سُورَةُ الطَّارِقِ
Surah 86 - At-Taariq
The Morning Star
- 17 verses
- Juz 30
- Page 591 of the Mushaf
At-Taariq runs to seventeen verses and unfolds as two oaths with a line of reasoning between them. The first calls the sky to witness, and a body that shows itself at night; the text breaks off to ask what that body is, then answers on its own. From there it draws a first statement: no soul is left without a keeper. It then invites the reader to consider what man is made of, describes that origin in two verses, and concludes that a return is possible, on the day secrets are laid open. A second oath, on the sky and on an earth that splits, brings in what the text says of itself: a word that decides. The close asks for a delay.
The main parts
The text of the surah
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلطَّارِقِ
By the sky and the night comer -
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلطَّارِقُ
And what can make you know what is the night comer?
ٱلنَّجْمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ
It is the piercing star -
إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌۭ
There is no soul but that it has over it a protector.
فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ
So let man observe from what he was created.
خُلِقَ مِن مَّآءٍۢ دَافِقٍۢ
He was created from a fluid, ejected,
يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ ٱلصُّلْبِ وَٱلتَّرَآئِبِ
Emerging from between the backbone and the ribs.
إِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَجْعِهِۦ لَقَادِرٌۭ
Indeed, Allah, to return him [to life], is Able.
يَوْمَ تُبْلَى ٱلسَّرَآئِرُ
The Day when secrets will be put on trial,
فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن قُوَّةٍۢ وَلَا نَاصِرٍۢ
Then man will have no power or any helper.
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلرَّجْعِ
By the sky which returns [rain]
وَٱلْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ ٱلصَّدْعِ
And [by] the earth which cracks open,
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلٌۭ فَصْلٌۭ
Indeed, the Qur'an is a decisive statement,
وَمَا هُوَ بِٱلْهَزْلِ
And it is not amusement.
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًۭا
Indeed, they are planning a plan,
وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًۭا
But I am planning a plan.
فَمَهِّلِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًۢا
So allow time for the disbelievers. Leave them awhile.
Key verses of the surah
What the opening oaths bear on: every soul has someone watching over it.
إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌۭ
There is no soul but that it has over it a protector.
The verse that turns the surah from the sky toward man and his origin.
فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ
So let man observe from what he was created.
What the text says of itself: a word that decides, and not an amusement.
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلٌۭ فَصْلٌۭ
Indeed, the Qur'an is a decisive statement,
What is surah At-Taariq about?
About a short piece of reasoning held between two oaths: since man comes from almost nothing, he can be brought back. The surah adds what it claims for itself, and closes with a request for patience.
What does surah At-Taariq say about the creation of man?
Verses 5 to 7 ask the reader to look at where man comes from, and set that origin down in two very short images. Verse 8 draws the consequence at once: the one who did it once can do it again.
How does surah At-Taariq end?
On a request for patience. The text sets a scheme against a plan, then the last verse asks that a delay be granted, and repeats it in a smaller measure: a short delay.
How is surah At-Taariq built?
Around two oaths. The first opens on the night comer and leads to creation, then to the return; the second, at verse 11, opens on what the text claims for itself. Three verses close the whole.
Why is surah At-Taariq called that?
“At-Taariq” is the word of the first verse, which English renders as “the night comer”. The text defines that word itself: the second verse asks what this body is, and the third answers by calling it a star of sharp brightness.
How many verses does surah At-Taariq have?
Surah At-Taariq has 17 verses. It stands at number 86 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.