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Surah 88 · Makkah · 26 āyāt

Phase 04 · Ṭāʾif, al-Isrāʾ and the final Makkan years(c. 5–1 BH) — view in timeline

Al-GhāshiyahThe Overwhelming Event

الغاشية

Opens by asking the Prophet ﷺ, and every reader, 'Has there reached you the story of the Overwhelming [Event]?' — a name for the Day of Judgement. It then paints two vivid, contrasting scenes: faces humiliated, laboring and exhausted, entering a scorching fire and drinking from a boiling spring with nothing to eat but a bitter thorny plant that neither nourishes nor satisfies hunger; and faces radiant with pleasure, content with their striving, in an elevated garden with no idle talk, flowing springs, raised couches, and cushions and carpets set out. The surah then turns outward, calling people to reflect on camels, the sky, the mountains, and the earth as proofs of Allah's power, before instructing the Prophet ﷺ that his task is only to remind, not to compel belief, and closing with the reminder that all return and reckoning is to Allah.

Why it was revealed

Revealed while Quraysh dismissed talk of resurrection as fantasy, this surah confronts them with two things simultaneously accessible to them: unmistakable imagery of the Hereafter, and the ordinary creatures and landscape around them — camels, sky, mountains, earth — that they saw daily yet failed to reflect upon as signs pointing to a Creator capable of resurrecting them.

Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ Muslim 878; Al-Saʿdī on 88:21–22; Ibn Kathīr on 88:1; Ibn Kathīr on 88:17–20; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat al-Ghāshiyah

It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to recite Sūrat al-Aʿlā and al-Ghāshiyah in the Friday prayer and in the two ʿĪd prayers. Al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr said: 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite in the two ʿĪd prayers and in the Friday prayer Sabbiḥ isma rabbika al-aʿlā and Hal atāka ḥadīthu al-ghāshiyah.'

Cited toṢaḥīḥ Muslim 878; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat al-Ghāshiyah

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

RevelationEarly Makkan period · Age c. 40–44 · Makkah

The Overwhelming Event named

The surah opens by naming the Day of Judgement 'al-Ghāshiyah' — that which overwhelms and covers everything — immediately arresting the listener's attention before any argument is made.

Recalled in āyah 1

هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ

Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming [Event]?

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 88:1

  • 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 1–7

Humiliated faces, laboring and exhausted

Has the story of the Overwhelming reached you? [Some] faces, that Day, will be humiliated, working [hard] and exhausted, entering to [burn in] an intensely hot Fire, made to drink from a boiling spring, with no food for them except a bitter thorny plant which neither nourishes nor avails against hunger.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 88:6–7; Ibn Kathīr on 88:2–3

1

هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ

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Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming [Event]?

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2

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَاشِعَةٌ

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[Some] faces, that Day, will be humbled,

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3

عَامِلَةٌ نَّاصِبَةٌ

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Working [hard] and exhausted.

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4

تَصْلَىٰ نَارًا حَامِيَةً

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They will [enter to] burn in an intensely hot Fire.

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5

تُسْقَىٰ مِنْ عَيْنٍ آنِيَةٍ

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They will be given drink from a boiling spring.

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6

لَّيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِن ضَرِيعٍ

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For them there will be no food except from a bitter thorny plant

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7

لَّا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِي مِن جُوعٍ

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Which neither nourishes nor avails against hunger.

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From the tafsīr

'ʿĀmilatun nāṣibah' — laboring, exhausted — is explained as describing their futile toil in the Fire itself, or as a rebuke of the toil they exerted in this world for disbelief and sin, which brought them no benefit whatsoever.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 88:2–3

Ḍarīʿ, the thorny, bitter plant mentioned as their only food, is described as so vile that it neither fattens nor removes hunger — the opposite of nourishment, symbolizing utter deprivation despite constant 'feeding'.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 88:6–7

Key takeaways

Reflect

Is there effort you're pouring your life into that, like ḍarīʿ, will never actually satisfy or nourish you?

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Question 1 of 2

What does Ibn Kathīr say 'ʿāmilatun nāṣibah' (āyah 3) may refer to?

Question 2 of 2

What is distinctive about ḍarīʿ, their food in the Fire (āyah 6-7)?

THEME 02Āyāt 8–16

Radiant faces, content with their striving

[Other] faces, that Day, will show pleasure, satisfied with their effort, in an elevated garden, wherein they will hear no unsuitable speech. Within it is a flowing spring, within it are raised couches, and cups put in place, and cushions lined up, and carpets spread about.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 88:11; Ibn Kathīr on 88:9

8

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاعِمَةٌ

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[Other] faces, that Day, will show pleasure.

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9

لِّسَعْيِهَا رَاضِيَةٌ

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With their effort [they are] satisfied

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10

فِي جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ

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In an elevated garden,

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11

لَّا تَسْمَعُ فِيهَا لَاغِيَةً

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Wherein they will hear no unsuitable speech.

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12

فِيهَا عَيْنٌ جَارِيَةٌ

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Within it is a flowing spring.

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13

فِيهَا سُرُرٌ مَّرْفُوعَةٌ

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Within it are raised couches

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14

وَأَكْوَابٌ مَّوْضُوعَةٌ

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And cups put in place

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15

وَنَمَارِقُ مَصْفُوفَةٌ

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And cushions lined up

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16

وَزَرَابِيُّ مَبْثُوثَةٌ

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And carpets spread about.

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From the tafsīr

'Li-saʿyihā rāḍiyah' — pleased with its effort — describes the believer's contentment at seeing the fruit of their worldly deeds fully realized; the toil they undertook for Allah's sake proved entirely worthwhile.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 88:9

'You will not hear therein any lāghiyah [vain, unsuitable speech]' highlights that Paradise is free not only from physical hardship but also from every form of idle, sinful, or hurtful speech that mars gatherings in this world.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 88:11

Key takeaways

Reflect

What effort are you making now that you hope to look back on with the same satisfaction described in āyah 9?

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Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

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

Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt

Question 1 of 2

What is notably absent from Paradise according to āyah 11?

Question 2 of 2

What does 'li-saʿyihā rāḍiyah' (āyah 9) describe?

THEME 03Āyāt 17–20

Do they not look at the camel, the sky, the mountains, the earth?

Then do they not look at the camel — how it was created? And at the sky — how it was raised? And at the mountains — how they were set firm? And at the earth — how it was spread out?

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 88:17–20; Ibn Kathīr on 88:17

17

أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ

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Then do they not look at the camels - how they are created?

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18

وَإِلَى السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ

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And the sky - how it is raised?

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19

وَإِلَى الْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ

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And the mountains - how they are erected?

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20

وَإِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ

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And the earth - how it is spread out?

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From the tafsīr

The camel is singled out first because it was central to the daily life of the Arabs — its endurance, structure, and usefulness were before their eyes constantly, yet they failed to reflect on its Designer.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 88:17

The four items named — camel, sky, mountains, earth — move from the most immediate and familiar (an animal they used daily) to the cosmic (the heavens), showing that reflection on Allah's signs need not require travel or special knowledge, only attentive observation of what is nearest.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 88:17–20

Key takeaways

Reflect

What ordinary, familiar thing in your daily life have you never actually paused to reflect on as a sign of Allah?

Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet

Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

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

Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt

Question 1 of 2

Why does Ibn Kathīr say the camel is mentioned first in this sequence of signs?

Question 2 of 2

What progression does al-Qurṭubī note in the four signs named in āyāt 17–20?

THEME 04Āyāt 21–26

You are a reminder; you are not a controller over them

So remind, for you are only a reminder; you are not a controller over them. However, whoever turns away and disbelieves, Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment. Indeed, to Us is their return, then indeed, upon Us is their account.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 88:21–22; Ibn Kathīr on 88:23–24

21

فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ

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So remind, [O Muḥammad]; you are only a reminder.

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22

لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِرٍ

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You are not over them a controller.

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23

إِلَّا مَن تَوَلَّىٰ وَكَفَرَ

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However, he who turns away and disbelieves -

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24

فَيُعَذِّبُهُ اللَّهُ الْعَذَابَ الْأَكْبَرَ

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Then Allāh will punish him with the greatest punishment.

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25

إِنَّ إِلَيْنَا إِيَابَهُمْ

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Indeed, to Us is their return.

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26

ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا حِسَابَهُم

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Then indeed, upon Us is their account.

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From the tafsīr

The Prophet's ﷺ role is defined precisely: he is a mudhakkir (one who reminds), not a musayṭir (one who controls or compels). This distinction removed the burden of forcing belief from him, placing final accountability with Allah alone.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 88:21–22

Turning away and disbelieving after being reminded is met with 'al-ʿadhāb al-akbar' (the greatest punishment) — understood as the punishment of the Hereafter, distinguished from lesser worldly trials or punishments already tasted.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 88:23–24

Key takeaways

Reflect

In your own efforts to share good with others, are you trying to remind, or trying to control the outcome?

Saved on this device · included in your printable study sheet

Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

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

Questions and options are reshuffled and reworded each attempt

Question 1 of 2

What distinction does al-Saʿdī draw in āyāt 21–22 about the Prophet's ﷺ role?

Question 2 of 2

What does 'al-ʿadhāb al-akbar' (āyah 24) refer to?

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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.

غ ش ي

āyāt 1

to cover, overwhelm, envelop

  • الْغَاشِيَةِthe Overwhelming Event
  • غِشَاوَةa covering

خ ش ع

āyāt 2

to be humbled, submissive

  • خَاشِعَةٌhumbled
  • خُشُوعhumility

ن ص ب

āyāt 3, 19

to erect, exhaust, set up

  • نَّاصِبَةٌexhausted
  • نُصِبَتْit was set firm

ض ر ع

āyāt 6

bitterness; a thorny plant

  • ضَرِيعٍa bitter thorny plant

س ع ي

āyāt 9

to strive, exert effort

  • لِّسَعْيِهَاwith their effort
  • سَعْيstriving

ع ل و

āyāt 10

to be high, elevated

  • عَالِيَةٍelevated
  • عُلُوّloftiness

ل غ و

āyāt 11

vain, idle speech

  • لَاغِيَةًvain speech
  • لَغْوidle talk

ر ف ع

āyāt 13, 18

to raise, elevate

  • مَّرْفُوعَةٌraised
  • رُفِعَتْit was raised

خ ل ق

āyāt 17

to create

  • خُلِقَتْit was created
  • خَالِقCreator

س ط ح

āyāt 20

to spread flat, level

  • سُطِحَتْit was spread out

ذ ك ر

āyāt 21

to remember, remind

  • فَذَكِّرْso remind
  • مُذَكِّرٌa reminder
  • ذِكْرreminder

أ و ب

āyāt 25

to return, come back

  • إِيَابَهُمْtheir return
  • آبhe returned

Carry this with you

  • The Day of Judgement, named 'al-Ghāshiyah', will overwhelm and cover everyone without exception.
  • Effort directed away from Allah brings no true nourishment or benefit, however constant the striving.
  • Paradise's completeness includes freedom from vain and hurtful speech, not only physical comfort.
  • Allah's signs are visible in the most ordinary, familiar things — a camel, the sky, the mountains, the earth.
  • Every caller to truth is a reminder, not a compeller; accountability for accepting guidance rests with the individual.
  • All return and reckoning belongs to Allah alone, closing the surah on the same certainty with which it opened.

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.

The Hour and the accounting3 movementsThe four trials1 movementProvision, wealth and the tongue that forgets1 movementPatience while the answer is delayed1 movementThe signs you already walk on1 movement
All threads →

Sources behind Sūrah Al-Ghāshiyah

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-Ghāshiyah — full exam

1 / 8 · 0 correct

8 questions across 4 themes.

Al-Ghāshiyah · Humiliated faces, laboring and exhausted

What is distinctive about ḍarīʿ, their food in the Fire (āyah 6-7)?

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