The Dawn
89 Al Fajr, Meccan Period
This is one of the earliest chapters of the Qur’an that the Prophet received. The evidence for this is the mention of the ‘Ad and Thamud nations and what became of them as a result of their disobeying God. The veiled message to the Meccan pagans, who had recently begun persecuting the first Muslims, was that they, too, are not beyond God’s power to punish. The reader is then asked to consider the wonders of God’s creation as concrete proof of God’s existence. An indictment of the fickle and thankless nature of people then follows with a comparison of what will happen ultimately to the wicked and the righteous. It must be remembered that this concept of an afterlife, and even further, of reward and punishment for one’s record of deeds, was entirely new to the Meccans who believed, quite sincerely, that there was nothing beyond death for anyone.
In the Name of Allah,
the
Compassionate Source of All Mercy.
By the dawn (1) and the ten (sacred) nights, [1] (2) by the multi-faceted nature (of creation) and the singularity (of its Maker,) [2] (3) and by the cycle of night and its passing, (4) truly, for those who have sense, is there any evidence more convincing than this? (5)
Don’t you see how your Lord dealt with the people of ‘Ad, (6) from (the city of) Iram, [3] who built a tower-filled city, (7) unlike any others in the land, (8) or with the people of Thamud, (who lived in cities) made of (carved) stone blocks? (9) And what of the Pharaoh, master of legions? [4] (10) They all acted like tyrants in the earth, (11) and went out of control. [5] (12) So your Lord (brought them down) with crippling disasters, (13) for your Lord is Ever-Vigilant. (14)
Now as for (the average) person, whenever his Lord generously tests him through prosperity, he boasts, “Even God is good to me!” (15) But whenever he’s tested through hardship, he laments, “Even God is against me!” (16) By no means! There’s no way (you can blame God for your troubles! [6] Just think about all the things that you’re not doing right,) for you’re not generous with orphans, [7] (17) nor do you urge each other to feed the poor. (18) You waste your inheritance feverishly (19) - and on top of that you crave riches and wealth more than anything else! (20)
But when the earth is ground to powder, (21) and the (majesty) of your Lord is revealed, hosts of angels will approach, (22) and Hell will be brought near. Then on that Day every human being will realize (what he’s done,) but how will it help him then? (23) In (shame) he will cry, “Oh, the misfortune! If only I prepared for this Day in my life before!” [8] (24) No one will punish like God will punish, (25) and no one will bind like He will bind. (26)
“You restful soul,” (the righteous will be told,) (27) “return to your Lord completely satisfied, even as (he is) completely satisfied with you. (28) Enter now and be among My servants. (29) Enter into My Paradise.” [9] (30)
[1] The ten sacred nights are the first ten days of the Hajj. The Prophet said, “No worship is better than the worship done in the first ten days of the month of Hajj.” One of the companions asked, “Not even jihad in the way of God?” The Prophet then answered, “No, not even that, except for the one who goes out struggling with his life and wealth, and who returns with neither of them.” (Bukhari)
[2] This verse is literally: by the even and the odd. It has been interpreted many different ways. Some say it refers to the Day of Arafah and the Day of E’id al Adha, which are both a part of the Hajj (one is on an odd day, the other on an even day.) Others postulate that it refers to two days after the ‘Eid, while another opinion, which is also plausible, is that it is a reference to the fact that God is one (and adding one to any even number makes an odd number) and that His creation is even, or in pairs. There is a tradition from the Prophet in which he said that God loves odd numbers precisely because it is the addition of a one that makes an even (paired) number odd.
[3] Iram is the alternative name for the ancient trading city of Ubar, which is located in present day Oman. Archaeologists rediscovered it in 1991-1992 and, after excavation, found that its walls were ringed with tall towers.
[4] Literally: Master of Stakes or tent pegs, a reference to his powerful military, whose encampments could fill whole valleys.
[5] Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328) once wrote, “God guards the justice loving government, even if that government is a government of non-Muslims, and He destroys the government based upon tyranny, even if that government is a government of Muslims.”
[6] The poet, Jalaluddin Rumi (d. 1273,) wrote, "The servant complains to God of pain: in a hundred ways he moans. God says, 'But after all, grief and pain have caused you to act rightly and call humbly upon Me; complain instead of the bounty that befalls you and takes you far from My door.' In reality, every enemy of yours is a cure; he is an antidote, a gift, and the one that seeks to win your heart; because you run from him into solitude and ask for God's help."
[7] The Prophet explained that the best house is one in which an orphan is brought up and supported, and the worst house is one in which an orphan is ill-treated. Then he lifted up his two fingers and closed them together saying, “In Paradise, I and the supporter of an orphan will be together like this.” (Abu Dawud)
[8] Fariduddin ‘Attar (d. 1220?) once wrote: “A man who made his living by digging graves survived to a ripe old age. A neighbor said, ‘You’ve thrived for years, digging away in one routine, so tell us the strangest thing you’ve ever seen.’ He replied, ‘All things considered, the strangest thing to me is that for seventy years without a change, that old dog, my soul, has seen me digging graves, yet it neither whithers away, changes its ways, nor behaves!’” (Conference of the Birds)
[9] When Abu Bakr heard these last two lines he said, “What a sweet address this is.” Then the Prophet remarked, “It will be aid to you, too.”
