79.

Sura Naziat (or Those Who Drag Out)

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The Sura begins with a series of allegorical oaths were-with Allah

swears by objects of His own creation. According to most commentators,it is
proper for Allah to swear by anything He created, either for the purpose of
showing its greatness or in order to express the awesomeness of what is to
follow. The two purposes, however, are not exclusive. It is not proper for men
to swear by anything but Allah, because no one or thing is equal to Him. Thus
swearing by any of His creation may be considered as an expression of shirk
(association of other beings or things with Allah). In short, Allah, Who is
greater than His creation may swear by anything He wishes of it, while men
can only swear by Allah alone.

There is much difference of opinion among the Commentators as to the

five things or beings mentioned by the oath in the first five verses. Some
modern commentators interpret all five verses refer to the stars. However, the
general opinion among the commentators is that the first oath referred to in
this verse is by the angels who shall extract the soul of the wicked persons.

It may also be that the purpose of mentioning these things in the Qur-an
is first and foremost to create a feeling appropriate to the awesome description
of the Day of Resurrection which is to follow. In this case it is not necessary
for us to know specifically what such terms mean so long as we live and feel
the atmosphere which the Qur-anic expression seeks to create in many
different ways.

By these oaths Allah confirms the inevitability and untractability of the

Resurrection and final Reckoning of all the human beings. This will occur on
the Day when the first convulsion shall convulse the planet and the second
will follow. It shall be when the tremendous blast of the Trumpet is sounded
by angel Israfil. This shall cause the hearts of the infidels and hypocrites to
pulpitate with their eyes downcast.

Allah then referred to the contemptuous disbelief of Meccan infedels

who used to cynically ask that if they would indeed revert to their first state
even after they were reduced to dust. Allah retorted in return and told them
that there was no difficulty for Him to order their revertion to their original
state. He would merely order the trumpet to be blasted once and all dead
bodies buried anywhere in the earth would be thrown out alive on the surface
of earth to account for their deeds. Finally the judgement leading them to Hell.

As a reminder to the Meccan infidels, the Sura continues with the

example of Pharaoh’s arrogance and transgression and his dealings with the
Prophet Moses. Lord directed Moses in the sacred valley of Tuwa to guide
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt along the straight path. Moses did accordingly but
in vain. He even displaced to him his two major miraculous signs – the staff
turning into a dragon, and his silvery white hand. But Pharaoh refused the call
for his own salvation and termed the signs as feats of magic. He proclaimed to
his people that he was their lord most high. Allah then seized him and
punished him in this world by drowning him and will punish him in Hereafter
with the torments of the Hell. Verily this historic anecdote was full of moral
for those persons who feared Allah and his retribution.

The Sura then returns to the description of the fearful events of the Day
of Resurrection. It goes on to contrast the lot of the people of faith with that of
the rejectors of faith. The first shall inherit the Bliss of Paradise and the
second the Torments of the Fire.

The Sura ends with the assertion that knowledge of that dreadful hour
is with Allah alone. The Prophet’s task is only to warn mankind of its coming.
Yet when it comes, it shall be so real that people will think the time between
their death and its coming to have been no more than a night and a day.