Overview - Surah 91: ash-Shams (The Sun )
The Surah tells us that as there is a contrast between sun and moon, night and day, heaven and earth, so there is also a big difference between good and evil. The Surah takes its name from the first Ayat, وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا "By the sun and its brightness" [91:1].
There are 15 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 15 |
| Total Words * | 54 |
| Root Words * | 39 |
| Unique Root Words * | 4 |
| Makki / Madani | Makki |
| Chronological Order* | 26th (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | 5th year of Prophethood |
| Events during/before this Surah*
Physical beating and torture of some Muslims - 1st Migration of Muslims to Abyssinia, Public Invitation to Islam - Persecution of Muslims; antagonism - ridicule - derision - accusation - abuse and false propaganda., Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam
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| Events during/after still to occur*
2nd Migration to Abyssinia,Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 1,Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 2,Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 3,Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey,1st Pledge of Aqabah,2nd Pledge of Aqabah,,Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah,Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhud,,Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah,Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers,,Conquest of Makkah - Battle of Hunain,Hajj led by Abu Bakr - Expedition of Tabuk,Farewell Hajj by Prophet - Death of Prophet - End of Divine Revelation
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| Names of Prophets Mentioned
No Prophets names are mentioned in this Surah
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| Surah Index
Astronomy (celestial mechanics) (moon), Astronomy (celestial mechanics) (sun), Earth, Humankind, Resurrection (of soul) , Salih, Thamud, Thamud (she camel) , Thamud (she camel) (killing of), Thamud (she camel) (punishment for)
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Its theme is to distinguish the good from the evil and to warn the people who were refusing to understand this distinction of an evil ending that awaited them. In view of the subject matter this Surah consists of two parts. The first part consists of v. 1-10, and the second of v. 11-15. The first part deals with three things:
1. That just as the sun and the moon, the day and the night, the earth and the sky, are different from each other and contradictory in their effects and results, so are the good and the evil different from each other and contradictory in their effects and results; they are neither alike in their outward appearance nor can they be alike in their results.
2. That God after giving the human self powers of the body, sense and mind has not left it uninformed in the world, but has instilled into his unconscious by means of a natural inspiration the distinction between good and evil, right and wrong, and the sense of the good to be good and of the evil to be evil.
3. That the future of man depends on how by using the powers of discrimination, will and judgment that God has endowed him with, he develops the good and suppresses the evil tendencies of the self. If he develops the good inclination and frees his self of the evil inclinations, he will attain to eternal success and if, on the contrary, he suppresses the good and promotes the evil, he will meet with disappointment and failure.
In the second part, citing the historical precedent of the people of Thamud, the significance of Apostleship has been brought out. A Messenger is raised in the world because the inspirational knowledge of good and evil that God has placed in human nature is, by itself, not enough for the guidance of man. On account of mans failure to fully comprehend he proposes false ideas and theories of good and evil and thus goes astray. That is why God sent down clear Revelation to the Prophets so that they would make clear to the people as to what is good and what is evil. Likewise, the Prophet Salih was sent to the people of Thamud, but the people overwhelmed by the evil of their self, had become so rebellious that they rejected him. And when he presented before them the miracle of the she camel, as demanded by themselves, the most wretched one of them, in spite of his warning, hamstrung it, in accordance with the will and desire of the people. Consequently, the entire tribe was overtaken by a disaster. While narrating this story of the Thamud nowhere in the Surah has it been said - O people of Quraysh, if you rejected your Prophet, Muhammad, as the Thamud had rejected theirs, you too would meet with the same fate as they met. The conditions at that time in Makkah were similar to those of the people of Thamud against the Prophet Salih. Therefore, the narration of this story was by itself enough to suggest to the people of Makkah that this historical precedent applied to them too.
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
5th Century AH
5th Century AH
391 H (1001 CE)
391 H (1001 CE)
1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)
1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)
- أَنَّهُ قَالَ صَلَّى مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ الأَنْصَارِيُّ لأَصْحَابِهِ الْعِشَاءَ فَطَوَّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَانْصَرَفَ رَجُلٌ مِنَّا فَصَلَّى فَأُخْبِرَ مُعَاذٌ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ مُنَافِقٌ . فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلَ دَخَلَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَخْبَرَهُ مَا قَالَ مُعَاذٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَتُرِيدُ أَنْ تَكُونَ فَتَّانًا يَا مُعَاذُ إِذَا أَمَمْتَ النَّاسَ فَاقْرَأْ بِالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا . وَسَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى . وَاقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ . وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى
'Mu'adh b. Jabal al-Ansari led his companions in the night prayer and prolonged it for them. A person amongst us said prayer (after having separated himself from the congregation). Mu'adh was informed of this, and he remarked that he was a hypocrite. When it (the remark) was conveyed to the man, he went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and informed him of what Mu'adh had said. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: Mu'adh, do you want to become a person putting (people) to trial? When you lead people in prayer, recite:" By the Sun and its morning brightness" (Surat ash-Shams)," Glorify the name of thy most high Lord" (Surat al-A`la) and" Read in the name of Lord" (Surat al-`Alaq), and" By the night when it spreads" (Surat al-Lail). ٍ Sahih Muslim
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = 4* | ||
| # | Root Word | Frequency in Surah | Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | إِذَا | 3 | 409 |
| 2. | س و ي | 2 | 83 |
| 3. | ك ذ ب | 2 | 282 |
| 4. | أ ل ه | 2 | 2851 |
| 5. | ش م س | 1 | 33 |
| 6. | ض ح و | 1 | 7 |
| 7. | ق م ر | 1 | 27 |
| 8. | ت ل و | 1 | 63 |
| 9. | ن ه ر | 1 | 113 |
| 10. | ج ل و | 1 | 5 |
| Root Word | Frequency in Surah |
Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| إِذَا | 3 | 409 |
| س و ي | 2 | 83 |
| ك ذ ب | 2 | 282 |
| أ ل ه | 2 | 2851 |
| ش م س | 1 | 33 |
| ض ح و | 1 | 7 |
| ق م ر | 1 | 27 |
| ت ل و | 1 | 63 |
| ن ه ر | 1 | 113 |
| ج ل و | 1 | 5 |
The subject matter and the style show that this Surah was revealed in the earliest period at Makkah at a stage when opposition to the Prophet had grown very strong and intense.
- أَنَّهُ قَالَ صَلَّى مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ الأَنْصَارِيُّ لأَصْحَابِهِ الْعِشَاءَ فَطَوَّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَانْصَرَفَ رَجُلٌ مِنَّا فَصَلَّى فَأُخْبِرَ مُعَاذٌ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ مُنَافِقٌ . فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلَ دَخَلَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَخْبَرَهُ مَا قَالَ مُعَاذٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَتُرِيدُ أَنْ تَكُونَ فَتَّانًا يَا مُعَاذُ إِذَا أَمَمْتَ النَّاسَ فَاقْرَأْ بِالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا . وَسَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى . وَاقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ . وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى
'Mu'adh b. Jabal al-Ansari led his companions in the night prayer and prolonged it for them. A person amongst us said prayer (after having separated himself from the congregation). Mu'adh was informed of this, and he remarked that he was a hypocrite. When it (the remark) was conveyed to the man, he went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and informed him of what Mu'adh had said. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: Mu'adh, do you want to become a person putting (people) to trial? When you lead people in prayer, recite:" By the Sun and its morning brightness" (Surat ash-Shams)," Glorify the name of thy most high Lord" (Surat al-A`la) and" Read in the name of Lord" (Surat al-`Alaq), and" By the night when it spreads" (Surat al-Lail). ٍ Sahih Muslim
Success depends on keeping the soul pure and failure depends on corrupting it. The people of Thamud were leveled to the ground for that very reason.
Tafsir Zone
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Overview (Verses 1 - 6) God’s Solemn Oath By the sun and his morning brightness, by the moon as she follows him, by the day, which reveals his splendour, by the night, which veils him. By the heaven and its construction, by the earth and its spreading, by the soul and its moulding and inspiration with knowledge of wickedness and righteousness. Successful is the one who keeps it pure, and ruined is the one who corrupts it. (Verses 1-10) God swears by these objects and universal phenomena as He swears by the human soul, how it is fashioned and the inspiration it receives. The oath gives these creatures an added significance and draws man’s attention to them. Man ought to contemplate these phenomena and try to appreciate their value and the purpose of their creation. There exists in fact, some kind of a special language through which the human heart communicates with the universe. This language is part of human nature. It is a language which does not use sounds and articulation. It is a communication to hearts and an inspiration to souls which come alive whenever man looks up to the universe for an inspiring or cheerful sight. Hence, the Qur’an frequently urges man to reflect upon his surroundings. It does this in various ways, sometimes directly and sometimes with hints, incidental touches and stimuli. In this case, for example, some phenomena of the universe are made the subject of God’s oath, in order to serve as a framework for what follows in the surah. These explicit directives and indirect hints are very frequent in the surahs of the present volume. There is hardly any surah which does not encourage man, in one way or another, to communicate with the universe, in secret language, so that he may appreciate its signs and understand its address. Here we have an inspiring oath by the sun and the mid-morning. The oath also specifies the time when the sun rises above the horizon, when it is indeed at its most beautiful. Indeed, mid-morning is, in winter, a time of refreshing warmth. In summer, it is a time when the atmosphere is just mild and fresh before the blazing heat of midday sets in, and the sun is at its clearest. The oath is also by the moon as she follows the sun and spreads her beautiful and clear light. Between the moon and the human heart there is an age-long fascination that is well established in men’s inmost souls. It is a fascination that is born anew every time the two meet. The moon issues her own special whispers and inspirations to the human heart, and she sings her songs of praise of God, the Creator. On a clear night, one can almost feel oneself sailing through the moonlight, clearing one’s worries and enjoying perfect bliss as one feels the hand of the Maker beyond this perfect creation. God also swears by the day as it reveals the sun. The Arabic wording of this verse, wan-nahari idha jallaha, makes the possessive pronoun attached to ‘splendour’ ambiguous. Initially, one tends to take it as if it refers to the sun. The general context, however, suggests that it refers to the earth as it is lit by the sun. This method of changing referents is widely employed in the Qur’an when the change is easily noticed and the subject matter familiar. Here we have a discreet allusion to the fact that sunlight reveals the earth and has a great effect on human life. Our familiarity with the sun and its light makes us tend to overlook its beauty and function. This Qur’anic hint alerts us anew to this magnificent daily spectacle. The same applies to the next verse, “by the night, which veils him.” (Verse 4) This is the opposite of what happens during the day. Night time is like a screen that covers and hides everything. It also leaves its own impressions on everyone, and its impact on human life is no less important than that of the day time. God then swears “by the heaven and its construction.” (Verse 5) When heaven is mentioned, our immediate thoughts go to the huge dome-like sky above us in which we see the stars and the planets moving, each in its orbit. But we are in fact uncertain of the exact nature of heaven. However, what we see above us does bear the idea of building and construction because it looks to us a firm and solid whole. As to how it is built and what keeps it together as it floats in infinite space, we have no answer. All that has been advanced in this field is only theory that is liable to be invalidated or modified. We are certain, however, that God’s hand is the one which holds this structure together, as emphasized elsewhere in the Qur’an: “It is God who upholds the heavens and the earth lest they collapse. Should they collapse none could uphold them after He will have ceased to do so.” (35: 41) This is the only definite and absolute truth about the matter. The oath then includes the earth and its spreading as preparatory to the emergence of life. Indeed, human and animal life would not have been possible had the earth not been spread out. It is indeed the special characteristics and the natural laws which God has incorporated in the making of this earth that make life on it possible, according to His will and plan. It appears that if any of these laws were violated or upset, life on earth would become impossible or change its course. The most important of these is perhaps the spreading out of the earth which is also mentioned in Surah 79, The Pluckers: “After that He spread out the earth. He brought out water from it, and brought forth its pastures.” (79: 3031) When the surah mentions the spreading out of the earth, it actually reminds us of God’s hand which brought this about. |
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 - 6) God’s Solemn Oath By the sun and his morning brightness, by the moon as she follows him, by the day, which reveals his splendour, by the night, which veils him. By the heaven and its construction, by the earth and its spreading, by the soul and its moulding and inspiration with knowledge of wickedness and righteousness. Successful is the one who keeps it pure, and ruined is the one who corrupts it. (Verses 1-10) God swears by these objects and universal phenomena as He swears by the human soul, how it is fashioned and the inspiration it receives. The oath gives these creatures an added significance and draws man’s attention to them. Man ought to contemplate these phenomena and try to appreciate their value and the purpose of their creation. There exists in fact, some kind of a special language through which the human heart communicates with the universe. This language is part of human nature. It is a language which does not use sounds and articulation. It is a communication to hearts and an inspiration to souls which come alive whenever man looks up to the universe for an inspiring or cheerful sight. Hence, the Qur’an frequently urges man to reflect upon his surroundings. It does this in various ways, sometimes directly and sometimes with hints, incidental touches and stimuli. In this case, for example, some phenomena of the universe are made the subject of God’s oath, in order to serve as a framework for what follows in the surah. These explicit directives and indirect hints are very frequent in the surahs of the present volume. There is hardly any surah which does not encourage man, in one way or another, to communicate with the universe, in secret language, so that he may appreciate its signs and understand its address. Here we have an inspiring oath by the sun and the mid-morning. The oath also specifies the time when the sun rises above the horizon, when it is indeed at its most beautiful. Indeed, mid-morning is, in winter, a time of refreshing warmth. In summer, it is a time when the atmosphere is just mild and fresh before the blazing heat of midday sets in, and the sun is at its clearest. The oath is also by the moon as she follows the sun and spreads her beautiful and clear light. Between the moon and the human heart there is an age-long fascination that is well established in men’s inmost souls. It is a fascination that is born anew every time the two meet. The moon issues her own special whispers and inspirations to the human heart, and she sings her songs of praise of God, the Creator. On a clear night, one can almost feel oneself sailing through the moonlight, clearing one’s worries and enjoying perfect bliss as one feels the hand of the Maker beyond this perfect creation. God also swears by the day as it reveals the sun. The Arabic wording of this verse, wan-nahari idha jallaha, makes the possessive pronoun attached to ‘splendour’ ambiguous. Initially, one tends to take it as if it refers to the sun. The general context, however, suggests that it refers to the earth as it is lit by the sun. This method of changing referents is widely employed in the Qur’an when the change is easily noticed and the subject matter familiar. Here we have a discreet allusion to the fact that sunlight reveals the earth and has a great effect on human life. Our familiarity with the sun and its light makes us tend to overlook its beauty and function. This Qur’anic hint alerts us anew to this magnificent daily spectacle. The same applies to the next verse, “by the night, which veils him.” (Verse 4) This is the opposite of what happens during the day. Night time is like a screen that covers and hides everything. It also leaves its own impressions on everyone, and its impact on human life is no less important than that of the day time. God then swears “by the heaven and its construction.” (Verse 5) When heaven is mentioned, our immediate thoughts go to the huge dome-like sky above us in which we see the stars and the planets moving, each in its orbit. But we are in fact uncertain of the exact nature of heaven. However, what we see above us does bear the idea of building and construction because it looks to us a firm and solid whole. As to how it is built and what keeps it together as it floats in infinite space, we have no answer. All that has been advanced in this field is only theory that is liable to be invalidated or modified. We are certain, however, that God’s hand is the one which holds this structure together, as emphasized elsewhere in the Qur’an: “It is God who upholds the heavens and the earth lest they collapse. Should they collapse none could uphold them after He will have ceased to do so.” (35: 41) This is the only definite and absolute truth about the matter. The oath then includes the earth and its spreading as preparatory to the emergence of life. Indeed, human and animal life would not have been possible had the earth not been spread out. It is indeed the special characteristics and the natural laws which God has incorporated in the making of this earth that make life on it possible, according to His will and plan. It appears that if any of these laws were violated or upset, life on earth would become impossible or change its course. The most important of these is perhaps the spreading out of the earth which is also mentioned in Surah 79, The Pluckers: “After that He spread out the earth. He brought out water from it, and brought forth its pastures.” (79: 3031) When the surah mentions the spreading out of the earth, it actually reminds us of God’s hand which brought this about. |
The Sun is a star found at the center of the Solar System. Around 74% of the Sun’s mass is made up of hydrogen. Helium makes up around 24% while heavier elements such as oxygen, carbon, iron and neon make up the remaining percentage. The Sun generates huge amounts of energy by combining hydrogen nuclei into helium. This process is called nuclear fusion. The Sun is around 93,000,000 miles from the Earth and it's light takes approximately 8 minutes to reach the Earth travelling at a speed of 299,792,458 metres per second (speed of light).
- Surah 91. Ash-Shams - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vva2s78xuw4&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN&index=91
- Surah 91. Ash-Shams Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6CL80Z_C-Q&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM&index=91
- Surah 91. Ash-Shams Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOfvI9_-9C8&index=91&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe
- Surah 91. Ash-Shams Idris Akbar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZSN73vPNes
- Surah 91. Ash-Shams Muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhd7mXncbVw&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG&index=91
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al Shams 11 to Surah Al Aidayat1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEPGFbtAsS4&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=111https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEPGFbtAsS4&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=111
- Surah Al Shams 11 to Surah Al Aidayat2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCBekEiA5Mc&index=112&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263
