Sūrat al-Mursalāt

Classification: Meccan (except for verse 48, which is Medinan). Number of Verses: 50. Chronology: Revealed after Sūrat al-Humazah.

1. By those sent forth in succession,

2. And those that storm with a tempest,

3. And those that spread [the message] far and wide,

4. And those that separate [truth from falsehood] with a clear distinction,

5. And those that deliver the message,

6. As an excuse or a warning.

Exegesis:

The Glorified One swears by groups of angels whom He sent with His commands. They rush in their course just as winds rush, light and swift in complying with His command.

He also swears by groups of them who spread their wings in the atmosphere as they descend with revelation; or who spread the laws upon the earth; or who spread life to those dead in disbelief and ignorance through what they reveal, thereby distinguishing between truth and falsehood. They deliver a reminder, as an "excuse" for the righteous, or as a "warning" for the falsifiers.

Alternatively, He swears by the winds of punishment which He sends forth, which rush; and by the winds of mercy which spread the clouds in the atmosphere and disperse them, as in His saying: "And makes it into fragments" (Ar-Rūm: 48).

Or, He swears by the rain-clouds which revive the dead earth and distinguish between those who are grateful to God and those who disbelieve, as in His saying: "We would have given them abundant water to drink, that We might test them thereby" (Al-Jinn: 16). They deliver a reminder—either an excuse for those who apologize to God through repentance and seeking forgiveness when they see God’s grace in the rain and are grateful for it, or a warning for those who neglect gratitude to God and attribute it to the stars. They are described as "delivering a reminder" because they are the cause of its occurrence when the blessing within them is either met with gratitude or ingratitude.

If you ask: What is the meaning of ‘urfan? I say: It means successive, like the hair of a mane (‘urf). It is said: "They came in one succession (‘urfan)." It is also used in the sense of ‘urf (goodness/kindness), which is the opposite of nukr (evil/denial). In this case, its accusative case is due to it being a maf‘ūl lahu (causative object)—meaning they were sent for the sake of goodness and kindness. The first interpretation treats it as a state (ḥāl). It has also been recited with a shaddah (heavy) on the ra, similar to nukr in nukr.

If you ask: You have interpreted the "sent ones" as the angels of punishment, so how can their sending be considered "goodness" (ma‘rūf)? I say: Even if it is not goodness for the disbelievers, it is goodness for the prophets and the believers for whom God took vengeance against them.

If you ask: What are ‘udhran (excuse) and nudhran (warning), and why are they in the accusative case? I say: They are verbal nouns (maṣdar) from a‘dhara (to remove blame) and andhara (to warn of an action), like disbelief and gratitude. It is also permissible that they are plurals of ‘adhīr (excuse) and nadhīr (warning). Or they may mean "those who excuse" and "those who warn."

As for their accusative case:

1. It is a substitution (badal) for dhikran (a reminder) based on the first two interpretations.
2. It is a maf‘ūl lahu (causative object).
3. Based on the third interpretation (the winds), it is a state (ḥāl), meaning "as those who excuse" or "as those who warn." They have been recited both with light and heavy vowels.

(The text continues with the verses: So when the stars are extinguished, and when the heaven is cleft asunder, and when the mountains are blown away, and when the messengers are gathered at their appointed time—for what Day was the delay granted? For the Day of Judgment. And what can make you know what the Day of Judgment is? Woe, that Day, to the deniers.)