(Revealed before Hijrah)

Date of Revelation and Context
Consensus of Muslim scholarly opinion assigns the Surah to the early period of the Holy Prophet's ministry. Noldeke and Muir among European scholars agree with this view. It is the last of the series of Chapters which started with Surah Al Infitar. In all these Chapters the opening verse, in one form or another, furnishes an argument in support of the claim of the Reformer of the Latter Days. The intervening Surah Al-Tatfif, which has a different opening is, in fact, a part of Surah Al-Infitar. The present Surah continues and completes the topics which were dealt with in Surah Al-Infitar and in the following Chapters, and serves as a sort of barzakh between the Chapters that precede and those that follow it. From this Surah, however, begins a new subject.

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

وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ
[2] By the heaven and the Morning Star —

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ
[3] And what should make thee know what the Morning Star[3316] is?

النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ
[4] It is the star of piercing brightness —

إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ
[5] There is no soul but has a guardian[3317] over it.

فَلْيَنظُرْ الإِنسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ
[6] So let man consider from what he is created.

خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ
[7] He is created from a gushing fluid,[3318]

يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ
[8] Which issues forth from between the loins and the breast-bones.[3318A]

إِنَّهُ عَلَى رَجْعِهِ لَقَادِرٌ
[9] Surely, He has the power to bring him back to life

يَوْمَ تُبْلَى السَّرَائِرُ
[10] On the day when secrets shall be disclosed.

فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَلاَ نَاصِرٍ
[11] Then he will have no strength and no helper.

وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ
[12] By the cloud which gives rain after rain,

وَالأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ
[13] And by the earth which opens out with herbage,[3319]

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ
[14] It is surely a decisive word,

وَمَا هُوَ بِالْهَزْلِ
[15] And it is not a useless talk.

إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا
[16] Surely they plan a plan,

وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا
[17] And I also plan a plan.

فَمَهِّلِ الْكَافِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًا
[18] So give time to the disbelievers. Aye, give them time for a little while.[3319A]

3316. The reference in the verse may be to the Holy Prophet's Deputy whose advent like the morning star was to herald the dawn of the triumph and spread of Islam, after the night of spiritual darkness, which had come over Islam will have passed. According to some Commentators, however, the verse refers to the Holy Prophet himself who appeared when the night of spiritual darkness had spread over the entire world, it being pitch dark in Arabia, the land where he made his appearance.

3317. God will protect the Morning Star-the Holy Prophet's Deputy and the Star of piercing brightness-the Holy Prophet.

3318.  Man's spiritual development is subject to alternate periods of progression and retrogression, like the seminal fluid that gushes forth and falls.

3318A. It is characteristic of the Quranic style that it substitutes mild or vague words of expressions for harsh and blunt ones. 'From between the loins and the breastbones.' is one of such euphemisms used by the Qur'sn. The verse may signify that man is born of the water that comes out of the loins of his father and is fed by the breast of his mother. The fact that man has been created from a fluid which gushes forth and then falls may signify that he has been endowed with great natural faculties to make rapid progress but he is also likely to fall to the lowest depths of degradation, if he does not make proper use of those God-given powers. The verse signifies that man's spiritual development is subject to alternate periods of progression and retrogression, like the seminal fluid which gushes forth and then falls.

3319. This and the preceding verse mean that just as the rain on which depends very largely the greenness and vegetation of the earth comes down from heaven and with its cessation earthly water begins gradually to dry up, similarly human reason loses its purity and strength without heavenly revelation.

3319A. The verse purports to say that disbelievers are granted respite that they may try all their evil plans and employ all the strength and resources they possess against Islam and the Holy Prophet. The triumph of Islam; despite all their planning and boasted strength, will be an irrefutable proof that it is from Allah and has His support.