none other the notorious infidel Abu Jahl. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once asked Abu Jahl to return the wealth and land to the orphan but he flatly refused. When he persistently refused to oblige, one day Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) went with two spears by his side and threatened to kill Abu Jahl if he still resisted. This time Abu Jahl gave in and gave whatever was rightful due of the orphan.

So give alms and charity often, even if it is a bucket of water or a one time meal to the needy. This be done quietly though to please Allah and not as  a show off, for Allah knows what is one's intention and what is in the heart.

You may now listen to the recitation of Sūrat al-Māʻūn in Arabic with English subtitles:

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The Holy Quran (Summary): Chapter 106 Sūrat Quraysh

Sūrat Quraysh, the 106th chapter of the Holy Qur'an in the 30th part with four verses was revealed in Makkah. This sūrah follows the Sūrat al-Fīl (The Elephant), 105th chapter, as a reminder to the people of Quraysh, the leading and most prosperous traders of Makkah, of the many bounties and protection provided to them including saving the Ka'bah from the army of Abraha purely through divine intervention and also their trade routes to Syria and Yemen.

We have already provided the background to this Sūrah in the Overview to familiarize the readers about Who were the People and Tribe of Quraysh. Herein under we present the Summary, which will be followed by the verse by verse Exegesis / Tafsir of the Sūrah.

Read the English translation of Sūrat Quraysh:

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

For the accustomed security of the Quraysh

Their accustomed security [in] the caravan of winter and summer

Let them worship the Lord of this House

Who has fed them, [saving them] from hunger and made them safe, [saving them] from fear

The sūrah was thus a reminder of Allah's many bounties on the tribe of Quraysh for they worshiped the House of Allah, though prostrating to the idols rather than the mighty Creator of the universe. Nevertheless, Allah still asked them to continue to worship the House of Lord who in turn has provided them safety and security and wealth and food in abundance. In fact it was because of Ka'bah that traders from far off lands came to Makkah for pilgrimage and thus also bringing along their goods to exchange and sell at Makkah which brought prosperity to Makkans. Otherwise in the absence of Ka'bah, the centre of attraction, who would have traveled to barren and scorching desert to trade with Quraysh.

While the Makkah and Ka'bah was saved by divine help only, the Quraysh despite worshiping the three 360 plus idols, would secretly confide with each other that they were saved not by their idols but Allah alone. 

Dr Shehzad Saleem sums up Sūrat Quraysh beautifully as under:[3]

This surah is another instance where the same subject has been brought up. Both peace and sustenance are special blessings of the Almighty. Instead of showing conceit and vanity upon their bestowal, the Quraish are being admonished to be grateful to the Almighty and remain aware that this gratitude entails His worship, not revolt and disobedience.

an the world witnessed that despite these bounties, the people of Quraysh forgot the many blessings of Allah and turned bitterly against Islam when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) proclaimed Islam openly. The chieftains of Quraysh feared that by accepting Islam they will lose control over their prestigious status and that once Ka'bah goes in the hands of the Muslims, who were the rightful owners of the House of Allah, their status will be reduced to second rate citizens as anyone who controlled Ka'bah was the most respectful and honorable.

And Allah fulfilled His promise when with the rise of Islam not only Ka'bah reverted to its rightful inheritors, Quraysh became subservient to emerging Muslim power which soon conquered Makkah and spread the world of Allah not only in the entire Arabia but the world as a whole.

You may now listen to the recitation of the surah in Arabic with English subtitles:

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The Holy Quran (Summary): Chapter 105 Sūrat al-Fīl (The Elephant)

Sūrat al-Fīl (pronounced as feel) is one of the sūrahs of the Holy Qur'an that were revealed in Makkah and is in the 30th part of the Holy Qur'an with its five verses. This  sūrah in fact is the narration of an actual event that occurred in 570 AD, months before the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This sūrah is called "The Elephant" because a large army under the command of Abraha Al-Ashram, the Christian viceroy of Yemen (then ruled by the Abyssinians) which came with the intention to destroy the Ka’bah at Makkah. Since the invading army also included battle elephants, the sūrah is appropriately named.

Before I give out the summary of this sūrah, please read its English translation to know how this event has been described in the Holy Qur'an: 

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

• “Have you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) not seen how your Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant? 
• Did He not make their plot go astray?
• And He sent against them birds, (Martin swallows) in flocks.
• Striking them with stones of Sijjil (baked clay).
• And He made them like (an empty field of) stalks (of which the corn has been eaten up by cattle)”

This sūrah was revealed to apprise the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of this historic event in which Allah saved its house, Ka'bah from destruction at the hands of the Christians. Although, Ka'bah was then under the control of pagans of Makkah, it has been built by Prophets Abraham and Ismael (may peace be upon them) as House of Allah thousands of years ago and Prophet Abraham had prayed to Alla for its safety and security.

After the death of Prophet Ismael, the message of Allah gradually faded away and the pagans of Makkah started to prevail till Ka'bah came under their control. Thus while Makkah became a thriving trade center of the whole of Arabia, Ka'bah became the center for annual pilgrimage of non believers and became an idol house.

Jealous of people of Makkah for their thriving trade, King Abraha built a huge cathedral in San'a and hoped they he would be able to divert trade towards his country. But this did not happen for pagans Ka'bah was more holier than a Christian church. This infuriated Abraha  and he led a huge army to destroy Ka'bah. When the Arabs saw a huge army with big beasts (elephants) they had never seen before, they panicked and prayed to their gods for security of Ka'bah, while throwing away the towel. Although Ka'bah wasn't house of Allah anymore for it it had become a idol worshiping place, Allah remembered his promise with Prophet Abraham for its security.

Thus when the Abraha and its army approached Makkah, instead of armies of pagans, a large number of small birds appeared on the sky, quoted in history as Martin swallows carrying small pebbles of baked clay and threw on the invading army. Although these small pebbles could not have had inflicted any damage or casualties to the army of horses and elephants, they did not know that these pebbles had the divine force embedded in them. So when these hit the Abraha army, it killed them instantaneously and as the last verse of the sūrah says:  "It left an empty field of stalks (of which the corn has been eaten up by cattle).” Abraha too was fatally wounded and died.

The Arabs described the year as the Year of Elephants for a long time.The pagans too understood that the victory was not due to their gods, bu Allah and secretly acknowledged it too. For it was in fact Allah that saved His house (Al-Ka'bah) by destroying the large Abraha army that included elephants, through a flock of tiny birds carrying small pebbles. 

Professor Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, a well-known Pakistani Muslim theologian, Quran scholar and exegete, and educationist, explains the theme of Surah al-Fil is to inform the Quraysh that the God – Who routed His enemies in this manner before them – will also not spare them now that they too have shown enmity to Him. They will also be devastated in a similar manner. [3]

It may be added for information that in November and December 1979 a group dissidents fully armed entered the courtyard of Ka'bah and captured it. Allah again saved His house when commandos of Pakistan Army were called by Saudi government who cleared the Ka'bah of all the miscreants, killing many of them and capturing the rest. [4]

Please listen to recitation of Surat al Fil with English subtitles:

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The Holy Quran (Summary): Chapter 92 Sūrat al-Layl (The Night)

Sūrat al-Layl was revealed in the early days of Islam in Makkah with 21 verses and appears in the 30th part / 'Juz of the Holy Qur'an. In fact it is among the first ten sūrahs that were revealed unto Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Its theme is to distinguish between the two different ways of life and to explain the contrast between their ultimate ends and results. In view of the subject matter this Surah consists of two parts, the first part consisting of vv. 1-11 and the second of vv. 12-21.

In the first part, at the outset it has been pointed out that the strivings and doings that the individuals, nations and groups of mankind are engaged in in the world, are, in respect of their moral nature, as divergent as the day is from the night, and the male from the female. After this, according to the general style of the brief Surahs of the Quran, three moral characteristics of one kind and three moral characteristics of the other kind have been presented as an illustration from among a vast collection of the strivings and activities of man, from which every man can judge which style of life is represented by one kind of the characteristics and which style of life by the other kind. Both these styles have been described in such brief, elegant. and pithy sentences that they move the heart and go down into memory as soon as one hears them. Characteristics of the first kind are that one should spend one's wealth, adopt God-consciousness and piety, and acknowledge the good as good. The second kind of the characteristics are that one should be miserly, should least care for God's pleasure and His displeasure, and should repudiate what is good and right. Then it has been stated that these two modes of action which are clearly divergent, cannot be equal and alike in respect of their results. But, just as they are divergent in their nature, so they are divergent in their results. The person (or group of persons) who adopts the first mode of action, Allah will make easy for him the correct way of life, so much so that doing good will become easy for him and doing evil difficult. On the contrary, he who adopts the second mode of life, Allah will make easy for him the difficult and hard way of life, so much so that doing evil will become easy for him and doing good difficult. This passage has been concluded with a most effective and touching sentence, saying: "This worldly wealth for the sake of which man is even prepared to risk his life will not go down with him into the grave; therefore, what will it avail him after death?"

In the second part also three truths have been stated equally briefly. First, that Allah has not left man uninformed in the examination hall of the world, but He has taken on Himself the responsibility to tell him which one is the straight and right way out of the different ways of life. Here, there was no need to point out that by sending His Messenger and His Book He has fulfilled His this responsibility, for both the Messenger and the Book were present to afford the guidance. Second, that the Master of both the world and the Hereafter is Allah alone. If you seek the world, it is He Who will give it, and if you seek the Hereafter, again it is He Who will give it. Now, it is for you to decide what you should seek from Him. The third truth that has been stated is that the wretched one who rejects the good, which is being presented through the Messenger and the Book, and turns away from it, will have a blazing fire ready for him. As for the God fearing person who spends his wealth in a good cause, without any selfish motive, only for the sake of winning his Lord's good pleasure, his Lord will be pleased with him and will bless him with so much that he will be well pleased with Him.

This is an easy to understand sūrah for its subject being the good and the bad people and their end reward on the day of judgment. Read the translation which shall then be followed by a short commentary.

Herein under is the translation of Sūrat al-Layl:

• By the night as it envelops;
• And by the day as it appears in brightness;
• And by Him Who created male and female;
• Certainly, your efforts and deeds are diverse (different in aims and purposes);
• As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him,
• And believes in the best [reward].
• We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness).
• But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient.
• And denies the best [reward];
• We will make smooth for him the path for evil;
• And what will his wealth benefit him when he goes down (in destruction).
• Truly! Ours it is (to give) guidance,
• And truly, unto Us (belong) the last (Hereafter) and the first (this world).
• Therefore I have warned you of a Fire blazing fiercely (Hell);
• None shall enter it save the most wretched,
• Who denies and turns away.
• And the pious and righteous (Al-Muttaqun) will be far removed from it (Hell).
• He who spends his wealth for increase in self-purification,
• And have in his mind no favour from anyone for which a reward is expected in return,
• Except only the desire to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High;
• He surely will be pleased (when he will enter Paradise).

Allah Almighty, like many other sūrahs (Sūrat At Tin for instance) takes vow, a solemn promise, of truths in the shape of many of His bounties like the night, the day and the one who created male and female of all kinds. And then talks about two types of people: The good ones, who seek truth in Allah's given commandments and do good to help others without the lust for any wordily rewards, and the second kind who despite being shown the righteous path follow evil deeds and hurt others, for these wretched people the fire of hell awaits. 

As for the first category of people who spend their wealth in the way of Allah thinking that the wealth has been given to them to help others and not for their pleasures, and thus rise higher in the eyes of Allah and shall be rewarded in the hereafter with unimaginable rewards and bounties.  

The difference between both the categories of people is clear: One who seeks wordily pleasures for him alone will be given in abundance but will be among the worst in the world of the hereafter. But those who are given in abundance, or even less, but still give charities and help others with no reward intended but to please Allah, will be granted paradise where their selfless services will be paid back much beyond trheir imaginations.

It is observed by many a scholar and interpretors of Qur'an that the last four verse are indicative of deeds of Abu Bakr, a trusted companion and friend of the Prophet of Allah who was the first male adult who entered the fold of Islam the moment he heard that Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been chosen as a prophet by Allah. He beside a good human being was also a very wealthy man and when there was need of money in the cause of Allah, Abu Bakr emptied his entire household and brought it to the Prophet. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) inquired him of what had he left in his house, Abu Bakr replied: Allah's name only.

Abu Bakr was also forthcoming in the freedom of many slave who had accepted Islam and were being tortured by their pagan masters. One such slave was Bilal, the African, whom his master had made him lie flat on the burning sand and placed a heavy stone on his chest. Bilal still called aloud "Ahad (Allah is one." Seeing his plight Abu Bakr paid the money and got Bilal freed.

You many now listen to recitation of the  Sūrat al-Layl  in Arabic with English / Arabic subtitles:

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