سُورَةُ المُرۡسَلَاتِ
Surah 77 - Al-Mursalaat
The Emissaries
- 50 verses
- Juz 29
- Pages 580 to 581 of the Mushaf
Al-Mursalaat is held together entirely by a refrain. One sentence returns ten times, in verses 15, 19, 24, 28, 34, 37, 40, 45, 47 and 49, cutting the text into panels. Before the first return come five terms carrying the opening oath, the stars blotted out, the sky split, and a day called the day of Decision, about which a question is left standing. The panels that follow recall in turn the generations swept away, the beginning of each person, the earth that gathers living and dead, then describe a shade that shelters from nothing. One passage alone changes tone, at verses 41 to 44. The last two returns frame no more than a single verse each.
The main parts
The text of the surah
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَٱلْمُرْسَلَٰتِ عُرْفًۭا
By those [winds] sent forth in gusts
فَٱلْعَٰصِفَٰتِ عَصْفًۭا
And the winds that blow violently
وَٱلنَّٰشِرَٰتِ نَشْرًۭا
And [by] the winds that spread [clouds]
فَٱلْفَٰرِقَٰتِ فَرْقًۭا
And those [angels] who bring criterion
فَٱلْمُلْقِيَٰتِ ذِكْرًا
And those [angels] who deliver a message
عُذْرًا أَوْ نُذْرًا
As justification or warning,
إِنَّمَا تُوعَدُونَ لَوَٰقِعٌۭ
Indeed, what you are promised is to occur.
فَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ طُمِسَتْ
So when the stars are obliterated
وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ فُرِجَتْ
And when the heaven is opened
وَإِذَا ٱلْجِبَالُ نُسِفَتْ
And when the mountains are blown away
وَإِذَا ٱلرُّسُلُ أُقِّتَتْ
And when the messengers' time has come...
لِأَىِّ يَوْمٍ أُجِّلَتْ
For what Day was it postponed?
لِيَوْمِ ٱلْفَصْلِ
For the Day of Judgement.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا يَوْمُ ٱلْفَصْلِ
And what can make you know what is the Day of Judgement?
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
أَلَمْ نُهْلِكِ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
Did We not destroy the former peoples?
ثُمَّ نُتْبِعُهُمُ ٱلْءَاخِرِينَ
Then We will follow them with the later ones.
كَذَٰلِكَ نَفْعَلُ بِٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
Thus do We deal with the criminals.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
أَلَمْ نَخْلُقكُّم مِّن مَّآءٍۢ مَّهِينٍۢ
Did We not create you from a liquid disdained?
فَجَعَلْنَٰهُ فِى قَرَارٍۢ مَّكِينٍ
And We placed it in a firm lodging
إِلَىٰ قَدَرٍۢ مَّعْلُومٍۢ
For a known extent.
فَقَدَرْنَا فَنِعْمَ ٱلْقَٰدِرُونَ
And We determined [it], and excellent [are We] to determine.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ كِفَاتًا
Have We not made the earth a container
أَحْيَآءًۭ وَأَمْوَٰتًۭا
Of the living and the dead?
وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا رَوَٰسِىَ شَٰمِخَٰتٍۢ وَأَسْقَيْنَٰكُم مَّآءًۭ فُرَاتًۭا
And We placed therein lofty, firmly set mountains and have given you to drink sweet water.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
ٱنطَلِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَا كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ
[They will be told], "Proceed to that which you used to deny.
ٱنطَلِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ ظِلٍّۢ ذِى ثَلَٰثِ شُعَبٍۢ
Proceed to a shadow [of smoke] having three columns
لَّا ظَلِيلٍۢ وَلَا يُغْنِى مِنَ ٱللَّهَبِ
[But having] no cool shade and availing not against the flame."
إِنَّهَا تَرْمِى بِشَرَرٍۢ كَٱلْقَصْرِ
Indeed, it throws sparks [as huge] as a fortress,
كَأَنَّهُۥ جِمَٰلَتٌۭ صُفْرٌۭ
As if they were yellowish [black] camels.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
هَٰذَا يَوْمُ لَا يَنطِقُونَ
This is a Day they will not speak,
وَلَا يُؤْذَنُ لَهُمْ فَيَعْتَذِرُونَ
Nor will it be permitted for them to make an excuse.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
هَٰذَا يَوْمُ ٱلْفَصْلِ ۖ جَمَعْنَٰكُمْ وَٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
This is the Day of Judgement; We will have assembled you and the former peoples.
فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمْ كَيْدٌۭ فَكِيدُونِ
So if you have a plan, then plan against Me.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِى ظِلَٰلٍۢ وَعُيُونٍۢ
Indeed, the righteous will be among shades and springs
وَفَوَٰكِهَ مِمَّا يَشْتَهُونَ
And fruits from whatever they desire,
كُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ هَنِيٓـًٔۢا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
[Being told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you used to do."
إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
كُلُوا۟ وَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ قَلِيلًا إِنَّكُم مُّجْرِمُونَ
[O disbelievers], eat and enjoy yourselves a little; indeed, you are criminals.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱرْكَعُوا۟ لَا يَرْكَعُونَ
And when it is said to them, "Bow [in prayer]," they do not bow.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَهُۥ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Then in what statement after the Qur'an will they believe?
Key verses of the surah
The answer to the question just asked: a day is named, and that name comes back twice afterwards.
لِيَوْمِ ٱلْفَصْلِ
For the Day of Judgement.
The first of the ten returns of one and the same sentence, which paces all the rest of the surah.
وَيْلٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe, that Day, to the deniers.
The only passage describing something other than a penalty, set just before the last three returns.
إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِى ظِلَٰلٍۢ وَعُيُونٍۢ
Indeed, the righteous will be among shades and springs
The last verse: a question left unanswered, after ten returns of the same warning.
فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَهُۥ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Then in what statement after the Qur'an will they believe?
What is surah Al-Mursalaat about?
Of a reckoning announced and then hammered home. Each argument takes two or three verses and closes on the same wording, so the text advances less by development than by piling up short demonstrations.
How many times does the refrain return in surah Al-Mursalaat?
Ten times, always in the same words, aimed at those who deny. The gaps tighten: three to five verses at first, a single one between the last three occurrences, which noticeably speeds up the end of the text.
How is surah Al-Mursalaat built?
Like a litany. An opening block of fourteen verses, then nine short segments kept apart by the same verse. No segment runs beyond five verses, and the build is plain to the eye on the page.
How does surah Al-Mursalaat end?
With a question, in verse 50, left unanswered. It is the only verse to come after a return of the refrain without another following it. The three verses before it are very short: a return of the refrain, a note on a gesture refused, then the refrain one last time.
Why is surah Al-Mursalaat called that?
“Al-Mursalaat” is rendered “those sent forth”. It is the surah's first word and its only occurrence, in verse 77:1, heading a series of five terms carrying the opening oath. The text does not specify what is sent.
How many verses does surah Al-Mursalaat have?
Surah Al-Mursalaat has 50 verses. It stands at number 77 in the order of the Mushaf, which holds 114.
The Arabic text is that of the Mushaf. The summary, the outline and the answers on this page describe the text and how it is built: they are not religious commentary.