S86. SURAH AT-TARIQ (THE NIGHT STAR)

NAME: In the first Verse the star appearing at night has been mentioned. The Surah takes its name of this reference.

TIME OF REVELATION: It is a Makkan Surah. It was revealed after the people of Makkah had received the message of the Prophet, but they were treating it as a joke, and were trying to play tricks against the call of Islam.

CENTRAL THEME: Revival of Man for accounting for his deeds in this world.

ORDER OF THE VERSES: In Verses Nos. 1 to 4 evidence of the sky and the stars is presented on the point that every man is being watched, and that a day will come when he will be called upon to render an account of what he did and thought in his life in this world. Verses Nos. 5 to 8 present a reasoning on the revival of man after death on the ground of his creation by Allah. In Verses Nos. 9 to 10 this fact is disclosed that on the Day of Judgment all the secrets will be scrutinized and man will be totally helpless. He will not get any help from any quarter. In Verses Nos. 11 to 14 the evidence of the sky and the earth has been presented on the point that the information which Quran is imparting about the Day of Judgment is a definite and a decided matter. Verses Nos. 15 to 17 mark the end of the Surah, in which the infidels are warned and the Prophet is comforted that the tricks and the plotting of the infidels will boomerang on them, and that they should be given a little time. Their fate will soon be known to all.

86. SURAH AT-TARIQ (THE NIGHT STAR)

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

1. By ¹ the sky², and by what appears at night,

2. And what do you know what appears at night ! ³

3. The Star of piercing brightness.⁴

4. There is no soul that has not a watcher over it. ⁵

5. So let man think from what he is created,⁶

6. He is created from a gushing fluid,⁷

7. That issues from between the backbone and the ribs.⁸

8. Surely, He (Allah) is able to bring him back⁹ (to life),

9. On the Day when (all) things secret will be tested,¹⁰

10. Then (man) will have no power and no helper.¹¹

1. For the explanation of the oath, please see Surah Takveer, Note No.14.

2. For the explanation of the sky, please see Note No.1 on Surah Inshiqaq.

3. This question is for stressing the importance of the ‘things appearing at night’, that is: the things appearing at night are not such as you should merely pass by them or ignore them. They invite you to think, therefore think over them seriously; and that the purpose of this thinking should be to obtain an understanding about the Creator of the universe and not merely to add to your ‘knowledge’,

4. An-Najmus Saqib (Star of piercing brightness) does not denote any specific star, but it refers to the stars in general. It means all the stars which are bright and shining and which every man can see with the naked eye.

The stars spread over in the sky are so many that their correct number is not known even to the science of Astronomy, inspite of the tremendous progress made by Science. According to the estimate of the modern expert astronomers there are about one billion stars, planets, etc. in the universe in which our planet earth is placed. (The Cambridge Encyc. of Astronomy, page 313 ). It gives an idea of the vastness of the sky or the firmament, which has been referred to in this Surah as an evidence.

From among the innumerable stars, the piercing bright stars have been mentioned as evidence, because they attract the attention of persons with sight towards themselves, on account of their brightness, and through the eyes hint at the real ‘goal’ of man.

5. This is the point about which the evidence of the sky and the bright stars has been presented. This evidence means that the brightness of the stars in the sky not only invites man to look at them but also invites him to contemplate over them, and think seriously about them. When the night falls the sky is decorated with lamps, and such shining lamps that their brightness astounds human intellect. According to the modern astronomical discoveries some stars are at such a long distance from us that it takes quite a few light years for their light to reach the earth. Does not this observation lead a man to think that this is the masterpiece of the Creator of the universe and that He is the Lord and Ruler of the whole universe, and does it not create in man a sense that in the kingdom of this Great Ruler man cannot have the freedom to do whatever he likes and is not required to appear before Him for accounting for his acts? This observation, if it is unprejudiced and objective will surely create in man a sense of responsibility, and from this point emerges the idea and thought of accounting for one’s acts before Allah and for receiving reward or punishment according to one’s deserts. It is this reality about which the Prophet informs people and this is the message which Quran present to humanity.

When the reality that man is a responsible creature cannot be denied, then its inevitable demand is that a record of the practical life of man may be prepared, so that on its basis the persons concerned be awarded the due reward or punishment on the Day of Judgment. Quran says that Allah has made full arrangements for this. Accordingly every person is being watched by the observant angels who are recording every word and act of that person and are thus preparing a full record of his practical life in this world.

6. The biggest objection of the rejecters of the belief in the Hereafter was that it is not possible to bring to life the dead persons again. This objection is answered by the Quran by saying that the disbelievers do not consider Allah as the Absolutely Powerful and Mighty Being and therefore they think that it is not possible for Him to revive men after death. But this image or idea of Allah held by them is totally wrong, because it is not based on any sound reasoning, and it is refuted by everything in the universe. In this connection, man’s attention has been drawn towards his own creation, which would easily explain to him that the Being who has created man for the first time can also give him life after death.

7. Means semen of man.

8. The meaning of its issuing from between the backbone and the ribs is not that the semen actually issues forth from inside the backbone and the ribs, but that in this cavity of the human body which has the backbone on one side and the ribs on the other, this fluid is generated and it issues forth as if by the action of a syringe.

‘Min Baini’(from between) words used in this place are also used in the Quran at other place, Surah Nahal, Verse No. 66:-

“From their stomach, from between cow dung and blood, We feed you pure milk, which is very pleasant for the drinkers.” It is obvious that in this verse also the words

‘from between cow dung and blood’ do not mean that pure milk is created from cow dung and blood or comes out from them, but that it means that in the body where dirty things like cow dung and blood are created there a pleasant thing like pure milk is also created, which provides a proof of the mightiness of Allah and His great Wisdom. Similarly the verse under reference purports to say that from the human structure issues forth, in a very strange way, a matter which is very insignificant, but from that matter is created the great creature, man. Is this not a proof of the Extreme Mightiness of Allah and His Great Craftsmanship? Then, where is the room for doubting that it is not possible for Him to revive man after death?

It may be noted that the mention of issuing forth of the semen from between the backbone and the ribs does not negate the issuing forth of semen from the seminal vesicles, because the seminal vesicles are located in the abdominal bag, which is the lower part of the last rib and on the other side of which is located the vertebra or the backbone. Therefore, in the wider sense the semen issues forth from that portion whose front part are the ribs and the rear part the backbone.

And when Quran makes a statement, it is in the common and the wider sense, and not in the technical language. Therefore, it will not be proper to take whatever Quran has said at this place technically, or in the technical terms of the science of Anatomy. Quran has invited men to reflect over semen, the matter from which a human being is created. When we study the modern discoveries we are astounded to see the miracles wrought by the Might of the Creator. According to the modern research the quantity of semen discharged at one time is 2 to 5 milliliter, and in every milliliter of semen there are 40 to 100 million spermatozoa, (Text Book of Physiology by George Bell-- Edinburgh P.643) which means that a male’s discharge of semen at one time has the power of giving birth to 50 crore human beings. It is another matter if the Creator has made such an arrangement that at one time one or not more than two spermatozoa are fertilized generally. In this way the birth rate of the human beings does not exceed the limit. Does not this observation of the Miraculous Might of Allah create in man a belief in His limitless power and might, and does it not convince him that for such a Being it is not at all difficult to bring back to life all the dead persons?

9. To bring back means to bring back to life all the dead persons with their bodies. This will happen on the Day of Judgment.

10. That is: On that day no secret will remain secret. Man’s internal and hidden conditions will come out in the open. His intention, wishes, motivations for action, and those aims and objects which were at the back of all his deeds and actions, will be unveiled and disclosed, as if his internal self will be completely screened, and whatever bad or foul intentions would be there, will be clearly displayed. On that day man will know what was the purpose for which he was trying his utmost to treat Truth as Falsehood, and which he had kept hidden in his heart.

11. Means that neither he himself will be able to put up a defiance nor anybody else will able to come forward to help him.

By the sky which sends down rain, And by the earth which splits. Surely, this is a decided matter. It is not a joke. Surely, they are plotting a scheme, (Al-Quran)

11. By the sky which sends down rain,¹²

12. And by the earth which splits.¹³

13. Surely, this is a decided matter.¹⁴

14. It is not a joke.¹⁵

15. Surely, they are plotting a scheme,¹⁶

16. And I am too planning a scheme.¹⁷

17. So give a respite to the infidels. Give them a little respite. ¹⁸

12. The falling of rain from the sky or the sky sending it down is a common way of speech.

13. That is: When the rain starts falling, the pores of the earth open up, and it splits and grows vegetables. etc., as if the earth which was lying dead, is revived as soon as the rain starts falling. This observation, which man sees day and night, is presented here in support of the belief about the revival of man after death. In other words. Why cannot God revives the dead persons, when he can revive the dead earth? this observation create a belief in our hearts that the earth which on a command from Allah ejects out vegetables can also eject out the dead persons buried in it on another command from Him?

Incidentally, an aspect of uniqueness of Allah is also presented in this observation. The sky’s sending down rain and the earth’s growing vegetables cannot materialize without there being a single administrator for achieving this miraculous co-ordination. It proves that God who rules the sky also rules the earth, otherwise such a harmony and co-ordination would not have been possible between the two. By this the foundation of the polytheistic idea of having different devtas (gods) for the sky and earth is demolished.

14. That is: The Day which is coming, about which the Quran is giving information, is a dead certainty, a decided and definite thing.

15. To treat such an important and serious matter as a joke can be the act of only those persons. who do not want to be realistic.

16. These disbelievers are always busy plotting one scheme or another against the prophet, with a view to suppressing his call and to defeat the Truth.

17. That is: I am also planning to counter the moves and schemes of the disbelievers. It means that Allah is planning to defeat all the trickery and scheming of the disbelievers in such a way that they have no idea about it. And it is a fact that those infidels who had been plotting against the Quran and the Prophet were finally victims of their own plots, and they had to face the worst kind of defeat and infamy. This was the result of plotting against the Truth in this world; and in the next world also they will see that they will fall in the same ditch which they had dug for the righteous, and that they will be buried in that grave covered with the shroud of fire.

18. Let them fill up their cup. Do not make haste about their fate. Have patience and carry on your work. The time which these infidels are being allowed, will soon pass and very soon they will be caught.