Surah Al-Mursalat: (1–5) "By those sent forth in succession..."

"By those sent forth in succession, and those that storm with fury, and those that scatter (the clouds) to disperse, and those that separate (truth from falsehood) with a distinction, and those that deliver a message."

It is said that He, the Exalted, swore by whom He chose from among the angels (peace be upon them), as narrated by ‘Abd ibn Humayd from Mujahid. Thus, it is said that the "sent forth" (al-mursalat) and the "storming ones" (al-‘asifat) are groups, while the "scatterers" (al-nashirat) and the "deliverers" (al-mulqiyat) are other groups.

The first group are those sent by His command—ordered to execute it—so they storm in their proceeding and hasten, just as the wind storms, showing ease in fulfilling the command and inflicting torment upon the disbelievers to rescue the prophets (peace be upon them) and grant them victory. The second group are those who spread their wings in the atmosphere upon their descent with revelation, distinguishing between truth and falsehood, and delivering a message to the prophets (peace be upon them). Perhaps the one who delivers the message to them is not limited to Gabriel (peace be upon him), but rather he is their chief. The Hadith concerning the watchers (al-rasad) points to this, as do the reports: "A king descended with a message from my Lord, placing one foot in the sky and the other before me."

The "sent forth" (al-mursalat) is an attribute for an omitted noun, the meaning being: "Every group that is sent." The same applies to the "scatterers." The word ‘urfan (succession/like the mane) is in the accusative case as a state (hal). The intended meaning is "successively," as the original word ‘urf refers to the mane of an animal—like a horse or a hyena—which is the well-known hair on its neck. Thus, "successively" was omitted due to the similarity implying it, and then the tool of comparison (the particle of similitude) was omitted. From this is their saying, "They came ‘urfan," meaning they came following one another, as they are upon him like the mane of a hyena when they gather against it. It is understood from some scholars’ words that ‘urf originally refers to what was mentioned, then its usage in the sense of "succession" became frequent, becoming a customary reality (haqiqa ‘urfiyya). Alternatively, it is a verbal noun (maf‘ul lahu) meaning "for kindness and recognized good" (ma‘ruf). It does not invalidate this that the sending is for the torment of the disbelievers, for even if that is not "recognized" (ma‘ruf) to them, it is "recognized" to the prophets (peace be upon them) and the believers for whom Allah, the Exalted, took vengeance against them.

The conjunction of "the scatterers" (al-nashirat) to what preceded it with waw is apparent for the distinctness in essence between them. The conjunction of "the storming ones" (al-‘asifat) to "the sent forth," and "the separators" (al-fariqat) to "the scatterers"—and likewise what follows—with fa (the particle of sequential order) is to treat the distinctness of attributes as the distinctness of essence, as in the saying: "Oh, the grief of Ziyad for Al-Harith who rose early, then gained spoils, then returned." This is to indicate the order of the meanings of the attributes in existence; i.e., he who rose early, then gained spoils, then returned. It indicates the ordering of the passing of the command upon being sent and the command to rescue.

As for the order of "delivering the message" after "separating," while the separation appears to be later than the delivery, it is said that "separating" is interpreted as the intention to separate; in which case, it precedes the delivery. It is also said that "separating" is upon the "delivery" without need to interpret it as intention, because it is by the very act of their descent with revelation—which is the Truth—that it contradicts the falsehood which is base desire and the requirement of corrupt opinion, even if the knowledge thereof is later. From this, the ordering of "separating" after "spreading the wings" becomes apparent, for the consequence of them spreading their wings to descend is that they descend, then deliver; although this is not apparent in the preceding logic, because the intention to separate coincides with the spreading, and the same applies to the intention if interpreted, according to the outward meaning. In fact, it may be said that that intention is prior. Others say the fa here is for logical priority, as the intention of separation is higher than the spreading. Others say that in this and what follows, it is merely to signify that each of the mentioned attributes—namely spreading and separating—is required to indicate the entitlement of the groups described by them to glorification and veneration by swearing by them; for had they been brought according to the order of occurrence, it might have been understood that the sum of the three is what causes the mentioned entitlement.

Using "the storming ones" (al-‘asifat) to mean "those who hasten with the speed of wind" is metaphorical by way of borrowing (isti‘ara). It is not far-fetched that "the storming ones" means those who destroy with the torment that He who sent them sent them with, to those they were sent to, also by way of metaphor or metonymy (majaz mursal).