Surah 89 · Makkah · 30 āyāt

Phase 01 · Ḥirāʾ and the first call(c. 13–11 BH) — view in timeline

Al-FajrThe Dawn

الفجر

A Makkan surah, tenth in the order of revelation, that opens with a string of oaths tied to sacred times and numbers, then turns to the ruined civilisations of ʿĀd, Thamūd and Firʿawn as proof that Allah is ever watching and ready to seize the unjust. It exposes the twin errors of measuring Allah's love by wealth given or withheld, indicts the neglect of the orphan and the poor, and closes with one of the Qurʾān's most tender addresses to the soul at peace, called home to its Lord.

Why it was revealed

Quraysh's leading families equated their wealth, lineage and comfort with Allah's favour, and mocked the poor and the enslaved who had accepted Islam as beneath consideration. The Prophet ﷺ and his followers were reminded that past nations far mightier than Quraysh — ʿĀd, Thamūd, and Firʿawn — were destroyed despite their power, because Allah's watch (rabbaka la-bi-l-mirṣād) never lifts.

Drawn fromQurʾān 7:73–79; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 969; al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr on 89:10; Ibn Kathīr on 89:15–20; Ibn Kathīr on 89:9; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm on 89:6–8; tafsīr of Ibn ʿAbbās cited by Ibn Kathīr on 89:2

Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said regarding 'the ten nights' (89:2): 'they are the ten nights of Dhū al-Ḥijjah.' The Prophet ﷺ said: 'There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.' They said: 'Not even jihād in the path of Allah?' He said: 'Not even jihād in the path of Allah, except a man who went out with his life and wealth and returned with neither.'

Cited toṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 969; tafsīr of Ibn ʿAbbās cited by Ibn Kathīr on 89:2

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

LossAncient, pre-Abrahamic · Age n/a · al-Aḥqāf, southern Arabia

ʿĀd of Iram, 'possessors of lofty pillars'

A tall, mighty people in southern Arabia given unmatched strength and architecture; no nation like them was created in the lands. They were destroyed by a howling wind for their arrogance and denial of Hūd عليه السلام.

Recalled in āyah 6, 7, 8

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ

Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ʿAad -

إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلْعِمَادِ

[With] Iram - who had lofty pillars,

ٱلَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى ٱلْبِلَـٰدِ

The likes of whom had never been created in the land?

  • Madd — 2 vowels
  • Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
  • Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
  • Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
  • Ghunnah — 2 vowels
  • Qalqalah
  • Ikhfāʾ
  • Ikhfāʾ shafawī
  • Idghām shafawī
  • Idghām with ghunnah
  • Idghām without ghunnah
  • Idghām mutajānisayn
  • Idghām mutaqāribayn
  • Iqlāb
  • Hamzat al-waṣl
  • Lām shamsiyyah
  • Silent letter

Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).

THEME 01Āyāt 1–5

The oaths of dawn and the ten nights

Allah swears by the dawn, by ten sacred nights, by the even and the odd, and by the night as it travels on — oaths built from times and numbers that recur and pass, culminating in a question: is there not, in all this, a sufficient oath for a rational being?

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

1

وَٱلْفَجْرِ

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By the dawn

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2

وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ

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And [by] ten nights

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3

وَٱلشَّفْعِ وَٱلْوَتْرِ

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And [by] the even [number] and the odd

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4

وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ

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And [by] the night when it passes,

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5

هَلْ فِى ذَٰلِكَ قَسَمٌ لِّذِى حِجْرٍ

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Is there [not] in [all] that an oath [sufficient] for one of perception?

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From the tafsīr

Al-fajr is the daybreak that follows every night without fail; 'the ten nights' are, according to Ibn ʿAbbās, Mujāhid and others, the first ten of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, the most virtuous days of the year.

Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

'The even and the odd' (al-shafʿ wa-l-watr) has been read as all of creation, which is either paired or single, and as a reference to the days of ḥajj themselves — a fitting pairing with the ten nights before it.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān

'The night when it journeys on' (idhā yasri) describes the night's steady onward passage until it gives way to dawn — a sign, like the ten nights, of the order Allah has fixed in time.

Cited toAl-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān

Key takeaways

  • Sacred time is not incidental — Allah swears by specific nights to draw attention to their weight.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • The recurring rhythm of dawn breaking after every night is itself a sign for those who reflect.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • 'Is there not in that a sufficient oath?' is a rhetorical challenge: the evidence has already been given; will you take heed?

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • The ten nights of Dhū al-Ḥijjah are a standing, practical opportunity — not merely a historical reference.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

Reflect

Which recurring, easily-overlooked rhythm in your own days might Allah be swearing by to wake you up?

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Question 1 of 2

What does the closing question of āyah 5 ('is there not in that a sufficient oath...') convey?

Question 2 of 2

According to Ibn ʿAbbās, what are 'the ten nights' of āyah 2?

THEME 02Āyāt 6–14

The destroyed civilisations and the ambush of your Lord

Allah recalls what He did to ʿĀd of Iram, unmatched in stature; to Thamūd, who carved their homes from rock; and to Firʿawn, master of the stakes — all of whom transgressed and spread corruption, so their Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment, for your Lord is ever watching from His ambush (la-bi-l-mirṣād).

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr on 89:14; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

6

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ

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Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ʿAad -

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7

إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلْعِمَادِ

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[With] Iram - who had lofty pillars,

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8

ٱلَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى ٱلْبِلَـٰدِ

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The likes of whom had never been created in the land?

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9

وَثَمُودَ ٱلَّذِينَ جَابُوا۟ ٱلصَّخْرَ بِٱلْوَادِ

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And [with] Thamūd, who carved out the rocks in the valley?

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10

وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِى ٱلْأَوْتَادِ

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And [with] Pharaoh, owner of the stakes?

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11

ٱلَّذِينَ طَغَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْبِلَـٰدِ

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[All of] whom oppressed within the lands

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12

فَأَكْثَرُوا۟ فِيهَا ٱلْفَسَادَ

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And increased therein the corruption.

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13

فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ

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So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment.

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14

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِٱلْمِرْصَادِ

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Indeed, your Lord is in observation.

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From the tafsīr

ʿĀd of Iram, 'possessors of lofty pillars', were a people of towering stature and building given no equal among the nations; Thamūd hewed the rock of al-Ḥijr into homes; Firʿawn is described as dhū al-awtād, 'possessor of the stakes', for how he tortured people by tying them down.

Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

'They all transgressed in the land and increased therein corruption' — the shared cause of their ruin was ṭughyān, transgressing all bounds, followed by spreading fasād, corruption, rather than mere disbelief alone.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān

'Indeed, your Lord is ever watchful' (inna rabbaka la-bi-l-mirṣād) means He is watching every soul's deed, recording it, and will requite it — none escapes His notice, however delayed the reckoning seems.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 89:14

Key takeaways

  • Power, height of stature and architectural achievement did not shield ʿĀd from destruction.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr on 89:14; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • Carving security into solid rock did not save Thamūd — safety is not a function of engineering.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr on 89:14; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • Firʿawn's cruelty to the weak (dhū al-awtād) is named specifically as part of his crime.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr on 89:14; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • 'Your Lord is ever watchful' is both a warning to the unjust and a comfort to the wronged — nothing is unseen or unrecorded.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Ibn Kathīr on 89:14; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

Reflect

What 'lofty pillars' — status, wealth, security — might you be relying on the way ʿĀd relied on theirs?

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Question 1 of 2

What common cause does the surah give for the destruction of ʿĀd, Thamūd and Firʿawn?

Question 2 of 2

What does the title dhū al-awtād refer to regarding Firʿawn?

THEME 03Āyāt 15–20

The test of wealth and honour, and the neglect of the orphan

Man mistakenly reads a widened provision as honour and a straitened one as humiliation — but neither is a verdict of Allah's love. The real indictment follows: they do not honour the orphan, do not urge feeding the needy, consume inheritance greedily, and love wealth intensely.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

15

فَأَمَّا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَأَكْرَمَهُۥ وَنَعَّمَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَكْرَمَنِ

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And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me."

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16

وَأَمَّآ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَهَـٰنَنِ

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But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me."

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17

كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ ٱلْيَتِيمَ

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No! But you do not honor the orphan

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18

وَلَا تَحَـٰٓضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ

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And you do not encourage one another to feed the poor.

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19

وَتَأْكُلُونَ ٱلتُّرَاثَ أَكْلًا لَّمًّا

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And you consume inheritance, devouring [it] altogether,

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20

وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا

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And you love wealth with immense love.

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From the tafsīr

Allah corrects the assumption that abundance is honour (ikrām) and scarcity is humiliation (ihānah): 'No! But you do not honour the orphan' — the true test is not what you are given, but what you do with it, especially toward the vulnerable.

Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

The four faults named — neglecting the orphan, not urging others to feed the poor, devouring inheritance indiscriminately (aklan lamman), and loving wealth ḥubban jamman (with excessive love) — together show a heart that has made provision itself the object of worship.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān

Aklan lamman means consuming the inheritance of the weak — including orphans' shares — indiscriminately, whether lawful or unlawful, gathering it all together without regard for right and wrong.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān

Key takeaways

  • Wealth given is a test (fitnah), not a certificate of Allah's approval; wealth withheld is likewise a test, not a verdict of rejection.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • The measure of a person is what they do with provision, not how much of it they hold.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • Neglecting the orphan and failing to urge feeding the poor are treated as the practical proof of a corrupted view of wealth.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • Loving wealth intensely (ḥubban jamman) is named as a root disease, not merely its outward symptoms.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

Reflect

Have you ever read a hardship as Allah's rejection, or an ease as His approval — rather than as a test either way?

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Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

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Question 1 of 2

What does aklan lamman (āyah 19) describe?

Question 2 of 2

What error does Allah correct in āyāt 15–16?

THEME 04Āyāt 21–30

The soul at rest, called back to its Lord

The surah turns to the Day when the earth is levelled, Allah and the angels come rank upon rank, and Hell is brought forth — the moment man remembers, though remembering avails him nothing then. It closes with the beautiful address to al-nafs al-muṭmaʾinnah, the soul at rest, invited to return to her Lord well-pleased and pleasing, to enter among His servants and into His Paradise.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

21

كَلَّآ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا

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No! When the earth has been leveled - pounded and crushed

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22

وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا

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And your Lord has come and the angels, rank upon rank,

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23

وَجِا۟ىٓءَ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ

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And brought [within view], that Day, is Hell - that Day, man will remember, but how [i.e., what good] to him will be the remembrance?

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24

يَقُولُ يَـٰلَيْتَنِى قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِى

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He will say, "Oh, I wish I had sent ahead [some good] for my life."

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25

فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ

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So on that Day, none will punish [as severely] as His punishment,

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26

وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ

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And none will bind [as severely] as His binding [of the evildoers].

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27

يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ

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[To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul,

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28

ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً

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Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him],

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29

فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى

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And enter among My [righteous] servants

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30

وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى

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And enter My Paradise."

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From the tafsīr

'And your Lord comes, and the angels, rank upon rank' (89:22) is affirmed as a true attribute befitting Allah's majesty, without likening it to creation (bi-lā takyīf wa-lā tamthīl); on that Day man will say 'if only I had sent ahead for my life' but remembrance will not benefit him.

Cited toIbn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

Al-nafs al-muṭmaʾinnah is the soul that has found tranquillity through certainty (yaqīn) and firm faith, content with Allah as Lord, His decree, His religion, and the reward He has prepared — hence the call 'return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing.'

Cited toAl-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān

The address 'irjiʿī ilā rabbik' (return to your Lord) is understood to be spoken to the believing soul both at the moment of death and again on the Day of Resurrection — a call repeated to reassure her at each transition.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān

Key takeaways

  • Regret on the Day of Judgement is real but powerless to change the outcome — the time for deeds is now.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • Tranquillity (iṭmiʾnān) of the soul is the fruit of certainty and contentment with Allah's decree, not of circumstance.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • The call 'return to your Lord' is framed as a homecoming, not merely a summons — the soul is 'well-pleased and pleasing'.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

  • Entry into Paradise is described communally — 'among My servants' and 'into My Paradise' — belonging is part of the reward.

    Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān; Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm

Reflect

What would it take for your own soul to reach iṭmiʾnān — contentment with Allah as Lord — before the Day it is called?

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Question 1 of 2

What two occasions are linked to the address in āyah 28?

Question 2 of 2

What quality earns the soul the description 'at rest' in āyah 27?

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VOCABULARY

Roots from this surah

Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.

ف ج ر

āyāt 1

to split or burst open, hence the dawn that splits the darkness

  • فَجْرdawn, daybreak
  • فَجَّرَhe caused to gush forth
  • فُجُورimmorality, a bursting of moral bounds

و ت ر

āyāt 3

to be single, odd, or unpaired

  • وَتْرodd, single
  • الوِتْرthe odd-numbered night prayer
  • أَوْتَادstakes (from a related sense of being fixed firm)

ط غ ي

āyāt 11

to overflow, exceed all limits, transgress

  • طَغَىٰhe transgressed
  • طَاغُوتfalse deity, tyrant
  • طُغْيَانexcessive transgression

ي ت م

āyāt 17

to be alone, left without a father

  • يَتِيمorphan
  • يَتِيمَةa unique, unmatched thing

ح ب ب

āyāt 20

to love, to hold dear

  • حُبّlove
  • أَحَبَّhe loved
  • مَحْبُوبbeloved

ن ف س

āyāt 27

the self, soul, or breath

  • نَفْسsoul, self
  • تَنَفَّسَhe breathed
  • نَفِيسprecious

ط م ن

āyāt 27

to settle, be at rest, feel secure

  • طُمَأْنِينَةtranquility, calm
  • ٱطْمَأَنَّhe became settled and at ease
  • مُطْمَئِنّat rest, reassured

ر ب ب

āyāt 6, 13, 14, 15, 16, 22, 28

to nurture, raise, own and sustain something to completion

  • رَبّlord, sustainer
  • رَبَّىٰhe raised, nurtured
  • رِبِّيّdevoted to the Lord

Carry this with you

  • Sacred time — like the ten nights of Dhū al-Ḥijjah — is a real, standing opportunity, not a poetic flourish.
  • No power, height, or engineering shielded ʿĀd, Thamūd or Firʿawn from a Lord who is ever watchful.
  • Neither having wealth nor being denied it is, by itself, proof of Allah's love or rejection — both are tests.
  • How you treat the orphan and the poor reveals your true relationship with the provision you have been given.
  • Loving wealth intensely, while neglecting the vulnerable, is named as the root disease behind several outward sins.
  • On the Day the earth is levelled and Hell is brought forth, regret will come too late to change anything.
  • The soul at rest is the one settled in certainty and content with Allah's decree — not the one untouched by hardship.
  • Return to Allah is described as a homecoming: 'well-pleased and pleasing' — into companionship and into Paradise.

Where this surah connects

Cross-surah threads

Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.

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Sources behind Sūrah Al-Fajr

Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.

FINAL ASSESSMENT

Full exam — the whole surah, from memory

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Al-Fajr — full exam

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8 questions across 4 themes.

Al-Fajr · The oaths of dawn and the ten nights

How did Ibn ʿAbbās identify 'the ten nights' mentioned in āyah 2?

Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol