Surah Al-Mursalat

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

✦

The Surah · Al-Mursalat

﴾١﴿ وَٱلْمُرْسَلَٰتِ عُرْفًۭا

Wal-mursalati 'urfa

By those sent forth in succession,

﴾٢﴿ فَٱلْعَٰصِفَٰتِ عَصْفًۭا

Fal-'asifati 'asfa

and those that blow violently,

﴾٣﴿ وَٱلنَّٰشِرَٰتِ نَشْرًۭا

Wan-nashirati nashra

and those that scatter far and wide,

﴾٤﴿ فَٱلْفَٰرِقَٰتِ فَرْقًۭا

Fal-fariqati farqa

and those that separate with a clear separation,

﴾٥﴿ فَٱلْمُلْقِيَٰتِ ذِكْرًا

Fal-mulqiyati dhikra

and those that deliver a reminder,

﴾٦﴿ عُذْرًا أَوْ نُذْرًا

'Udhran aw nudhra

as an excuse or as a warning,

﴾٧﴿ إِنَّمَا تُوعَدُونَ لَوَٰقِعٌۭ

Innama tu'aduna lawaqi'

what you are promised is going to fall.

﴾٨﴿ فَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ طُمِسَتْ

Fa-idha an-nujumu tumisat

So when the stars are obliterated,

﴾٩﴿ وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ فُرِجَتْ

Wa idha as-sama'u furijat

and when the sky is torn open,

﴾١٠﴿ وَإِذَا ٱلْجِبَالُ نُسِفَتْ

Wa idha al-jibalu nusifat

and when the mountains are blown away,

﴾١١﴿ وَإِذَا ٱلرُّسُلُ أُقِّتَتْ

Wa idha ar-rusulu uqqitat

and when the messengers are given their appointed time.

﴾١٢﴿ لِأَىِّ يَوْمٍ أُجِّلَتْ

Li-ayyi yawmin ujjilat

For what day were they postponed?

﴾١٣﴿ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْفَصْلِ

Li-yawmi al-fasl

For the Day of Decision.

﴾١٤﴿ وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا يَوْمُ ٱلْفَصْلِ

Wa ma adraka ma yawmu al-fasl

And what will make you know what the Day of Decision is?

﴾١٥﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾١٦﴿ أَلَمْ نُهْلِكِ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Alam nuhliki al-awwalin

Did We not destroy the former peoples?

﴾١٧﴿ ثُمَّ نُتْبِعُهُمُ ٱلْءَاخِرِينَ

Thumma nutbi'uhumu al-akhirin

Then We follow them with the later ones.

﴾١٨﴿ كَذَٰلِكَ نَفْعَلُ بِٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

Kadhalika naf'alu bil-mujrimin

That is how We deal with the criminals.

﴾١٩﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾٢٠﴿ أَلَمْ نَخْلُقكُّم مِّن مَّآءٍۢ مَّهِينٍۢ

Alam nakhluqkum min ma'in mahin

Did We not create you from a despised fluid,

﴾٢١﴿ فَجَعَلْنَٰهُ فِى قَرَارٍۢ مَّكِينٍ

Faja'alnahu fi qararin makin

then place it in a firm lodging

﴾٢٢﴿ إِلَىٰ قَدَرٍۢ مَّعْلُومٍۢ

Ila qadarin ma'lum

until a known measure?

﴾٢٣﴿ فَقَدَرْنَا فَنِعْمَ ٱلْقَٰدِرُونَ

Faqadarna fani'ma al-qadirun

So We measured, and how excellent is the One who measures.

﴾٢٤﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾٢٥﴿ أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ كِفَاتًا

Alam naj'ali al-arda kifata

Did We not make the earth a container,

﴾٢٦﴿ أَحْيَآءًۭ وَأَمْوَٰتًۭا

Ahya'an wa amwata

for the living and for the dead,

﴾٢٧﴿ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا رَوَٰسِىَ شَٰمِخَٰتٍۢ وَأَسْقَيْنَٰكُم مَّآءًۭ فُرَاتًۭا

Wa ja'alna fiha rawasiya shamikhatin wa asqaynakum ma'an furata

and place in it firm towering mountains, and give you fresh water to drink?

﴾٢٨﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾٢٩﴿ ٱنطَلِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَا كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ

Intaliqu ila ma kuntum bihi tukadhdhibun

Depart to what you used to deny.

﴾٣٠﴿ ٱنطَلِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ ظِلٍّۢ ذِى ثَلَٰثِ شُعَبٍۢ

Intaliqu ila zillin dhi thalathi shu'ab

Depart to a shadow of three columns,

﴾٣١﴿ لَّا ظَلِيلٍۢ وَلَا يُغْنِى مِنَ ٱللَّهَبِ

La zalilin wa la yughni mina al-lahab

giving no shade and availing nothing against the flame.

﴾٣٢﴿ إِنَّهَا تَرْمِى بِشَرَرٍۢ كَٱلْقَصْرِ

Innaha tarmi bishararin kal-qasr

It throws sparks like fortresses,

﴾٣٣﴿ كَأَنَّهُۥ جِمَٰلَتٌۭ صُفْرٌۭ

Ka-annahu jimalatun sufr

as if they were yellow camels.

﴾٣٤﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾٣٥﴿ هَٰذَا يَوْمُ لَا يَنطِقُونَ

Hadha yawmu la yantiqun

This is a day they do not speak,

﴾٣٦﴿ وَلَا يُؤْذَنُ لَهُمْ فَيَعْتَذِرُونَ

Wa la yu'dhanu lahum faya'tadhirun

and they are not permitted to offer excuses.

﴾٣٧﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾٣٨﴿ هَٰذَا يَوْمُ ٱلْفَصْلِ ۖ جَمَعْنَٰكُمْ وَٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Hadha yawmu al-fasl, jama'nakum wal-awwalin

This is the Day of Decision. We have gathered you and the former peoples.

﴾٣٩﴿ فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمْ كَيْدٌۭ فَكِيدُونِ

Fa-in kana lakum kaydun fakidun

So if you have a plan, then use it against Me.

﴾٤٠﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾٤١﴿ إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِى ظِلَٰلٍۢ وَعُيُونٍۢ

Inna al-muttaqina fi zilalin wa 'uyun

The God-conscious are amid shades and springs,

﴾٤٢﴿ وَفَوَٰكِهَ مِمَّا يَشْتَهُونَ

Wa fawakiha mimma yashtahun

and fruits of whatever they desire.

﴾٤٣﴿ كُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ هَنِيٓـًٔۢا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

Kulu washrabu hani'an bima kuntum ta'malun

Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you used to do.

﴾٤٤﴿ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

Inna kadhalika najzi al-muhsinin

This is how We reward the doers of good.

﴾٤٥﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾٤٦﴿ كُلُوا۟ وَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ قَلِيلًا إِنَّكُم مُّجْرِمُونَ

Kulu watamatta'u qalilan innakum mujrimun

Eat and enjoy yourselves a little. You are criminals.

﴾٤٧﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾٤٨﴿ وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱرْكَعُوا۟ لَا يَرْكَعُونَ

Wa idha qila lahumu irka'u la yarka'un

And when it is said to them bow, they do not bow.

﴾٤٩﴿ وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin

Woe that day to the deniers.

﴾٥٠﴿ فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَهُۥ يُؤْمِنُونَ

Fabi-ayyi hadithin ba'dahu yu'minun

Then in what statement after this will they believe?

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What The Surah Means

Overview

Surah Al-Mursalat is fifty verses, chapter 77, Makki, and it closes Juz 29. It is built on a refrain. Ten times the same sentence lands: woe that day to the deniers. Between the repetitions the surah presents evidence, and each block of evidence is followed by the same verdict, the way a prosecutor returns to one line after each exhibit.

The evidence is deliberately ordinary. Your own conception, the ground you walk on, the mountains, the water you drink. Nothing exotic is produced. The argument is that what you already have is sufficient, and the refrain is what happens to a man who was handed sufficient evidence and called it a lie.

Ten times the same verdict, and between each one, a fact you already knew.

Verses 1–15 · The Oaths and the First Verdicts

By those sent forth in succession, and the winds that blow violently, and those that scatter and separate and deliver a reminder.

Five oaths open the surah, and the mufassirun differ on whether they describe winds or angels. Ibn Kathir carries both positions and notes that some are read as winds and others as angels, and the surah does not settle it. What all five share is that they are sent, they carry, and they are not self directed.

Innama tu'aduna lawaqi': what you are promised is going to fall. That is the entire content the oaths are sworn to support. One clause.

Fa idha an-nujumu tumisat, wa idha as-sama'u furijat, wa idha al-jibalu nusifat: the stars obliterated, the sky torn open, the mountains blown away. Three verbs of dismantling, applied to the three most permanent things a man can see.

Wa idha ar-rusulu uqqitat: and when the messengers are given their appointed time. Li-ayyi yawmin ujjilat, li-yawmi al-fasl. For what day were they postponed. For the Day of Decision.

Wa ma adraka ma yawmu al-fasl. Waylun yawma'idhin lil-mukadhdhibin: and what will make you know what the Day of Decision is. Woe that day to the deniers. The refrain arrives for the first time here, and it will not change.

Everything sworn by is something sent. The one thing promised is that this is going to land.

Verses 16–28 · The Evidence You Already Have

Did We not destroy the former peoples, then follow them with the later ones? That is how We deal with the criminals.

Alam nuhliki al-awwalin, thumma nutbi'uhum al-akhirin: the pattern is stated as a pattern, and the reader is told he is in the later group.

Alam nakhluqkum min ma'in mahin: did We not create you from a despised fluid. The word is deliberately unflattering. The argument for resurrection begins by reminding you what you were made of.

Faja'alnahu fi qararin makin ila qadarin ma'lum: placed in a firm lodging until a known measure. Faqadarna fani'ma al-qadirun: We measured it, and how excellent is the One who measures. Gestation is presented as an engineering feat you neither designed nor supervised.

Alam naj'ali al-arda kifata, ahya'an wa amwata: did We not make the earth a container, for the living and for the dead. One word, kifat, for a thing that gathers and holds. The same surface carries you now and holds you later.

Wa ja'alna fiha rawasiya shamikhatin wa asqaynakum ma'an furata: firm towering mountains, and We gave you fresh water to drink. The evidence closes on the most ordinary thing in your day.

A despised fluid, a firm lodging, a ground that holds the living and the dead, and a glass of fresh water.

Verses 29–40 · Depart To What You Denied

Depart to what you used to deny. Depart to a shadow of three columns, giving no shade and availing nothing against the flame.

Intaliqu ila ma kuntum bihi tukadhdhibun: go to the thing you called a lie. The sentence is exactly the object of their denial. Nothing extra is added.

Zillin dhi thalathi shu'ab, la zalilin wa la yughni mina al-lahab: a shadow with three branches, which does not shade and does not protect. The one thing a man in heat runs toward is offered and then defined as useless.

Innaha tarmi bishararin kal-qasr, ka-annahu jimalatun sufr: it throws sparks like fortresses, as if they were yellow camels. The scale of a single spark is given in two comparisons because one would not carry it.

Hadha yawmu la yantiqun, wa la yu'dhanu lahum faya'tadhirun: this is a day they do not speak, and they are not permitted to offer excuses. Speech itself is withdrawn. Every prepared defense goes unused.

Hadha yawmu al-fasl, jama'nakum wal-awwalin. Fa in kana lakum kaydun fakidun: this is the Day of Decision, We have gathered you and the former peoples. So if you have a plan, then use it against Me. The challenge is issued directly, and the silence that answers it is the point.

They were told to walk toward the thing they denied, and then invited to try a plan.

Verses 41–45 · The Other Side of the Refrain

The God-conscious are amid shades and springs, and fruits of whatever they desire.

Inna al-muttaqina fi zilalin wa 'uyun: shades and springs, placed directly after the shadow that gave no shade. The contrast is built by adjacency, not by argument.

Wa fawakiha mimma yashtahun: fruits from whatever they desire. The verb is of appetite, and the appetite is satisfied rather than denied.

Kulu washrabu hani'an bima kuntum ta'malun: eat and drink in satisfaction for what you used to do. The same phrasing as Al-Haqqah 24, and the same principle. What arrives was sent ahead.

Inna kadhalika najzi al-muhsinin: this is how We reward the doers of good. Muhsin is the same root as ahsanu 'amala in Al-Mulk 2, where this juz opened. The juz closes by rewarding exactly what it opened by testing for.

Shade that shades, springs that satisfy, and a wage paid for work that was already done.

Verses 46–50 · They Do Not Bow

Eat and enjoy yourselves a little. You are criminals.

Kulu watamatta'u qalilan innakum mujrimun: eat and enjoy a little, you are criminals. The same two verbs used for the people of the garden, aimed the other way, with a time limit attached and a verdict attached.

Wa idha qila lahumu irka'u la yarka'un: and when it is said to them bow, they do not bow. The whole refusal reduces to a physical act they will not perform. Not an argument they cannot answer. A posture they will not adopt.

Fabi-ayyi hadithin ba'dahu yu'minun: then in what statement after this will they believe. The surah closes with a question and no answer, and it is the last verse of the juz.

Ten times the refrain landed. The final verse asks what evidence could possibly follow the evidence already given, and leaves the reader holding it.

It came down to bowing, and they would not. Then in what statement after this will they believe.

Structural Summary

Fifty Verses. Ten Times the Same Verdict.

Verses 1–7The OathsFive things sent, carrying and scattering and delivering. What you are promised is going to fall.

Verses 8–15The DismantlingStars obliterated, sky torn, mountains blown away, and the messengers given their time.

Verses 16–24The MakingFormer peoples destroyed, and a despised fluid placed in a firm lodging until a known measure.

Verses 25–28The ContainerThe earth gathers the living and the dead, holds towering mountains, and gives you fresh water.

Verses 29–40The DepartureWalk toward what you denied. A shadow that does not shade, sparks like fortresses, and no permission to excuse.

Verses 41–45The ShadeShades, springs, and fruits desired, and a wage paid for work already sent ahead.

Verses 46–50The BowEnjoy a little. When told to bow they do not bow. Then in what statement will they believe.

Why This Surah Is For You

The refrain is the lesson in form. Ten identical verdicts, one after each block of evidence, because the human problem is not a shortage of evidence. It is that evidence stops landing after the second or third time. Al-Mursalat solves that by refusing to vary the sentence.

Verses 20 to 23 are the argument every man needs against his own sense of self-manufacture. A despised fluid, a firm lodging, a known measure, and a Measurer. Nothing in the process was managed by you, and you were the product.

Verse 39 is the closing challenge of the juz. If you have a plan, then plan against Me. Every strategy, every hedge, every contingency you have built has a limit that this verse names out loud.

Verse 48 reduces the whole file to one act. They were told to bow and did not. Not an argument they lost, a posture they refused. The forehead going down is the whole issue, and it always was.

The Practice · Daily Integration

Fifty Verses. Bow When Told.

Read the surah out loud in one sitting so the refrain does what it was built to do. Ten times, unvaried, is the design.

Use verses 20 to 23 the next time you catch yourself believing you built yourself. A despised fluid, a firm lodging, a known measure.

Sit with verse 39 against your own plans. If you have a plan, use it. Name the limit of every contingency you hold.

Answer verse 48 physically. When the call comes, go. The distance between believing and bowing is where the whole surah lands.

They were told to bow, and they did not. Then in what statement after this will they believe.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 11 / 100

The Verse

وَٱلْمُرْسَلَٰتِ عُرْفًۭا

Wal-mursalati 'urfa

What does this verse say?