Tafseer of Surah Shams

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

وَ الشَّمۡسِ وَ ضُحٰہَا ۪ۙ﴿۱﴾ وَ الۡقَمَرِ  اِذَا  تَلٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۲﴾ وَ النَّہَارِ  اِذَا  جَلّٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۳﴾  وَ الَّیۡلِ  اِذَا یَغۡشٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۴﴾  وَ السَّمَآءِ وَ مَا بَنٰہَا ۪ۙ﴿۵﴾ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ مَا طَحٰہَا ۪ۙ﴿۶﴾ وَ نَفۡسٍ وَّ مَا سَوّٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۷﴾ فَاَلۡہَمَہَا فُجُوۡرَہَا وَ تَقۡوٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۸﴾ قَدۡ  اَفۡلَحَ  مَنۡ  زَکّٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۹﴾ وَ  قَدۡ خَابَ مَنۡ  دَسّٰىہَا ﴿ؕ۱۰﴾ کَذَّبَتۡ ثَمُوۡدُ  بِطَغۡوٰىہَاۤ  ﴿۪ۙ۱۱﴾اِذِ  انۡۢبَعَثَ  اَشۡقٰہَا ﴿۪ۙ۱۲﴾ فَقَالَ لَہُمۡ  رَسُوۡلُ اللّٰہِ نَاقَۃَ اللّٰہِ وَ سُقۡیٰہَا ﴿ؕ۱۳﴾ فَکَذَّبُوۡہُ  فَعَقَرُوۡہَا ۪۬ۙ فَدَمۡدَمَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ  رَبُّہُمۡ بِذَنۡۢبِہِمۡ  فَسَوّٰىہَا ﴿۪ۙ۱۴﴾ وَ لَا یَخَافُ عُقۡبٰہَا ﴿٪۱۵﴾

I take an oath by the sun and its morning brightness, and by the moon when it follows it (the sun), and by the day when it shows it (i.e. it shows the brightness of the sun to the world), and by the night when it covers it (the brightness of day), and by the sky and the One who constructed it, and by the earth and the One who spread it, and by the soul (the human being) and the One who proportioned it, then He (Allah Ta‘ala) inspired it (the soul) with its (conscience to discern between) evil and piety – indeed, the one who purifies it (i.e. his soul) has attained success, and indeed, the one who buries it (i.e. his soul in the darkness of sins and evil)  has failed (and is unsuccessful). (The people of) Thamud rejected (the truth) because of their transgression, when the most wretched of them was sent forth, then the messenger of Allah said to them, “(Be careful of) Allah’s she-camel and her right to drink (from the water)”, but they rejected him and they hamstrung her (the she-camel), so their Lord brought down upon them destruction because of their sins and made it equal (upon all of them), and He (Allah Ta‘ala) does not fear its consequence.

Commentary:

In the beginning of this surah, Allah Ta‘ala takes oaths on various creations (the sun, the moon, the night, the day) and their phenomena. Similarly, Allah Ta‘ala takes oaths on the sky, the earth, the human being and the way Allah Ta‘ala created all these creations in total harmony and perfection.

Allah Ta‘ala taking oaths on these various creations gives these creations an added significance and draws man’s attention towards them so that man may reflect on these creations and their phenomena and try to understand the purpose of their creation.

وَ الشَّمۡسِ وَ ضُحٰہَا ۪ۙ﴿۱﴾

I swear by the sun and its morning brightness

The first oath which Allah Ta‘ala takes is upon the sun and its morning brightness. The word “duha” refers to that part of the day which is from sunrise until midday. Man observes the sun in its full glory, heat and brightness at that time.

وَ الۡقَمَرِ  اِذَا  تَلٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۲﴾

and by the moon when it follows it (the sun)

The second oath which Allah Ta‘ala takes is upon the moon when it follows the sun. The phrase “by the moon when it follows it (the sun)” could signify that just as the sun is seen in full brightness, similarly the moon is also seen in full brightness, hence it is as though the moon is following the pattern of the sun in exposing its full brightness. This is clearly seen during the middle of the lunar months when the full moon rises and is visible to one and all in its full glory.

وَ النَّہَارِ  اِذَا  جَلّٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۳﴾

and by the day when it shows it (it shows the brightness of the sun to the world)

The third oath which Allah Ta‘ala takes is upon the day when it shows the brightness of the sun to the world. Although the sun is regarded as the cause of brightness, but since the sun is seen in the day, it is as though the brightness of the sun is seen because of the day.

وَ الَّیۡلِ  اِذَا یَغۡشٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۴﴾

and by the night when it covers it (the brightness of day)

The fourth oath which Allah Ta‘ala takes is upon the night when it covers the day. Since the night comes after the day, when the darkness of the night overcomes the day, it is as though the night covers and veils the day. This is the meaning of this verse “and by the night when it covers it (the brightness of day)”.

وَ السَّمَآءِ وَ مَا بَنٰہَا ۪ۙ﴿۵﴾

and by the sky and the One who constructed it

The fifth oath which Allah Ta‘ala takes is upon the sky and the One who constructed it. In this verse, the particle “ما” is in the meaning of “من”. The word “ما” is actually used for non-living things (e.g. stones, trees, etc.) or living things that do not have intellect like human beings (e.g. birds, animals, insects, etc,), and the word “من” is used for living things that have intellect. Here, in this verse, as well as in the next verse, it refers to Allah Ta‘ala, the Being who constructed the sky and earth. In other words, Allah Ta‘ala takes an oath upon the sky, the earth, and upon His Divine Being.

According to some Mufassireen, the particle “ما” comes as “ما مصدرية” (i.e. the ما with the verb after it is coming in the meaning of the root word). According to this explanation, the translation of the verse is “and by the sky and its beautiful construction, and by the earth and its beautifully being spread out”.

Thus, in these two verses, attention has been drawn to the Great Designer and Architect of the sky and earth (i.e. the universe), and the unique and perfect manner in which Allah Ta‘ala created them.

وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ مَا طَحٰہَا ۪ۙ﴿۶﴾

and by the earth and the One who spread it

The sixth oath which Allah Ta‘ala takes is upon the earth and on the One who spread it out. The word “tahaahaa” in this verse, as well as the word “banaahaa” both direct man’s attention towards the design of Allah Ta‘ala in the creation of the sky, the earth (and the entire universe). Allah Ta‘ala created all these magnificent creations in their perfect and unique forms, free of defect.

وَ نَفۡسٍ وَّ مَا سَوّٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۷﴾

and by the soul (the human being) and the One who proportioned it

The seventh oath which Allah Ta‘ala takes is upon the soul and the One who proportioned it. In this verse also, the particle “ما” can come in the meaning of “من” which will refer to Allah Ta‘ala. In that case, the translation of the verse is “and by the soul and the One who proportioned it”. Hence, Allah Ta‘ala takes an oath upon the soul and upon His Divine Being – the One who created the soul.

The particle “ما” can also come as “ما مصدرية” (i.e. the ما with the verb after it coming in the meaning of the root word). According to this explanation, the translation of the verse is “by the soul (the human being) and its beautiful proportioning.” In this, Allah Ta‘ala draws man’s attention to the beautiful manner in which He created the human being, proportioning his body limbs and faculties in the best proportion and manner.

Allah Ta‘ala Bestowing Man with the Ability to  Distinguish Between Good and Bad

فَاَلۡہَمَہَا فُجُوۡرَہَا وَ تَقۡوٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۸﴾

then He (Allah Ta‘ala) inspired it (the soul) with its (conscience to discern between) evil and piety

The word “alhamahaa” comes from the word “ilhaam” which denotes “to cast thoughts and feelings into the heart”. The word “fujoor” refers to “evil deeds or open transgression”, and the word “taqwa” refers to “acts of piety and righteousness”. This verse is linked to the seventh oath which Allah Ta‘ala takes upon the soul when Allah Ta‘ala mentioned “وَ نَفۡسٍ وَّ مَا سَوّٰىہَا” (and by the soul (the human being) and the One who proportioned it).

In other words, Allah Ta‘ala explains the capacity which Allah Ta‘ala created within man to distinguish between good and bad, and right and wrong. In the very makeup of man, Allah Ta‘ala created this ability to tread on the righteous path or the sinful path. Whichever path he chooses for himself, it is with his own free will that he treads upon it, and thus he will be rewarded or punished in the Hereafter for the choices he made in this world.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports, “I once heard Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) reciting the verse ‘فَاَلۡہَمَہَا فُجُوۡرَہَا وَ تَقۡوٰىہَا ’. he then stopped and made the following dua:

اَللّٰهُمَّ آتِ نَفْسِيْ تَقْوَاهَا وَزَكِّهَا أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا أَنْتَ وَلِيُّهَا وَمَوْلَاهَا

O Allah! Bestow my soul (and body) with taqwa, and purify it! You are the Best One to purify it! You are its Guardian and Master!

The Basis of Man’s Eternal Success and Failure

قَدۡ  اَفۡلَحَ  مَنۡ  زَکّٰىہَا ۪ۙ﴿۹﴾ وَ  قَدۡ خَابَ مَنۡ  دَسّٰىہَا ﴿ؕ۱۰﴾

Indeed, the one who purifies it (i.e. his soul) has attained success, and indeed, the one who buries it (i.e. his soul in the darkness of sins and evil) has failed (and is unsuccessful).

These two verses are the subject of the seven oaths. In other words, after taking the seven oaths, the message which is directed to man’s attention is that the one who purifies his soul has attained success, and the one who corrupts his soul has failed and is unsuccessful.

The link between the subject and the seven oaths mentioned before is that Allah Ta‘ala created this entire world and what it contains for man’s benefit to reach his goal. The goal is to acquire the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala and success in the Hereafter.

If man uses the world in accordance to the dictates of Shariah and the commands of Allah Ta‘ala, and he lives his life according to the Mubaarak Sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), then he will reach his goal and be eternally successful in the Hereafter. On the contrary, if man uses the world, but forgets his goal, then he will be a total failure and loser in the Hereafter and he will dwell eternally in the fire of Jahannum.

The word “zakkaahaa” in this verse comes from the word “tazkiyah”. The basic meaning of tazkiyah is “inner cleanliness”. This verse signifies that the one who obeyed Allah Ta‘ala and purified his soul through which his inner and outer self remained pure, then such a person has attained success.

The word “dassahaa” is derived from the word “dassa” which denotes “to bury in the ground”, as Allah Ta‘ala says in another verse “اَمۡ  یَدُسُّہٗ  فِی التُّرَابِ” (“when he buried it in the sand”, as was the custom in the pre-Islamic era, when a girl baby was born to a person, then he would feel humiliated among the people, as it was regarded as a disgrace among the Arabs to have a daughter, hence he would take the living child and bury her in the ground). In this verse, Allah Ta‘ala shows that the person who buried his soul in sins and transgression is unsuccessful.

This verse has divided the entire mankind into two groups – the successful servants and the unsuccessful servants. In the coming verse, Allah Ta‘ala explains how He destroyed the Thamud who were the unsuccessful servants on account of them rejecting the truth and denying their Nabi – Hazrat Saalih (‘alaihis salaam). Allah Ta‘ala shows how Allah Ta‘ala rained down punishment on them and destroyed them.

In the verses below, reference is being made to the incident of the Thamud and their punishment.

Incident of the Destruction of the Thamud

کَذَّبَتۡ ثَمُوۡدُ  بِطَغۡوٰىہَاۤ  ﴿۪ۙ۱۱﴾اِذِ  انۡۢبَعَثَ  اَشۡقٰہَا ﴿۪ۙ۱۲﴾ فَقَالَ لَہُمۡ  رَسُوۡلُ اللّٰہِ نَاقَۃَ اللّٰہِ وَ سُقۡیٰہَا ﴿ؕ۱۳﴾ فَکَذَّبُوۡہُ  فَعَقَرُوۡہَا ۪۬ۙ فَدَمۡدَمَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ  رَبُّہُمۡ بِذَنۡۢبِہِمۡ  فَسَوّٰىہَا ﴿۪ۙ۱۴﴾ وَ لَا یَخَافُ عُقۡبٰہَا ﴿٪۱۵﴾

(The people of) Thamud rejected the truth because of their transgression, when the most wretched of them was sent forth, then the messenger of Allah said to them, “(Be careful of) Allah’s she-camel and her right to drink (from the water)”, but they rejected him and they hamstrung her (the she-camel), so their Lord brought down upon them destruction because of their sins and made it equal (upon all of them), and He (Allah Ta‘ala) does not fear its consequence.

Thamud is the name of an Arab tribe who lived in Hijr – an ancient city north of Madinah Munawwarah. Today, this place is referred to as ‘Madaa’in-e-Saalih’, where the ruins of their habitations are still visible. This tribe had a flourishing civilization and was known for its skill at rock-carving and building houses and monuments.

Apart from the evil of shirk (attributing partners to Allah Ta‘ala), this tribe was also involved in many other sins and wrong practices. Allah Ta‘ala sent Nabi Saalih (‘alaihis salaam) to them to invite them to the Oneness of Allah Ta‘ala and reform their evil condition.

After many years of refusing to listen to him, the people of Thamud asked him to bring out a pregnant she-camel from a mountain, promising him that they would bring imaan in Allah Ta‘ala if he did so. Accordingly, Nabi Saalih (‘alaihis salaam) made dua to Allah Ta‘ala, upon which the she-camel appeared from the mountain, as demanded by the people.

Witnessing the miraculous appearance of the she-camel, some people brought imaan in Allah Ta‘ala, while others were inclined to also bring imaan but did not do so as their chiefs prevented them.

Nabi Saalih (‘alaihis salaam) apprehended that divine punishment may befall these people if they harmed the she camel. Hence, he cautioned them to protect the she-camel and not to cause any harm to her. He also laid down certain conditions in regard to taking care of the she-camel which they were commanded to abide by. Among these conditions were that the she-camel should be left to graze freely, and that she should be allowed to drink the water of the well exclusively on one day, while others will drink the water of the well on the next day.

The people of Thamud violated the conditions, and they commanded a man by the name of Qudaar bin Saalif – who the Quraan Majeed refers to as “the most wretched among them” to kill the she-camel. For this, they were seized by divine punishment in the form of a loud blast and a severe earthquake which destroyed the entire tribe of Thamud.

The word “دمدم” refers to such a tormenting scourge as is unleashed on a person or a nation again and again, until it crushes and destroys them completely. The word “فسوٰىها” (and made it [the destruction and punishment] equal [upon all of them]) signifies that the destruction and punishment befell the entire nation equally – the men, the women, the children, the young, and the old.

Allah Ta‘ala concludes the surah saying “وَ لَا یَخَافُ عُقۡبٰہَا” (and He [Allah Ta‘ala] does not fear its consequence). This means that the divine punishment which Allah Ta‘ala unleashes on a people, destroying them completely, cannot be compared to the torment and punishment of even the greatest king of this world. The reason is that when a tyrant king in this world destroys people on a large scale, then he will thereafter remain fearful for his life, in case certain people survived the destruction, or the destroyed people have allies and supporters, who will come after him in retaliation and revenge. The one who attacks others will always be at risk of facing a counter-attack – besides Allah Ta‘ala. When Allah Ta‘ala destroys any nation, then He does not fear any negative consequence that can come upon Him such as revenge or retaliation from anyone, as no one can harm Allah Ta‘ala in any way at all.