Tafseer – Surah Al-Aadiyaat

Surah Al-Aadiyaat

Translation

1. By horses that run panting
2. Igniting sparks of fire with their hooves
3. Then attack the enemy at dawn,
4. Then raise a cloud of dust,
5. Then penetrate into the thick of the enemy,
6. Verily man is ungrateful to his Lord
7. And he himself is a witness to that;
8. And obsessed is he in his love of wealth.
9. But does he not know when the contents of the graves are poured forth
10. And that which is in the hearts is revealed.
11. On that day their Lord will be perfectly acquainted with them.

Background

In this Surah Allah takes an oath on horses since the Arabs were a warring nation and were experts in the art of horsemanship. Horses were so important to them that some of them even memorized their horse’s lineages. They would train them with zeal and rearing them was a matter of pride for them. Like in other verses of the Quran an oath is taken here to give importance and credibility to the subject matter which follows. The oath in this Surah has been brought to show the obedience of the Arabian stallion and the disobedience of man.

Verse 1

The word aadiyaat comes from the word adwa which means to run. Dhabh is the panting sound that emerges from the chest of a horse in full gallop.

Verse 2

The word mooriyaat comes from the word iraa meaning to produce sparks. This verse portrays the image of a horse’s hooves producing sparks while running in the dark of night.

Verse 3

Attacking the enemy at daybreak was a custom amongst the Arabs since they regarded attacks at night as cowardly.

Verse 4

Horses that run extremely swiftly produce dust. The reference to the time of daybreak points to the fact that these horses are running at extreme speed since the morning is wet with dew and not usually a time of wind and dust.

Verse 5

The horse plunges fearlessly into the enemy ranks in total obedience to the rider despite the danger of arrows, spears, bullets, etc.

Verse 6 – 7

Kunood according to Hasan Basri Rahimahullah means when a person remembers calamities that befall him but ignores the bounties bestowed on him. Other scholars feel that kunood means when a person enjoys bounties but forgets the bestower of those bounties – Allah.

In summary the verse means : Man is ungrateful to Allah and he knows it well. His actions and statements testify to this.

Verse 8

Man is an ardent lover of wealth. He gives preference to worldly gain over morality and is even prepared to destroy his credibility in the sight of Allah in satisfying his capitalistic desires.

The word khair (good) has been used in the meaning of wealth in this verse due to the fact that khair was commonly used in the meaning of wealth in the spoken language of the Arabs.

Verse 9 – 10

Allah explains the consequences of greed and love for wealth : All of humanity will be brought back to life and the secrets of their hearts will be made apparent. Then all those base desires and evil intentions will be disclosed and punished. Allah indirectly warns man : If you knew that the Hereafter was a reality and you could witness it just once you would not be capitalistic and monopolistic in your thinking.

Verse 11

On the day of Qiyamah Allah will reward or punish a person based on His knowledge of their actions and intentions.

Lessons

1. Allah discourages greed and ingratitude in this Surah by presenting the example of a horse. Ponder a moment over this brilliant example which the Quran presents : A horse trained in the art of warfare plunges into the midst of battle in the face of grave danger. Why? Because the rider gives it food to eat and water to drink. The horse in return for this little kindness is more than prepared to give it’s life in defending it’s rider whenever and wherever he gives the command.

Now cast a glance at man himself. Allah created man, gave him powers of intelligence and understanding and saw to his every need and necessity in this world, not just food and water. Yet man does not appreciate these bounties of Allah on him. Instead he openly sins and transgresses without any fear of his creator!

To be grateful regarding the bounties of Allah means that one uses them sparingly and in accordance with Islamic teachings. Similarly, using these bounties but ignoring the creator by not worshipping Him is also a form of ingratitude.

2. Love for wealth should not be an obsession in man whereby he sacrifices all moral and divine principles in attaining it. Just as man does not love medicine but regards it as a necessity, wealth should be acquired as a necessity. Wealth should never become an obsession.

Maulana Rumi has explained it beautifully :

When water remains at the bottom of the ship the ship floats.

When water enters the ship it sinks.

Similarly, when wealth remains outside the heart it is earned and used justly. When love for wealth enters the heart then man sinks to his lowest ebb. He will lie, bribe, threaten and even kill to increase his worth.

Mufti Elias رحمه الله