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Surah 52 · Makkah · 49 āyāt
Phase 04 · Ṭāʾif, al-Isrāʾ and the final Makkan years(c. 5–1 BH) — view in timelineAṭ-ṬūrThe Mount
الطور
A Makkan surah famous for the oaths of its opening lines — by the Mount, by a Book inscribed on unrolled parchment, by the frequented House, by the raised ceiling, by the swelling sea — all sworn to the certainty of the punishment of Allah. It rebuts, one by one, the accusations Quraysh levelled at the Prophet ﷺ — poet, soothsayer, forger — describes the reward of the people of Paradise in vivid intimacy, and closes with the command to be patient and to glorify Allah through the night and at the retreat of the stars. It holds a unique place in the seerah as the surah whose recitation in prayer converted Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim.
Why it was revealed
Quraysh could not agree on a single label for the Prophet ﷺ — some called him a poet, others a soothsayer (kāhin), others accused him of fabricating the Qurʾān and attributing it to Allah. This surah answers each accusation directly through oath and argument, culminating in the rhetorical question that undid Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim's disbelief: were they created by nothing, or are they the creators?
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4854; Ibn Kathīr on 52:29–34; Ibn Kathīr on 52:48–49; Ibn Kathīr, tafsīr of 52:35–36
Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim reported: 'I heard the Prophet ﷺ recite Sūrat aṭ-Ṭūr in the Maghrib prayer, and when he reached the verses, "Or were they created by nothing, or are they the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain," my heart almost flew out of my chest.' This was before he had embraced Islam, and it is counted among the direct causes of his acceptance of the faith.
Cited toṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4854; Ibn Kathīr, tafsīr of 52:35–36
In the Prophet's ﷺ life
Quraysh's shifting accusations against the Prophet ﷺ
Unable to settle on one charge, Quraysh's leaders variously called him a poet, a soothsayer, and one who had fabricated the Qurʾān himself.
Recalled in āyah 29, 30, 33, 34
فَذَكِّرْ فَمَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَتِ رَبِّكَ بِكَاهِنٍ وَلَا مَجْنُونٍ
So remind, for by the favour of your Lord you are neither a soothsayer nor mad.
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ شَاعِرٌ نَّتَرَبَّصُ بِهِۦ رَيْبَ ٱلْمَنُونِ
Or do they say, 'A poet, we await for him a misfortune of time'?
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ تَقَوَّلَهُۥ ۚ بَل لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Or do they say he has fabricated it? Rather, they do not believe.
فَلْيَأْتُوا بِحَدِيثٍ مِّثْلِهِۦٓ إِن كَانُوا صَـٰدِقِينَ
Then let them produce a discourse like it, if they should be truthful.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 52:29–34
- 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).
By the Mount, the Book, the House and the sea
By the Mount, and a Book inscribed in parchment unrolled, and the frequented House, and the elevated ceiling, and the sea set on fire — indeed, the punishment of your Lord will occur; there is none to avert it.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:7–8; Ibn Kathīr on 52:1–6
وَٱلطُّورِ
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By the Mount,
وَكِتَـٰبٍ مَّسْطُورٍ
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And [by] a Book inscribed,
فِى رَقٍّ مَّنشُورٍ
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In parchment spread open,
وَٱلْبَيْتِ ٱلْمَعْمُورِ
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And [by] the frequented House,
وَٱلْبَحْرِ ٱلْمَسْجُورِ
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And [by] the sea filled [with fire],
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ لَوَٰقِعٌ
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Indeed, the punishment of your Lord will occur.
مَّا لَهُۥ مِن دَافِعٍ
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There is none to avert it.
From the tafsīr
'The Mount' refers to the mountain on which Allah spoke to Mūsā; 'the frequented House' (al-bayt al-maʿmūr) is the heavenly counterpart of the Kaʿbah, constantly visited by angels; the accumulation of sacred oaths builds toward the unavoidable conclusion of verse 7.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 52:1–6
The declaration that the punishment 'has none to avert it' closes off any illusion of intercession or escape once it is decreed, in contrast to worldly punishments which can sometimes be appealed or delayed.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 52:7–8
Key takeaways
- Sacred oaths in the Qurʾān build cumulatively toward a decisive conclusion.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:7–8; Ibn Kathīr on 52:1–6
- The heavenly 'frequented House' mirrors the Kaʿbah's constant traffic of worship.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:7–8; Ibn Kathīr on 52:1–6
- Once Allah's punishment is decreed, no power can avert it.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:7–8; Ibn Kathīr on 52:1–6
Reflect
What certainties in your life do you treat casually, the way the deniers treated this warning?
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Question 1 of 2
What is 'the frequented House' (al-bayt al-maʿmūr) in 52:4, per Ibn Kathīr?
Question 2 of 2
What does 52:8 state about the punishment of Allah once it is decreed?
The day the sky sways and the mountains move
On the Day the sky will sway with circular motion and the mountains will pass on, moving away — woe that Day to the deniers who were engaged in vain discourse. They will be pushed toward the Fire with a violent push and told: this is the Fire you used to deny; is this magic, or do you not see?
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 52:14–15; Ibn Kathīr on 52:9–10
يَوْمَ تَمُورُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ مَوْرًا
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On the Day the sky will sway with circular motion,
وَتَسِيرُ ٱلْجِبَالُ سَيْرًا
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And the mountains will pass on, departing.
يَوْمَ يُدَعُّونَ إِلَىٰ نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ دَعًّا
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The Day they are pushed toward the Fire of Hell with a violent push,
أَفَسِحْرٌ هَـٰذَآ أَمْ أَنتُمْ لَا تُبْصِرُونَ
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Is this magic, or do you not see?
From the tafsīr
The swaying of the sky and the movement of mountains — normally symbols of stability — are described to convey that even the most fixed elements of creation will be undone on that Day.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 52:9–10
The rhetorical question 'is this magic, or do you not see?' mirrors back at the deniers their own accusation that the Qurʾān was 'magic', now applied to the very punishment they face.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 52:14–15
Key takeaways
- Even mountains, proverbial for permanence, are shown as temporary on that Day.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 52:14–15; Ibn Kathīr on 52:9–10
- The deniers' own former accusation of 'magic' is turned back upon them at the Fire.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 52:14–15; Ibn Kathīr on 52:9–10
- 'Woe' is attached specifically to those absorbed in vain, idle discourse (khawḍ).
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 52:14–15; Ibn Kathīr on 52:9–10
Reflect
What 'vain discourse' occupies your time that distracts from preparing for that Day?
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Question 1 of 1
What rhetorical twist does 52:15 use against the deniers, per al-Qurṭubī?
The intimate reward of the righteous
Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and pleasure, enjoying what their Lord has given them; eat and drink in satisfaction for what you used to do, reclining on thrones arranged in rows. Their descendants who followed them in faith are joined with them, without loss to their own deeds. They approach one another asking about their past life, saying: before, we were fearful among our people, but Allah conferred favour upon us and protected us from the punishment of the scorching wind — we used to call upon Him before; indeed, He is the Most Kind, the Merciful.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:26–28; Ibn Kathīr on 52:21
إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِى جَنَّـٰتٍ وَنَعِيمٍ
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Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and pleasure,
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا وَٱتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُم بِإِيمَـٰنٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ
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And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith — We will join with them their descendants.
يَتَنَـٰزَعُونَ فِيهَا كَأْسًا لَّا لَغْوٌ فِيهَا وَلَا تَأْثِيمٌ
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They will exchange there a cup wherein is no ill speech or sin.
قَالُوٓا إِنَّا كُنَّا قَبْلُ فِىٓ أَهْلِنَا مُشْفِقِينَ
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They will say, 'Indeed, we were previously among our people fearful [of displeasing Allāh].'
إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلُ نَدْعُوهُ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْبَرُّ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
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Indeed, we used to supplicate Him before; indeed, He is the Most Kind, the Merciful.
From the tafsīr
The joining of righteous descendants with their believing parents in Paradise, without any reduction of the parents' reward, is cited by scholars as proof of the honour Allah grants to family bonds maintained in faith.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 52:21
The people of Paradise's own retrospective testimony — recalling their fear in the world and crediting duʿāʾ and Allah's favour for their safety — models gratitude expressed even after the reward has been secured.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 52:26–28
Key takeaways
- Family faith-bonds are honoured in Paradise without diminishing anyone's individual reward.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:26–28; Ibn Kathīr on 52:21
- The people of Paradise are shown conversing about their worldly life, not detached from memory.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:26–28; Ibn Kathīr on 52:21
- Gratitude and duʿāʾ in this life are named as the means by which they were protected.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:26–28; Ibn Kathīr on 52:21
Reflect
What fears do you carry now that duʿāʾ and reliance on Allah could ease, as it did for the people described here?
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Question 1 of 1
What honour is shown to believing offspring in 52:21, per Ibn Kathīr?
Not a poet, not a soothsayer, not mad
So remind, for by the favour of your Lord you are neither a soothsayer nor mad. Or do they say, 'A poet, we await for him a misfortune of time'? Say: wait, and I too am waiting with you. Or do their minds command them to this, or are they a transgressing people? Or do they say he has fabricated it? Rather, they do not believe. Then let them produce a discourse like it, if they are truthful.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:33–34; Ibn Kathīr on 52:29–30
فَذَكِّرْ فَمَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَتِ رَبِّكَ بِكَاهِنٍ وَلَا مَجْنُونٍ
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So remind, for by the favour of your Lord you are neither a soothsayer nor mad.
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ شَاعِرٌ نَّتَرَبَّصُ بِهِۦ رَيْبَ ٱلْمَنُونِ
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Or do they say, 'A poet, we await for him a misfortune of time'?
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ تَقَوَّلَهُۥ ۚ بَل لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ
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Or do they say he has fabricated it? Rather, they do not believe.
فَلْيَأْتُوا بِحَدِيثٍ مِّثْلِهِۦٓ إِن كَانُوا صَـٰدِقِينَ
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Then let them produce a discourse like it, if they should be truthful.
From the tafsīr
The surah rebuts kāhin (soothsayer) and majnūn (madness) together since Quraysh sometimes conflated the two in slander, and the reply simply invites them to wait and see the outcome themselves.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 52:29–30
The challenge to 'produce a discourse like it' if the Qurʾān were truly forged is the same iʿjāz (inimitability) challenge repeated across the Qurʾān; their persistent failure to meet it is treated as decisive proof against the forgery accusation.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 52:33–34
Key takeaways
- Multiple contradictory accusations against the Prophet ﷺ undermine each other's credibility.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:33–34; Ibn Kathīr on 52:29–30
- The Qurʾān repeatedly invites its critics to produce something comparable — an offer never met.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:33–34; Ibn Kathīr on 52:29–30
- Ultimately the surah attributes rejection not to genuine confusion but to a refusal to believe.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:33–34; Ibn Kathīr on 52:29–30
Reflect
Do you hold objections to truth that, if you were honest, are really about unwillingness rather than genuine doubt?
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Question 1 of 1
What challenge does 52:34 pose to those who accuse the Prophet ﷺ of fabricating the Qurʾān?
Were they created by nothing?
Or were they created by nothing, or are they the creators [of themselves]? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4854; Ibn Kathīr on 52:35–36
أَمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَىْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقُونَ
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Or were they created by nothing, or are they the creators?
أَمْ خَلَقُوا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۚ بَل لَّا يُوقِنُونَ
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Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain.
From the tafsīr
This argument presents an exhaustive logical set: either something came from nothing, or it created itself, or it was created by another — the first two being impossible, leaving only a Creator, Allah, as the necessary conclusion.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 52:35–36
Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim, still a disbeliever, testified that hearing these two verses recited in prayer nearly made his heart 'fly out of his chest' — among the direct causes that led him afterward to Islam.
Cited toṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4854
Key takeaways
- The verse presents a logically exhaustive argument for the existence of a Creator.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4854; Ibn Kathīr on 52:35–36
- Historically, this precise argument is documented as a direct cause of conversion.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4854; Ibn Kathīr on 52:35–36
- Denial of a Creator, when examined, has no third option beyond impossibility or contradiction.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4854; Ibn Kathīr on 52:35–36
Reflect
Sit with this argument as Jubayr did: if you did not create yourself, and nothing comes from nothing, what follows?
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Question 1 of 2
What is the logical structure of the argument in 52:35, per Ibn Kathīr?
Question 2 of 2
What effect did 52:35–36 have on Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim, according to Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī?
Be patient, and glorify at night and at the stars' retreat
So be patient for the decision of your Lord, for indeed you are in Our eyes; and glorify the praise of your Lord when you arise. And in a part of the night glorify Him, and after the retreat of the stars.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:49; Ibn Kathīr on 52:48
وَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا
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So be patient for the decision of your Lord, for indeed you are in Our eyes.
وَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْهُ وَإِدْبَـٰرَ ٱلنُّجُومِ
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And in a part of the night glorify Him, and after the retreat of the stars.
From the tafsīr
'You are in Our eyes' (fa-innaka bi-aʿyuninā) is explained as an assurance of Allah's direct protection and watchfulness over the Prophet ﷺ amid the hardship of rejection, a source of immense comfort.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 52:48
Glorification at night and 'after the retreat of the stars' (idbār al-nujūm) is understood to correspond to the night prayer and the time before and during dawn, tying patience directly to a concrete pattern of worship rather than passive endurance.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 52:49
Key takeaways
- Divine protection is described intimately: 'you are in Our eyes.'
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:49; Ibn Kathīr on 52:48
- Patience in the Qurʾān is paired with specific, scheduled acts of worship, not vague resolve.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:49; Ibn Kathīr on 52:48
- Night and the hour before dawn are marked as especially significant times for glorification.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 52:49; Ibn Kathīr on 52:48
Reflect
What specific act of worship could anchor your patience through a current difficulty, the way night prayer anchored the Prophet's ﷺ?
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What does 'you are in Our eyes' in 52:48 convey, per Ibn Kathīr?
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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.
ط و ر
āyāt 1mount, stage, phase
- ٱلطُّورِthe Mount
- أَطْوَارstages/phases
س ط ر
āyāt 2to write in lines, inscribe
- مَّسْطُورٍinscribed
- سَطْرa line of writing
ع م ر
āyāt 4to inhabit, frequent, flourish
- ٱلْمَعْمُورِthe frequented
- عُمْرَةthe lesser pilgrimage
و ق ع
āyāt 7to fall, occur, happen
- لَوَٰقِعٌsurely occurring
- وَاقِعَةthe occurring event
م و ر
āyāt 9to sway, be in motion
- تَمُورُit sways
- مَوْرswaying motion
س ح ر
āyāt 15magic, sorcery
- سِحْرٌmagic
- سَاحِرmagician
ك ه ن
āyāt 29soothsaying, divination
- كَاهِنٍsoothsayer
- كِهَانَةsoothsaying
ش ع ر
āyāt 30poetry, to perceive
- شَاعِرٌpoet
- شِعْرpoetry
خ ل ق
āyāt 35, 36to create
- خُلِقُواthey were created
- ٱلْخَـٰلِقُونَthe creators
- خَلَقَHe created
ي ق ن
āyāt 36certainty
- لَّا يُوقِنُونَthey are not certain
- يَقِينcertainty
ص ب ر
āyāt 48to be patient
- وَٱصْبِرْso be patient
- صَبْرpatience
س ب ح
āyāt 49to glorify
- فَسَبِّحْهُso glorify Him
- تَسْبِيحglorification
Carry this with you
- A cascade of sacred oaths in the opening verses builds toward the certainty of the coming punishment.
- Even the most permanent features of creation — mountains, the sky — will be undone on the Last Day.
- The Qurʾān repeatedly challenges its critics to produce a comparable discourse, a challenge never met.
- The argument 'were they created by nothing, or are they the creators?' is logically exhaustive and historically moved Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim toward Islam.
- Family faith-bonds are honoured in Paradise, joining righteous descendants with their parents.
- Patience is anchored in concrete worship — night prayer and glorification at dawn — not vague endurance.
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.
Sources behind Sūrah Aṭ-Ṭūr
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Ḥadīth1
Tafsīr14
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Aṭ-Ṭūr · The intimate reward of the righteous
What honour is shown to believing offspring in 52:21, per Ibn Kathīr?
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