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Surah 39 · Makkah · 75 āyāt

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

Az-ZumarThe Throngs

الزمر

Revealed 59th. The surah is built on one demand — that religion be purely for Allah — and it repeats that demand at the start, the middle and the end. Around it stand the widest āyah of hope in the Qurʾān, the reward of the patient given without measure, the description of the Qurʾān as the best of narrations whose recitation makes skins shiver and then soften, and the closing scene in which humanity is driven in throngs, one crowd to the Fire and one to the Garden, the difference between them being nothing but sincerity.

Why it was revealed

Makkah, in the years of hardship after the boycott, when a number of Muslims had already migrated to Abyssinia and those who remained were being pressed to compromise on worship.

Drawn fromIbn Kathīr on 39:10; Ibn Kathīr on 39:2–3 and 39:64; Ibn Kathīr on 39:53, reporting it concerning people of the jāhiliyyah who had killed and committed grave sins; Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr on 39:10

Early mufassirūn, such as al-Suddī and Ibn Jurayj, connected the āyah 'and Allah's earth is spacious' (39:10) to the early believers who left their homes and migrated to Abyssinia for the sake of their religion.

Cited toTafsīr Ibn Kathīr on 39:10

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

GuidanceLate Makkan period · Age About 51 · Makkah

Pressure to blend worship

Quraysh repeatedly offered a compromise — worship our gods sometimes and we will worship yours — and the surah answers with the command that religion be purely for Allah alone.

Recalled in āyah 2, 3, 11, 14, 64

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ فَٱعْبُدِ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ ٱلدِّينَ

Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, [O Muḥammad], in truth. So worship Allāh, [being] sincere to Him in religion.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 39:2–3 and 39:64

  • 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 1–8

Worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion

Indeed We have sent down to you the Book in truth, so worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion. Unquestionably, to Allah belongs pure religion. And those who take protectors besides Him say: we only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position. If you disbelieve, Allah is free of need of you — and He does not approve of disbelief for His servants; but if you are grateful He approves it for you. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 39:7; Al-Saʿdī on 39:2; Ibn Kathīr on 39:3

2

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ فَٱعْبُدِ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ ٱلدِّينَ

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Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, [O Muḥammad], in truth. So worship Allāh, [being] sincere to Him in religion.

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From the tafsīr

The mushrikūn did not deny Allah; they claimed their idols brought them closer to Him. The surah rejects the entire logic of intermediaries in worship.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 39:3

Sincerity — ikhlāṣ — is named as the condition of the worship itself, not an added virtue on top of it.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 39:2

Allah's independence is stated first, then His displeasure at disbelief, so that obedience is understood as our need, never His.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 39:7

Key takeaways

Reflect

Name one act of worship you would perform differently if nobody would ever know you did it.

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0 / 2 correct

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Question 1 of 2

How is ikhlāṣ presented in 39:2?

Question 2 of 2

What reason did the mushrikūn give for worshipping others, in 39:3?

THEME 02Āyāt 9–20

Those who know are not equal to those who do not — and the patient are paid without measure

Is one who is devoutly obedient during the night, prostrating and standing, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, like one who is not? Say: are those who know equal to those who do not know? Only they will remember who are people of understanding. Say: O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world is good, and the earth of Allah is spacious. Indeed the patient will be given their reward without account. So give good tidings to My servants who listen to speech and follow the best of it.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 39:18; Al-Saʿdī on 39:10; Ibn Kathīr on 39:9

9

أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَـٰنِتٌ ءَانَآءَ ٱلَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَآئِمًا يَحْذَرُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُوا۟ رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِۦ ۗ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ

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Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.

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From the tafsīr

The comparison begins with a description of night prayer, so the knowledge being praised is knowledge that produces standing in the night, not information alone.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 39:9

'Without account' means the reward of the patient is not measured out by any known scale; it is beyond calculation because patience touches every act of obedience.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 39:10

Listening to speech and following the best of it is the description of the people of understanding, and was applied by the salaf to weighing what you hear before adopting it.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 39:18

Key takeaways

Reflect

What is one thing you heard this month that you accepted without weighing it?

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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 immediately precedes 'are those who know equal to those who do not know'?

Question 2 of 2

How is the reward of the patient described in 39:10?

THEME 03Āyāt 21–41

The best of narrations: skins shiver, then soften to the remembrance

So is one whose breast Allah has expanded to Islam, so he is upon a light from his Lord? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah. Allah has sent down the best of statement — a consistent Book, paired, at which shiver the skins of those who fear their Lord, then their skins and hearts soften at the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 39:23; Al-Saʿdī on 39:22; Ibn Kathīr on 39:23

From the tafsīr

The Book is described as mutashābihan mathāniya — consistent with itself and repeating its themes in pairs, so its parts confirm rather than contradict one another.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 39:23

The described response has two stages: a shiver of fear followed by softening at remembrance. A state that stops at fear, or begins with ease, does not match the āyah.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 39:23

An expanded chest is named as the sign of guidance, and hardness towards the remembrance is named as its opposite — both are conditions of the heart, not of circumstance.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 39:22

Key takeaways

Reflect

When did the Qurʾān last change your state, and what were you reading?

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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 two-stage response to the Qurʾān does 39:23 describe?

Question 2 of 2

What does 'mathāniya' indicate about the Book, per Ibn Kathīr?

THEME 04Āyāt 42–75

Do not despair — then the two throngs

Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed Allah forgives all sins. Indeed it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful. And return to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you, then you will not be helped. And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in throngs; and those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in throngs, until when they reach it and its gates are opened, its keepers will say: peace be upon you, you have become pure, so enter it to abide eternally.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 39:53; Al-Saʿdī on 39:73; Ibn Kathīr on 39:53

53

۞ قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

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Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."

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73

وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ رَبَّهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْجَنَّةِ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا وَفُتِحَتْ أَبْوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ طِبْتُمْ فَٱدْخُلُوهَا خَـٰلِدِينَ

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

But those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in groups until, when they reach it while its gates have been opened and its keepers say, "Peace be upon you; you have become pure; so enter it to abide eternally therein," [they will enter].

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From the tafsīr

This āyah was revealed regarding people of the jāhiliyyah who had killed and committed every major sin and believed no repentance could be accepted from them; it is the widest āyah of hope, and it is tied by the following āyah to turning back before the punishment arrives.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 39:53

The general forgiveness announced here is bound to repentance by 39:54; the two āyāt are read together, so hope is never separated from returning.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 39:53

The Garden's gates are described as opened for the arriving throng, unlike the Fire, whose gates are opened only when its people reach it — a difference of welcome recorded in the wording itself.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 39:73

Key takeaways

Reflect

Is there a sin you have quietly decided is unforgivable in your case?

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

How does the surah stop 39:53 becoming false comfort?

Question 2 of 2

Concerning whom was 39:53 revealed, per Ibn Kathīr?

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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.

خ ل ص

āyāt 2, 3, 11, 14

to be pure and unmixed — sincerity of intent

  • إِخْلَاصsincerity
  • مُخْلِصone who is sincere
  • خَالِصpure, unmixed

ق ن ط

āyāt 53

to give up hope entirely

  • قَنَطhe despaired
  • قَنُوطone in despair

ز م ر

āyāt 71, 73

a group driven together — a throng

  • زُمَرthrongs
  • زُمْرَةa group

ص ب ر

āyāt 10

to restrain the self and hold a position

  • صَبْرpatience
  • صَابِرone who is patient
  • اصْطَبَرَhe persevered

ذ ن ب

āyāt 53

a sin — literally what trails behind a person

  • ذَنْبa sin
  • ذُنُوبsins
  • مُذْنِبa sinner

Carry this with you

  • Religion belongs purely to Allah; sincerity is the condition of worship, not a bonus.
  • Shirk usually presents itself as seeking nearness, not as denying Allah.
  • Allah is free of need of us; obedience is our benefit alone.
  • The knowledge the Qurʾān praises produces standing in the night.
  • The patient are paid without account — the only unmeasured reward named.
  • People of understanding listen to speech and follow the best of it.
  • The Qurʾān's effect is a shiver of fear that softens into remembrance.
  • No sin is beyond forgiveness for whoever returns before the punishment comes.
  • Hope is always bound to repentance — 39:53 is read with 39:54.
  • Humanity ends in two throngs; sincerity is what separates them.

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 accounting2 movementsThe four trials1 movementPatience while the answer is delayed1 movementRefuge, protection and the unseen harm1 movementThe signs you already walk on1 movement
All threads →

Sources behind Sūrah Az-Zumar

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

Every question from every theme, interleaved and reworded. Interleaving is what turns recognition into recall. Each answer updates your review schedule, your mistakes list and your mastery score for that theme.

Az-Zumar — full exam

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8 questions across 4 themes.

Az-Zumar · Worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion

How is ikhlāṣ presented in 39:2?

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