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Surah 79 · Makkah · 46 āyāt

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

An-NāziʿātThose Who Pull Out

النازعات

Opens with an oath by the angels in their varied tasks at the taking of souls, moving to the certainty of resurrection despite the disbelievers' mockery of ever being 'brought back after being decayed bones'. At its centre stands the story of Mūsā's confrontation with Firʿawn — the call to humility before the Lord, Firʿawn's arrogant claim to lordship, and his exemplary punishment in this world and the next — before returning to the question of the Hour, whose knowledge rests with Allah alone, and closing with the stark scale of eternity against a single day or morning of worldly life.

Why it was revealed

Revealed among the earliest Makkan surahs confronting outright denial of resurrection, using oaths by unseen realities — angels performing tasks connected to death and the created order — to draw the listener's attention beyond the visible world before addressing their disbelief directly.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 79:42–44; Ibn Kathīr on 79:1–5; Ibn Kathīr on 79:15–26; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat an-Nāziʿāt, citing Ibn ʿAbbās and Masrūq on 79:1–2

Commentators relate that 'those who pull out violently' (al-nāziʿāt) and 'those who draw out gently' (al-nāshiṭāt) in the opening oaths refer to the angels who take the souls of the wicked with harshness and the souls of the believers with ease, a description echoed in other passages describing the ease of death for the righteous and its hardship for the wrongdoer.

Cited toIbn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat an-Nāziʿāt, citing Ibn ʿAbbās and Masrūq on 79:1–2

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

RevelationEarly Makkan period · Age — · Makkah

Oaths by the angels of death and cosmic order

Allah swears by the angels who extract souls harshly or gently, and by those who glide and race in carrying out His command, before turning to the certainty of the Hour.

Recalled in āyah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

وَٱلنَّـٰزِعَـٰتِ غَرْقًا

By those [angels] who extract with violence

وَٱلنَّـٰشِطَـٰتِ نَشْطًا

And [by] those who draw out gently

فَٱلْمُدَبِّرَٰتِ أَمْرًا

And those who arrange [each] matter,

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 79:1–5

  • 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 1–14

Oaths by the angels, and the certainty of resurrection

By those who extract violently, and those who draw out gently, and those who glide swiftly, then those who race each other in a race, then those who arrange [each] matter — the Day the blast will convulse, followed by the second blast, hearts that Day will tremble, their eyes humbled. They say: will we indeed be returned to [our] former state? Even after we are decayed bones? They say: this then would be a losing return! Yet it will be but one shout, and behold, they are awakened.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 79:10–12; Ibn Kathīr on 79:1–2

1

وَٱلنَّـٰزِعَـٰتِ غَرْقًا

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By those [angels] who extract with violence

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2

وَٱلنَّـٰشِطَـٰتِ نَشْطًا

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And [by] those who draw out gently

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5

فَٱلْمُدَبِّرَٰتِ أَمْرًا

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And those who arrange [each] matter,

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6

يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ ٱلرَّاجِفَةُ

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On the Day the blast will convulse [creation],

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10

يَقُولُونَ أَءِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِى ٱلْحَافِرَةِ

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They say, 'Will we indeed be returned to [our] former state [of life]?'

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12

قَالُوا تِلْكَ إِذًا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةٌ

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They say, 'That, then, would be a losing return.'

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13

فَإِنَّمَا هِىَ زَجْرَةٌ وَٰحِدَةٌ

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Indeed, it will be but one shout,

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From the tafsīr

Ibn ʿAbbās and Masrūq explained 'those who pull out violently' and 'those who draw out gently' as the angels who take the souls of disbelievers harshly and the souls of believers with ease respectively, tying this opening oath directly to the reality of death every listener will face.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 79:1–2

The disbelievers' mockery — 'will we be returned after we are decayed bones?' — is answered not with lengthy argument but with the simple fact of 'one shout' being sufficient, showing that what they consider impossible requires no more effort from Allah than a single command.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 79:10–12

Key takeaways

Reflect

If the ease or harshness of your own soul's extraction were determined today, which would it be?

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Question 1 of 2

How does the surah answer the mockery that resurrection after decay is impossible?

Question 2 of 2

Who do 'those who pull out violently' and 'those who draw out gently' refer to in 79:1–2?

THEME 02Āyāt 15–26

Mūsā's call to Firʿawn, and Firʿawn's punishment

Has the story of Mūsā reached you? When his Lord called to him in the sacred valley of Ṭuwā: go to Firʿawn, indeed he has transgressed, and say: would you purify yourself, and I guide you to your Lord so you would fear Him? He showed him the greatest sign, but he denied and disobeyed, then turned his back, striving. He gathered [his people] and called out, saying, I am your lord, most high. So Allah seized him with the punishment of the last and the first. Indeed in that is a lesson for whoever fears.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 79:24; Ibn Kathīr on 79:17–19; Ibn Kathīr on 79:25

15

هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰٓ

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Has there reached you the story of Moses? -

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17

ٱذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُۥ طَغَىٰ

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'Go to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed.'

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18

فَقُلْ هَل لَّكَ إِلَىٰٓ أَن تَزَكَّىٰ

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And say to him, 'Would you [be willing to] purify yourself'

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24

فَقَالَ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ

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And said, 'I am your most high lord.'

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25

فَأَخَذَهُ ٱللَّهُ نَكَالَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَٱلْأُولَىٰٓ

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So Allāh seized him in exemplary punishment for the last and the first [transgression].

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26

إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰٓ

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Indeed in that is a lesson for whoever fears [Allāh].

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From the tafsīr

Mūsā's message to Firʿawn is framed around purification (tazakkā) and guidance leading to fear of Allah — the essential sequence of da'wah: inviting to self-purification first, then to the knowledge that produces reverence, before any confrontation.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 79:17–19

Firʿawn's declaration 'I am your lord, most high' is contextualised as coming after decades of unchecked power and the failure of his people to challenge him, showing how prolonged, unaccountable authority can escalate into the ultimate claim of divinity.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 79:24

'The punishment of the last and the first' (al-ākhirah wa-l-ūlā) is explained as Firʿawn's drowning in this world combined with his punishment in the Hereafter, showing that his worldly seizure was only the first instalment.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 79:25

Key takeaways

Reflect

Where in your own circles does silence in the face of arrogance allow it to escalate, as it did for Firʿawn?

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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 does 'the punishment of the last and the first' in 79:25 refer to?

Question 2 of 2

What did Mūsā's message to Firʿawn emphasise first, per Ibn Kathīr?

THEME 03Āyāt 27–33

Creating you is not harder than creating the heavens

Are you a more difficult creation, or is the heaven? He constructed it, raised high its ceiling, and proportioned it; He darkened its night and brought out its brightness. And after that He spread the earth, extracted from it its water and pasture, and set the mountains firmly — as provision for you and your grazing livestock.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 79:31–33; Ibn Kathīr on 79:27

27

ءَأَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ ۚ بَنَىٰهَا

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Are you a more difficult creation or is the heaven? He constructed it.

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30

وَٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَىٰهَآ

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And after that He spread the earth.

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31

أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَآءَهَا وَمَرْعَىٰهَا

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He extracted from it its water and its pasture,

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From the tafsīr

The rhetorical question addresses those who doubted their own resurrection by pointing to the far greater creation of the heavens itself, arguing that whoever fashioned such a vast structure faces no difficulty in re-creating a single human being.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 79:27

The details of water, pasture and mountains being 'set firmly' as provision is presented as evidence of deliberate, purposeful design serving mankind and livestock, reinforcing both Allah's power and His mercy in the same argument.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 79:31–33

Key takeaways

Reflect

What is a 'greater' proof of Allah's power in your own life that you overlook while doubting a 'lesser' matter of faith?

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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 dual quality does al-Saʿdī note in the description of water, pasture and mountains?

Question 2 of 2

What argument does 79:27 make against doubting resurrection?

THEME 04Āyāt 34–46

The Hour, and the scale of a single day

So when the greatest catastrophe comes — the Day man will remember what he strove for, and Hellfire will be exhibited for all who see — then as for one who transgressed and preferred the worldly life, Hellfire will be his refuge; but as for one who feared standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from base desires, Paradise will be his refuge. They ask you about the Hour: when is its arrival? You have no knowledge to mention it; its finality is to your Lord. You are only a warner for whoever fears it. It will be, on the Day they see it, as if they had not remained [in the world] except for an evening or its morning.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 79:46; Ibn Kathīr on 79:40–41; Ibn Kathīr on 79:42–44

34

فَإِذَا جَآءَتِ ٱلطَّآمَّةُ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ

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But when there comes the greatest catastrophe -

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37

فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَىٰ

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So as for he who transgressed

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40

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى ٱلنَّفْسَ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰ

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But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination,

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42

يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلسَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَىٰهَا

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They ask you, [O Muḥammad], about the Hour: when is its arrival?

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45

إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُنذِرُ مَن يَخْشَىٰهَا

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You are only a warner for those who fear it.

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46

كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوٓا إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَىٰهَا

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It will be, on the Day they see it, as though they had not remained [in the world] except for an afternoon or a morning thereof.

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From the tafsīr

The contrast between the one who 'transgressed and preferred the worldly life' and the one who 'feared standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from desire' is presented as the summary criterion of the entire surah — the two possible responses to being warned, with Hell and Paradise as their respective outcomes.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 79:40–41

The Prophet ﷺ is told plainly that knowledge of the Hour's timing is not given even to him; his role is only to warn, not to satisfy curiosity about dates — a boundary the Qur'an sets repeatedly against speculation.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 79:42–44

The closing comparison — that the entirety of worldly life will feel like a single evening or morning once the Hour arrives — is meant to recalibrate the listener's sense of time, showing how brief this life will appear against the eternity that follows it.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 79:46

Key takeaways

Reflect

Which of the two categories in 79:40–41 better describes your dominant pattern this year?

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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 was the Prophet ﷺ told about the timing of the Hour in 79:42–44?

Question 2 of 2

What is the surah's summary criterion for Hell versus Paradise in 79:37–41?

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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.

ن ز ع

āyāt 1

to pull out, extract

  • ٱلنَّـٰزِعَـٰتِthose who pull out
  • نَزَعَhe pulled out

ر ج ف

āyāt 6

to shake, convulse

  • ٱلرَّاجِفَةُthe convulsion
  • رَجَفَit shook

خ س ر

āyāt 12

loss

  • خَاسِرَةٌa losing one
  • خَسَارًاloss

ط غ ي

āyāt 17, 37

to transgress, exceed bounds

  • طَغَىٰhe transgressed
  • طَاغُوتfalse deity, transgressor

ز ك و

āyāt 18

to purify

  • تَزَكَّىٰpurify yourself
  • زَكَاةpurifying charity

ن ك ل

āyāt 25

exemplary punishment

  • نَكَالَexemplary punishment
  • نَكَّلَhe made an example of

د ح و

āyāt 30

to spread out

  • دَحَىٰهَآHe spread it
  • دَحْوspreading out

ر ع ي

āyāt 31

to pasture, tend

  • مَرْعَىٰهَاits pasture
  • رَاعٍa shepherd, tender

ه و ي

āyāt 40

desire, inclination

  • ٱلْهَوَىٰdesire
  • هَوَىhe desired

ن ذ ر

āyāt 45

to warn

  • مُنذِرُa warner
  • أَنذَرَhe warned

Carry this with you

  • The manner of death itself, harsh or gentle, is described as reflecting one's state before Allah.
  • Resurrection after decay is affirmed to require nothing more than a single shout from Allah.
  • True da'wah calls to self-purification first, then to the knowledge that produces fear of Allah.
  • Unchecked, unaccountable power can escalate arrogance to its most extreme claims, as with Firʿawn.
  • The vast creation of the heavens is offered as greater proof than the comparatively lesser act of resurrecting a human being.
  • The entire moral choice of life reduces to preferring worldly desire or fearing to stand before one's Lord.

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 signs you already walk on3 movementsThe four trials2 movementsProvision, wealth and the tongue that forgets1 movementRefuge, protection and the unseen harm1 movement
All threads →

Sources behind Sūrah An-Nāziʿāt

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.

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An-Nāziʿāt · Oaths by the angels, and the certainty of resurrection

Who do 'those who pull out violently' and 'those who draw out gently' refer to in 79:1–2?

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