الذاريات
Ad-Dhariyat
The Winnowing Winds • makkah • 60 Verses
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وَٱلذَّٰرِيَٰتِ ذَرْوًا
Important Words:
For the meanings of the particle واو (by), and for the philosophy of the Quranic oaths see 37:2; 50:2 and 91:2.
الذاریات (those that scatter) is the plural of ذاریة which is act. part. From ذرو or ذری. They say ذری الشیء i.e. the thing flew in the air. ذرا او أذری الریح التراب means, the wind raised, carried away or dispersed the dust. الذاریات means, the winds that raise or carry away or disperse, or the angels that cause the scattering away of the created things. ذرواً which is infinitive noun is added to الذاریات to add intensiveness to the meaning or to complete it (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
For a collective note on this and the next three verses see v. 5 below.
فَٱلْحَٰمِلَٰتِ وِقْرًا
Important Words:
وقراً (load) is derived from وقر which means, (1) he was or became dull of hearing; (2) he or it was or became still or motionless; he rested; (3) he was or became grave, staid, steady, sedate or calm. They say وقرت النخلة او أوقرت i.e. the palm tree became laden or heavily laden with fruit. أو قرہ الدین means, debt burdened him or burdened him heavily. وقر (wiqrun) means, a load, a heavy load; a weight that is carried upon the back or head; a cloud laden with water. وقر (waqrun) means, a heaviness in the ear; or dullness of hearing; entire loss of hearing (Lane & Aqrab).
فَٱلْجَٰرِيَٰتِ يُسْرًا
Commentary:
See next verse.
فَٱلْمُقَسِّمَٰتِ أَمْرًا
Commentary:
From a phenomenon in physical nature the four verses (2-5) draw attention to a parallel spiritual phenomenon. The parallelism is striking. The four words الذاریات (those that scatter), الحاملات (those that carry), الجاریات (those that speed lightly along) and المقسمات (those that distribute), when pointing to the physical phenomenon, may stand for winds that scatter far and wide the vapours that rise from the oceans, carry the clouds laden with rainwater, blow gently and then cause rain to fall on dry, parched and burnt land and turn it into a smiling, blooming and blossoming piece of earth, full of verdure, beautiful flowers and sweet fruits. These four words may also stand for the band of righteous men who drinking deep at the spiritual fountain that the Holy Prophet caused to flow: and after; assimilating and becoming impregnated with the beautiful and life-giving Quranic teaching, went to the remote corners of Arabia and afterwards to far-off lands, carrying their blessed load, and scattering the revealed Word of God in countries, reeking with polytheistic beliefs and immoral practices—not with the sword but with love and peace, like winds that blow gently and carry rain to withered land.
From a phenomenon in physical nature, the four verses (2-5) draw attention to a parallel spiritual phenomenon. The parallelism is very striking. The four words— adh-Dhariyat (those that scatter), al-Hamilat (those that carry), al-Jariyat (those that speed lightly along) and al-Muqassimat (those that distribute)—when pointing to the physical phenomenon, may stand for winds that scatter far and wide, the vapours that rise from the oceans, carry the clouds laden with rain-water, blow gently and then cause rain to fall on dry, parched and burnt land and turn it into a smiling, blooming and blossoming piece of earth, full of verdure, beautiful flowers and sweet fruits. Spiritually speaking, these four words may stand for that band of righteous men, who drinking deep at the spiritual fountain that the Holy Prophet caused to flow, and who, after assimilating and being impregnated with the beautiful and life- giving Quranic teaching, went forth to the remote corners of Arabia and af
إِنَّمَا تُوعَدُونَ لَصَادِقٌ
b52:8.
Commentary:
The verse purports to say that the holy men of God referred to in the preceding four verses will discharge their sacred obligations fully and faithfully, and will thus fulfil prophecies concerning the spread and triumph of Islam. This fact will show that the promise about life after death and about the Resurrection was true.
52:8.
وَإِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ لَوَٰقِعٌ
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلْحُبُكِ
Important Words:
الحبک (tracks) is the plural of حبیکة (and حباک ) which is derived from حبک. They say حبکه i.e. he tried it, and made it firm; hewore it firmly and well. حبیکة means, the track of the stars, the streak or track in the sky; the path or way. حبک السماء means, the tracks, paths, ways in the heaven. حباک means, the black thread with which are sewn the borders of a cloth: a streak or line; the ripples of sand. حبک الماء means, the ripples of water (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
Tracks or paths of heaven (حبک السماء) are the orbits of planets, comets, and stars with which the vault of heaven is strewn. These celestial bodies float, in their respective orbits performing their allotted tasks regularly, punctually and unerringly, without trespassing on one another’s sphere of action and all united forming a glorious harmony of structure and motion. That the heaven is full of such tracks on which planets and stars travel, was a discovery made to the world by the Quran at a time when it was believed that the heavens were solid in their formation. Does not this fact alone constitute an argument in support of the Quran being the revealed Word of God?
Tracks or paths of heaven are the orbits of planets, comets, and stars with which the vault of heaven is strewn. These celestial bodies float in their respective orbits performing their allotted tasks regularly, punctually and unerringly, without trespassing on one another’s sphere of action and all united forming a glorious harmony of structure and motion. That the heaven is full of such tracks on which planets and stars travel, was a discovery made to the world by the Qur’an, at a time when it was believed that the heavens were solid in their formation.
إِنَّكُمْ لَفِى قَوْلٍ مُّخْتَلِفٍ
Commentary:
The verse means to say that the great astronomical truth revealed in the preceding verse leads to the inference that the Quran is God’s own revealed Word and that there exists a unity of purpose and harmony in Divine work, and yet the materialistic philosophers coin far-fetched theories, groping and floundering in ill-founded surmises and conjectures, not believing in God’s Word and His Prophet.
The great astronomical truth revealed in the preceding verse leads to the inference that the Qur’an is God’s own revealed Word and that there exists a unity of purpose and harmony in Divine work, and yet the materialistic philosophers coin far-fetched theories, groping and floundering in ill-founded surmises and conjectures, not believing in God’s Word and in His Prophet.
يُؤْفَكُ عَنْهُ مَنْ أُفِكَ
Commentary:
The expression من أفک means, he on account of whose evil and wilful conduct the Divine Decree that he should be turned away from truth comes into operation. Or it means, he who himself would turn away.
The words may also mean, 'he who himself would turn away.'
قُتِلَ ٱلْخَرَّٰصُونَ
Important Words:
الخراصون (liars) is the plural of خراص (kharras) which is the intensive form of خارص which is act. part. from خرص which means, he lied, he said what was untrue. خرص النخل means, he computed by conjecture the quantity of the fruit upon the palm-trees. تخرص و اخترص (takharrasa) means, he forged a lie. خارص means, a liar and خراص a great liar (Lane & Aqrab).
ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى غَمْرَةٍ سَاهُونَ
Important Words:
غمرة (depth of ignorance) is derived from غمر (ghamara). They say غمرہ الماء i.e. the water rose above him and submerged him. غمر علیه means, he fainted or swooned. غمر الرجل (ghamora) means, the man was ignorant or inexperienced in the affair. غمرة means, depth or flood of ignorance; error; obstinacy and perplexity; overwhelming heedlessness or ignorance; a state of obstinate perseverance in a vain and false thing; water that rises above the stature of a man (Lane & Aqrab).
ساھون (heedless) is the plural of ساھی (or سھوان) and is derived from سھا. They say سھا فیه او سھا عنه i.e. he was or became unmindful, forgetful, neglectful or heedless of it or inadvertent to it, his mind adverting to another thing or affair or case. According to some these two expressions slightly differ in their significations; سھا فیه meaning, he neglected the thing and سھا عنه means, he neglected the thing knowingly (Lane & Aqrab).
Ghamrah means, depth of ignorance; error; obstinacy and perplexity; overwhelming heedlessness; a state of obstinate perseverance in a vain and false thing (Lane).
يَسْـَٔلُونَ أَيَّانَ يَوْمُ ٱلدِّينِ
7:188; 79:43.
يَوْمَ هُمْ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ يُفْتَنُونَ
Commentary:
In the preceding verse the disbelievers were mentioned as asking mockingly, "When will be the Day of Judgement?" Here they are answered with a retort that "It will be the day when they will be burned in the fire."
ذُوقُوا۟ فِتْنَتَكُمْ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ
22:48; 26:205; 27:72-73; 29:54-55.
26:205; 27:72, 73; 29:54, 55.
إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِى جَنَّٰتٍ وَعُيُونٍ
15:46; 52:18; 68:35; 77:42; 78:32.
Commentary:
As against those who flounder in the welter of wrong beliefs and evil deeds and deny the possibility of the Day of Judgement, the righteous and the God-fearing will reside in heavenly gardens, full of springs and streams—the spiritual embodiments of the good deeds they had done in this life.
15:46; 52:18; 68:35; 77:42; 78:32.
ءَاخِذِينَ مَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَبْلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُحْسِنِينَ
Commentary:
Two different words have been used in the preceding and the present verse for the righteous believers—متقین (God-fearing) and (those who do good). A متقی is one who discharges his obligations faithfully and fully to God and man, and a محسن is he who does more good to others than the good he receives from them and acts and behaves as though he is actually seeing God or, in a lesser degree, he is conscious of God watching over him. Thus a محسن is a person of higher spiritual stature than a متقی.
A Muttaqi is one who discharges his obligations faithfully and fully to God and man, and a Muhsin is he who does more good to others than the good he receives from them and acts and behaves as though he is actually seeing God, or, in a lesser degree, he is conscious of God watching over him. Thus a Muhsin is a person of higher spiritual stature and calibre than a Muttaqi.
كَانُوا۟ قَلِيلًا مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ
32:17.
وَبِٱلْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ