Surah 086 of 114

سورة الطارق

At-Taariq

17 verses · tap any ayah to deep-dive

Ayat 1, 2, 3, 4

وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلطَّارِقِ.(1)

وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلطَّارِقُ.(2)

ٱلنَّجْمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ.(3)

إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌۭ.(4)

By the sky and the night comer -(1) [At-Taariq: 1, 2, 3, 4]

Back to surah / Surah 086 · At-Taariq / Ayah 1, 2, 3, 4

Section 01

Traditional understanding

Translation, tafseer from classical and modern scholars, transliteration, word-by-word grammar.

Translation Sahih International

By the sky and the night comer -(1)

Tafseer Abdullah Yusuf

86:01-2
⦁ The appeal here is to single Sign, viz.: the Sky with its Night. Visitant; and the substantive proposition is in verse.'There is no soul but has a protector over it'".
⦁ In the darkest sky shines out most brilliantly the light of the most brilliant star. So in the night of spiritual darkness whether through ignorance or distress shines the glorious star of Allah's revelation.By the same token the man of Faith and Truth has nothing to fear. Allah will protect His own.
86:3-4
⦁ The "Star of piercing brightness" is understood by some to be the Morning Star.
⦁ By others to be the planet Saturn
⦁ By Others again to be Sirius, or the pleiads or shooting stars.
I think it is best to take the "Star" in the collective or generic sense, for stars shine on every night in the year. And their piercing brightness is most noticeable on the darkest night. If man has a true spiritual understanding, he has nothing to be afraid of. He is protected by Allah in many ways that he does not even know he may be an insignificant creature as a mere animal, but his soul raises him to a dignity above other creation. And all Sorts of divine forces guard and protect him.

Tafseer Dr. Farooq Azam

The stars of the heavens are cited as an evidence that there is nothing in the universe that may continue to exist and survive without a guardian over it.

Tafseer Ibn Abbas

86:01
And from his narration on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he said concerning the interpretation of Allah's saying (By the heaven and the Morning Star): '(By the heaven and the Morning Star) He says: Allah swears by the heaven and the morning star
86:02
(Ah, what will tell thee) O Muhammad (what the Morning Star is!) this is to arouse his astonishment.
86:03
Allah then explained by saying: (The piercing Star!) the bright, piercing star; this refers to the planet Saturn which shines at night and disappears during the day
86:04
(No human soul) no believing or disbelieving soul-this is why Allah swore-(but hath a guardian over it) who record its words and deeds until he drives it into the grave.

Tafseer Jalalain

86:01
By the heaven and the night-visitor! (al-tāriq actually denotes any thing that comes by night, including stars, because they come out at night).
86:02
And what will tell you what the night-visitor is? (mā’T-tāriq is a subject and predicate, standing as the second object of [the verb] adrā, ‘tell’; and what comes after t first mā, ‘what’, is the predicate thereof [of this first mā]) — this [statement] emphasises the magnificence of the ‘night-visitor’, which is explained in what follows.
86:03
It is the piercing, the brilliant, because of its piercing the darkness with its light, star!, meaning [the constellation] Pleiades; or [it refers to] all stars (the response to the oath [follows])
86:04
Over every soul there is a keeper (if read la-mā, then mā is extra, and in, is softened in place of the hardened form with its subject omitted, that is to say, innahu; the lām is [a particle] for separation; if read lammā, then in is for negation and lammā means illā, ‘except that’) the watcher is an angel that keeps a record of its deeds, both the good and the evil.

Tafseer Ma’arif Ul-Quran

After swearing an oath by the sky and stars, in this Surah, Allah asserts that He has assigned a guardian angel to every human being who watches over his deeds and actions, and accurate and immediate record is kept on the basis of which the reckoning will be made,and on the Day of Reckoning, all secrets will be revealed.The rational conclusion is that man must ponder over the consequences of the deeds he is doing in this life. Therefore, he should not, at any moment of his life, lose sight of what is to happen on the Day of Reckoning. Thereafter, the verse disposes of a doubt that the Satan perennially casts into the people's hearts.
86:01
The first oath, in the beginning of the Surah, is by the sky and tariq.
The word tariq means the 'Night-Comer'. Stars normally disappear during the day and only appear at night, therefore they are called tariq.
86:02
The Quran itself raises the question: وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ
(and what may let you know what the Night-Comer is?)
86:03
And then answers the question thus:النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ
(The star of piercing brightness!)
⦁ The word najm means 'star'.The Quran does not specify any particular 'star'. Therefore, it may be applied to any star.
⦁ Some of the commentators say that najm refers to the Pleiades or Saturn, and they quote specimens of Arabic speech to confirm their argument.The word thaqib means 'piercing brightness’.
86:04
There is no human being,but there is a watcher over him.This is the subject of the oath.
⦁ The particle in at the beginning of the statement is used in the sense of 'no', that is, a negative particle; and the particle lamma is used in the sense of 'but/except, that is, it is an exceptive particle in the dialect of Bani Hudhail.The verse purports to say that there is not a single person over whom there is not a watcher (HAFIZ).
⦁ The word HAFIZ may mean 'guardian' who may watch over someone's actions and deeds, so that the reckoning is made on that basis.
⦁ The word HAFIZ may also be used in the sense of 'one who protects from calamities'.
⦁ In the first sense, the word HAFIZ refers to the angels who record the deeds. Here the word HAFIZ, although appears in the singular form, it is used in the generic sense, because there is not just a single recording angel, but there is a host of them as another verse testifies to this fact:
وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ 82:10
كِرَامًا كَاتِبِينَ - 82:11
(While [appointed] over you there are watchers,who are noble, the writers [of the deeds).
According to the second sense of the word, hafiz refers to the angels who have been appointed to protect man from all kinds of calamities that befall him day and night, except the calamities that Allah has decreed for him, as the following verse explicitly states:
لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِّن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَالٍ - 13:11
Translation:For him there are angels replacing each other, before him and behind him, who guard him under the command of Allah.

A tradition has reported the Messenger of Allah saying that Allah has appointed three hundred and sixty angels for every believer. They protect every limb of his.Of the three hundred and sixty, seven angels alone protect man's eye. These angels defend man from every calamity that is not decreed, like a fan chases away the flies coming to a vessel containing honey. If there are no security guards for man, the devils will snatch them away. [Qurtubi].

Tafseer Mufti Taqi Usmani

Just as the stars are present in the sky all the times, but visible only at night,similarly the deeds one does in this world are all recorded by the angels who are named in die next verse as ‘watchers', but this record will be visible on the Day of Judgment

Tafseer Shaikh Ashiq Ilahi

⦁ Allah Ta'ala takes an oath by the sky and by a bright star to assert that He has appointed an angel to watch over every person.
⦁ The task of these angels is to record every deed that a person carries out.
⦁ Their records will be presented on the Day of Judgment and Allah will decide every person's affair.
⦁ According to this interpretation, the "guardian" refers to the recording angels referred to in Surah Infitar [ Surah 82, verses 10,11 ] where Allah says, "Verily there are guardians upon you who are noble and are recording."
⦁ Other commentators have mentioned that the verse refers to those angels who are commissioned to protect people, concerning whom Allah says in Surah Ra'd, "For everyone there are angels before him and following behind him, protecting him. "These angels are appointed with the express task of protecting people from calamities.
⦁ However, the first interpretation is more apt because the Surah discusses Judgment Day and people tend to doubt its coming, thinking that they cannot be called to account for words and deeds that are said and done.

Tafseer Tafheem Ul-Quran

First of all, the stars of the heavens have been cited as an evidence that there is nothing in the universe which may continue to exist and survive without guardian over it.

Transliteration

Ayah 1

Waalssamai waalttariqi

Ayah 2

Wama adraka ma alttariqu

Ayah 3

Alnnajmu alththaqibu

Ayah 4

In kullu nafsin lamma AAalayha hafithun

Word-by-word

Ayah 1

#	Arabic	Pronunciation	Meaning	Root
1	وَالسَّمَآءِ	Waalssamai	By the sky	س م و
2	وَالطَّارِقِ	waalttariqi	and the night comer	ط ر ق

Ayah 2

#	Arabic	Pronunciation	Meaning	Root
1	وَمَآ	Wama	And what?	—
2	أَدْرَاكَ	adraka	can make you know	د ر ي
3	مَا	ma	what?	—
4	الطَّارِقُ	alttariqu	the night comer (is)	ط ر ق

Ayah 3

#	Arabic	Pronunciation	Meaning	Root
1	النَّجْمُ	Alnnajmu	(It is) the star	ن ج م
2	الثَّاقِبُ	alththaqibu	the piercing!	ث ق ب

Ayah 4

#	Arabic	Pronunciation	Meaning	Root
1	إِن	In	Not	—
2	كُلُّ	kullu	(is) every	ك ل ل
3	نَفْسٍ	nafsin	soul	ن ف س
4	لَّمَّا	lamma	but	—
5	عَلَيْهَا	AAalayha	over it	—
6	حَافِظٌ	hafithun	(is) a protector	ح ف ظ

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

86-1
86-1

Scientific Data

Misconceptions

Historical Data

Section 04

Audio & video lectures

38 videos · 10 audio lectures from contemporary scholars.

TAFSEER OF Surah Taariq Sheikh Assim Al Hakeem Video · youtube

Astrology and Numerology leads to Shirk Dr.Muhammad Salah Video · youtube

Omens, Astronomy and Astrology! Yasir Qadhi Video · youtube

The Shirk of Horoscopes Yusuf Estes Video · youtube

magic fortune telling and astrology Abdur Raheem Green Video · youtube

How Ibrahim a.s dealt with the star worshipers Ismail Ibn Musa Menk Video · youtube

at-Tariq 5min Tafseer Yahya Ibrahim Video · youtube

Knowing The Angels Hussain Yee Video · youtube

Quran and astronomy Dr. Jamal Badawi Video · youtube

The perfect creation of the Sky Dr. Zaghloul El- Naggar Video · youtube

The sequence & positions of the stars Dr. Zaghloul El- Naggar Video · youtube

Tafseer Surah Tariq Nouman Ali Khan Video · youtube

Facts about Quran and the Solar System Dr. Zakir Naik Video · youtube

The Reality of Horoscopes, Palmistry, Astrology or Fortune Telling Dr Zakir Naik Video · youtube

Reasoning why fortune telling is bad Dr Zakir Naik Video · youtube

Allah's Universe Dr. Abdul Hye (ex-NASA Scientist) Video · youtube

Star pulsar as tariq in quran….. Star pulsar Video · youtube

Vastness of universe…. Vastness of universe…. Video · youtube

topic:10 AMAZING Quran verses accurately describe black holes topic:10 AMAZING Quran verses accurately describe black holes Video · youtube

topic:10 AMAZING Quran verses accurately describe black holes topic:10 AMAZING Quran verses accurately describe black holes Video · youtube Navaid Aziz – 30 Tafsir Juz E Amma Surah At Tariq Navaid Aziz Audio lecture Navaid Aziz – 30 Tafsir Juz E Amma Surah At Tariq Navaid Aziz Audio lecture Nouman Ali Khan – tafseer surah tariq Nouman Ali Khan Audio lecture Nouman Ali Khan – tafseer surah tariq Nouman Ali Khan Audio lecture Tafseer surah tariq part 1 Tafseer surah tariq Audio lecture Tafseer surah tariq part 1 Tafseer surah tariq Audio lecture tafseer of surah tariq by taimiyyah zubair taimiyyah zubair Audio lecture tafseer of surah tariq by taimiyyah zubair taimiyyah zubair Audio lecture Tafseers surah tariq no.109 @38 mins Dr Israr+Ahmed Audio lecture Tafseers surah tariq no.109 @38 mins Dr Israr+Ahmed 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 — 14 narrations from Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and others (see Cross-references)
Quranic cross-references — 50 parallel verses
Linked articles — 10 long-form pieces

Ayat 5, 6, 7

فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ.(5)

خُلِقَ مِن مَّآءٍۢ دَافِقٍۢ.(6)

يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ ٱلصُّلْبِ وَٱلتَّرَآئِبِ.(7)

And what can make you know what is the night comer?(2) [At-Taariq: 5, 6, 7]

Back to surah / Surah 086 · At-Taariq / Ayah 5, 6, 7

Section 01

Traditional understanding

Translation, tafseer from classical and modern scholars, transliteration, word-by-word grammar.

Translation Sahih International

And what can make you know what is the night comer?(2)

Tafseer Abdullah Yusuf

86:5-7
A man's seed is the quintessence of his body. It proceeds from his loins. I.e from his back between the hip-bones and his ribs. His back-bone is the source and symbol of his strength and personality. In the spinal cord and in the brain is the directive energy of the central nervous system, and this directs all action. organic and psychic. The spinal cord is continuous with the Medulla Oblongata in the brain.

Tafseer Dr. Farooq Azam

86:5-4
Then man is asked to consider his own self as to how he has been brought into existence from a mere sperm drop and shaped into a living human being.

Tafseer Ibn Abbas

86:5
(So let man) Abu Talib (consider from what he is created) from what his soul is created.
86:6
Allah then explained, saying: (He is created from a gushing fluid) into the womb of a woman
86:7
(That issued from between the loins) of a man (and ribs) the ribs of a woman.

Tafseer Jalalain

86:5
So let man consider, by way of reflection, from what he was created, from what thing:
86:6
The response is: He was created from a gushing fluid, gushing forth from the man and the woman into the womb
86:7
issuing from between the loins, of the man, and the breast-bones, of the woman.

Tafseer Ma’arif Ul-Quran

86:5-7
The general body of commentators have explained that the spouting water (sperm) comes out from the loins of men and the chest-bones of women. However, the research of embryological science on the subject shows that the seminal fluid comes out from every part of human body,and every part of the foetus is made of the seminal fluid that has come out from that part of the man's and woman's body. The brain, of course, plays the greatest role in this matter. Thus experience shows that people who indulge in excessive cohabitation mostly suffer from weakness of mental weakness. The embryologists have at the same time discovered that the seminal fluid separates from all parts of the body, and through the spinal cord, collects in the testes and from there it spouts. If these findings have any value, it is not far-fetched to reconcile them with the explanation of some of the commentators. Embryologists agree that the brain plays the most important role in the preparation of seminal fluid. The representative of the brain is the spinal cord that has come into the backbone from the brain, up to the loins and the testes. Some of its branches have come into the chest-bones. It is likely that the seminal fluid coming from the chest-bones into the woman's seminal fluid and the seminal fluid coming from the loins into a man's seminal fluid have a greater role to play . (Baidawi)
If we analyse the verse of the Quran carefully, we notice that it does not specify 'man or woman'. It merely says 'He is created of a spouting water that comes out from between the loins and the chest-bones.' This may simply signify that the seminal fluid comes out from the entire body of both men and women. The expression 'the entire body' is understood from the mention of the principal organs of front and back. The front part of the body is chest and the back part of the body is the loin. These are the principal parts of the body. The expression, 'the spouting water that comes out from between the loins and the chest-bones' may mean 'comes out from the entire body'.

Tafseer Mufti Taqi Usmani

86:5-7
This refers to the semen.

Tafseer Shaikh Ashiq Ilahi

86:5-7
Further dispelling the doubts people express concerning resurrection, Allah Ta'ala states, "Man should ponder about what he was created from. He was created from spurting water which emerges from between the backbone and the chest." This verse makes reference to the drop of semen from which man was created, which is referred to in Surah Sajdah as "lowly water". Allah tells man in these verses that there is no cause for him to deny that Allah can resurrect man after man has been reduced to dust. Allah created man from a drop of semen and nourishes and nurtures him throughout his life. Therefore, it is obvious that "Allah has the power to resurrect him." Allah says in Surah Qiyamah, " 'Was he (man) not a discharge of semen after which he developed into a clot of blood and then Allah created him and perfected him? Then Allah made the couple male and female. Does He then not have the power to resurrect the dead?" [ Surah 75,verses 37-40]
Allah Ta'ala describes the male sperm as "spurting water which emerges from between the backbone and the chest." The Arabic word " tara'ib" (translated above as "chest" ) actually refers to the sternum. Although a child is conceived when the male and female gametes meet, the verse uses the word "water" in the singular sense. The author of "Bayan ul Quran" mentions that the singular form is used because the verse refers to the zygote i.e. the cell formed after the union of the male and female gametes. The Hadith mention that women also discharge a form of semen like men do. In fact, The Holy Prophet saws mentioned that if the semen of the wife is more than that of the husband when they cohabit, the child will resemble the wife's family. On the contrary, when the husband's semen is more, the child will resemble his family. [ Muslim]
Allah Ta'ala says that the "water" "emerges from between the backbone and the chest." Physicians of the past maintained that the semen is produced from every part of the body and it is the corresponding part of the father and mother's body that leads to the formation of that part of the child's body (possibly an antiquated description of genes). If this is true, it will not contradict the verse because the wording of the verse does not restrict the source of semen to the backbone and chest. It may also be said that since the back represents one end of the body and the chest represents the other end of the body (at the front), the phrase "between the backbone and the chest" refers to the entire body.

Tafseer Tafheem Ul-Quran

86:5-6
After making man ponder over the heavens, he is now being invited to consider his own self and see how he has been created, Who is it Who selects one spermatozoon from among billions of spermatozoa emitted by the father and combines it at some time with one ovum out of a large number of the ova produced by the mother, and thus causes a particular human being to be conceived? Then, Who is it Who after conception develops it gradually in the mother's womb Until it is delivered in the form of a living child? Then, Who is it Who in the mother's womb itself brings about a certain proportion and harmony between its bodily structure and its physical and mental capabilities? Then, Who is it Who watches over it continuously from birth till death-protects it from disease, accidents and calamities and provides him with countless means of life and opportunities for survival in the world of which he is not even conscious, not to speak of having the power to provide these for himself. Is all this happening without the planning and supervision of One God?
86:7
"Sulb" is the backbone and "tara'ib"the breast- bones, i.e. the ribs. Since the procreative fluid in both man and woman is discharged from that part of the body which is between the back and the breast, it is said that man has been created from the fluid issuing out froth between the back and the breast.This fluid is produced even in case the hands and feet are cut off. Therefore, it is not correct to say that it issues out from the whole body of man. In fact, the principal organs of the body are its source and all these are located in the trunk. The brain has not been mentioned separately because the back-bone is that part of the brain through which connection between the body and the brain is established.

Transliteration

Ayah 5

Falyanthuri alinsanu mimma khuliqa

Ayah 6

Khuliqa min main dafiqin

Ayah 7

Yakhruju min bayni alssulbi waalttaraibi