Overview - Surah 75: al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection )
This Surah takes its name from the first Ayat, لَا أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ "I swear by the Day of Resurrection" [75:1].
There are 40 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
Total Ayat | 40 |
Total Words * | 164 |
Root Words * | 76 |
Unique Root Words * | 4 |
Makki / Madani | Makki |
Chronological Order* | 31st (according to Ibn Abbas) |
Year of Revelation* | |
Events during/before this Surah*
N/A
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Events during/after still to occur*
N/A
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Names of Prophets Mentioned
No Prophets names are mentioned in this Surah
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Surah Index
Death, Embryology, Humankind (creation of) (from a drop of sperm), Judgement (Day) , Muhammad (admonished) , Prayer, Resurrection (Day) , Resurrection (of humans) , Resurrection (moon is darkened) , Resurrection (of soul) , Resurrection (sun and moon brought together (solar eclipse or solar expansion?))
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Most of the Surahs, from here till the end of the Qur’an, in view of their content and style, seem to have been sent down in the period when after the first seven verses of Surah 74: al-Muddathir (The Cloaked One), revelation of the Qur’an began like a shower of rain: Thus, in the successively revealed Surahs Islam and its fundamental concepts and moral teachings were presented so forcefully and effectively in concise, brief sentences and the people of Makkah warned so vehemently on their errors and deviations that the Quraysh chiefs were utterly confounded. Therefore, before the next Hajj season came they held the conference for devising schemes to defeat the Prophet as has been mentioned in the introduction to Surah 74: al-Muddathir previously.
In this Surah, addressing the deniers of the Hereafter, replies have been given to each of their doubts and objections, strong arguments have been given to prove the possibility, occurrence and necessity of the Resurrection and Hereafter, and also it has been pointed out clearly that the actual reason of the people’s denying the Hereafter is not that they regard it as impossible rationally but because their selfish motives do not allow them to affirm it. At the same time, the people have been warned, as if to say: “The event, the occurrence of which you deny, will inevitably come: all your deeds will be brought and placed before you. As a matter of fact, even before any of you sees his record, he will be knowing fully well what he has done in the world, for no man is unaware of himself, no matter what excuses and pretenses he may offer to deceive the world and deceive himself in respect of his misdeeds.”
From the begining to the end of the Surah, Allah speaks about the Qiyamah and matters relating to it.
- In the begining [75:4] and the end [75:40] there is a mention of the Qudra [power and ability] of Allah Almighty to resurrect a human after his death.
- A question for the human in the beginning and the end:
أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ "Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?" [75:3]
أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى "Does man think that he will be left neglected?" [75:36]
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
1218 AH (1803 CE)
1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)
1250–1350 AD
- Towards the end of Surah al-Mudadathir [74] we have the Ayat كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا يَخَافُونَ الْآخِرَةَ "No! But they do not fear the Hereafter." [74:53]. The following Surah is al-Qiyamah - about the Akhirah.
- 'Insan' the human being is mentioned six times in Surah al-Qiyamah [75]. The following Surah is al-Insan [76].
- Loving this world..
كَلَّا بَلْ تُحِبُّونَ الْعَاجِلَةَ وَتَذَرُونَ الْآخِرَةَ "No! But you love the immediate. And leave the Hereafter." [75: 20-21]
إِنَّ هَـٰؤُلَاءِ يُحِبُّونَ الْعَاجِلَةَ وَيَذَرُونَ وَرَاءَهُمْ يَوْمًا ثَقِيلًا "Indeed, these [disbelievers] love the immediate and leave behind them a grave Day." [76:27]
- The word أَوْلَىٰ "woe" appears 4 times. أَوْلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوْلَىٰ ثُمَّ أَوْلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوْلَىٰ "Woe to you, and woe! Then woe to you, and woe!" [75:34-35].
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = 4* | ||
# | Root Word | Frequency in Surah | Frequency in Qur'an |
---|---|---|---|
1. | أ ن س | 6 | 97 |
2. | و ل ي | 5 | 232 |
3. | إِلَىٰ | 4 | 742 |
4. | ج م ع | 3 | 129 |
5. | إِذَا | 3 | 409 |
6. | ر ب ب | 3 | 980 |
7. | ق ر أ | 3 | 88 |
8. | س و ق | 3 | 17 |
9. | ق س م | 2 | 33 |
10. | ي و م | 2 | 405 |
Root Word | Frequency in Surah |
Frequency in Qur'an |
---|---|---|
أ ن س | 6 | 97 |
و ل ي | 5 | 232 |
إِلَىٰ | 4 | 742 |
ج م ع | 3 | 129 |
إِذَا | 3 | 409 |
ر ب ب | 3 | 980 |
ق ر أ | 3 | 88 |
س و ق | 3 | 17 |
ق س م | 2 | 33 |
ي و م | 2 | 405 |
Although there is no tradition to indicate its period of revelation, yet there is in the subject matter of this Surah an internal evidence, which shows that it is one of the earliest Surahs to be sent down at Makkah. After verse 15 the discourse is suddenly interrupted and the Prophet told: “Do not move your tongue to remember this Revelation hastily. It is Our responsibility to have it remembered and read. Therefore, when We are reciting it, listen to its recital carefully. Again, it is Our responsibility to explain its meaning.” Then, from verse 20 onward the same theme which was interrupted at verse 15, is resumed. This parenthetical passage, according to both the context and the traditions, has been interposed here for the reason that when the Angel Gabriel was reciting this Surah to the Prophet, the Prophet, lest he should forget its words later, was repeating them at the same moment. This in fact happened at the time when the coming down and receipt of Revelation was yet a new experience for him and he was not yet fully used to receiving it calmly. There are two other instances also of this in the Qur’an. First, in Surah 20: Ta Ha, the Prophet has been told: “And see that you do not hasten to recite the Qur’an before its revelation is completed to you.” (v. 114). Then, in Surah al-A’la, it has been said: “We shall enable you to recite:, then you shall never forget.” (v. 6). Later, when the Prophet became fully used to receiving the Revelation well, there remained no need to give him any such instruction. That is why except for these three, there is no other instance of this in the Qur’an.
- The Day of Judgement is certain, there is no escape from it.
- Allah Himself took the responsibility of preserving the Qur'an.
- The last moments of disbeliever's death.
- Take Allah's warning about the Day of Judgement seriously.
Tafsir Zone
Overview (Verses 1 - 15) Self-Reproaching Soul I need not swear by the Day of Resurrection and I need not swear by the self-reproaching soul! Does man think that We will not put his bones together again? Yes, indeed! We are able to put in perfect order his very fingertips! Yet man wants to deny what lies ahead of him. He asks: 'When will this Day of Resurrection be?' When the sight is dazzled and the moon eclipsed, when the sun and the moon are brought together, on that day man will say: 'Where to flee?' But no! There is no refuge. On that day to your Lord all shall return. Man will be told on that day all that he put forward and all that he put back. Man will be a witness against himself, even though he may put up his excuses. (Verses 1-15) The surah starts with a reference to making an oath, but then decides not to make it. This has a deeper effect than a straightforward oath, and this is what is intended. Indeed, a more literal rendering would be: 'I do not swear When this has been stated, the truths of the resurrection and self-reproaching soul appear in view. There is much discussion of resurrection in the torah. As for the self-reproaching soul, various reports explain this. Al-Hasan al-Basri says: "You will always find a believer questioning himself: 'What did I mean by this word? What did I eat this food for? What do I mean by speaking to myself thus?' A transgressor will go on never blaming himself." AlHasan says: "Every single soul in the heavens and earth will be blaming himself on the Day of Judgement." 'Ikrimah says: "It is the soul that blames itself for good and bad things, saying: if only I did this or that." Sa'id ibn Jubayr said the same. Ibn 'Abbas says: "It is always blaming." He also says: "It is often blaming, much criticised." Mujahid says: "It regrets what has passed and blames for it." Qatadah says: "It is the one tending towards evil." Jarir says: All these definitions are in practically the same vein. However, what is closer to the apparent meaning of the Qur'nic statement is to say that it is the soul that blames a person for whatever he does, good or bad, and regrets what has passed." For our self, we prefer the first definition stated by al-Hasan al-Basri Such a pious, self-reproaching soul, one that fears God's punishment, and is always cautious, looking around, reviewing its actions, identifying what it desires, making sure not to cheat itself, is certainly so honoured by God as to warrant mention alongside the Day of Resurrection. It is the opposite of the soul of one who wants to indulge in sin undeterred; who lies, turns away from the truth and then returns to his people full of arrogance, never taking stock of his actions and paying no heed to the truth. "I need not swear by the Day of Resurrection and I need not swear by the self-reproaching sour (Verses 1-2) What is at the centre of this opening is the arrival of the Day of Resurrection, but when the oath is left aside, the surah does not mention the subject of that oath further. Instead, it picks it up in another form, as if to start a discourse having alerted our minds to it with this clear opening: "Does man think that We will not put his bones together again? Yes, indeed' We are able to put in perfect order his very fingertips!" (Verses 3 4) The essential difficulty for the unbelievers was that they could not imagine that bones becoming dust and being swallowed by the earth could then be gathered together again to bring a human being back to life. This is also most probably true of some people today! The surah responds to this sort of thinking, confirming that putting everyone's bones back together will assuredly take place: "Yes, indeed/ We are able to put in perfect order his very fingertips!" (Verse 4) The surah reasserts this process of putting bones back together by stating something more complex, which is to put fingertips in their respective positions, just as they were in life. This implies that man will be brought back to life, with every little detail or small aspect of his physique put back in perfect order. Nothing is lost, however small! This reconfirmation is enough here. Towards the end of the surah, we have another proof derived from the fact of man's first creation. Here, however, the surah exposes the mental flaw leading to this sort of thinking that cannot conceive of bones being put back together. Man simply wants to persist in his denial so that he goes on the loose, with nothing to check or restrain his march. He does not want to face any reckoning or requital. Therefore, he expects no resurrection and no answerability: "Yet man wants to deny what lies ahead of him. He asks: 'When will this Day of Resurrection be?"' (Verses 5-0 This question is stated in the Arabic with the interrogative pronoun ayyana, which adds to the normal equivalent of 'when', which is ayna, the doubling of the 'Y sound and a long a; a form that suggests the improbability of happening. This is in line with the desire of the questioner to run loose and continue with his sinful ways, undeterred by any thought of the hereafter. Indeed, the hereafter often acts as a restraint checking the desire to indulge in sin. Now this person tries to remove this restraint so that he can go ahead with sinful practices undeterred. The answer that comes is swift, decisive, maintains a fast beat and uses hard-hitting words. It draws a scene of the Day of Resurrection in which human senses and feelings combine with celestial images to produce an awesome effect: "When the sight is dazzled and the moon eclipsed, when the sun and the moon are brought together, on that day man will say: 'Where to flee?"' (Verses 7-10) The sight is very swiftly distracted here and there, like lightning, and the moon is eclipsed and no longer reflects any light, while the sun and the moon are brought together after they have long been parted. Their familiar operation is disrupted since the entire celestial system, known for its accuracy of movement, is no longer operating. In the midst of all this upheaval, man stands terrified, asking, 'Where to flee?' The very question imparts a feeling of fear and utter panic. Man looks lost, wherever he turns his eyes he sees nothing but a blocked way. There is no refuge or protection. No one can avert God's power and punishment, since all return to Him and there is no hiding place to seek other than the one He determines: "But no! There is no refuge. On that day, to your Lord all shall return." (Verses 11-12) So what man has desired, hoping to be able to continue with his erring ways, fearing neither reckoning nor requital, is not what happens. On the contrary, everything will be reckoned, and he will be reminded of anything he may have forgotten. It will all be brought before him so that he faces his fair requital: "Man will be told on that day all that he put forward and all that he put back." (Verse 13) He will be told of what he did before his death, as also what effects his actions produced after his death, whether good or evil. Some actions produce long-lasting effects, and these effects are added to the account of the person who performed them. Whatever excuses man may try to put forward, none will be accepted. He is responsible for himself, and it is his duty to bring himself to divine guidance. When he let himself sink into evil, only he himself can be answerable for this: "Man will be a witness against himself even though he may put up his excuses." (Verses 14-15) It is worth noting here that every expression in the surah thus far is short and quick: the verses, the endings, the rhythm, the images and the reckoning process. This appears to he a response to man's attempt to disregard the whole idea of the Day of Reckoning and to think that it is too far off. |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
Mawdudi
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
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Overview (Verses 1 - 15) Self-Reproaching Soul I need not swear by the Day of Resurrection and I need not swear by the self-reproaching soul! Does man think that We will not put his bones together again? Yes, indeed! We are able to put in perfect order his very fingertips! Yet man wants to deny what lies ahead of him. He asks: 'When will this Day of Resurrection be?' When the sight is dazzled and the moon eclipsed, when the sun and the moon are brought together, on that day man will say: 'Where to flee?' But no! There is no refuge. On that day to your Lord all shall return. Man will be told on that day all that he put forward and all that he put back. Man will be a witness against himself, even though he may put up his excuses. (Verses 1-15) The surah starts with a reference to making an oath, but then decides not to make it. This has a deeper effect than a straightforward oath, and this is what is intended. Indeed, a more literal rendering would be: 'I do not swear When this has been stated, the truths of the resurrection and self-reproaching soul appear in view. There is much discussion of resurrection in the torah. As for the self-reproaching soul, various reports explain this. Al-Hasan al-Basri says: "You will always find a believer questioning himself: 'What did I mean by this word? What did I eat this food for? What do I mean by speaking to myself thus?' A transgressor will go on never blaming himself." AlHasan says: "Every single soul in the heavens and earth will be blaming himself on the Day of Judgement." 'Ikrimah says: "It is the soul that blames itself for good and bad things, saying: if only I did this or that." Sa'id ibn Jubayr said the same. Ibn 'Abbas says: "It is always blaming." He also says: "It is often blaming, much criticised." Mujahid says: "It regrets what has passed and blames for it." Qatadah says: "It is the one tending towards evil." Jarir says: All these definitions are in practically the same vein. However, what is closer to the apparent meaning of the Qur'nic statement is to say that it is the soul that blames a person for whatever he does, good or bad, and regrets what has passed." For our self, we prefer the first definition stated by al-Hasan al-Basri Such a pious, self-reproaching soul, one that fears God's punishment, and is always cautious, looking around, reviewing its actions, identifying what it desires, making sure not to cheat itself, is certainly so honoured by God as to warrant mention alongside the Day of Resurrection. It is the opposite of the soul of one who wants to indulge in sin undeterred; who lies, turns away from the truth and then returns to his people full of arrogance, never taking stock of his actions and paying no heed to the truth. "I need not swear by the Day of Resurrection and I need not swear by the self-reproaching sour (Verses 1-2) What is at the centre of this opening is the arrival of the Day of Resurrection, but when the oath is left aside, the surah does not mention the subject of that oath further. Instead, it picks it up in another form, as if to start a discourse having alerted our minds to it with this clear opening: "Does man think that We will not put his bones together again? Yes, indeed' We are able to put in perfect order his very fingertips!" (Verses 3 4) The essential difficulty for the unbelievers was that they could not imagine that bones becoming dust and being swallowed by the earth could then be gathered together again to bring a human being back to life. This is also most probably true of some people today! The surah responds to this sort of thinking, confirming that putting everyone's bones back together will assuredly take place: "Yes, indeed/ We are able to put in perfect order his very fingertips!" (Verse 4) The surah reasserts this process of putting bones back together by stating something more complex, which is to put fingertips in their respective positions, just as they were in life. This implies that man will be brought back to life, with every little detail or small aspect of his physique put back in perfect order. Nothing is lost, however small! This reconfirmation is enough here. Towards the end of the surah, we have another proof derived from the fact of man's first creation. Here, however, the surah exposes the mental flaw leading to this sort of thinking that cannot conceive of bones being put back together. Man simply wants to persist in his denial so that he goes on the loose, with nothing to check or restrain his march. He does not want to face any reckoning or requital. Therefore, he expects no resurrection and no answerability: "Yet man wants to deny what lies ahead of him. He asks: 'When will this Day of Resurrection be?"' (Verses 5-0 This question is stated in the Arabic with the interrogative pronoun ayyana, which adds to the normal equivalent of 'when', which is ayna, the doubling of the 'Y sound and a long a; a form that suggests the improbability of happening. This is in line with the desire of the questioner to run loose and continue with his sinful ways, undeterred by any thought of the hereafter. Indeed, the hereafter often acts as a restraint checking the desire to indulge in sin. Now this person tries to remove this restraint so that he can go ahead with sinful practices undeterred. The answer that comes is swift, decisive, maintains a fast beat and uses hard-hitting words. It draws a scene of the Day of Resurrection in which human senses and feelings combine with celestial images to produce an awesome effect: "When the sight is dazzled and the moon eclipsed, when the sun and the moon are brought together, on that day man will say: 'Where to flee?"' (Verses 7-10) The sight is very swiftly distracted here and there, like lightning, and the moon is eclipsed and no longer reflects any light, while the sun and the moon are brought together after they have long been parted. Their familiar operation is disrupted since the entire celestial system, known for its accuracy of movement, is no longer operating. In the midst of all this upheaval, man stands terrified, asking, 'Where to flee?' The very question imparts a feeling of fear and utter panic. Man looks lost, wherever he turns his eyes he sees nothing but a blocked way. There is no refuge or protection. No one can avert God's power and punishment, since all return to Him and there is no hiding place to seek other than the one He determines: "But no! There is no refuge. On that day, to your Lord all shall return." (Verses 11-12) So what man has desired, hoping to be able to continue with his erring ways, fearing neither reckoning nor requital, is not what happens. On the contrary, everything will be reckoned, and he will be reminded of anything he may have forgotten. It will all be brought before him so that he faces his fair requital: "Man will be told on that day all that he put forward and all that he put back." (Verse 13) He will be told of what he did before his death, as also what effects his actions produced after his death, whether good or evil. Some actions produce long-lasting effects, and these effects are added to the account of the person who performed them. Whatever excuses man may try to put forward, none will be accepted. He is responsible for himself, and it is his duty to bring himself to divine guidance. When he let himself sink into evil, only he himself can be answerable for this: "Man will be a witness against himself even though he may put up his excuses." (Verses 14-15) It is worth noting here that every expression in the surah thus far is short and quick: the verses, the endings, the rhythm, the images and the reckoning process. This appears to he a response to man's attempt to disregard the whole idea of the Day of Reckoning and to think that it is too far off. |
Scientific References
The Uniqueness of Fingertips
أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ بَلَىٰ قَادِرِينَ عَلَىٰ أَن نُّسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُ “Does man think that We will not assemble his bones? Yes. [We are] Able [even] to proportion his fingertips.” (75:3-4)
The pagans of Makkah had denied that mankind would be raised on the Day of Resurrection. They wondered, ‘How is it possible for God to assemble the bones of the dead?’ God said that not only is He capable of assembling the bones of the dead but is also able to perfectly put together the tips of the fingers.The question is why did God choose to use the body part ‘fingertips’ as an example of His ability in resurrecting. A human being making the same point may have opted to say ‘proportion his face’ – for that would apparently seem to be of a greater difficulty and more visible differentiation – fingertips not being something you would traditionally associate with difficulty or uniqueness. God knows the uniqueness He has placed in each human being. The verse stresses that every detail of man shall be brought back to life even to the extent of the information that exists on a fingertip. Only the Creator would have said these words in this way.
- In 1823 - Jan Purkinje, a Czech physiologist and professor of anatomy at the University of Breslau, published a thesis discussing nine fingerprint patterns.
- In 1858 – William Herschel, alluded to the fact that fingerprints are different from one person to another. This makes the fingerprint an exclusive characteristic of each person.
- Juan Vucetich, an Argentine chief police officer, created the first method of recording the fingerprints of individuals on file, associating these fingerprints to the anthropometric system of Alphonse Bertillon, who had created, in 1879, a system to identify individuals by anthropometric photographs and associated quantitative descriptions
- Surah 75. Al-Qiyamah - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4XjK7u4i6Y&index=75&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN
- Surah 75. Al-Qiyamah Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIh6D1SQ_sY&index=75&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM
- Surah 75. Al-Qiyamah Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg7P7OmG-8M&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe&index=75
- idris abkar surah Al-Qiyamah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWWU-aEezfI
- Surah 75. Al-Qiyamah Muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOj1pXhYjw8&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG&index=75
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-Qiyamah 23 to Surah Al Mutaffafin 1 141 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ML7PUtykBA&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=107
- Surah Al Al-Qiyamah 23 to Surah Al Mutaffafin 1 142 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmFShTYIowE&index=108&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263