God’s Sovereignty and Perfect Creation
God, who owns all dominion, created life and death as a test, and fashioned the heavens flawlessly, inviting reflection on their perfection.
God, who owns all dominion, created life and death as a test, and fashioned the heavens flawlessly, inviting reflection on their perfection.
The sky is adorned with stars and guarded from devils; those who reject their Lord face Hell, admitting they ignored the warning and reason.
Whether speech is concealed or open, God knows what hearts hold; He fully knows His creation and can punish without warning.
Verse 67:13 came down about the idolaters, according to Ibn Abbas, as al-Wahidi reports. They used to speak against the Prophet, and the angel Gabriel would tell him what they had said about him. So they would say to one another, "Keep your talk secret, so that the God of Muhammad does not hear." Al-Wahidi gives this report without a chain, and al-Fahl gives no verdict on it.
People are cautioned against divine punishment and reminded of God’s sustaining mercy, with examples like birds upheld in flight and the folly of turning from the Merciful.
God gave hearing, sight, and hearts and will gather people for judgment; the deniers are warned, and all are reminded that only God provides, ending with the question of who can bring water if it disappears.
God affirms the Prophet’s integrity and immense character, promises him an unfailing reward, and exposes the moral flaws of influential deniers while warning them against persisting in rejection.
Al-Wahidi links only verse 68:4 to a specific report. He cites Aishah, who said no one had better character than the Prophet. Whenever one of his Companions or his household called him, he answered, "At your service." She said this is why Allah revealed "And you are truly of outstanding character." Al-Fahl grades the chain very weak because one of its transmitters, Husayn ibn Ulwan, is abandoned as a narrator.
A parable of owners who plan to harvest their orchard secretly to withhold charity, only to find it devastated; they awaken to their wrongdoing, repent, and are reminded that such punishment can be a warning before the greater punishment of the Hereafter.
The righteous are promised gardens of bliss, while the absurdity of treating believers and criminals alike is rejected; deniers are challenged for evidence, and on the Day of Judgment they will be humbled and unable to respond to the call to prostration.
God warns that He will draw the rejecters on step by step and confirms His plan is firm; the Prophet is told to be patient and not like Jonah in haste, and the surah closes by affirming that the Quran is a reminder for all creation despite the deniers’ hostility.
Al-Wahidi says verse 68:51 came down when the disbelievers wanted to harm the Prophet with the evil eye. Some men of Quraysh looked at him and said they had never seen anyone like him or like his arguments. The evil eye was known among the Banu Asad, whose gaze was said to kill a fat camel or cow. Al-Kalbi adds that the disbelievers asked an Arab man known for his deadly gaze to put the eye on the Prophet. Allah protected His Prophet and revealed this verse. The editor gives no grading for either report.
The Day of Resurrection is introduced with emphasis on its certainty and magnitude.
Thamud, 'Ad, and Pharaoh’s people are cited as examples of those who denied and were seized by devastating punishment.
Only verse 69:12 has a report. Al-Wahidi reports from Buraydah that the Prophet told Ali: "Allah has commanded me to bring you near and not push you away, to teach you so that you retain it, and it is Allah's due that you retain it." Then the words "and that attentive ears may grasp it" came down. Al-Fahl gives no verdict of his own. His note quotes Ibn Kathir as saying the report is not authentic, and that Ibn Kathir held the words apply to anyone who understands and retains.
The Trumpet is blown and the records are given: the righteous rejoice in Paradise, while the wicked face regret, chains, and Hell.
The revelation is affirmed as true, not poetry or soothsaying, and the Prophet is cleared of fabrication; it is a reminder and certainty.
A punishment is asked for by a disbeliever; God’s inevitable judgment and the terror of the Day of Resurrection are described, along with humanity’s desperate wish to escape it.
Al-Wahidi says, without naming an earlier authority, that verse 70:1 came down about al-Nadr ibn al-Harith. Al-Nadr had prayed, "O Allah, if this is indeed the truth from You...", in words quoted in Surah al-Anfal. In doing so he called down punishment on himself. The punishment he asked for struck him at the Battle of Badr, where he was taken captive and put to death. The editor notes that al-Nasa'i also records the report but gives no grade for it.
Human beings are portrayed as anxious and miserly, except those who pray, give due charity, believe in the Judgment, guard chastity, keep trusts and promises, and uphold truthful testimony—promised honor in Paradise.
Those who rush toward the Prophet in denial are rebuked; God can replace them, and the Day they rise from graves in dread and humiliation is affirmed as the promised reality.
Verse 70:38 came down about the idolaters of Makkah. Al-Wahidi cites the exegetes as a group: the idolaters used to gather around the Prophet and listen to his words without benefiting from them. Instead they called him a liar and mocked him. They said that if his followers entered Paradise, they would enter it before them and have more there than they did. Allah then revealed this verse.
Allah sends Noah to warn his people and urge them to seek forgiveness, promising mercy and respite if they repent.
Noah laments his people’s stubborn refusal despite his constant دعوت; he reminds them of Allah’s creations, blessings, and the signs in the heavens and earth.
Noah describes how the people follow influential leaders and cling to major idols, causing widespread misguidance.
Their sins lead to destruction and the Fire; Noah prays for the removal of persistent wrongdoers and asks forgiveness for himself, believers, and the faithful.
A group of jinn listen to the Qur’an, recognize its guidance, and declare faith in the One Lord, rejecting partners, false claims about God, and the deception of devils; they affirm that among them are both righteous and misguided, with believers seeking right guidance and wrongdoers destined for Hell.
God promises abundant provision for those who remain steadfast, while warning that turning away from God’s remembrance leads to escalating punishment; the passage affirms that places of worship belong to God alone and that the Prophet cannot control benefit or harm, only convey the message.
The Prophet’s duty is to deliver God’s revelations; those who oppose God and His Messenger face lasting punishment, and when the promised reality becomes clear they will know their weakness; God alone knows the unseen, disclosing only what He wills to His messengers and protecting the revelation so it is conveyed accurately and fully.
The Prophet is commanded to pray at night, recite the Qur’an steadily, rely on Allah, avoid the deniers’ talk, and be patient as punishment approaches.
A messenger is sent as a witness, like to Pharaoh; those who reject face severe consequences, while the Qur’an is a reminder for whoever wills to take the right path.
Night prayer is eased due to people’s circumstances; believers are told to recite what is manageable, establish prayer, give charity, seek forgiveness, and trust Allah’s reward.
The Prophet is commanded to arise, warn, magnify his Lord, keep himself purified, shun impurity, avoid self-seeking in giving, and remain patient for God’s sake.
When the Trumpet is sounded, a severe Day comes for disbelievers. A man blessed with wealth and sons persists in stubborn rejection and plots against the revelation, calling it human magic and speech.
The entry covers verses 74:11-25. Al-Wahidi reports from Ibn Abbas that al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah heard the Prophet recite the Quran and seemed moved by it. Abu Jahl then pressed him to say something against it so his people would know he rejected it. Al-Walid admitted it was unlike any poetry he knew, but after thinking it over he called it "nothing but magic handed down," and these verses came down. Al-Fahl doubts this chain because one narrator heard his source only after that source went blind. Mujahid gives a similar account: Quraysh feared al-Walid would accept Islam. He rejected their claims that the Prophet was mad, a soothsayer, a poet or a liar, and then called him a sorcerer.
The denier is threatened with Saqar, a blazing fire that spares none. Nineteen are appointed over it as a trial: to confirm believers, clarify matters for the People of the Book, and expose the doubts of the sick-hearted and disbelievers—while God guides whom He wills.
Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns, except the people of the right. In Paradise they question the criminals, who admit they neglected prayer, ignored the needy, indulged in vain talk, and denied the Day of Judgment—until death came; no intercession will benefit them.
The disbelievers flee the reminder like startled wild donkeys, each demanding personal scriptures. They do not truly fear the Hereafter. The Qur’an is a reminder, but none will take heed except by God’s will; He alone is worthy of reverence and forgiveness.
God swears by the Day of Resurrection and the self-reproaching soul, affirming His power to resurrect and noting humanity’s desire to persist in sin.
Verse 75:3 came down about Adi ibn Rabiah, according to a report al-Wahidi gives without naming an authority. Adi came to the Prophet and asked him when the Day of Resurrection would come and what it would be like. The Prophet told him. Adi replied that even if he saw that day with his own eyes, he would not believe the Prophet or have faith in it, and asked whether Allah would really gather these bones together. Allah then revealed this verse.
Scenes of the Final Hour are described and the futile flight from God is denied; each person will be shown their deeds and cannot hide from their own testimony.
The Prophet is told not to rush in recitation; God guarantees the Qur’an’s collection and recitation and will clarify its meaning.
People are contrasted: some love the fleeting world, while others will have radiant faces looking toward their Lord, and some will be shadowed by dread of ruin.
The moment of death is portrayed and the return to God is affirmed; the condemned are those who rejected truth, turned away, and persisted in arrogance.
A stern warning is repeated, then God’s power is argued from human origins—created from a drop, formed and paired—showing He can surely raise the dead.
Humankind is created from a mixed drop and tested; God grants hearing and sight and shows the path of gratitude or denial.
The righteous are described by their devotion and charity, and are promised Paradise’s comforts, honor, and a pure reward from their Lord.
Al-Wahidi reports from Ibn Abbas that 76:8 and the verses after it came down about Ali ibn Abi Talib. Ali hired himself out for a night to water palm trees in return for some barley. His household cooked it in three batches. As each batch was ready, they gave it away: first to a poor man, then to an orphan, then to a captive from the idolaters. They went hungry that day. Al-Fahl gives no grade for this chain. He notes that al-Qurtubi rejected a related story about Ali, Fatimah and their servant girl as unsound.
The Prophet is assured of the Qur’an’s revelation and commanded to be patient, obey God, and remember Him in prayer day and night.
People who prefer the fleeting world are warned of a heavy Day; God created and can replace them as He wills.
The message is a reminder for whoever chooses the path to God, yet none will choose without God’s will; He admits whom He wills to mercy and punishes wrongdoers.
A series of divine oaths affirms the coming Day of Decision, warning deniers through reminders of past destructions and the refrain: woe to those who deny.
Human creation from a humble fluid and the earth’s provision are cited as signs of God’s power, followed by a warning to those who deny.
The guilty are driven toward scorching fire, smoke, and punishment for their denial, while the righteous enjoy shade, springs, and fruits as reward for their deeds.
A brief call to enjoy life briefly is followed by a stern woe to the deniers, who refuse to submit, and a concluding question about what message they will believe after this.