Surah al-Adiyat

It is Meccan according to the opinion of Ibn Mas'ud, Jabir, al-Hasan, Ikrimah, and Ata'. It is Medinan according to the opinion of Anas, Qatadah, and one of the two narrations from Ibn Abbas. Al-Bazzar, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Daraqutni in al-Ifrad, and Ibn Marduyah have recorded from him that he said: "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent out a cavalry, and a month passed without any news reaching him from them, so 'By the snorting chargers' (al-Adiyat) was revealed."

Its verses are eleven without disagreement. Abu Ubayd recorded in his Fada'il from the mursal transmission of al-Hasan that it is equivalent to half the Quran; Muhammad ibn Nasr recorded the same via Ata' ibn Abi Rabah from Ibn Abbas as a marfu' (elevated) narration, though I have not grasped the secret behind this.

Since He, may He be glorified, mentioned in the preceding Surah the requital for good and evil, He followed that here by rebuking the one who prefers his worldly life over his afterlife and fails to prepare for it by performing good deeds. It is not hidden what connection or relation exists between the words of the Exalted there, "And the earth throws out its burdens," and His words here, "When that which is in the graves is scattered," based on what you have heard: that what is intended by the burdens is what is in its interior—either the dead, or that which encompasses them as well as the treasures.

Al-Adiyat: (1) By the panting chargers

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

"And the chargers" — the majority of scholars hold that this is an oath by the horses of the warriors in the path of Allah, the Exalted, which "run," meaning they rush swiftly toward the enemy. The origin of al-adiyat is al-adawat (with a waw), but it was changed to a ya because of the kasra (vowel of 'i') preceding it.

His saying, the Exalted, "panting" (dabh) is an infinitive of a deleted verb, meaning tadbahu (they pant) or yadbahna dabhan (they pant a panting). The sentence is in the position of a circumstantial qualifier (hal), and their dabh is the sound of their breath when they run. Ibn Jarir and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Ibn Abbas that when horses run, they say "ah, ah," and that is their dabh. Ibn Jarir also recorded from Ali—may Allah, the Exalted, honor his face—that dabh from horses is the whinnying, and from camels, it is the breathing. In al-Bahr, it is described as a loud sound made during intense running, which is neither a neigh, nor a roar, nor a bark, but rather a sound different from the customary sound of the animal to which it is attributed.

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that no animals pant (yadbah) except horses and dogs, but this is not soundly attributed to him, for the Arabs used dabh for camels, black snakes, owls, rabbits, and foxes. Sometimes they attribute it to a bow. Abu Hanifa recited regarding its description:

It sighs from nasham or talib wood, It pants in the hand with the panting of a fox.

Some mentioned that its origin belongs to the fox and was metaphorically applied to the horses, as in the saying of Antara:

And the horses exert themselves when they pant In the pools of death, a panting.

It is also said that it comes from the idea that fire "has scorched" (dabahtahu) someone, meaning it changed its color without being excessive; it is said that its color indabaha (has changed) to a slight blackness. Abu Ubaidah said that dabh, as well as dabh (with a ayn), means intense running. Based on this, it is an absolute object (maf’ul mutlaq) for "the chargers," and there is no deleted verb. Under the interpretation provided earlier, it is permissible for it to be an accusative as an infinitive for it [the horses] as well, on the basis that the running necessitates the panting, so it has the force of the verb "to pant." It is also permissible for it to be an accusative as a circumstantial qualifier, interpreted as an active participle, based on the principle that the origin of the word is not fixed (non-stative), meaning: "And the chargers, while panting."