Surah al-Fajr

It is Meccan according to the majority of scholars, while Ali ibn Abi Talhah said it is Medinan. Its verses number thirty-two according to the Hijazi count, thirty according to the Kufan and Syrian counts, and twenty-nine according to the Basran count.

Since He, the Glorified, mentioned in the preceding surah: "Faces that Day will be humbled" and "Faces that Day will be joyful," He followed it by mentioning the groups of deniers among the arrogant ones whose faces will be humbled. And He, the Majestic, alluded to the other category whose faces will be joyful with His saying, the Glorified, therein: "O soul at peace." Furthermore, it contains what relates to the matter of the Overwhelming Event (al-Ghashiyah) and what it entails.

Jalal al-Suyuti said: "No connection for it has become apparent to me other than that its beginning is like an oath regarding the truth of what the preceding surah concluded with, or regarding the promise and threat it contained." This is despite the fact that the phrase "Have you not considered how your Lord dealt..." is similar to the phrase "Do they not look...". And this is as you see.

By the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

"By the dawn," He, Glory be to Him, swears by the dawn, just as He, Might and Majesty be to Him, swore by the morning in His saying, the Exalted: "And the morning when it breathes" (81:18). Therefore, the intended meaning is the well-known dawn, as was narrated from Ali, may Allah the Exalted honor his face, Ibn Abbas, Ibn al-Zubayr, and others, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with them.

It is said that the intended meaning is its column and its extended light. Its origin lies in the act of splitting something widely. The morning is called "Fajr" (dawn) because it "splits" (fajara) the night. There is the "false" dawn, to which the rulings of fasting and prayer do not attach, and the "true" dawn, to which their rulings do attach. Scholars have spoken at length regarding the cause of each, and some of that has already been mentioned. Perhaps the intended meaning here is the "true" dawn, as it is more worthy of an oath.

According to many, the intended meaning is the category of dawn in general, not the dawn of a specific day. From Ibn Abbas and Mujahid, it is the dawn of the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Nahr). From Ikrimah, it is the dawn of Friday. From al-Dahhak, it is the dawn of [the days of] Dhu al-Hijjah. From Muqatil, it is the dawn of the night of the gathering (Jam'). Sa'id ibn Mansur and al-Bayhaqi in al-Shu'ab recorded from Ibn Abbas that he said: "It is the dawn of Muharram, the dawn of the year." Similar was narrated from Qatadah. From the Master (Ibn Abbas) also, it is said that it refers to the entire day. Ibn Jarir also recorded from him that he said: "It means the Dawn Prayer (Salat al-Fajr)." A similar narration is reported from Zayd ibn Aslam. This is either by the estimation of an omitted possessive noun (mudaf) or by using the term for the prayer metaphorically, which is widespread. It is also said that the intended meaning is the springing forth of water from rocks and elsewhere.