S79. SURAH AN-NAZI‘AT’

NAME: The Surah begins with the word “Annazi’at”, which also gives it its name. This word is used to connote the attributes of the winds. TIME OF REVELATION: It was revealed in Makkah and from the contents of the Surah it can be concluded that it was revealed soon after the revelation of the Surah ‘Naba”.
CENTRAL THEME: The topic discussed herein is the occurrence of the Doomsday and resurrection of man for’ his requital. In the background are those rebellious and Pharaoh like people who are totally lost in achieving their gains in this material world only.
ORDER OF THE VERSES: In verses 1 to 5 winds are presented as evidence in support of the Day of Requital. Verses Nos. 6 to 14 present a picture of the Doomsday, and the critism of the infidels is mentioned. In verses Nos. 15 to 26 the story of Prophet Moosa is stated briefly showing how Pharaoh met his awful end by rejecting the call to believe in Allah, as if this is an evidence of history in support of the belief of facing consequences of one’s actions. In verses Nos. 27 to 33, argument is put forth on the possibility of resurrection of man from the fact of Allah’s attributes of limitless Power and Might. Verses No.34 to 41 explain what disastrous fate would await the rebels of Allah and materialists and how pleasant will be the rewards of believers in Allah. In Verses Nos. 42 to 46, the question of the rejecters of Doomsday about the time of occurrence of the Doomsday is answered.

79. SURAH AN-NAZI’AT (THE DRAGGING WINDS)

In the name of Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. By those (winds) 1 which drag forth (the clouds) forcefully.

2. By those which blow pleasantly.

3. By those which glide gently. 2

4. Then (in obedience) press forward as in a race.

5. Then manage an affair 3 (of bringing rain).

6. The day when the severe shock of the earth-quake will be felt.

7. Followed by a second shock. 4

8. On that day (many) hearts will be palpitating. 5

9. Then eyes will be downcast.

10. They say (now):”What ! Shall we indeed be, returned to our former state 6?”

11. “What! when we have become rotten bones7 ?”

1. In the first five Verses the things, which have been used here for taking oath, have not been mentioned clearly, only their attributes have been mentioned. Nor is any Hadith of the Prophet (P.b.u.h.) available explaining what these things actually are. There are a number of explanations. Some have stated that by these things are meant angels, others have taken them for stars, and some others horses. Some commentators are of the opinion that they are clouds. A popular explanation which has generally been adopted by many commentators is that these things are angels. We think what is meant here is “the winds” for the following reasons:
First, wherever this kind of oath is used in the Quran, its purpose is to draw some evidence in support of an argument. Here the purpose is to proffer an argument in favour of the belief of reviving man, whi ch can best be done by using the image of a thing which can be felt by our senses and not a thing which cannot be perceived or felt as angels cannot be perceived.
Secondly, the attributes described here are more likely to be found in the winds than in the angels or the stars.
Thirdly, in Arabic “Nazae’e” denotes a special kind of winds(see Lissanul. Arab-word Naza’a) Nazi’at is a word which is very similar to It. In the Quran the word “Tanzi’u” has been used for the wind. “The wind was uprooting men as If they were uprooted date-palms.”
Fourthly, in the Quran the oath of the wind is also used at other places in support of the argument of the Doomsday and the Day of Resurrection (See Surah Zariat and Surah Mursalat). In this Surah (Naziat) also, the topic of discussion is the Doomsday, and therefore, using winds as a medium of oath seems quite proper.
Fifthly, here the attributes used are in feminine gender, and the winds in Arabic are spoken of in feminine gender.

2. “Assaabihat” (gliding gently) is the attribute of the horses. Here the winds are shown as horses on account of the their fast running, as if the clouds are riding on the shoulders of the winds and speeding towards their destination.

3. In these verses are described the nature and the activities of the winds, which organize the system of rainfall. It is the winds that bring the clouds from thousands of miles, and if in any region when the clouds gather, the winds blow as if they are gliding, gently, and the whole atmosphere becomes very pleasant.
When these winds blow, carrying a weight of millions of liters of water on their shoulders it appears as if they are horses that have been sent on a campaign, and as some horses overtake other horses, so also some winds overtake other winds. This kind of activity of the winds has been called “Sabeqat”. The system of rainfall on this earth comes into operation as a result of the blowing of the winds, that is why they have been termed as “Al-mudabbirati Amra” (arranging to accomplish a task), as in Surah Mursalat they have been termed as “Fal- Muqassimati Amra” (perform a task of distributing rain). In citing evidence of these winds, the idea is to show that the revival of man on the Day of Resurrection and the requital of his deeds are sure and certain phenomena. The nature of the argument is that this system of winds presents an undeniable sign of Allah’s Might, Wisdom and His Greatness and invites us to reflect on them seriously. When the rain-laden winds blow, they provide enough material, by their various activities and nature, for the unthinking man to sit up and take notice, for example the act of dragging the clouds, which is also accompanied by thunder and lighting making the atmosphere pleasant, when the winds glide gently. Similarly when the different groups of winds blow in the atmosphere, then their overtaking one another in obedience of Allah’s command becomes evident. As regards accomplishing the task, these winds shower the blessings in the form of rain in some regions, while in others the clouds pass off without unloading their cargo of life-giving water. In some places the winds cause havoc in the form of storm, uprooting the trees and the houses, and in other places they blow pleasantly. Sometimes they take the form of hot, dry simoom and sometimes they appear as gentle, soft and cool morning breeze, Naseem. While blowing, these winds touch the hearts of men of thinking who are prepared to accept the reality unhesitatingly and induce them to believe that the Creator of this world has the mightiest power and it is He who is ruling the universe, with His great Wisdom. The inevitable result of this thinking is the realisation of the, fact that there is some purpose behind the creation of this world and that man must get due reward or punishment for what he does in this life. As if this system of the winds presents an evidence of the inevitability of facing the consequences of one’s deeds and it makes one accept not only the possibility of the revival of man on the Resurrection Day but also consider it necessary. In short in the activities and the nature of the winds one can discern the signs of the Law of Consequences. Another aspect of the evidence is that one can easily agree that the Being who can cause the rain-laden winds to revive the dead earth can also cause such “winds” to blow as would revive the dead bodies of men. As the winds scatter the vapours from the oceans in the skies and then collect these scattered clouds of vapours and make them send down rains, in the same manner the scattered parts of dead men’s bodies can be collected and they can be given life again. And when the happening in future of such an event has been declared by Allah, then where is the room for doubt? In fact, refusal to believe in the Doomsday is synonymous with refusal to believe in the Might and Wisdom of Allah.

4. After the First Shock, the present system of the world will be destroyed and all people will die. On the Second Shock, all the dead persons will come out of the earth. At that time the world’s structure will have been changed; it will be established with a new system.

5. From the shock and fright of the occurrence of the Doomsday and the fear of giving an account of what one did in this world, the hearts would be palpitating. However this would be the condition of the transgressors and infidels. The believers and the righteous people will have no trouble.

6. That is: Whether we will be revived after death.

7. This was the doubt of the rejecters of the belief in the Doomsday, that when there will be no physical existence of man then how it will be possible to revive him, and when his second existence or revival is not possible, there is no question of the reward and punishment in the next world. This doubt of theirs could have been easily cleared, had they studied the systematic order of this universe with an unprejudiced mind, for which study the Quran is inviting them. Such a study would have given them a correct understanding about the Creator of the universe and then they would have felt that every thing from the earth to the heaven and from the winds to the rainfall is confirming what the Quran has stated.

12. They say: “In that case, it would be a return with loss 8.”

13. (Listen!) That will be only one startling sound. 9

14. And suddenly they will be on the surface of the earth’ 10.

15. Has the story of Moosa reached you? 11

16. When his Lord called him in the holy valley of, Tuwa, 12

17. (Saying) “Go to Firaun (pharaoh) for he has indeed transgressed all bounds. 13 “

18. And say to him: ‘Would you like that you should be purified 14? “

19. And that I guide you to your Lord, so that you should fear Him 15?”

20. Then he (Moosa) showed him the Great Sign. 16

21. But Firaun rejected it and disobeyed.

22. Further, he turned away and started opposing him.

23. Then he gathered people and made a proclamation. 17

24. Declaring: “I am your Lord, Most High”. 18

8. In this way they were making fun of the next world that if they were really revived after death as prophesied by this Prophet then they will be in great loss, because they were denying it and had not made any preparations for it.

9. That is: Allah will not have to make any special preparations for resurrecting men in the Next World. Merely a command from Him will be sufficient. And this command will be in the form of a loud warning which will be relayed to the entire world at one and the same time.

10. That is: Man will again be revived with the same flesh and bones on this earth. In other words, man will not take the form of any animal or any other creature but on the Resurrection Day he will come out of his grave in his earlier form.

11. This is an evidence from history that Allah inflicts punishment on rejecters of prophets, transgressors and rebels in this world also, a clear example of which is the Pharaoh and his army who were destroyed by drowning. In this event can be seen a slight reflection of the Law of Consequences which will operate on the Day of Reckoning.

12. “Tuwa” is the name of the valley which is at the foot of the Mountain Sina. It has been called holy because Allah had shown, His Light here and Prophet Moosa was favoured with the grant of prophethood, in this valley.

13. Firaun (Pharaoh) is the title of the ancient Egyptian kings. The Pharaoh, who dealt with Prophet Moosa, was ruling Egypt in the year circa 1400 B.C. The transgression committed by him was that instead of acknowledging himself to be a slave of Allah he considered himself independent, and claimed to be the Lord, Most High. All his rule and administration was based on rebellion against Allah. He had adopted a very tyrannical attitude towards his fellow-beings and was causing untold miseries to the then Muslim Nation, i.e. the Bani Israel.

14. Being purified means to accept Islam which purifies man from the filth of polytheism and infidelity and adorns him with faith and good conduct.

15. On the fear of Allah depends the purification of beliefs and conduct. A man can attain fear of Allah only when he gets correct knowledge about Allah. ‘Guiding to the Lord’ points to this knowledge of Allah, which is the basis of all purification.

16. “Great Sign” means the miracle of converting the staff into a snake, which was given to Moosa. This was a clear Indication that Moosa was sent by Allah as His Messenger.

17. So that people might not respond to Moosa’s call and embrace his religion.

18. The kings of the ancient times were not content with only ruling over their subjects but were also forcing them to worship them (kings), so that they may be doubly secure and rule them with all the splendour of godhood. In support of their holiness, they used to claim relationship with the stars, gods and goddesses, and claimed their re-incarnation. The Pharaoh also used to get himself worshipped by his subjects and in this sense he claimed himself to be the Lord, Most High. At that time in Egypt idolatry was rampant. The Pharaoh did not prohibit worshipping of other idols by any royal decree. It is thus clear that his claim of godhood was mainly against the call of Moosa for worshipping only Allah. His negation of other gods was only with a view to harassing Prophet Moosa. It would not be correct to take the claim of his godhood to mean that he also claimed to be the creator of the universe, because such a claim can be made only by a fool.
It will also not be correct to interpret it as to mean that he was calling himself Lord Most High and God in a political sense. If his claim were politically motivated, then he would not have told his people:
“I am afraid that Moosa may change your religion”(Al-Mumin,26) because the claimant of the political, lordship or godhood is not concerned, with the religious conversion of his subjects. Similarly, Pharaoh would not have told Hazrat Moosa: “Have you come for the purpose of turning us away from our ancestral religion?” (Yunus:78).

25. Finally, Allah seized him for punishment in the Hereafter and in this life.

26. Surely, there is a lesson for him who fears (Allah). 19

27. What ! Are you the more difficult to create or the heaven, (that) He constructed. 20

28. He raised high its canopy 21 and gave it order and harmony. 22

29. And He covered its night with darkness and brought forth its day (light) 23.

30. And after that He spread the earth. 24

31. And produced there from its water and pasture.

32. And the mountains He firmly fixed.

33. A provision for you and for your cattle. 25

34. Then, when that great Overwhelming calamity takes place. 26

35. The day when man will remember all that he had striven for. 27

36. And Hell will be made apparent to everyone who sees.

37. Then, for him who had rebelled. 28

19. That is: People who have some fear of Allah can get a lesson from this event. The lesson is that this world is not a haphazard or meaningless affair, but that Allah is ruling over it with the Law of justice. A tyrant king like Pharaoh also receives Just punishment from Allah. Therefore, the apparent freedom that the rebels get in this world should not lead us to the conclusion that man is not to account for his style of conduct before Allah and that there is nothing like the Law of Consequences.

20.That is: the creation of the heavens with their infinite stars, wonderful Milky Ways, magnificent plants and grand solar systems and making them follow an orderly and disciplined performance is not an easy task. But when the creation of this astounding universe was an easy task for Allah, then why the task of reviving man should be at all difficult for Him? Why such an obvious thing is not understood by your intellect?

21. The expanse of the universe is so great and some of the stars are so far away from us that it takes a number of light years for their light to reach our earth.

22. That is: He did not merely create the matter or the nebular of the heaven and left it at that, but He also created from it a magnificent universe, effected co-ordination among all the members, and organized it in such a way that the heavens appear to be a beautifully decorated gathering, which invites every thinking man to ponder seriously over these matters.

23.To connect the occurrence of day and night with the sky is on account of the fact that man sees the signs of day and night in the sky only.

24. It does not mean that first the heaven was created and thereafter the earth was brought into being. It means that in addition to heaven, the earth was also created and spread. Both the magnificence of the heaven and the blessings of the earth are worth reflecting upon.

25. This beneficial and wise arrangement of the earth points to a splendid planning or scheme. The Quran explains this planning or scheme as that of life after death and the facing of the consequences of man’s deeds.

26. In other words the occurring of the Doomsday which is the biggest event of the universe.

27. Everything a man does leaves its impressions on his mind. For this reason a man is able to remember the events of very remote past of his life. This is a proof that man’s brain is itself preparing a record of his deeds. On the Day of Reckoning his memory will be so sharp that all the past impressions of what he did in his life will come out before his eyes, i.e. he will remember everything perfectly.

28. That is: Instead of remaining a loyal slave to Allah he would have adopted the line of rejection and rebellion. Earlier the example of the rebellion of Pharaoh has been given.

38. And had preferred the life of the world 29

39. Hell will be his abode.

40. But for him who had feared 30 to stand before his Lord and restrained his self from evil desires.

41. The Paradise will be his abode.

42. They ask you about the Hour, (O, Prophet!)’When will be its appointed time?’

43. Wherein are you concerned with declaring it 31?

44. With your Lord is its knowledge.

45. You are but a Warner for those who may fear it.

46. The day they will see it, it will be as if they had tarried but for an evening or the morning. 32

29. That is: This man would have made this world as his goal and would have preferred the pleasure and comforts of this world to the pleasures of the next.

30. This refers to the man who used to tremble in his worldly life from the thought of appearing before Allah to account for his deeds. It goes without saying that such a man would have led very pious and virtuous life as a loyal slave of Allah.

31. It means that the Messenger of Allah has not been sent to declare the time of the occurrence of the Doomsday. He has been sent to warn the people. The Doomsday will occur at its appointed time, in the same way in which a man’s death occurs inevitably and the time of its occurring is not known beforehand.

32. Now they are showing impatience for the Doomsday, but when it will actually occur, they will feel that it has come too soon, and the time they had at their disposal in the world was too short. Time is a relative thing. Minutes appear too short in comparison with hours, and hours and days too short in comparison with days and months, respectively, and so on. In the Hereafter the present values of time and space will change, and at that time the Doomsday will be equal to 1000 years of this world. At that time the life span of man in this world will look terribly short, and then man will realise that he had foolishly wasted his precious time. How he would wish that he had spent this invaluable time in making preparation for the life of the Hereafter!