Surah Al-Mursalat

The Emissaries

Introduction

Name of Chapter and Reason for its Name

This chapter is called Surah Al-Mursalaat. Mursalaat is defined as angels or blowing gales, and the chapter is named this because it is mentioned in its opening verse.

Chapter Number

Surah Al-Mursalaat is the 77th chapter of the Holy Quran.

Number of Verses

This chapter has fifty verses.

Place of Revelation

This entire chapter, except verse 48, was revealed in Mecca.

Content

This chapter, along with emphasizing the threat that the guilty will face on the Day of Judgement, also gives news of glad tidings. The tone of the chapter however, remains severe as it is forewarning the people. The harsh tone that this chapter adopts is like the flamed-whipping of the hearts, which sparks the same fear that those accused feel in formidable courts. Indeed the waves of questioning, rejection, and threats pierce through the hearts just like the tip of a razor-sharp spear would. The verses of this chapter display the world, the hereafter, different forms of punishments, sensual and existential truths. The appearance of the realities which exist within the hearts of the sinful is described through the phrase “وَیلٌ یوْمَئِذٍ لِلْمُکذِّبِینَ” which means: “Woe to the deniers on that day!” This is repeated ten times within 50 verses. , Page 144))

Benefits of Reciting this Surah

أبی بن کعب عن النبی ص قال و من قرأ سورة و المرسلات کتب أنه لیس من المشرکین روی عن أبی عبد الله قال من قرأها عرف الله بینه و بین محمد

Ubay ibn Kab narrates from the Prophet that: “Whoever recites the Surah al-Mursalaat, (chapter ‘The Emissaries’) will be recorded as someone who is not a polytheist.” It has been narrated from Abu Abdullah that he said: “Whoever recites it, Allah will make him acquainted with Muhammad.”

Verses 1-15

Allah swears on the resurrection of mankind after the annihilation of this world. He goes on to describe the conditions in which this will take place. Furthermore, the verses swear on the blowing winds and the angels who will be riding on the backs of horses like these winds. When the rain begins to pour from the skies, the divine book will be issued and a gap between the truth and falsehood will increase. Finally, the verses swear on these oaths about the existence of the Day of Judgement. They swear that the Divine revelations through the angels are the reasons for the guidance of the pious, and forewarnings for the disbelievers. Certainly the Day of Judgement is a day when the stars will fall and the sky will split. It is a day when the firm mountains will be destroyed to dust. On this day the messengers will bear witness about the difference between truth and falsehood. This is a day known as the day of separation, and surely only Allah has knowledge about it. Woe be upon the impugners on that day. The term mursalaat alludes to winds from the storm of punishment. This punishment is like the violent winds which blow non-stop, fluttering the manes of horses. The term nashirat is best described by a calm breeze that comes before it rains and this is an allusion to the vast divine mercy of Allah.

Verses 16-19

These verses aim to prove the possibility of the creations being resurrected. They question whether or not the punishments that the previous generations went through are repeatable or not? They then respond, saying that surely the sinful of today will also be doomed to perdition, just like their sinful predecessors were. Did the nations of Nuh, Aad, Thamood, Ibrahim and Lut not suffer from similar consequences? Finally, they remind us that when the days of difficulties arrive, there will be distress upon those who disputed the truth.

Verses 20-23

These verses describe both the worldly and otherworldly punishments in detail. They go over man’s creation, and pinpoint the fact that his beginning was nothing more than worthless liquid placed in the womb. Furthermore, they emphasize Allah’s power since only HE has knowledge of when a child will be born.

Verses 24-34

Man’s state in both this world and the hereafter is discussed in this section of the chapter. These verses discuss one’s worldly life, the virtues and blessings that a person rejects in this world, and one’s ultimate return to the hereafter. The term kifaatan refers to this world being a place for the gathering of men, both dead and alive. This can mean two things: first, it could refer to the existence of living beings and the burial of the dead; and second, it could point towards the dividing of the Earth into two sections: the living and the dead. The living Earth is that which is capable of cultivation, and the dead Earth is that which is not able to cultivate. Man will often travel from the land of high mountain peaks and nourishing water to the land of the dead. Woe be upon those who hide the truth in this state.

Verses 25-34

These verses command us to enter the three-horned smoke, which is actually alluding to the great shadowless hellfire. The mere sparks of this fire are the sizes of the castles of this world - those same castles which the worldly people take shelter in. The fate of those who rejected the Day of Judgement is recalled once more at the end of these verses.

Verses 35-40

The condition of the sinners on the Day of Judgement is described here. That day every human being will be judged based on their actions. The sinners will not be given a chance to make excuses on this day, and they will be forced to remain silent.

Verses 40-45

Allah speaks about the rewards that the believers will be blessed with in heaven in these 5 verses. The repeating of “وَیلٌ یوْمَئِذٍ لِلْمُکذِّبِینَ” - Woe to the deniers on that day! This indicates the intensity of the punishment for the disbelievers. It seems that the heavenly blessings for the pious are mentioned with the purpose of adding severity to the verses which discuss the disbelievers.

Verses 46-49

These verses discuss the brevity of respite for those who love this world. The chapter’s fluctuating tone comes to an end with these verses along with the question put forth in verse 50. Indeed the message has been delivered and those who questioned it will be chastised. This punishment is a form of intimidation and it points towards the love that these individuals had for the transient world. The benefits that they attained were very temporary and insignificant in comparison to the difficulties of this world. One more characteristic which they possess is that they neither prayed to Allah, nor did they kneel before Him.

Verse 50

The final verse of this chapter expresses hopelessness in the guidance of those who dispute and the disbelievers. How can they believe in other forms of the truth, when they reject the miraculous words of the Quran?

Discussions on this Chapter

According to the Sunni Traditions

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ - هُوَ ابْن مَسْعُود - رَضِی اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: بَینَمَا نَحْنُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَیهِ وَ سَلَّمَ فِی غَار بِمِنی إِذْ نزلَت عَلَیهِ وَ الْمُرْسَلَاتِ فَإِنَّهُ لیتلوها وَ إِنِّی لأتلقاها مِنْ فِیهِ وَ إِن فَاهُ لرطب بِهَا إِذْ وَ ثبت عَلَینَا حیة، فَقَالَ النَّبِی صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَیهِ وَ سَلَّمَ: «اقتلوها» فابتدرناها فَذَهَبَتْ فَقَالَ النَّبِی صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَیهِ وَ سَلَّمَ: «وَقیت شرکم کمَا وَقَیتُمْ شَرِّهَا».

Abdullah ibn Masood said, “While we were with the Prophet of Allah in a cave in Mina, Surah al-Mursalaat was revealed to him. He was reciting it and I was getting it directly from him. Verily, he was in the middle of reciting it when suddenly a snake jumped at us.” Then, the Prophet said, “Kill it.” So, we rushed towards it but it ran away. The Prophet said, “It was protected from your evil, just like you were protected from its evil.”

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاس عَن أُمُّهُ أَنَّهَا سَمِعت النَّبِی صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَیهِ وَ سَلَّمَ یقْرَأ فِی الْمَغْرِبِ بالمرسلات عُرْفاً، وَ فِی رِوَایةِ مَالِک عَن الزُّهْرِی عَنْ عُبَیدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاس أَنَّ أُمَّ الْفَضْلِ سَمِعْتُهُ یقْرَأُ وَ الْمُرْسَلاتِ عُرْفاً فَقَالَتْ: یا بنی أَ ذَکرْتَنِی بِقَرَاءَتِک هَذِهِ السُّورَة إِنَّهَا لآِخَر مَا سَمِعْت مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَیهِ وَ سَلَّمَ یقْرَأ بِهَا فِی الْمَغْرِبِ.

Ibn Abbas narrates from his mother that she heard the Messenger reciting Surah al-Mursalaat in his maghrib prayer. There is also a tradition related by Malik from al-Zuhri, from Ubaydullah, from Ibn Abbas that says Umm al-Fadhl (his mother) heard him reciting ‘The Emissaries.’ She said, “O my son. Your recitation of this chapter reminded me that surely it was the last thing that I heard the Prophet of Allah recite in his maghrib prayer.”

According to the Shia Traditions

عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُود قَالَ: بَینَمَا نَحْنُ مَعَ النَّبِی ص فِی غَارَ بِمِنًی - إِذْ نزلَتْ عَلَیهِ سُورَة وَ الْمُرْسَلاتِ عُرْفاً - فَإِنَّهُ یتْلُوهَا وَ إِنِّی لألقاها مِنْ فِیهِ - وَ إِنْ فَاهُ لرطب بِهَا إِذْ وَثَبَتْ عَلَیهِ حَیة - فَقَالَ النَّبِی ص: اقتلوها فابتدرناها فَذَهَبَتْ - فَقَالَ النَّبِی ص وَقیت شرکم کمَا وَقَیتُمْ شَرِّهَا.

It has been narrated from Ibn Masood: “While we were with the Messenger in a cave in Mina, ‘Surah al-Mursalaat’ was revealed to him. He recited it and surely I was learning it from him. Verily, he was in the middle of reciting it when suddenly a snake jumped at us. The Prophet told us, ‘Kill it.’ So, we rushed towards it but it ran away. The Prophet said, “It was protected from your evil just like you were protected from its evil.”

Verses 25-26: “Have We not made the earth a receptacle, for the living and the dead.”

أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَلِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ كِفَاتًا ٢٥ أَحۡيَآءٗ وَأَمۡوَٰتٗا ٢٦ وَ قَال: نَظَرَ أَمِیرُ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ فِی رُجُوعِهِ مِنْ صِفِّینَ إِلَی الْمَقَابِرِ - فَقَالَ: هَذِه کفَاتُ الْأَمْوَاتِ أَی مَساکنِهِمْ - ثُمَّ نَظَرَ إِلَی بُیوتِ الْکوفَةِ فَقَالَ: هَذِهِ کفَاتُ الْأَحْیاءِ. ثُمَّ تَلَا قَوْلِهِ: «أَ لَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ کفاتاً أَحْیاءً وَ أَمْواتاً».

He said: I saw Amir al-Momineen returning from the battle of Siffeen, and he looked towards a graveyard and said: “These are the receptacles for the dead, meaning their homes.” Then he looked towards the houses in Kufa and said: “These are the receptacles for the living.” Then he recited the verses: “Have We not made the earth a receptacle for the living and the dead?”