Ayat 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
وَٱلْعَٰدِيَٰتِ ضَبْحًۭا.(1)
فَٱلْمُورِيَٰتِ قَدْحًۭا.(2)
فَٱلْمُغِيرَٰتِ صُبْحًۭا.(3)
فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِۦ نَقْعًۭا.(4)
فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِۦ جَمْعًا.(5)
By the racers, panting,(1) [Al-Aadiyaat: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Section 01
Traditional understanding
Translation, tafseer from classical and modern scholars, transliteration, word-by-word grammar.
Translation Sahih International
By the racers, panting,(1)
Tafseer Abdullah Yusuf
The substantive proposition is in verses 6-8 below, and the metaphors and symbols enforcing the lesson are in verses 1-5 here. These symbols have at least three layers of mystic meaning:
(1) Look at the chargers (mares or swift camels) panting for war on behalf of their masters. Off they go, striking fire with their hoofs by night at the behest of their riders; they push home the charge in the morning, chivalrously giving the enemy the benefit of daylight; and regardless of flashing steel or the weapons of their enemies they boldly penetrate into the midst of their foe, risking their lives for the Cause. Does unregenerate man show that fidelity to his Lord Allah? On the contrary he is ungrateful to Allah; he shows that by his deeds; he is violently in love with wealth and gain and things that perish.
(2) By the figure of metonymy the brave fidelity of the war horse may stand for that of the brave and true men who rally to the standard of Allah and carry it to victory, contrasted with the poltroonery and pettiness of unregenerate man.
(3) The whole conflict, fighting, and victory, may be applied to spiritual warfare against those who are caught and overwhelmed by the camp of Evil.
With their hoofs. If we suppose the march to be in the dead of night, the sparks of fire would be still more conspicuous.
We may suppose a surprise attack, but yet a chivalrous attack by daylight. The foe is punished through his own lethargy and unpreparedness, apart from the strength, fire, and spirit of the forces of righteousness.
The clouds of dust typify the ignorance and confusion in the minds of those who oppose Truth.
The forces of evil mass themselves for strength, but their massing itself may become a means of their speedy undoing.
(1) Look at the chargers (mares or swift camels) panting for war on behalf of their masters. Off they go, striking fire with their hoofs by night at the behest of their riders; they push home the charge in the morning, chivalrously giving the enemy the benefit of daylight; and regardless of flashing steel or the weapons of their enemies they boldly penetrate into the midst of their foe, risking their lives for the Cause. Does unregenerate man show that fidelity to his Lord Allah? On the contrary he is ungrateful to Allah; he shows that by his deeds; he is violently in love with wealth and gain and things that perish.
(2) By the figure of metonymy the brave fidelity of the war horse may stand for that of the brave and true men who rally to the standard of Allah and carry it to victory, contrasted with the poltroonery and pettiness of unregenerate man.
(3) The whole conflict, fighting, and victory, may be applied to spiritual warfare against those who are caught and overwhelmed by the camp of Evil.
With their hoofs. If we suppose the march to be in the dead of night, the sparks of fire would be still more conspicuous.
We may suppose a surprise attack, but yet a chivalrous attack by daylight. The foe is punished through his own lethargy and unpreparedness, apart from the strength, fire, and spirit of the forces of righteousness.
The clouds of dust typify the ignorance and confusion in the minds of those who oppose Truth.
The forces of evil mass themselves for strength, but their massing itself may become a means of their speedy undoing.
Tafseer Dr. Farooq Azam
By the snorting steeds (horses that are used in wars).
dashing off sparks by the strike of their hoofs.
making raids in the morning.
An example of horses that they are more grateful to their owners than men are to their Rabb (Allah).
The object of this Sûrah is to make the people realize, how evil a man becomes when he denies the Hereafter, or becomes heedless of it, and also to warn them that in the Hereafter, not only their visible and apparent deeds, but the secrets hidden in their hearts will also be subjected to scrutiny. For this purpose, the general chaos and confusion prevailing in Arabia: bloodshed, looting and plundering; tribes subjecting other tribes to raids, no one could have a peaceful sleep at night out of fear that some enemy tribe might raid his settlement early in the morning, is pointed out. Every Arab was conscious about this state of affairs and realized that it was wrong. Although the plundered bemoaned his miserable, helpless state and the plunderer rejoiced, but when the plunderer himself was plundered, he too realized how abject was the condition of the society in which he was involved. Referring to this state of affairs, it is said: all this is happening because the people are not aware about their life after death and their accountability before Allah.
An example of stallions (horses used in war) is given to reflect on human attitude towards Allah. Stallions to whom man provides only food and water, are so grateful to him that they jump into the valley of death on his command, while man whom Allah has given life, faculties, food and other provisions is ungrateful to Allah and he himself is a witness to this fact. This example shows that an ungrateful person is worse than an animal. Such a person is so blinded by the love of worldly wealth that he tries to obtain it by every means, however impure and filthy it may be. He would never have behaved so, had he known the time when the dead would be raised from their graves for accountability. On that Day, the intentions and motives with which they had done all sorts of deeds in the world would be exposed and brought out before everyone to see by their Lord and Sustainer (Allah).
dashing off sparks by the strike of their hoofs.
making raids in the morning.
An example of horses that they are more grateful to their owners than men are to their Rabb (Allah).
The object of this Sûrah is to make the people realize, how evil a man becomes when he denies the Hereafter, or becomes heedless of it, and also to warn them that in the Hereafter, not only their visible and apparent deeds, but the secrets hidden in their hearts will also be subjected to scrutiny. For this purpose, the general chaos and confusion prevailing in Arabia: bloodshed, looting and plundering; tribes subjecting other tribes to raids, no one could have a peaceful sleep at night out of fear that some enemy tribe might raid his settlement early in the morning, is pointed out. Every Arab was conscious about this state of affairs and realized that it was wrong. Although the plundered bemoaned his miserable, helpless state and the plunderer rejoiced, but when the plunderer himself was plundered, he too realized how abject was the condition of the society in which he was involved. Referring to this state of affairs, it is said: all this is happening because the people are not aware about their life after death and their accountability before Allah.
An example of stallions (horses used in war) is given to reflect on human attitude towards Allah. Stallions to whom man provides only food and water, are so grateful to him that they jump into the valley of death on his command, while man whom Allah has given life, faculties, food and other provisions is ungrateful to Allah and he himself is a witness to this fact. This example shows that an ungrateful person is worse than an animal. Such a person is so blinded by the love of worldly wealth that he tries to obtain it by every means, however impure and filthy it may be. He would never have behaved so, had he known the time when the dead would be raised from their graves for accountability. On that Day, the intentions and motives with which they had done all sorts of deeds in the world would be exposed and brought out before everyone to see by their Lord and Sustainer (Allah).
Tafseer Ibn Abbas
And from his narration on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he said about the interpretation of Allah's saying
(By the snorting courses):
'(By the snorting courses) the Prophet (pbuh) had sent a military expedition to Banu Kinanah and was quite aggrieved because he did not hear their news for a while. Allah therefore informed His Prophet about this expedition in the form of an oath, saying (By the snorting courses) He says: Allah swears by the horses of the conquerors, whose breaths are audible because of the enemies,
(Striking sparks of fire) with their hooves, but this fire is as beneficial as the Fire of Abu Hubahib. The latter was one of the stingiest Arabs in camp. He never lit any fire to make bread for himself or for anyone else until everybody went to sleep, and whenever someone woke up he hurried to put the Fire out so that no one would benefit from it.
And scouring to the raid at dawn,
Then, therewith, with their trail of dust,
Cleaving, as one, the centre (of the foe)) the above can also be understood as follow: Allah swears by the pilgrims' horses and camels when they return from 'Arafah to Muzdalifah snorting and striking sparks of fire; it is also said the latter means: performing acts which leads them to safety, i.e. the pilgrimage. And He swears by these when they go at dawn from Muzdalifah to Mina in the evening, leaving trails of dust and surrounding their enemies. Allah swore by all these.
(By the snorting courses):
'(By the snorting courses) the Prophet (pbuh) had sent a military expedition to Banu Kinanah and was quite aggrieved because he did not hear their news for a while. Allah therefore informed His Prophet about this expedition in the form of an oath, saying (By the snorting courses) He says: Allah swears by the horses of the conquerors, whose breaths are audible because of the enemies,
(Striking sparks of fire) with their hooves, but this fire is as beneficial as the Fire of Abu Hubahib. The latter was one of the stingiest Arabs in camp. He never lit any fire to make bread for himself or for anyone else until everybody went to sleep, and whenever someone woke up he hurried to put the Fire out so that no one would benefit from it.
And scouring to the raid at dawn,
Then, therewith, with their trail of dust,
Cleaving, as one, the centre (of the foe)) the above can also be understood as follow: Allah swears by the pilgrims' horses and camels when they return from 'Arafah to Muzdalifah snorting and striking sparks of fire; it is also said the latter means: performing acts which leads them to safety, i.e. the pilgrimage. And He swears by these when they go at dawn from Muzdalifah to Mina in the evening, leaving trails of dust and surrounding their enemies. Allah swore by all these.
Tafseer Jalalain
By the chargers, the steeds that charge in attack and snort [with a], snorting — this being the [name of the] sound which they emit from inside them when they charge;
by the strikers, the steeds that strike fire [by way], of sparks, with their hoofs, when they gallop across rocky terrain by night;
by the dawn-raiders, the steeds that make raids against the enemy at dawn at the hands of their riders .
raising, stirring up, therein, in the place of their charge or at that time [of dawn], a trail of dust, by the power of their movement,
cleaving therewith, with the dust, a host, of the enemy, that is to say, cutting right into their centre!
(the verb is supplemented to the noun [in the above instances] because it serves to explain the verbal action, in other words, wa’llātī ‘adawna fa-awrayna fa-agharna, ‘by those that charge, then strike sparks, then raid’).
by the strikers, the steeds that strike fire [by way], of sparks, with their hoofs, when they gallop across rocky terrain by night;
by the dawn-raiders, the steeds that make raids against the enemy at dawn at the hands of their riders .
raising, stirring up, therein, in the place of their charge or at that time [of dawn], a trail of dust, by the power of their movement,
cleaving therewith, with the dust, a host, of the enemy, that is to say, cutting right into their centre!
(the verb is supplemented to the noun [in the above instances] because it serves to explain the verbal action, in other words, wa’llātī ‘adawna fa-awrayna fa-agharna, ‘by those that charge, then strike sparks, then raid’).
Tafseer Ma’arif Ul-Quran
The word 'diyat is derived from the root 'adw' which means 'to
run'. The dabh means 'the sound coming out of the chest of a horse
when it runs fast and breathes laboriously; panting.'
The word muriyaati is the active participle of the infinitive of 'ira'. The infinitive means 'to strike or produce fire with a particular piece of wood.' The word qadh means 'to strike or produce fire with a flint; striking sparks of
fire when the horse runs fast on a rocky ground with horse-shoes on.
The word ghirat is active participle of the infinitive igharah. The infinitive means 'to attack, or make a sudden hostile excursion upon, an
enemy'. The word subh means 'morning or dawn'. This time has been
specifically mentioned because it was the practice of Arabs to attack their
enemy at dawn, and not at night in order to show off their bravery. They
thought making a hostile excursion on the enemy in the darkness of night
was an act of cowardice.
The word atharna is derived from 'itharah, which means 'to raise dust'. The word naq' means 'dust'. This implies that the dust became stirred up and spread upon the horizon, especially in the morning when the horses run fast. Normally, this is not the time for clouds of dust to fly in this way, unless it was caused by very fast running.
Verse [100:5] (then enter, at the same time, into the centre of the [opposing] host)
In other words, they penetrate into the centre of the enemy forces without the least degree of fear
Tafseer Mufti Taqi Usmani
This statement is preceded by oaths sworn by different qualities of horses used in battles. The point made is that Allah Ta‘ala has subjugated such a strong and powerful animal to the command of man, but instead of appreciating this grace of his Lord, he is ungrateful to him.
This statement is preceded by oaths sworn by different qualities of horses
used in battles. The point made is that Allah Ta‘ala has subjugated such a strong
and powerful animal to the command of man, but instead of appreciating this
grace of his Lord, he is ungrateful to him.
This statement is preceded by oaths sworn by different qualities of horses
used in battles. The point made is that Allah Ta‘ala has subjugated such a strong
and powerful animal to the command of man, but instead of appreciating this
grace of his Lord, he is ungrateful to him.
This statement is preceded by oaths sworn by different qualities of horses
used in battles. The point made is that Allah Ta‘ala has subjugated such a strong
and powerful animal to the command of man, but instead of appreciating this
grace of his Lord, he is ungrateful to him.
This statement is preceded by oaths sworn by different qualities of horses
used in battles. The point made is that Allah Ta‘ala has subjugated such a strong
and powerful animal to the command of man, but instead of appreciating this
grace of his Lord, he is ungrateful to him.
This statement is preceded by oaths sworn by different qualities of horses
used in battles. The point made is that Allah Ta‘ala has subjugated such a strong
and powerful animal to the command of man, but instead of appreciating this
grace of his Lord, he is ungrateful to him.
This statement is preceded by oaths sworn by different qualities of horses
used in battles. The point made is that Allah Ta‘ala has subjugated such a strong
and powerful animal to the command of man, but instead of appreciating this
grace of his Lord, he is ungrateful to him.
This statement is preceded by oaths sworn by different qualities of horses
used in battles. The point made is that Allah Ta‘ala has subjugated such a strong
and powerful animal to the command of man, but instead of appreciating this
grace of his Lord, he is ungrateful to him.
This statement is preceded by oaths sworn by different qualities of horses
used in battles. The point made is that Allah Ta‘ala has subjugated such a strong
and powerful animal to the command of man, but instead of appreciating this
grace of his Lord, he is ungrateful to him.
Tafseer Shaikh Ashiq Ilahi
By the snorting coursers,
Allah takes oaths by five attributes of horses to emphasise the fact that man is extremely ungrateful to Allah. Allah Ta'ala says,
"By the horses that pant as they gallop! By the sparks that fly from the striking of their hooves! By their assault at dawn causing the dust to fly and penetrating the midst of the enemy' s ranks."
The Arabs held horses in very high esteem. They were constantly fighting each other and often camped outside the town of their enemies by night and launched surprise attacks at the crack of dawn. They plundered the towns they attacked and looted the people. Allah reminds man of the great bounty that He has bestowed on him by providing such animals for him who will be faithful to him in the very thick of battle. Man is therefore obliged to be grateful to Allah for this and His many other bounties. Man ought to express his gratitude to Allah by obeying Allah's commands and by following the teachings of Allah's Nabi ( prophet) Sayyidina Muhammad The horses which they used for wrong purposes should now be used in Allah's obedience.
Some commentators are of the opinion that the Surah refers to horses that
are used for Jihad in Allah's path. Others mention that the verses refer to horses that are used during Hajj to transport the Hujjaj ( pilgrims) from Arafat to Muzdalifa and from Muzdalifa to Mina.
Allah takes oaths by five attributes of horses to emphasise the fact that man
is extremely ungrateful to Allah. Allah Ta'ala says,
"By the horses that pant as they gallop! By the sparks that fly from the striking of their hooves! By their assault at dawn causing the dust to fly and penetrating the midst of the enemy' s ranks."
The Arabs held horses in very high esteem. They were constantly fighting each other and often camped outside the town of their enemies by night and launched surprise attacks at the crack of dawn. They plundered the towns they attacked and looted the people. Allah reminds man of the great bounty that He has bestowed on him by providing such animals for him who will be faithful to him in the very thick of battle. Man is therefore obliged to be grateful to Allah for this and His many other bounties. Man ought to express his gratitude to Allah by obeying Allah's commands and by following the teachings of Allah's Nabi ( prophet) Sayyidina Muhammad The horses which they used for wrong purposes should now be used in Allah's obedience.
Some commentators are of the opinion that the Surah refers to horses that
are used for Jihad in Allah's path. Others mention that the verses refer to horses
that are used during Hajj to transport the Hujjaj ( pilgrims) from Arafat to
Muzdalifa and from Muzdalifa to Mina.
Allah takes oaths by five attributes of horses to emphasise the fact that man is extremely ungrateful to Allah. Allah Ta'ala says,
"By the horses that pant as they gallop! By the sparks that fly from the striking of their hooves! By their assault at dawn causing the dust to fly and penetrating the midst of the enemy' s ranks."
The Arabs held horses in very high esteem. They were constantly fighting each other and often camped outside the town of their enemies by night and launched surprise attacks at the crack of dawn. They plundered the towns they attacked and looted the people. Allah reminds man of the great bounty that He has bestowed on him by providing such animals for him who will be faithful to him in the very thick of battle. Man is therefore obliged to be grateful to Allah for this and His many other bounties. Man ought to express his gratitude to Allah by obeying Allah's commands and by following the teachings of Allah's Nabi ( prophet) Sayyidina Muhammad The horses which they used for wrong purposes should now be used in Allah's obedience.
Some commentators are of the opinion that the Surah refers to horses that
are used for Jihad in Allah's path. Others mention that the verses refer to horses
that are used during Hajj to transport the Hujjaj ( pilgrims) from Arafat to
Muzdalifa and from Muzdalifa to Mina.
Allah takes oaths by five attributes of horses to emphasise the fact that man is extremely ungrateful to Allah. Allah Ta'ala says,
"By the horses that pant as they gallop! By the sparks that fly from the striking of their hooves! By their assault at dawn causing the dust to fly and penetrating the midst of the enemy' s ranks."
The Arabs held horses in very high esteem. They were constantly fighting each other and often camped outside the town of their enemies by night and launched surprise attacks at the crack of dawn. They plundered the towns they attacked and looted the people. Allah reminds man of the great bounty that He has bestowed on him by providing such animals for him who will be faithful to him in the very thick of battle. Man is therefore obliged to be grateful to Allah for this and His many other bounties. Man ought to express his gratitude to Allah by obeying Allah's commands and by following the teachings of Allah's Nabi ( prophet) Sayyidina Muhammad The horses which they used for wrong purposes should now be used in Allah's obedience.
Some commentators are of the opinion that the Surah refers to horses that
are used for Jihad in Allah's path. Others mention that the verses refer to horses
that are used during Hajj to transport the Hujjaj ( pilgrims) from Arafat to
Muzdalifa and from Muzdalifa to Mina.
Allah takes oaths by five attributes of horses to emphasise the fact that man is extremely ungrateful to Allah. Allah Ta'ala says,
"By the horses that pant as they gallop! By the sparks that fly from the striking of their hooves! By their assault at dawn causing the dust to fly and penetrating the midst of the enemy' s ranks."
The Arabs held horses in very high esteem. They were constantly fighting each other and often camped outside the town of their enemies by night and launched surprise attacks at the crack of dawn. They plundered the towns they attacked and looted the people. Allah reminds man of the great bounty that He has bestowed on him by providing such animals for him who will be faithful to him in the very thick of battle. Man is therefore obliged to be grateful to Allah for this and His many other bounties. Man ought to express his gratitude to Allah by obeying Allah's commands and by following the teachings of Allah's Nabi ( prophet) Sayyidina Muhammad The horses which they used for wrong purposes should now be used in Allah's obedience.
Some commentators are of the opinion that the Surah refers to horses that
are used for Jihad in Allah's path. Others mention that the verses refer to horses that are used during Hajj to transport the Hujjaj ( pilgrims) from Arafat to Muzdalifa and from Muzdalifa to Mina.
Allah takes oaths by five attributes of horses to emphasise the fact that man
is extremely ungrateful to Allah. Allah Ta'ala says,
"By the horses that pant as they gallop! By the sparks that fly from the striking of their hooves! By their assault at dawn causing the dust to fly and penetrating the midst of the enemy' s ranks."
The Arabs held horses in very high esteem. They were constantly fighting each other and often camped outside the town of their enemies by night and launched surprise attacks at the crack of dawn. They plundered the towns they attacked and looted the people. Allah reminds man of the great bounty that He has bestowed on him by providing such animals for him who will be faithful to him in the very thick of battle. Man is therefore obliged to be grateful to Allah for this and His many other bounties. Man ought to express his gratitude to Allah by obeying Allah's commands and by following the teachings of Allah's Nabi ( prophet) Sayyidina Muhammad The horses which they used for wrong purposes should now be used in Allah's obedience.
Some commentators are of the opinion that the Surah refers to horses that
are used for Jihad in Allah's path. Others mention that the verses refer to horses
that are used during Hajj to transport the Hujjaj ( pilgrims) from Arafat to
Muzdalifa and from Muzdalifa to Mina.
Allah takes oaths by five attributes of horses to emphasise the fact that man is extremely ungrateful to Allah. Allah Ta'ala says,
"By the horses that pant as they gallop! By the sparks that fly from the striking of their hooves! By their assault at dawn causing the dust to fly and penetrating the midst of the enemy' s ranks."
The Arabs held horses in very high esteem. They were constantly fighting each other and often camped outside the town of their enemies by night and launched surprise attacks at the crack of dawn. They plundered the towns they attacked and looted the people. Allah reminds man of the great bounty that He has bestowed on him by providing such animals for him who will be faithful to him in the very thick of battle. Man is therefore obliged to be grateful to Allah for this and His many other bounties. Man ought to express his gratitude to Allah by obeying Allah's commands and by following the teachings of Allah's Nabi ( prophet) Sayyidina Muhammad The horses which they used for wrong purposes should now be used in Allah's obedience.
Some commentators are of the opinion that the Surah refers to horses that
are used for Jihad in Allah's path. Others mention that the verses refer to horses
that are used during Hajj to transport the Hujjaj ( pilgrims) from Arafat to
Muzdalifa and from Muzdalifa to Mina.
Allah takes oaths by five attributes of horses to emphasise the fact that man is extremely ungrateful to Allah. Allah Ta'ala says,
"By the horses that pant as they gallop! By the sparks that fly from the striking of their hooves! By their assault at dawn causing the dust to fly and penetrating the midst of the enemy' s ranks."
The Arabs held horses in very high esteem. They were constantly fighting each other and often camped outside the town of their enemies by night and launched surprise attacks at the crack of dawn. They plundered the towns they attacked and looted the people. Allah reminds man of the great bounty that He has bestowed on him by providing such animals for him who will be faithful to him in the very thick of battle. Man is therefore obliged to be grateful to Allah for this and His many other bounties. Man ought to express his gratitude to Allah by obeying Allah's commands and by following the teachings of Allah's Nabi ( prophet) Sayyidina Muhammad The horses which they used for wrong purposes should now be used in Allah's obedience.
Some commentators are of the opinion that the Surah refers to horses that
are used for Jihad in Allah's path. Others mention that the verses refer to horses
that are used during Hajj to transport the Hujjaj ( pilgrims) from Arafat to
Muzdalifa and from Muzdalifa to Mina.
Tafseer Tafheem Ul-Quran
There is no indication in the words of the verse to show whether "those who run" imply the horses; only the word waI-`Adiyat (by, those who run) has been used. That is why the commentators have disputed as to what is implied by "those who run" ..
One section of the Companions and their immediate successors has been to think that it implies the horses;
another section says that it implies the camels.
But since the peculiar sound called dabh is produced only by the panting, snorting horses, and the following verses also in which mention has been made of striking sparks and raiding a settlement early at dawn and raising clouds of dust, apply only to the horses, most scholars are of the opinion that horses are meant.
Ibn Jarir says: "Of the two views this view is preferable that by "those who run" horses are implied, for the camel does not breathe hard in running, it is the horse which does so, and Allah has said:
"By those runners which pant and breathe hard in running."
Imam Razi ays: "The words of these verses proclaim that horses are meant, for the sound of dabh (panting breath) is only produced by the horses, and the act of striking sparks of fire with the hoofs too is associated with the horses, and, likewise, mounting of a raid early at dawn is easier by means of the horses .
than by other animals."
"Dashing off sparks" indicates that the horses run in the dead of night, for the sparks struck by their hoofs become conspicuous only at night.
The practice among the Arabs was that when they had to mount a raid on a settlement, they marched out in the night so as to take the enemy by surprise; then they would launch a sudden attack early. in the morning so that everything became visible in the light of day, and at the same tune it did not become so bright that the victim could notice their movement from a distance and be ready to meet the offensive.
This is for which an oath has been sworn by the horses, which run with panting breath and dash off sparks at night, then raising dust rush to assault a settlement at dawn and penetrate into the enemy host. It is astonishing to note that a large number of the commentators have taken these horses to imply the
horses of the Muslim fighters and the enemy host to imply the host of disbelievers, whereas the oath has been sworn to impress the point that "man is highly ungrateful to his Lord". Now, obviously, in the course of Jihad for the sake of Allah, the rushing forth of the fighters' horses and their assaulting a host of disbelievers all of a sudden, does not at all support the point that man is ungrateful to his Lord, nor the following sentences, viz. "man himself is a witness to it, and he. loves the worldly wealth with all his heart," apply to the people who go out to fight in the cause of Allah. Therefore, one will have to admit that the oaths sworn in the first five verses of this Sarah, refer, in fact, to the general bloodshed, loot and plunder prevalent in Arabia at that time. In the pre-Islamic days of ignorance the night was a very dreadful thing: in it the people of every tribe and settlement apprehended the danger of a sudden attack by some unknown enemy, and when the light of day appeared they would heave a sigh of relief that the night had passed in peace. The tribes did not fight only retaliatory wars but different tribes also raided others in order to deprive them of their worldly goods and herds and to capture their women and children to be
made slaves. This kind of tyranny and plunder was carried opt mostly by means of the horses, which Allah is presenting here as an argument for the fact that man is ungrateful to his Lord. That is the powers which man is employing for fighting, shedding blood and plundering had not been given him by God for
this purpose. Therefore this indeed is sheer ingratitude that the resources granted by Allah and the power given by Him should be used for causing chaos and corruption to spread in the earth. which Allah abhors.
This is for which an oath has been sworn by the horses, which run with panting breath and dash off sparks at night, then raising dust rush to assault a settlement at dawn and penetrate into the enemy host. It is astonishing to note that a large number of the commentators have taken these horses to imply the
horses of the Muslim fighters and the enemy host to imply the host of disbelievers, whereas the oath has been sworn to impress the point that
"man is highly ungrateful to his Lord".
Now, obviously, in the course of Jihad for the sake of Allah, the rushing forth of the fighters' horses and their assaulting a host of disbelievers all of a sudden, does not at all support the point that man is ungrateful to his Lord, nor the following sentences, viz
. "man himself is a witness to it, and he. loves the worldly wealth with all his heart,"
apply to the people who go out to fight in the cause of Allah. Therefore, one will have to admit that the oaths sworn in the first five verses of this Sarah, refer, in fact, to the general bloodshed, loot and plunder prevalent in Arabia at that time. In the pre-Islamic days of ignorance the night was a very dreadful thing: in it the people of every tribe and settlement apprehended the danger of a sudden attack by some unknown enemy, and when the light of day appeared they would heave a sigh of relief that the night had passed in peace. The tribes did not fight only retaliatory wars but different tribes also raided others in order to deprive them of their worldly goods and herds and to capture their women and children to be
made slaves. This kind of tyranny and plunder was carried opt mostly by means of the horses, which Allah is presenting here as an argument for the fact that man is ungrateful to his Lord. That is the powers which man is employing for fighting, shedding blood and plundering had not been given him by God for
this purpose. Therefore this indeed is sheer ingratitude that the resources granted by Allah and the power given by Him should be used for causing chaos and corruption to spread in the earth. which Allah abhors.
One section of the Companions and their immediate successors has been to think that it implies the horses;
another section says that it implies the camels.
But since the peculiar sound called dabh is produced only by the panting, snorting horses, and the following verses also in which mention has been made of striking sparks and raiding a settlement early at dawn and raising clouds of dust, apply only to the horses, most scholars are of the opinion that horses are meant.
Ibn Jarir says: "Of the two views this view is preferable that by "those who run" horses are implied, for the camel does not breathe hard in running, it is the horse which does so, and Allah has said:
"By those runners which pant and breathe hard in running."
Imam Razi ays: "The words of these verses proclaim that horses are meant, for the sound of dabh (panting breath) is only produced by the horses, and the act of striking sparks of fire with the hoofs too is associated with the horses, and, likewise, mounting of a raid early at dawn is easier by means of the horses .
than by other animals."
"Dashing off sparks" indicates that the horses run in the dead of night, for the sparks struck by their hoofs become conspicuous only at night.
The practice among the Arabs was that when they had to mount a raid on a settlement, they marched out in the night so as to take the enemy by surprise; then they would launch a sudden attack early. in the morning so that everything became visible in the light of day, and at the same tune it did not become so bright that the victim could notice their movement from a distance and be ready to meet the offensive.
This is for which an oath has been sworn by the horses, which run with panting breath and dash off sparks at night, then raising dust rush to assault a settlement at dawn and penetrate into the enemy host. It is astonishing to note that a large number of the commentators have taken these horses to imply the
horses of the Muslim fighters and the enemy host to imply the host of disbelievers, whereas the oath has been sworn to impress the point that "man is highly ungrateful to his Lord". Now, obviously, in the course of Jihad for the sake of Allah, the rushing forth of the fighters' horses and their assaulting a host of disbelievers all of a sudden, does not at all support the point that man is ungrateful to his Lord, nor the following sentences, viz. "man himself is a witness to it, and he. loves the worldly wealth with all his heart," apply to the people who go out to fight in the cause of Allah. Therefore, one will have to admit that the oaths sworn in the first five verses of this Sarah, refer, in fact, to the general bloodshed, loot and plunder prevalent in Arabia at that time. In the pre-Islamic days of ignorance the night was a very dreadful thing: in it the people of every tribe and settlement apprehended the danger of a sudden attack by some unknown enemy, and when the light of day appeared they would heave a sigh of relief that the night had passed in peace. The tribes did not fight only retaliatory wars but different tribes also raided others in order to deprive them of their worldly goods and herds and to capture their women and children to be
made slaves. This kind of tyranny and plunder was carried opt mostly by means of the horses, which Allah is presenting here as an argument for the fact that man is ungrateful to his Lord. That is the powers which man is employing for fighting, shedding blood and plundering had not been given him by God for
this purpose. Therefore this indeed is sheer ingratitude that the resources granted by Allah and the power given by Him should be used for causing chaos and corruption to spread in the earth. which Allah abhors.
This is for which an oath has been sworn by the horses, which run with panting breath and dash off sparks at night, then raising dust rush to assault a settlement at dawn and penetrate into the enemy host. It is astonishing to note that a large number of the commentators have taken these horses to imply the
horses of the Muslim fighters and the enemy host to imply the host of disbelievers, whereas the oath has been sworn to impress the point that
"man is highly ungrateful to his Lord".
Now, obviously, in the course of Jihad for the sake of Allah, the rushing forth of the fighters' horses and their assaulting a host of disbelievers all of a sudden, does not at all support the point that man is ungrateful to his Lord, nor the following sentences, viz
. "man himself is a witness to it, and he. loves the worldly wealth with all his heart,"
apply to the people who go out to fight in the cause of Allah. Therefore, one will have to admit that the oaths sworn in the first five verses of this Sarah, refer, in fact, to the general bloodshed, loot and plunder prevalent in Arabia at that time. In the pre-Islamic days of ignorance the night was a very dreadful thing: in it the people of every tribe and settlement apprehended the danger of a sudden attack by some unknown enemy, and when the light of day appeared they would heave a sigh of relief that the night had passed in peace. The tribes did not fight only retaliatory wars but different tribes also raided others in order to deprive them of their worldly goods and herds and to capture their women and children to be
made slaves. This kind of tyranny and plunder was carried opt mostly by means of the horses, which Allah is presenting here as an argument for the fact that man is ungrateful to his Lord. That is the powers which man is employing for fighting, shedding blood and plundering had not been given him by God for
this purpose. Therefore this indeed is sheer ingratitude that the resources granted by Allah and the power given by Him should be used for causing chaos and corruption to spread in the earth. which Allah abhors.
Transliteration
Ayah 1
WaalAAadiyati dabhan
Ayah 2
Faalmooriyati qadhan
Ayah 3
Faalmugheerati subhan
Ayah 4
Faatharna bihi naqAAan
Ayah 5
Fawasatna bihi jamAAan
Word-by-word
Ayah 1
| # | Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | وَالْعَادِيَاتِ | WaalAAadiyati | By the racers | ع د و |
| 2 | ضَبْحًا | dabhan | panting | ض ب ح |
Ayah 2
| # | Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | فَالْمُورِيَاتِ | Faalmooriyati | And the producers of sparks | و ر ي |
| 2 | قَدْحًا | qadhan | striking | ق د ح |
Ayah 3
| # | Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | فَالْمُغِيرَاتِ | Faalmugheerati | And the chargers | غ ي ر |
| 2 | صُبْحًا | subhan | (at) dawn | ص ب ح |
Ayah 4
| # | Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | فَأَثَرْنَ | Faatharna | Then raise | ث و ر |
| 2 | بِهِۦ | bihi | thereby | — |
| 3 | نَقْعًا | naqAAan | dust | ن ق ع |
Ayah 5
| # | Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | فَوَسَطْنَ | Fawasatna | Then penetrate (in the) center | و س ط |
| 2 | بِهِۦ | bihi | thereby | — |
| 3 | جَمْعًا | jamAAan | collectively | ج م ع |
Section 02
Cross-references
Similar verses elsewhere in the Qur’an and authentic ahadith narrated about this ayah.
Section 03
Articles & resources
Long-form articles, scientific commentary, and historical context linked from the legacy archive.
Articles
- Thehorseinthe Islamicculture
- Thehorseinthe Islamicculture
- Horsedomesticationanditsdiffusioninthe Middle Eastand North Africathestateoftheart
- Horsedomesticationanditsdiffusioninthe Middle Eastand North Africathestateoftheart
- Iconographyandwrittensources
- Iconographyandwrittensources
- A N I M A L S I N Q U R A N
- A N I M A L S I N Q U R A N
- The Horsein Arabiaandthe Arabian Horse Origins Mythsand Realities
- The Horsein Arabiaandthe Arabian Horse Origins Mythsand Realities
- Theal‑ Maqarcaseanideologicalhistoricalreconstitution
- Theal‑ Maqarcaseanideologicalhistoricalreconstitution
- Introductionofthehorsein Arabiathestateoftheart
- Introductionofthehorsein Arabiathestateoftheart
Scientific Data
Section 04
Audio & video lectures
6 videos · 10 audio lectures from contemporary scholars.
Tafseer of Soorah al-'Aadiyaat - Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Bilal Philips
Video · youtube
Tafseer of Soorah al-'Aadiyaat - Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Bilal Philips
Video · youtube
The Enemy strikes without warning! Surat al'Adiyat 100 #DailyTafseer -#Surah A Day by #YahyaIbrahim
Yahya Ibrahim
Video · youtube
The Enemy strikes without warning! Surat al'Adiyat 100 #DailyTafseer -#Surah A Day by #YahyaIbrahim
Yahya Ibrahim
Video · youtube
Tafseer of Surah 100 - Adiyat - Nouman Ali Khan
Nouman Ali Khan
Video · youtube
Tafseer of Surah 100 - Adiyat - Nouman Ali Khan
Nouman Ali Khan
Video · youtube
worldliness-ingratitude-tafsir-surat-ul-adiyat
riyadul-haqq
Audio lecture
worldliness-ingratitude-tafsir-surat-ul-adiyat
riyadul-haqq
Audio lecture
tafseer-juz-e-amma-tafsir-surat-al-adiyat
navaid-aziz
Audio lecture
tafseer-juz-e-amma-tafsir-surat-al-adiyat
navaid-aziz
Audio lecture
nouman-ali-khan-100-adiyat
nouman-ali-khan
Audio lecture
nouman-ali-khan-100-adiyat
nouman-ali-khan
Audio lecture
/Dr.IsrarAhmedEnglishTafsirFullQuran/
Dr.IsrarAhmed
Audio lecture
/Dr.IsrarAhmedEnglishTafsirFullQuran/
Dr.IsrarAhmed
Audio lecture
At-Takathu
At-Takathu
Audio lecture
At-Takathu
At-Takathu
Audio lecture
References
- Tafseer — Abdullah Yusuf
- Tafseer — Dr. Farooq Azam
- Tafseer — Ibn Abbas
- Tafseer — Jalalain
- Tafseer — Ma’arif Ul-Quran
- Tafseer — Mufti Taqi Usmani
- Tafseer — Shaikh Ashiq Ilahi
- Tafseer — Tafheem Ul-Quran
- Translation — Sahih International
- Hadith collections — 16 narrations from Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and others (see Cross-references)
- Quranic cross-references — 8 parallel verses
- Linked articles — 16 long-form pieces
