Sūrat al-Nāziʿāt

Meccan. It consists of forty-six verses. It was revealed after [Sūrat] al-Nabaʾ.

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1. By those who extract with violence,

2. And those who release with ease,

3. And those who swim [through the air] with speed,

4. And those who race ahead in a race,

5. And those who arrange the command,

6. On the day when the Trembler [the first Trumpet blast] trembles,

7. Followed by the Successor [the second Trumpet blast],

8. Hearts, that day, will be palpitating,

9. Their eyes humbled.

10. They say, "Are we indeed being returned to our former state [of life]?"

11. "When we have become decayed bones?"

12. They say, "That, then, would be a losing return."

13. But it will only be a single shout,

14. And suddenly, they will be upon the surface of the earth.

The Exegesis:

The Exalted swore by groups of angels who extract souls from bodies, and by those who draw them out—meaning, they bring them forth, derived from the expression "drawing water from a well." And by those who swim in their movement—meaning, they hasten and race to fulfill what they are commanded, managing the affairs of servants in their religion or worldly life as ordained for them.

"With violence" (gharaqan) means an intense extraction, pulling them from the furthest reaches of the body, from the fingertips and nails.

Alternatively, He swore by the horses of the warriors that pull at their reins, straining them due to the length of their necks, for they are of noble breed. They depart from the land of Islam to the land of war—from the saying "a restless bull" (thawr nashit) when it moves from one land to another. They "swim" in their running, racing to the goal, and thus manage the victory and triumph, with the management attributed to them as they are among its causes.

Or, He swore by the stars that are pulled from the East to the West. Their "violence" in extraction is their traversing the entire celestial sphere until they descend into the furthest West. They move from one zodiac sign to another, "swimming" in the sphere—the planets—racing and managing matters of astronomical calculation.

It is also said that the "extractors" are the hands of the warriors, or their own selves, drawing bows with the intensity of arrows; or those who pull the lassos.

The object of the oath is omitted, which is "You shall surely be resurrected," indicated by the subsequent mention of the Resurrection.

"The day the quaking quakes" (yawma tarjufu): The verb is governed by the omitted object. The "Quaker" (ar-rajifah) is the event that causes the earth and mountains to quake, which is the first blast. It is described by what occurs upon its happening: "followed by the successor" (at-radifah)—the event that follows the first, which is the second blast. It is also possible that "the successor" refers to the verse: "Say, perhaps there is following you some of that which you are hastening" (An-Naml: 72), meaning the Resurrection which the disbelievers hasten out of denial, and it is "following" them because it is near.

Others say the "Quaker" is the earth and mountains, and the "successor" is the sky and the stars, because they split and their stars scatter in its wake.

If you ask: What is the grammatical position of "followed by"? I say: It is a state (hal), meaning: the earth quakes while the successor follows it.

If you ask: How is "the day the quaking quakes" a time for the omitted "you shall be resurrected," when they are not resurrected at the first blast? I say: The meaning is that you shall be resurrected in the vast time frame in which both blasts occur, and they are resurrected in a portion of that time, which is the time of the second blast. This is indicated by the fact that "followed by the successor" is a state describing the "Quaker."

It is also possible that "the day the quaking quakes" is governed by what is indicated by "hearts that day will be trembling" (qulubun yawma'idhin wajifah). That is, on the day it quakes, hearts will tremble. "Trembling" (wajifah) means intensely agitated. "Humbled" (khashi‘ah) means abased.

If you ask: How is it permissible to begin with an indefinite noun? I say: "Hearts" is in the nominative case as an initial subject, "trembling" is its adjective, and "their eyes are humbled" is its predicate. It is like the saying: "A believing slave is better than a polytheist" (Al-Baqarah: 221).

If you ask: How is it correct to attribute the "eyes" to the "hearts"? I say: It means the eyes of their owners, as evidenced by the saying: "They say: 'Are we indeed to be returned to the former state?'" (fi al-hafirah).

"The former state" (al-hafirah) refers to the first condition, meaning life after death. The truth of this word is that it is said: "So-and-so returned to his hafirah," meaning the path he came from, having "dug" (hafara) it—meaning he left an impression on it by walking.

"Are we indeed to be returned to the former state? Even when we are decayed bones?" (idhan ‘izamun nakhirah). "Decayed" (nakhir) is like saying "greedy" (tami‘); the form fa‘il is more intensive than fa‘il. It is the worn-out, hollow bone through which the wind passes, creating a whistling sound.

"If so, that would be a losing return" (karratan khasirah). It is attributed to loss, or its owners are the losers. The meaning is: If it were true, we would be losers for having denied it. This is mockery on their part.

If you ask: To what does "It is but a single shout" relate? I say: To an omitted phrase, meaning: Do not find it difficult, for it is but a single shout. Do not think that return is difficult for Allah; it is easy and simple in His power. It is nothing but a single cry—the second blast. "And suddenly they will be" alive on the surface of the earth after having been dead in its depths.

"The surface" (as-sahirah) is the white, level earth. It is named so because the mirage runs upon it, from the saying "a flowing spring" (‘ayn sahirah). Its opposite is "sleeping." Or it is because the one who traverses it does not sleep for fear of destruction. Qatada said: "Suddenly they will be in Hell."