المرسلات
Al-Mursalat
The Emissaries • makkah • 50 Verses
View Aspects
وَٱلْمُرْسَلَٰتِ عُرْفًا
Important Words:
واو (by). For the philosophy and significance of Quranic oaths see 37:2 & 91:2.
عرفا (goodness) is derived from عرف (‘arafa) which means, he knew it or he knew it by means of any of the five senses, also by mental perception. عرف (‘urfun) means, acknowledgment or confession; goodness or a good action or quality; gentleness; beneficence, a benefit or bounty; common parlance or usage. They say جاء القوم عرفا عرفا i.e. the people came one after another (Lane).
Commentary:
The things, agencies or beings mentioned in this and the following four verses have been taken by various authorities to refer to winds; angels; God’s Messengers and their followers; and particularly and very appropriately, to the Companions of the Holy Prophet. As referring to the Companions of the Holy Prophet the verse would mean that in the beginning of Islam the Companions of the Prophet spread the Message of truth slowly and gently; as referring to Divine Messengers it means that they appear one after the other with the Message of truth which they spread with love.
The things, agencies or beings, mentioned in this and the following four verses, have been taken by various authorities to refer to winds; angels; God’s Messengers and their followers; and particularly and very appropriately, to the Companions of the Holy Prophet. As referring to the Companions of the Holy Prophet the verse would mean that in the beginning the Companions of the Holy Prophet would spread the Message of Islam slowly and gently.
فَٱلْعَٰصِفَٰتِ عَصْفًا
Important Words:
عصفاً (forceful pushing). عصف means, he was quick or swift. عصفت الریح means, the wind blew violently or vehemently. عصف الزرع means, he cut the corn from its stalks or before its maturity. عصف means, straw or broken straw (Lane).
Commentary:
In view of the different meanings of عصف the verse may be taken to mean that after the initial difficulties in the preaching had been overcome, the Companions of the Holy Prophet were able to proceed much faster and carry on the Quranic Message with great vigour; or that, with the help of the Quranic teaching, they scattered before them falsehood and the forces of evil as broken straw is carried before the wind.
After the initial difficulties in the work of the preaching having been overcome, the Companions of the Holy Prophet would proceed much faster and carry on the Message of Islam with greater vigour; or, the verse may mean that with the help of the Quranic teaching, they would scatter before them falsehood and the forces of evil as broken straw is carried before the wind.
وَٱلنَّٰشِرَٰتِ نَشْرًا
Commentary:
The verse means that they proclaimed and spread the Message of truth far and wide, or scattered the seeds of goodness everywhere.
They would proclaim and spread the Message of Truth far and wide; or scatter the seeds of goodness everywhere.
فَٱلْفَٰرِقَٰتِ فَرْقًا
Commentary:
With the dissemination of the Quranic Message, truth became distinct from falsehood and good men from bad men.
With the dissemination of the Quranic Message, Truth will become distinguished from falsehood and good men from bad men.
فَٱلْمُلْقِيَٰتِ ذِكْرًا
Commentary:
Divine Messengers, or the Companions of the Holy Prophet, spread the Divine Message in order to warn people and also to establish the fact that they had conveyed the Message and thus had discharged the duty entrusted to them.
عُذْرًا أَوْ نُذْرًا
The verse signifies that the fact will become established that they had conveyed and fully discharged the duty entrusted to them.
إِنَّمَا تُوعَدُونَ لَوَٰقِعٌ
51:6.
فَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ طُمِسَتْ
82:3.
Important Words:
طمست (are made to lose their light). طمس means, it became effaced or obliterated. طمس النجم means, the star lost or became deprived of its light طمس الغیم النجوم means, the clouds concealed or covered the stars. (Lane & Aqrab). See also 10:89.
Commentary:
The verse means: When the religious divines become corrupt and cease to provide guidance to the masses, or when diverse calamities are about to befall people. The Arabs regarded the disappearance of stars as a sign of impending calamities.
وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ فُرِجَتْ
Commentary:
The verse means, when a new revelation begins to be sent down, or when great calamities and miseries befall the world.
وَإِذَا ٱلْجِبَالُ نُسِفَتْ
78:21; 81:4.
Commentary:
The purport of the verse is: When great changes take place, or when powerful and influential men are brought low; or when old and time-honoured institutions are destroyed, root and branch. In short, when the whole corrupt order changes. For جبال see 14:47.
When great changes take place, or when powerful and influential men are laid low; or when old and time-honoured institutions are destroyed, root and branch. In short, when the whole corrupt order dies out.
وَإِذَا ٱلرُّسُلُ أُقِّتَتْ
Commentary:
The meaning is: When prophecies concerning the second advent of various Messengers will be fulfilled with the appearance in the world of a great heavenly Reformer who will come in the power and spirit of such Messengers, clad, as it were, in the mantles of all of them.
When a great Heavenly Reformer will appear with the power and spirit of God’s Messengers, clad, as it were, in the mantles of all of them.
لِأَىِّ يَوْمٍ أُجِّلَتْ
Important Words:
أجلت (deferred) is derived from أجل (ajila) which means, it was or became delayed, postponed, kept back or it had a term or period appointed for it at which it should fall due or come to pass. أجل الشیء (ajjala) means, he delayed or postponed or deferred the thing or he appointed a period or term for it. (Lane & Aqrab).
لِيَوْمِ ٱلْفَصْلِ
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا يَوْمُ ٱلْفَصْلِ
Commentary:
The Day of Decision may mean the day of the triumph of Islam over all other Faiths in the time of the Promised Messiah. Or it may mean the Resurrection Day.
وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Commentary:
The reference in the verse may be to the disbelievers in the Holy Prophet’s time or in that of the Promised Messiah.
أَلَمْ نُهْلِكِ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
6:134.
ثُمَّ نُتْبِعُهُمُ ٱلْءَاخِرِينَ
6:134.
كَذَٰلِكَ نَفْعَلُ بِٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
Commentary:
The guilty never go unpunished, and the punishment, in the time of a Divine Messenger, takes place on a larger scale, involving whole communities and nations.