Tafsir Surat al-Adiyat (The Courser)

By: Ayatullah al-Uzma Nasir Makarim Shirazi in Tafsir Namuneh
Translated from Farsi into English by: Fatima Zabeth Beenesh

Surat Al-`Ādiyāt (The Courser) - سورة العاديات
This sura descended at Medina and it has 11 aayat
The contents and virtues of Surat Al-`Ādiyāt
The interpreters of gracious Quran had a lot of discussion about the descent of Sura e Adiyat whether it is descended at Mecca or Medina. Most of them count it as Makki(belong to Mecca) where as a group of them believe it is Madani (belong to Medina). The closing end of the ayaat is short and they relied upon the vows and stressed upon the subject of the judgment day which gives evident about its being Makki.
From another side the contents of the vows of this sura fits to large extent to the matter of Jihad (the holy war) as they are narrations which mentioned this sura descended after the war of Zatus Salasal (the war fought on the eighth year of the hijrat, in that a large group of unbelievers were arrested and they were tied by the strong ropes hence it is named as Zatus Salasal which will be explained later). it proves that it is Madani. Even the vows in the beginning of the sura express the movement of the hajjaj (pilgrims) towards mina and mash’aril haram proves of its being Madani.
It is true that the Arabs were following the traditions of the hajj that was prevailing with all its roots and details of prophet Ibrahim’s peace be upon him traditions. But they were mixed with the superstitions in such a way that it seems impossible for the noble Quran to swear upon it.
According to its total dimensions we prefer it to be Madani (descended at medina). As we told that is clear by the contents of the sura, it is mentioned in the beginning there are vows which are awakening and after that the weak points of the human kind like blasphemy, miserliness, adoring the money-orientated life and finally a brief and evident indication towards the judgment day and the grip of divine knowledge surrounding over his creatures, ended the sura.
About the merits of reading the sura, from the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him we read: the one who reads the Sura e Adiyat he will be given ten times more virtues equal to the number of the pilgrims present on the night of the festival of sacrifice Baqr Eid those halt at the Mazdalfa.
In another hadis by imam Sadiq alaihis salam we read: the one who recites continuously the Sura e Adiyat, the Loving and Praiseworthy God raise him up along with amiral mominin Ali alaihis salam on the Resurrection day. He will be in the company of Maula Ali alaihis salam and his campany.
By some of the narrators in defining the virtues of Sura e Adiyat they said: It is equal to half of the dignified Quran.
It is fully evident that so much virtues of Sura e Adiyat is for those people who moulded the pattern of their life upon it and must have total faith in it.
Al-'Adiyat (Those That Run)
وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا
(100:1

By the (high spirited horses) that run, with puffing (breath),
فَالْمُورِيَاتِ قَدْحًا
(100:2)
Striking sparks of fire (by their hooves),
!فَالْمُغِيرَاتِ صُبْحًا
(100:3)
And rubbing to raid at dawn
!فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِ نَقْعًا
(100:4)
thereby raising clouds of dust,
!فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِ جَمْعًا
(100:5)
Penetrating forthwith into the midst (of the foe);
!إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ
(100:6)
Most surely man is ungrateful to his Lord.
!وَإِنَّهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ
(100:7)
And to that fact he bears witness (by his deeds);
!وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ
(100:8)
Verily, to the love of wealth he is most ardently devoted.
!أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِي الْقُبُورِ
(100:9)
But does he not know that [on the Last Day,] when all that is in the graves is raised and brought out,
!وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِي الصُّدُورِ
(100:10)
And all that is [hidden] in men's hearts is made apparent.
!إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌ
(100:11)
Most surely their Lord that day [will show that He] has always been fully aware of them?

All about its descent
In a hadis it is mentioned that this sura descended after the war of Zatus Salasal.
On the eighth year of the hijrat (Hegira, a journey to a more desirable or congenial place.), the great prophet peace be upon him was informed that 12000 horse men were gathered in the territory of Yabis and they gave the oath that they will not lay down to rest until they kill the great prophet peace be upon him and hazrat Ali alaihis salam and disperse the force of Islam.
The great prophet peace be upon him gathered a great number of followers under the leadership of some of his companions and sent them to negotiate with the enemies. They returned back without any result after many negotiations. Finally the dignified prophet peace be upon him appointed with hazrat Ali alaihis salam along with the large number of the Muhajir (emigrants) and Ansar (assisters) and sent them to fight with them.
They rode with high speed towards the territory of enemy, at the night hours too, continued their journey and surrounded the enemy at the dawn. In the beginning they presented the religion of Islam to them, when they refused the troops of Islam attacked them and still it was dark, they crushed them and killed a number of them. And arrested their women and children and plundered a large booty.
The sura of Adiyat descended as the army of Islam was still at their way back to Medina. The prophet of Allah was arrived for the morning namaz and recited this sura in the namaz and after finishing the prayers his companion expressed: for the first time we are hearing this sura.
He replied: Yea Ali alaihis salam defeated the enemy and last night jibril (Gabriel) alaihis salam by bringing the glad tiding conveyed me the news.
A few days later they entered the city of Medina with large booty of war.

Definition:
Swear by the enlightened holy warriors!
As we said this sura started with the awakening vows, at the beginning it said: swear by the galloping horses who are puffing heavily and proceeding (towards the battle field).
وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا
(100:1)
Or it vows upon the camels of the pilgrims who runs from the territory of Arafat towards the Mash’arul Haram and from the Mash’ar proceeds in fast speed towards the Mina.
عَادِيَاتِ
Is above term is the plural of the below term
عاديه
Which means to get apart and overtake, here it means to run fast.
ضَبْحًا
The above term means the rapid panting of the running horses we hear it while they run.
As we indicated above in the definition of the ayat they are two views.
The first swear is by the horses that run in high speed towards the battle field. Whereas jihad is the holy war and these animals for the sacred cause acquire that value and status, worthy of swearing on their name.
In another interpretation the swear is by the name of the camels while performing the duty of hajj and halting between the holy places and the moving with high speed. As a result they sanctified them and worth to vow upon their name.
In a hadis it is mentioned that Ibn Abbas stated: I was at Hajr Ismail near the house of ka’ba a man came to me and asked me about the ayat:
وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا

It means the horses while attacking in the cause of jihad (the holy war of Islam) and return back in the darkness of the night to their resting place. The soldiers set fire and prepare food for them.
That man went a little far-off and approached Ali alaihis salam as he was near the Zam Zam well and asked about the same ayat.
He said: did you ask anybody this question before me? He replied: Yea, I had asked Ibn Abbas before. He replied: It means the horses attack in the cause of Jihad. He said: Go call him and bring him to me.
When I came at the service of Ali alaihis salam, he said: Why do you give fatva (judgment) about the anything which do not know at all. The first war in Islam was (Muhammad’s war against infidels) gazva of Badr and we were not possessing more than two horses, one belonged to Zubair and another to Miqdad and the meaning of the adiyat is the horses. Not even the he camels that are travelling from Arafat to Mash’ar and from mash’ar to Mina.
Ibn Abbas said: As I heard it, I had altered my opinion and accepted the impression of ameer mominan Ali alaihis salam.
There is a possibility that the term “adiyat” has a vast meaning that is the horses of the holy warriors ‘Mujahideen’ as well as the camels of pilgrim’s ‘Hajis’. The above narrations we extract that we must not confine only to the horses as this term everywhere proves true. Its evident proof is the horses of the pilgrims too.
Then it adds: Swear by those who ignited the sparks of the fire.
!فَالْمُورِيَاتِ قَدْحًا
(100:2)
The horses of Mujahideen who move fast towards the battle field and the sparks glimmer by the effect of the contact of their horse’s hooves with the desert stones or by the effect of the camels hooves upon the stones and the pebbles moving in high speed towards the sacred locations of hajj.
Or the tribes or the groups who light the fire on the locations of hajj to prepare the meals or indicate those who creates the flames of war and holy combat or the tongues by the smashing statements create blaze in the heart of the enemy. Or some of the interpreters point out towards those who try hard to fulfil the needs of the people, these people proceed same as sparks that emerge out of the stones when strike upon them. But these suppositions are mostly improbable outward appearances by the two previous definitions.
مُورِيَاتِ
The above term means to create fire
قَدْحًا
To Strike one another, the stones, wood and iron for creating a sparks of light.
Then in the third vow it said: swear by those who attacked the enemy at the dawn of the day.
!فَالْمُغِيرَاتِ صُبْحًا
(100:3)
As Tabrisi related in the “Majamail Bayan’: it was the custom of the Arabs to reach near to the place of rival over night and sit in the ambush so that to attack them in the morning hours.
In the sha’n e nuzul (all about its descent) of the ayat we read: the army of Islam under the command of Ali alaihis salam took advantage of the night’s darkness and advanced towards the battle field and lied in wait near the tribe of enemy and in the morning hours attacked them like a thunder bolt, Before facing any reaction by the enemy and crush their power.
And if the vows are about the camels of pilgrims’ hajjis these ayaat are indicating towards the caravan of the camels in the morning hours of eid from Mash’ar to Mina.
مُغِيرَاتِ
The above term means to attack upon the enemy and rush around them.
Then indicated towards other specifications of the mujahideen ‘the holy warriors’ and their riding animals and added: they rushed upon the enemy in such a rapid manner that they scattered the dust and sand everywhere.
فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِ نَقْعًا

أَثَرْنَ
It means to spread the dust and smoke and sometimes it gives the meaning, to create excitement and to spread the waves of sound in the air.
نَقْعًا
The above term means the dust.
In defining the last specifications of them, it expressed: In that same morning hours they appeared amidst the enemy.
فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِ جَمْعًا

Their attack was in such flash like manner and shocking that within a few moments tore down the rows of the opponent warriors and rushed into their heart and scattered their gang. It is the result of the speedy action, alertness, promptness, vigilance, heroism and courage.
Or it is indicating the entrance of the haji’s pilgrims from mash’ar in the heart of Mina.
Some defined, to surround the enemy like a ring. Jihad have such a greatness even the breath of the holy warrior horses is worthy to swear upon them, the spark of their hooves created by striking to the stones and similar is the dust dispersed in the air. Yea the dust related to the scene of holy war is valuable and excellent.
Some said: By the vows may be it means the human souls who can transfer their perfection to the others. The glow of their knowledge expresses by their thoughts and attack upon their capricious desires and fancies. And spread the divine enthusiasm in their inner souls and among the others. And finally establish their status among the Ili’een (the highest place in the heaven).
But it is evident that we can never accept them as a definition of the above ayaat however they appear to the mind similar to the definition of the ayat.
After declaration of these great vows responded the vows that are the deeds for which the vows are solemnised and said: Verily the human being is miserly and unthankful towards the blessings of his creature.
إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ

The same man who is untrained, the person upon who’s heart the light of divine education did not shined, finally the person who is submitted to the disobedient natural instincts, passions and the lusts. He is surely submitted to ungratefulness, he is close fisted and miserly.
كَنُودٌ
The above term is defined to the land where nothing is grown and it is applied to the man who is unthankful and miserly.
The interpreters defined the term ‘kanud’ in different manners. Abul Fatuh Razi had quoted fifteen meanings for this term. Almost they are the branches and shoots of that basic term which is mentioned above. Such as:
1- Kanud is the person who expresses his hardships in bombastic manner and forgets his blessings.
2- Kanud is the one who eats the affluences and favours of the Generous God all lone and stay away to share with others. Hence in narration from the great prophet peace be upon him, we read: do you know who kanud is?
كَنُودٌ
They replied: The Generous God and his prophets are better aware about it.
The noble prophet peace be upon him said: he is the person who eats unaccompanied and avoids giving the charity and donations, and beats the one who is working under his hands.
3- Kanud is the person who never helps his friends who are going through hardships and worries.
4- The one whose kindness for others is very less.
5- He is the person when some blessings reach him he never wants to share them with others but as soon as the problems are inflicted upon him he gets impatient and began to complain.
6- He is the person who spends the divine blessings in the way of sins.
7- He is the one who denies the blessing of the Provider God.
However as we said all these definitions are the true branches and shoots of the thanklessness and miserliness.
Here by the man we mean the mischievous, restless, rebellious and disloyal people. Some defined it as kafir ‘infidels’. Else surely every man is not like that besides verily there are many a people, for them gratefulness, donation and endowment is stirred in their soul. They are disgusted with the miserliness and unholy things. Same way the people in the shadow of faith upon the Provider God stepped out from the valley of the selfishness and egoism and flied in the sky of the wisdom and knowledge of the names and the qualities of the All Knowing God and attaches themselves to the divine morality.
Then it adds: he himself is the witness upon that term.
وَإِنَّهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ

As the man have the insight in his inner self. If he is able to conceal his qualities from each and every person but he cannot hide it from the All Seeing God and his own inner self whether he admits it or denies it.
Some say the pronoun Innahu
إِنَّه
Turns towards the most High and Sublime God that means The Observer God is the witness over the Kanud (bad) qualities of the man.
By the other probability it means that the witness of man himself for his own sins and faults, for this reason it is brought in the most of the ayaat of Quran. This term has very detail and wide meaning that it may include the presentation of the witnesses of man about his own offensiveness and miserliness committing in this world.
Though it is true that the man is helpless in discovering himself and in other words he deceives his own conscience and adorns his devilish and dreadful qualities and visualise them beautiful in his image. But in the specific issues the miserliness and the blasphemy is so much evident that he cannot cover it and he cannot deceive his conscience.
Once more in the ayat it adds: he had severe and intense attachment in the riches and materialism.
وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ

And this intense and unlimited affection towards the wealth and richness creates the miserliness, ungratefulness and wickedness in him.
Certainly the term below
الْخَيْر
Had vast meaning that includes every type of kindness,
Verily the attachment towards the good deeds like gaining the knowledge and awareness in science, piety, to attain the heavenly abode and well being is not the disagreeable matter to be criticised by noble Quran but hence the interpreters defined it to the wealth according to the situation in the serial order of the ayaat and some of the other ayaat of dignified Quran are the witness upon it in the ayat 180 of Sura e Baqara it is said: Al-Baqara (The Cow)
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ إِن تَرَكَ خَيْرًا الْوَصِيَّةُ لِلْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالأقْرَبِينَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُتَّقِينَ (2:180)
Prescribed for you when death approaches [any] one of you if he leaves wealth [is that he should make] an inheritance for the parents and near relatives according to what is acceptable - a duty upon the righteous.
Certainly using the word khaer
خَيْرًا
Upon the wealth is for the reason that the wealth is fair in its own limits. It can be the source of many excellent deeds but the ungrateful and miserly man obstructs its main cause and utilizes it in the way of selfishness and dictatorship.
Then with a Confirmatory interrogative question blended with warning it adds: Does not this ungrateful, miserly and materialistic man knows that whatever present in the graves get alive.
!أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِي الْقُبُورِ
(100:9)
The time when it is expressed whatever hidden in the heart such as blasphemy, faith, sincerity, untruth, pride and humbleness, the virtuous and evil intentions.
!وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِي الصُّدُورِ
(100:10)
On that day their Provident Lord of universe is all aware of their deeds and intentions and according to that he rewards them.
إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌ

بُعْثِرَ
Basically the above term means to make upside down and to take out whatever hidden inside. While giving life to the dead bodies, the graves are overturned, whatsoever inside it, get visible. In the above ayaat these terms are used regarding the judgement day.
مَا فِي الْقُبُورِ

مَا
The above term is used for the creatures that do not possess wisdom.
Or for the reason that the dead bodies are still buried under the ground or for the ambiguity is prevailing upon them it is unknown that who are those people.
قُبُورِ
The meaning of above term is the graves, it does not contradicts the subject that some people basically do not possess grave for example they are drowned in the sea or may be their grave get vanished after a period of time and their graves get dispersed. May be the meaning of grave here is limitless. May be it is the place where the sands of man are located though they are not the usual graves.
حُصِّلَ
The above term means to take out the pulp from the skin same way the refinement and filtration in the minerals or to take out the gold and separate them from other metals of the mine stone. In the ayat under discussion it means to separate the good from evil concealed in the heart.
In general the faith, blasphemy, the virtues and evil qualities and the good and the bad intentions, that day it is made distinct. According to that each and every body gets it reward and punishments.
As it is mentioned in the ayat 9th of Sura e Tariq: At-Tariq (The Night-Comer)
!يَوْمَ تُبْلَى السَّرَائِرُ
(86:9)
On the Day when all I secrets will be made manifest,
يَوْمَئِذٍ
The day when the Benevolent God is all aware as He is always well aware about our deeds it is for the reason that day is the day of rewards he will gift them according to their believe and deed.
As told by some of the interpreters this term is like saying to somebody while warning it is told: soon your deeds will be introduced to you. Even today this kind of warning exists.
Yea the All-Seeing God always in every situation is perfectly conscious with inner and outer secrets but in the judgement day while giving the rewards they will become more manifest. This is the warning for all the human beings if they have full faith in it. These believe will create a dominant barrier between them and the sins. Generally from the apparent and secret sins, the inner and the outer sins and the effects of this believe upon the upbringing of human being is not concealed upon any body.

The points:

1 The connection of the vows of this Sura e Adiyat and its aim.
It is yielded by the questions concerning this sura that what is the relation existed between the vows upon the horses of the holy warriors and the verse
!إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ
(100:6)
Hence in studying the ayaat of dignified Quran it illustrates that there is a relation between the vows and the things which are vowed upon. Basically the eloquence and fluency of the gracious Quran demands this.
About the ayat under discussion possibly the connection is in such a manner that they are existing the sacrificing people who go forward bravely and confidently in the way of jihad ‘the holy war’ and they certainly not cease to grant any sacrifice.
Though it is true that the vow is taken upon the horses but we know that their importance is for the reason that they are the tools in the hands of the mujahideen ‘the holy warriors’. In fact the vow upon the holy war of mujahideen (as well as the pilgrims of the house of Almighty God).
Some said that due to the connection which is achieved, as these animals in the way of the divine consent proceed in speed why you a human being are not submitted to him when you are the noblest of the creatures and more capable for that?

2- Does the man is miserly and ungrateful by nature?
Possibly some people by the sentence mentioned below translated kanud as:
إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ

That means ungratefulness and miserliness is the part of the human nature. Then a question arises that whether this matter is connected with the awakened conscious and the natural talents of man which invites the man towards the gratefulness towards the provider of the blessings, how is it agreeable?
Similar other examples are here
Al-Ahzab (The Confederates)
!وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنسَانُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا
(33:72)
33:72 Verily, he has always been prone to be most wicked, most foolish.
Al-Ma'arig (The Ways of Ascent)
!إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا
(70:19)
70:19 VERILY, man is born with a restless disposition.
Hud (The Prophet Hud)
!إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ
(11:9)
11:9 behold, he abandons all hope, forgetting all gratitude [for Our past favours]
Al-Alaq (The Clot)
!كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَى
(96:6)
96:6 No! [But] indeed, man transgresses.
Does all these weak points exits in the human nature? Whereas the righteous Quran expresses that the Merciful God had bestowed a lot of esteem to man and presented him superiority over all his creation: Al-Isra (The Journey by Night)
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلاً (17:70

And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.
The answer to this question clarifies the point and that is: the human being had the two dimensions of existence. Therefore in the ascending arc he reaches to the highest point “aala Ili’eem” and in the descending arc he will reach to the lower most point “asfalus safilin”. If he establish himself under the training of the divine guides and receives the inspiration from the channel of wisdom and built his inner self applicable to the ayat:
!وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلاً
(17:70)
And if he turns his back towards the piety and comes out of the line of the friends of the Majestic God he acquire the face of
ظلوم - کفار- یؤس-هلوع-کنود-کفور
So there is no contradiction in the ayaat but each of them observes a dimension in the existence of man.
Yea in the nature of man all the virtues, honours, kindness are hidden. Same way the man has the capability of the opposite character too. Hence in no creature in the world of existence have such a distance in the highest ascending and lowest descending arc.

3- The greatness of Jihad!
In the dignified Quran there are countless definitions about the Jihad ‘the holy war’ and the holy warriors in the way of Allah but may be in no place it is mentioned like this way, even the breathing of their horses and he sparks of their hooves and the dust and sand created by their rapidness was known so much great valued to vow upon their names.
Specifically their swiftness in action is one the root cause of their victory in the battle field is insisted upon shaking the base of the enemy by shocking them.
And all these are educating in programming the Jihad.
It is remarkable that in the descent of the of this Sura, maula Ali alaihis salam commanded and said: In the darkness of the night make the horses standing by and to give them enough food and fit the saddles upon them to make them operational and be completely in state of the alert. When the veil of darkness began to split instantly he performed the morning namaz with his companions and immediately attacked the enemy. When the enemy got awake they found themselves laid under the hooves of the mujahideen.
This swift and surprising attack even lessened to the last extent, the casualties and in a short period of time finished the war. And interestingly all these matters are reflected very delicately in the ayaat of the Sura e Adiyat.
It is obvious that neither the horse nor the sparks of their hooves caused by contact with the stones of the desert, the sand and dust created by their feet, does not have any importance, the matter which is significant that is Jihad. And then the equipments of war as it is mentioned in the ayat 60 of the Sura e Anfal the horses of war mentioned exactly next to the power and strength.
Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War)
!وَأَعِدُّواْ لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِّبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدْوَّ اللّهِ
(8:60)
And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of stallions of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah.
O Strong and Unique God! Bestow upon us the ability to offer the sacrifice and fight the holy war of jihad to gain your consent and blessing.
O the Powerful and Dominant God! Our inner self is rebellious and tends much towards the ungratefulness and impiety, protect us from their hazards.
O the All Aware God, the Source of all Goodness! You are aware of all the internal and external secrets of everybody and well aware of our deeds, you treat us with your kindness and favour.
Ameen, O God! The Provider of the universe

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