(Revealed after Hijrah)

Introductory Remarks
The Surah was revealed at Medina. The previous Surah had closed on an exhortation to believers to spend liberally in the cause of Truth before the day arrived when they would have to render an account of their actions before God. In the present Surah some description is given of that awful day, which is called “the day of losses and gains.” The believers are exhorted again with greater emphasis not to allow any consideration of ties of relationship to stand in the way of their resolve to spend their wealth in Allah's way.

The Surah further says that God had brought into existence the entire universe for man's service and had endowed him with great natural powers and faculties in order that he should achieve the object of his creation. Unfortunately, ungrateful men defy God's commandments. They are warned that they should make preparation for the day when the realization of the loss resulting from disobedience of Heavenly Messengers will be brought home to them.

Towards the close of the Surah the believers are told that they can make up for remissness, if any, in the discharge of their obligations to God and their fellow beings, by giving unquestioning obedience to the commandments of God, and by spending liberally in the cause of Truth.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
[64:1] In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

يُسَبِّحُ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
[64:2] Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth glorifies[3055] Allah; His is the kingdom and His the praise, and He has power over all things.

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ فَمِنْكُمْ كَافِرٌ وَمِنْكُمْ مُؤْمِنٌ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
[64:3] It is He Who has created you, but some of you are disbelievers[3056] and some of you are believers; and Allah sees what you do.

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ
[64:4] He created the heavens and the earth with truth, and He shaped you and made your shapes beautiful, and to Him is the ultimate return.[3057]

يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
[64:5] He knows whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and He knows what you conceal and what you disclose[3058]; and Allah knows full well all that is in the breasts.

أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ فَذَاقُوا وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
[64:6] Has not the news reached you of those who disbelieved before? So they tasted the evil consequences of their conduct, and they had a painful punishment.

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَتْ تَأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا فَكَفَرُوا وَتَوَلَّوْا وَاسْتَغْنَى اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ

[64:7] That was because their Messengers came to them with manifest Signs, but they said, ‘Shall mortals guide us?’ So they disbelieved and turned away, but Allah had never any need of them; and Allah is Self- Sufficient, Worthy of all praise.

زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنْ لَنْ يُبْعَثُوا قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ وَذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

[64:8] Those who disbelieve assert[3059] that they will not be raised up[3059A]. Say, ‘Yea, by my Lord, you shall surely be raised up; then shall you surely be informed of what you did. And that is easy for Allah.’

فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالنُّورِ الَّذِي أَنزَلْنَا وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
[64:9] Believe, therefore, in Allah and His Messenger, and in the Light[3060] which We have sent down. And Allah is Well-Aware of all that you do.

يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ الْجَمْعِ ذَلِكَ يَوْمُ التَّغَابُنِ وَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَيَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِ وَيُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

[64:10] The day when He shall gather you, on the Day of Gathering, that will be the day of mutual loss and gain. And whoso believes in Allah and does good deeds[3061] — He will remove from them the evil consequences of their deeds and He will make them enter Gardens through which streams flow, to abide therein for ever. That is the supreme triumph.

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ
[64:11] But as to those who disbelieve and reject Our Signs, these shall be the inmates of the Fire, wherein they shall abide; and an evil destination it is!

مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
[64:12] There befalls not any affliction but by the leave[3062] of Allah. And whosoever believes in Allah — He guides his heart aright. And Allah knows all things full well.

وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَى رَسُولِنَا الْبَلاَغُ الْمُبِينُ
[64:13] And obey Allah and obey the Messenger. But if you turn away, then Our Messenger is responsible only for the clear conveying of the Message.

اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
[64:14] Allah! there is no God but He; so in Allah let the believers put their trust.

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ وَأَوْلاَدِكُمْ عَدُوًّا لَكُمْ فَاحْذَرُوهُمْ وَإِنْ تَعْفُوا وَتَصْفَحُوا وَتَغْفِرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

[64:15] O ye who believe! surely among your wives and your children are some that are really your enemies, so beware of them. And if you overlook and forgive and pardon, then surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.

إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلاَدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَاللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
[64:16] Verily, your wealth and your children are a trial; but with Allah is an immense reward.

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا وَأَنفِقُوا خَيْرًا ِلأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمْ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

[64:17] So fear Allah as best you can, and listen, and obey, and spend in His cause; it will be good for yourselves. And whoso is rid of the covetousness of his own soul — it is such who shall be successful.

إِنْ تُقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَاعِفْهُ لَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ شَكُورٌ حَلِيمٌ
[64:18] If you lend to Allah a good loan[3063], He will multiply it for you, and will forgive you; and Allah is Most Appreciating, Forbearing,

عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
[64:19] The Knower of the unseen and the seen[3063A], the Mighty, the Wise.

3055. Every creature, by discharging its allotted task punctually and regularly and thus by fulfilling the object for which it has been created, declares God to be free from every defect, imperfection or impurity and to be its Master, Creator and Controller. This is the real significance of Tasbih.

3056. God has bestowed upon men great natural powers and has provided for them opportunities for their moral and spiritual progress but while some of them, by failing to make proper use of them, practically refuse to acknowledge God's beneficence, others employ them in the service of their fellow beings and thus win the pleasure of Allah. This is the significance of the words Kafir and Mu'min.

3057.  The universe is governed and controlled by certain fixed natural laws and man is not the victim of chance; on the contrary, he has been endowed with such powers and faculties as are suited to his exalted position as God's vicegerent on earth. He shall have to render to God an account of his deeds and actions.

3058. God being the Creator and Controller of the universe, nothing is hidden from Him or can escape His notice. It is, therefore, futile on man's part to think that he can avoid or escape responsibility for his actions.

3059. Za’ama means; he thought; claimed; believed; asserted (Lane).

3059A. Does man think that there is no future life or that he has been endowed with great natural powers, attributes and faculties for nothing, or, does he imagine that he can escape responsibility for his actions? He is sadly mistaken if he so imagines. There is certainly a life after death wherein you shall certainly be informed of what you did.

3060. The light of revelation, wisdom, spiritual enlightenment and insight and Divine knowledge and discernment, with which the Holy Prophet was specially gifted.

3061.  The expression, Yaum al-Taghabun, has been variously interpreted as: (1) The day of losses and gains, i.e., when believers will know what they had gained and disbelievers what they had lost. (2) The day of the manifestation of loss, i.e., on that day disbelievers will realize how much they had been deficient in the discharge of their duties to God and man and thus their loss will become manifest to them. (3) The day when believers will attribute defect or deficiency to lack of wisdom of disbelievers in that they had preferred disbelief to belief (Mufradat).

3062. God governs the universe according to certain laws. When man contravenes any of those laws he involves himself in trouble. But as God is the Creator of all natural laws and man's affliction is due to the contravention of one or other of these laws, or to one of God's special decrees, the trouble may be said to have emanated from Him, or to have come into being by His leave.

3063.  Spending one's wealth in the cause of Truth is tantamount to giving a loan to the Bountiful and Appreciating God which He pays back manifold.

3063A. The invisible and the visible.