Surah 45 · Makkah · 37 āyāt

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

Al-JāthiyahThe Kneeling

الجاثية

A Makkan surah from the Ḥā Mīm family that draws attention repeatedly to signs (āyāt) in the heavens, the earth, and within the human self for those who reflect, rebukes those who take their desires as their god and dismiss revelation as mere tales of the ancients, and takes its name from the striking scene on the Day of Judgement when every nation will be seen kneeling, each called to its record. It reminds the People of the Book that the clear knowledge given to them did not save them from division caused by envy, and closes by affirming that all sovereignty and praise in the heavens and earth belong to Allah alone.

Why it was revealed

Quraysh's chiefs dismissed the Qur'an as ancient legends and mocked the idea of resurrection, priding themselves on worldly power while ignoring the countless signs around them in creation. The surah confronts this arrogance directly, describing such deniers as having taken their own desires as their god and having been sealed upon their hearing and hearts by Allah on account of their persistent rejection.

Drawn fromal-Ṭabarī on 45:23; Al-Ṭabarī on 45:24; Ibn Kathīr on 45:23; Ibn Kathīr on 45:28; Ibn Kathīr on 45:6–8

Ibn ʿAbbās said concerning 'Have you seen he who has taken as his god his own desire' (45:23) that this was revealed about a man of Quraysh who would not worship anything except what his own inclination approved of at that moment, changing his object of devotion as his whims changed, and this became a general description applied to anyone who follows caprice over revealed guidance.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 45:23; al-Ṭabarī on 45:23

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

GuidanceMid-Makkan period · Age c. 46–50 · Makkah

Quraysh's dismissal of the Qur'an as 'tales of the ancients'

When the verses of the Qur'an were recited to them, some of Quraysh's leaders responded by calling it nothing but ancient legends, a claim the surah confronts directly by warning such a person of a painful punishment.

Recalled in āyah 6, 7, 8

تِلْكَ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ وَءَايَـٰتِهِۦ يُؤْمِنُونَ

These are the verses of Allāh which We recite to you in truth. Then in what statement after Allāh and His verses will they believe?

وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ

Woe to every sinful liar

يَسْمَعُ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ يُصِرُّ مُسْتَكْبِرًا كَأَن لَّمْ يَسْمَعْهَا

Who hears the verses of Allāh recited to him, then persists arrogantly as if he had not heard them.

  • 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 1–6

Signs in the heavens, earth, and within yourselves

Indeed, in the heavens and the earth are signs for the believers. And in the creation of yourselves and what He disperses of moving creatures are signs for people who are certain in faith. And in the alternation of night and day, and what Allah sends down from the sky of provision, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness, and the directing of the winds, are signs for a people who use reason. These are the verses of Allah which We recite to you in truth, so in what statement after Allah and His signs will they believe?

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 45:5; Ibn Kathīr on 45:3–4

3

إِنَّ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

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Indeed, within the heavens and earth are signs for the believers.

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4

وَفِى خَلْقِكُمْ وَمَا يَبُثُّ مِن دَآبَّةٍ ءَايَـٰتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ

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And in the creation of yourselves and what He disperses of moving creatures are signs for people who are certain in faith.

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5

وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن رِّزْقٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَتَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَـٰحِ ءَايَـٰتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

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And [in] the alternation of night and day and what Allāh sends down from the sky of provision, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness, and the directing of the winds, are signs for a people who use reason.

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6

تِلْكَ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ وَءَايَـٰتِهِۦ يُؤْمِنُونَ

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These are the verses of Allāh which We recite to you in truth. Then in what statement after Allāh and His verses will they believe?

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From the tafsīr

Signs are graded here to differing capacities of reflection: some are perceived by believers generally, some by those with certainty (yaqīn), and some require the exercise of reason (ʿaql), showing that engaging with creation's signs deepens according to one's spiritual and intellectual effort.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 45:3–4

The mention of Allah reviving the earth after its death through rain is repeatedly used across the Qur'an as evidence for the resurrection of bodies, since the One who revives dead land is fully capable of reviving dead bodies.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 45:5

Key takeaways

Reflect

Which of the signs mentioned here — in the sky, your own creation, or the earth's revival — do you take time to actually reflect upon?

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Question 1 of 2

What proof does al-Saʿdī note is drawn from the earth's revival by rain in 45:5?

Question 2 of 2

According to Ibn Kathīr, how are the signs in 45:3–4 graded?

THEME 02Āyāt 7–11

The one who hears the signs recited yet persists arrogantly

Woe to every sinful liar who hears the verses of Allah recited to him, then persists arrogantly as if he had not heard them; so give him tidings of a painful punishment. And when he learns anything of Our verses, he takes them in ridicule; those will have a humiliating punishment. Ahead of them is Hell, and what they have earned will not avail them, nor will the protectors they had taken besides Allah. For them is a great punishment. This [Qur'an] is guidance, and those who disbelieve in the verses of their Lord will have a painful punishment of foul nature.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 45:9; Ibn Kathīr on 45:7–8

7

وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ

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Woe to every sinful liar

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8

يَسْمَعُ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ يُصِرُّ مُسْتَكْبِرًا كَأَن لَّمْ يَسْمَعْهَا

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Who hears the verses of Allāh recited to him, then persists arrogantly as if he had not heard them.

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9

وَإِذَا عَلِمَ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا شَيْـًٔا ٱتَّخَذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ

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And when he learns anything of Our verses, he takes them in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment.

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From the tafsīr

The description 'sinful liar' (affāk athīm) refers to one whose falsehood and sin have become entrenched habits, such that even hearing Allah's clear verses recited fails to move him, and he persists as though deaf to them out of sheer arrogance.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 45:7–8

Taking Allah's verses in mockery is treated more severely than mere disbelief through indifference, because it combines rejection with active derision of what is sacred, warranting the specific description of a humiliating punishment.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 45:9

Key takeaways

Reflect

When you encounter a verse or reminder that unsettles you, do you engage with it sincerely, or dismiss it the way this passage describes?

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Question 1 of 2

Why does al-Qurṭubī consider mocking the verses (45:9) graver than mere disbelief?

Question 2 of 2

What does 'sinful liar' (affāk athīm) in 45:7 describe, per Ibn Kathīr?

THEME 03Āyāt 16–19

Clear guidance given to the Children of Israel, divided by envy

And We certainly gave the Children of Israel the Scripture, judgement, and prophethood, and provided them with good things, and preferred them over the worlds. And We gave them clear proofs of the matter [of religion], and they did not differ except after knowledge had come to them, out of insolent envy between themselves. Then We put you [O Muḥammad] on an ordained way (sharīʿah) concerning the matter [of religion], so follow it and do not follow the desires of those who do not know.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 45:18; Ibn Kathīr on 45:17

16

وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحُكْمَ وَٱلنُّبُوَّةَ

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And We certainly gave the Children of Israel the Scripture, judgement, and prophethood.

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17

وَمَا تَفَرَّقُوٓا۟ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعِلْمُ بَغْيًۢا بَيْنَهُمْ

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And they did not differ except after knowledge had come to them, out of insolent envy between themselves.

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18

ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَـٰكَ عَلَىٰ شَرِيعَةٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ فَٱتَّبِعْهَا وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

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Then We put you, [O Muḥammad], on an ordained way concerning the matter [of religion]; so follow it and do not follow the desires of those who do not know.

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From the tafsīr

The division among the Children of Israel occurred despite clear proofs having reached them, showing that division in religion is not caused by lack of knowledge but by envy and rivalry between people who already know the truth.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 45:17

Being placed on a clear sharīʿah is a favour requiring firm adherence, and the verse warns specifically against following the desires of 'those who do not know,' meaning those without sound revealed knowledge, regardless of how confident or vocal they may be.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 45:18

Key takeaways

Reflect

Do disagreements you witness within the religious community stem from lack of knowledge, or from rivalry between those who already know better?

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Question 1 of 2

Who are 'those who do not know' that 45:18 warns against following?

Question 2 of 2

What caused the division among the Children of Israel according to 45:17?

THEME 04Āyāt 23–26

Taking one's own desire as a god

Have you seen he who has taken as his god his own desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and sealed his hearing and his heart and put a cover over his sight? So who will guide him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded? And they say, 'There is not but our worldly life; we die and live, and nothing destroys us but time.' And they have of that no knowledge; they are only assuming. Say, 'It is Allah who gives you life, then causes you to die; then He will assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt.'

Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī on 45:24; Ibn Kathīr on 45:23

23

أَفَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُۥ هَوَىٰهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِۦ وَقَلْبِهِۦ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِۦ غِشَـٰوَةً

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Have you seen he who has taken as his god his own desire, and Allāh has sent him astray due to knowledge and sealed his hearing and his heart and put a cover over his sight?

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24

وَقَالُوا۟ مَا هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا وَمَا يُهْلِكُنَآ إِلَّا ٱلدَّهْرُ

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And they say, "There is not but our worldly life; we die and live, and nothing destroys us but time."

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26

قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يَجْمَعُكُمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ

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Say, "It is Allāh who gives you life, then causes you to die; then He will assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt."

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From the tafsīr

Ibn ʿAbbās identified this verse's occasion as a man of Quraysh who devoted himself only to whatever his current whim approved, illustrating how following one's desire above revelation is a form of taking that desire as a deity in practice, even without formal declaration.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 45:23

The claim that 'nothing destroys us but time' (al-dahr) reflects the materialist fatalism of some Makkan disbelievers, denying any divine agency behind death; the Prophet ﷺ was later reported to have said that Allah says, 'The son of Adam curses time, and I am time; in My hand is the night and day,' rebuking the practice of blaming time itself as though it were an independent, culpable agent.

Cited toAl-Ṭabarī on 45:24

Key takeaways

Reflect

In moments where your desires conflict with what you know to be right, which one do you actually let govern your choice?

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Question 1 of 2

What did Ibn ʿAbbās say occasioned the revelation of 45:23?

Question 2 of 2

What does the ḥadīth cited by al-Ṭabarī convey about blaming 'time' (al-dahr) for death, referenced from 45:24?

THEME 05Āyāt 27–37

Every nation kneeling, called to its record

And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and the Day the Hour appears, that Day the falsifiers will lose. And you will see every nation kneeling; every nation will be called to its record, [and told], 'Today you will be recompensed for what you used to do.' This is Our record which speaks concerning you in truth; indeed, We were causing to be recorded whatever you used to do. So to Allah is [due] all praise, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds. And to Him belongs [all] grandeur within the heavens and the earth, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 45:29; Ibn Kathīr on 45:28

27

وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَخْسَرُ ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ

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And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And the Day the Hour appears – that Day the falsifiers will lose.

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28

وَتَرَىٰ كُلَّ أُمَّةٍ جَاثِيَةً ۚ كُلُّ أُمَّةٍ تُدْعَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ كِتَـٰبِهَا

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And you will see every nation kneeling. Every nation will be called to its record.

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29

هَـٰذَا كِتَـٰبُنَا يَنطِقُ عَلَيْكُم بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَسْتَنسِخُ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

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This, Our record, speaks concerning you in truth; indeed, We were causing to be recorded whatever you used to do.

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36

فَلِلَّهِ ٱلْحَمْدُ رَبِّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَرَبِّ ٱلْأَرْضِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

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So to Allāh is [due] all praise, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds.

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37

وَلَهُ ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

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And to Him belongs [all] grandeur within the heavens and the earth, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

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From the tafsīr

The scene of every nation kneeling from the terror of the Day reflects the total reversal of worldly hierarchies; those who stood proudly and dismissed the reckoning in life will be brought down in humility, called each to a precise record they cannot dispute.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 45:28

The record 'speaking' concerning deeds refers to the precision of the angels' recording, leaving no deed, however small, unaccounted for, which the person will recognise as accurate testimony against or for themselves.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 45:29

Key takeaways

Reflect

Reading of every nation kneeling and called to its record, how does that scene affect the way you view your own daily deeds?

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

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Question 1 of 2

What does the scene of every nation 'kneeling' in 45:28 reflect, per Ibn Kathīr?

Question 2 of 2

What does the record 'speaking' in 45:29 refer to, according to al-Saʿdī?

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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.

أ ي ي

āyāt 3, 6, 8, 9

sign, verse

  • ءَايَـٰتٍsigns
  • ءَايَـٰتُ ٱللَّهِthe signs of Allāh
  • ءَايَةa sign, verse

ي ق ن

āyāt 4

to be certain

  • يُوقِنُونَthey are certain
  • يَقِينcertainty

ع ق ل

āyāt 5

to reason, understand

  • يَعْقِلُونَthey use reason
  • عَقْلintellect

أ ف ك

āyāt 7

to lie, fabricate falsehood

  • أَفَّاكٍa habitual liar
  • إِفْكa lie, fabrication

ك ب ر

āyāt 8, 37

to be great, arrogant

  • مُسْتَكْبِرًاarrogantly
  • ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُthe grandeur, majesty
  • كِبْرarrogance

ف ر ق

āyāt 17

to separate, differ, split

  • تَفَرَّقُوٓا۟they differed, split
  • فِرْقَةa faction

ش ر ع

āyāt 18

to legislate, ordain a way

  • شَرِيعَةٍan ordained way, law
  • شَرَعَhe legislated

ه و ي

āyāt 18, 23

desire, whim, inclination

  • أَهْوَآءَdesires, whims
  • هَوَىٰهُhis desire

خ ت م

āyāt 23

to seal, close off

  • وَخَتَمَand He sealed
  • خَاتَمa seal

ج ث و

āyāt 28

to kneel

  • جَاثِيَةًkneeling
  • جُثُوّkneeling posture

Carry this with you

  • Creation is layered with signs calling believers, the certain, and the reasoning to reflect and respond.
  • Persistent arrogance in the face of clear revelation hardens the heart until guidance can no longer reach it.
  • Division in religion often arises from envy among the knowledgeable, not from a lack of knowledge itself.
  • Following one's own desire above revealed guidance is, in practice, a form of taking that desire as one's god.
  • Denying the Hereafter through blind fatalism about 'time' is baseless assumption, not knowledge.
  • All sovereignty, praise, and grandeur in the heavens and earth belong to Allah alone, before whom every nation will kneel.

Where this surah connects

Cross-surah threads

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Sources behind Sūrah Al-Jāthiyah

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Al-Jāthiyah · The one who hears the signs recited yet persists arrogantly

Why does al-Qurṭubī consider mocking the verses (45:9) graver than mere disbelief?

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