سورة النازعات
Surah An-Nazi'at
Those Who Drag Forth
Surah An-Nazi'at (Those Who Drag Forth) is the 79th surah of the Quran. It has 46 verses and is a Meccan surah. Below is the complete Arabic text with an English translation and transliteration, verse by verse.
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
وَ ٱلنَّٰزِعَٰتِ غَرۡقࣰا﴿١﴾
Waalnnaziʿati gharqan
By those [angels] who extract with violence
وَ ٱلنَّٰشِطَٰتِ نَشۡطࣰا﴿٢﴾
Waalnnashitati nashtan
And [by] those who remove with ease
وَ ٱلسَّٰبِحَٰتِ سَبۡحࣰا﴿٣﴾
Waalssabihati sabhan
And [by] those who glide [as if] swimming
فَٱلسَّٰبِقَٰتِ سَبۡقࣰا﴿٤﴾
Faalssabiqati sabqan
And those who race each other in a race
فَٱلۡمُدَبِّرَٰتِ أَمۡرࣰا﴿٥﴾
Faalmudabbirati amran
And those who arrange [each] matter,
يَوۡمَ تَرۡجُفُ ٱلرَّاجِفَةُ﴿٦﴾
Yawma tarjufu alrrajifatu
On the Day the blast [of the Horn] will convulse [creation],
تَتۡبَعُهَا ٱلرَّادِفَةُ﴿٧﴾
Tatbaʿuha alrradifatu
There will follow it the subsequent [one].
قُلُوبࣱ يَوۡمَئِذࣲ وَاجِفَةٌ﴿٨﴾
Quloobun yawmaithin wajifatun
Hearts, that Day, will tremble,
أَبۡصَٰرُهَا خَٰشِعَةࣱ﴿٩﴾
Absaruha khashiʿatun
Their eyes humbled.
يَقُولُونَ أَءِنَّا لَمَرۡدُودُونَ فِي ٱلۡحَافِرَةِ﴿١٠﴾
Yaqooloona ainna lamardoodoona fee alhafirati
They are [presently] saying, "Will we indeed be returned to [our] former state [of life]?
أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَٰمࣰا نَّخِرَةࣰ﴿١١﴾
Aitha kunna ʿithaman nakhiratan
Even if we should be decayed bones?"
قَالُواْ تِلۡكَ إِذࣰا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةࣱ﴿١٢﴾
Qaloo tilka ithan karratun khasiratun
They say, "That, then, would be a losing return."
فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجۡرَةࣱ وَٰحِدَةࣱ﴿١٣﴾
Fainnama hiya zajratun wahidatun
Indeed, it will be but one shout,
فَإِذَا هُم بِٱلسَّاهِرَةِ﴿١٤﴾
Faitha hum bialssahirati
And suddenly they will be [alert] upon the earth's surface.
هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰٓ﴿١٥﴾
Hal ataka hadeethu moosa
Has there reached you the story of Moses? -
إِذۡ نَادَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ بِٱلۡوَادِ ٱلۡمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى﴿١٦﴾
Ith nadahu rabbuhu bialwadi almuqaddasi tuwan
When his Lord called to him in the sacred valley of Ṭuwā,
ٱذۡهَبۡ إِلَىٰ فِرۡعَوۡنَ إِنَّهُۥ طَغَىٰ﴿١٧﴾
Ithhab ila firʿawna innahu tagha
"Go to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed.
فَقُلۡ هَل لَّكَ إِلَىٰٓ أَن تَزَكَّىٰ﴿١٨﴾
Faqul hal laka ila an tazakka
And say to him, 'Would you [be willing to] purify yourself
وَ أَهۡدِيَكَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَتَخۡشَىٰ﴿١٩﴾
Waahdiyaka ila rabbika fatakhsha
And let me guide you to your Lord so you would fear [Him]?'"
فَأَرَىٰهُ ٱلۡأٓيَةَ ٱلۡكُبۡرَىٰ﴿٢٠﴾
Faarahu alayata alkubra
And he showed him the greatest sign,
فَكَذَّبَ وَ عَصَىٰ﴿٢١﴾
Fakaththaba waʿasa
But he [i.e., Pharaoh] denied and disobeyed.
ثُمَّ أَدۡبَرَ يَسۡعَىٰ﴿٢٢﴾
Thumma adbara yasʿa
Then he turned his back, striving [i.e., plotting].
فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ﴿٢٣﴾
Fahashara fanada
And he gathered [his people] and called out
فَقَالَ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلۡأَعۡلَىٰ﴿٢٤﴾
Faqala ana rabbukumu alaʿla
And said, "I am your most exalted lord."
فَأَخَذَهُ ٱللَّهُ نَكَالَ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ وَ ٱلۡأُولَىٰٓ﴿٢٥﴾
Faakhathahu Allahu nakala alakhirati waaloola
So Allāh seized him in exemplary punishment for the last and the first [transgression]..
إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبۡرَةࣰ لِّمَن يَخۡشَىٰٓ﴿٢٦﴾
Inna fee thalika laʿibratan liman yakhsha
Indeed in that is a lesson [i.e., warning] for whoever would fear [Allāh].
ءَأَنتُمۡ أَشَدُّ خَلۡقًا أَمِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ ۚ بَنَىٰهَا﴿٢٧﴾
Aantum ashaddu khalqan ami alssamao banaha
Are you a more difficult creation or is the heaven? He [i.e., Allāh] constructed it.
رَفَعَ سَمۡكَهَا فَسَوَّىٰهَا﴿٢٨﴾
Rafaʿa samkaha fasawwaha
He raised its ceiling and proportioned it.
وَ أَغۡطَشَ لَيۡلَهَا وَ أَخۡرَجَ ضُحَىٰهَا﴿٢٩﴾
Waaghtasha laylaha waakhraja duhaha
And He darkened its night and extracted its brightness.
وَ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَىٰهَآ﴿٣٠﴾
Waalarda baʿda thalika dahaha
And after that He spread the earth.
أَخۡرَجَ مِنۡهَا مَآءَهَا وَ مَرۡعَىٰهَا﴿٣١﴾
Akhraja minha maaha wamarʿaha
He extracted from it its water and its pasture,
وَ ٱلۡجِبَالَ أَرۡسَىٰهَا﴿٣٢﴾
Waaljibala arsaha
And the mountains He set firmly
مَتَٰعࣰا لَّكُمۡ وَ لِأَنۡعَٰمِكُمۡ﴿٣٣﴾
Mataʿan lakum walianʿamikum
As enjoyment [i.e., provision] for you and your grazing livestock.
فَإِذَا جَآءَتِ ٱلطَّآمَّةُ ٱلۡكُبۡرَىٰ﴿٣٤﴾
Faitha jaati alttammatu alkubra
But when there comes the greatest Overwhelming Calamity -
يَوۡمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ مَا سَعَىٰ﴿٣٥﴾
Yawma yatathakkaru alinsanu ma saʿa
The Day when man will remember that for which he strove,
وَ بُرِّزَتِ ٱلۡجَحِيمُ لِمَن يَرَىٰ﴿٣٦﴾
Waburrizati aljaheemu liman yara
And Hellfire will be exposed for [all] those who see -
فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَىٰ﴿٣٧﴾
Faamma man tagha
So as for he who transgressed
وَ ءَاثَرَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا﴿٣٨﴾
Waathara alhayata alddunya
And preferred the life of the world,
فَإِنَّ ٱلۡجَحِيمَ هِيَ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰ﴿٣٩﴾
Fainna aljaheema hiya almawa
Then indeed, Hellfire will be [his] refuge.
وَ أَمَّا مَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَ نَهَى ٱلنَّفۡسَ عَنِ ٱلۡهَوَىٰ﴿٤٠﴾
Waama man khafa maqama rabbihi wanaha alnnafsa ʿani alhawa
But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination,
فَإِنَّ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ هِيَ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰ﴿٤١﴾
Fainna aljannata hiya almawa
Then indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge.
يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلسَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرۡسَىٰهَا﴿٤٢﴾
Yasaloonaka ʿani alssaʿati ayyana mursaha
They ask you, [O Muḥammad], about the Hour: when is its arrival?
فِيمَ أَنتَ مِن ذِكۡرَىٰهَآ﴿٤٣﴾
Feema anta min thikraha
In what [position] are you that you should mention it?
إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ مُنتَهَىٰهَآ﴿٤٤﴾
Ila rabbika muntahaha
To your Lord is its finality.
إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُنذِرُ مَن يَخۡشَىٰهَا﴿٤٥﴾
Innama anta munthiru man yakhshaha
You are only a warner for those who fear it.
كَأَنَّهُمۡ يَوۡمَ يَرَوۡنَهَا لَمۡ يَلۡبَثُوٓاْ إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوۡ ضُحَىٰهَا﴿٤٦﴾
Kaannahum yawma yarawnaha lam yalbathoo illa ʿashiyyatan aw duhaha
It will be, on the Day they see it, as though they had not remained [in the world] except for an afternoon or a morning thereof.
Translation: Saheeh International · Transliteration
About this surah
Name
It is derived from the word wan-nazi\`at with which the Surah opens.
Period of Revelation
According to Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas, this Surah was sent down after Surah An-Naba. Its subject matter also testifies that it belongs to the earliest period at Makkah.
Theme and Subject Matter
Its theme is affirmation of Resurrection and the life hereafter; It also warns of the consequences of belying the Messenger of God.
The Surah opens with oaths sworn by the angels who take the soul at deaths and those who hasten to carryout Allah's Commands, and those who conduct the affairs of the universe according to Divine Will, to assure that the Resurrection will certainly come to pass and the second life after death will certainly take place. For the angels who are employed to pluck out the soul today can also be employed to restore the soul tomorrow, and the angels who promptly execute Allah's Commands and conduct the affairs of the universe today can also upset the order of the universe tomorrow by orders of the same God and can also bring about a new order.
After this the people have been told, so as to say: "This work which you regard as absolutely impossible, is not any difficult for Allah, for which He may have to make lengthy preparations. Just a single jolt will upset this system of the world and a second jolt will be enough to cause you to appear as living beings in the new world. At that time the same people who were wont to deny it, would be trembling with fear and seeing with awe struck eyes all that they thought was impossible.
Then, relating the story of the Prophet Moses and Pharaoh briefly, the people have been warned to the effect: "You know full well what fate the Pharaoh met in consequence of belying the Messenger and rejecting the guidance brought by him and endeavoring to defeat his mission by trickery and deceit. If you do not learn any lesson from it and do not change your ways and attitude accordingly, you also will have to meet the same fate.
Then, in vv. 27-33, arguments have been given for the Hereafter and life after death. In this regard, the deniers have been asked the question:"Is your resurrection a more difficult task or the creation of the huge Universe which spreads around you to infinite distances with myriads of its stars and planets? Your recreation cannot be difficult for the God for Whom this was an easy task. Thus, after presenting in a single sentence, a decisive argument for the possibility of the Hereafter, attention has been drawn to the earth and its provisions that have been arranged in it for the sustenance of man and animal and of which everything testifies that it has been created with great wisdom for fulfilling some special purpose. Pointing to this the question has been left for the intellect of man to ponder for itself and form the opinion whether calling man to account after having delegated authority and responsibilities to a creature like him in this wise system would be more in keeping with the demands of wisdom, or that he should die after committing all sorts of misdeeds in the world and should perish and mix in the dust for ever and should never be called to account as to how he employed the authority and fulfilled the responsibilities entrusted to him. Instead of discussing this question, in vv. 34-41, it has been said: "When the Hereafter is established, men's eternal future will be determined on the criterion as to which of them rebelled against his God transgressing the bounds of service and made the material benefits and pleasures his objective of life and which of them feared standing before his Lord and refrained from fulfilling the unlawful desires of the self." This by itself provides the right answer to the above question to every such person who considers it honestly, free from stubbornness. For the only rational, logical and moral demand of giving authority and entrusting responsibilities to man in the world is that he should be called to account on this very basis ultimately and rewarded or punished accordingly.
In conclusion, the question of the disbelievers of Makkah as to when Resurrection will take place, has been answered. They asked the Holy Prophet this question over and over again. In reply it has been said that the knowledge of the time of its occurrence rests with Allah alone. The Messenger is there only to give the warning that it will certainly come. Now whoever wishes may mend his ways, fearing its coming, and whoever wishes may behave and conduct himself as he likes, fearless of its coming. When the appointed time comes, those very people who loved the life of this world and regarded its pleasures as the only object of life, would feel that they had stayed in the world only for an hour or so. Then they will realize how utterly they had ruined their future for ever for the sake of the short lived pleasures of the world.
Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Quran