Surah Naba

About what are they asking one another?

About the great news -

That over which they are in disagreement

نبا means 'news' but not every news is naba'. It means a 'momentous news of a great event'. Also, it is the kind of news that requires some action as a response, and it must be taken seriously. In contrast, خبر refers to any news, and usually it refers to small matters. Allah also adds عظيم to it to add further emphasis that it is a great news. عظم also refers to bones, or something unbreakable. So, this implies that this event is set in stone, and is bound to occur. It is something tangible that we will experience when the time comes.

نبا refers to the news of the Day of Judgement in this ayah. The inhabitants of Makkah ask about the Day of Judgement in which they dispute, some of them believed in Resurrection, others did not. Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas (RA) reports that when the revelation of Qur'an started, the pagan Arabs used to form circles and discuss and criticise it, especially the mention of Day of Judgement in the Qur'an. The pagans thought this was impossible, and they used to persuade themselves to believe that the Qiyamah will never take place. The Surah opens by shunning the enquirers and the enquiry. (MQ)

Their enquiry was not a genuine one where they were sincerely keen to learn about the truth. So they ask half-mockingly and half in doubt, when Qiyamah will happen? The intent of their question was not to seek the truth but to diminish the Quran, and make a mockery out of it. (MQ)

No! They are going to know

Then, no! They are going to know

The particle كلّا is negative, and means 'never, by no means/ not at all'. When كلّا is followed immediately by a statement, it adds emphasis to the statement and implies that it will indeed happen. Allah responds to their sarcasm, and implies that "Nooo! they will find out soon". This statement is repeated twice for emphasis. Its reality will be understood by them when they will face it directly. This matter cannot be understood by question and answer or by debate. It is such a reality that will manifest itself when the time comes. (MQ)

Allah usually threatens disbelievers in the Qur'an by either mentioning destruction of nations, the Day of Judgement, or the punishment of hell. Our ummah will not be destroyed by a collective punishment (adhaab). So, here Allah refers to the Day of Judgement and the punishment of Hell. (MQ)

Have We not made the earth a resting place?

Then, Allah begins to explain His great ability to create strange things and amazing matters. He brings this as a proof of His ability to do whatever He wishes concerning the matter of the Hereafter and other matters as well.

The Earth was made as a vast resting place, as a bed for us. مهادا is an established, firm and peaceful resting place that is subservient to them. Our beds are just tiny dots on the huge bed that Allah has provided us.

And the mountains as pegs?

The mountains act as pegs for the earth to hold it in place, make it stable and firm. This is so that it may be suitable for dwelling and not quake with those who are in it. Mountains are similar in appearance to tents. Compare our tents to Allah's tents. We are reminded of how humble our creation and human efforts are, compared to Allah's creation. We are incapable and Allah is capable.


And We created you in pairs

Living things were created in pairs, and the purpose was to sustain the cycle of life, and find solace and completion in our partners. ازواج also means groups, so this refers to the fact that humans are social animals, and we cannot live in isolation.

Other creation was made in pairs too, e.g. night and day, Earth as bed and mountains as pegs, body and soul etc. Similarly, life is also created in pairs, the life of this dunya and the afterlife.

And made your sleep [a means for] rest

The word سباتا is derived from سبت which means 'to cut off'. Sleep is something that cuts off the worries and tensions one may have, and thus gives him such a rest that cannot be attained from anything else. Therefore, some scholars translate the word subat as 'rest'.

This gift is made available equally and simultaneously for all. The gift of sleep is not dependent upon the mattresses, pillows, cottages and bungalows. It is purely a divine gift that is given directly by Allah. Often the poor, with no means of comfort and without bed or bedding, enjoy the best sleep in an open space. Sometimes, the affluent suffer from insomnia and can only get sleep when they take sleeping pills.

Not only that this great gift is given to all creatures - humans as well as animals - and it is given free of charge, without working for it. Allah has made it compulsory for everyone in a way that even if he wishes to keep awake because of load of work, sleep is imposed on him by Allah's mercy, so that his tiredness is removed and he is refreshed to work further. (MQ)

Sleep is a form of death, and wakefulness is a form of resurrection. Sleep should remind us of our death and getting up from sleep should remind us of the Day of Judgement. We should naturally come to this conclusion on our own.

And made the night as clothing

Man naturally feels sleepy when light decreases and darkness prevails, when there is tranquillity all around and there is absence of noises. Allah did not only give man sleep, but created in the entire world conditions that are suitable for sleep. The night was made as a لباس to cover everything with tranquility.

That is to say: [1] darkness of night; [2] the state of sleep is imposed on all humans and animals simultaneously, so that they sleep at the same time. In this way, there will be peace and tranquillity throughout the world. (MQ)

And made the day for livelihood

Man requires, together with sleep, other essentials of life, such as livelihood. Otherwise, the sleep will turn into death. If the world would have had only nights and no days, and man would have continued to sleep all the time, how would he have obtained his livelihood and other essentials, whereas day is the time when he could work hard and make activities in the daylight in order to earn a living. We made it radiant, luminous, and shining so that the people would be able to move about in it.(MQ)

The relationship between man and woman can be compared with the night and the day. The night has been described as a لباس so one aspect of our human relationship is that we are a source of love, protection, closeness, comfort, beauty for each other. The day is a معاش  so the other aspect of our relationship is that of fulfilling responsibilities, earning provision and facing the struggles of life together. So, marriage is a balance of love and responsibilities, and both are equally essential to keep this relationship going. (NAK)

And constructed above you seven strong [heavens]

Allah constructed above us seven strong/intense ceilings/heavens. Imagine the seven heavens in their vastness, loftiness, perfection, precision, and adornment with stars.  Compare that to our construction. Allah's construction is unparalleled and flawless.

And made [therein] a burning lamp

We install lamps and chandeliers as sources of light in our ceilings, but what are they compared to the lamp that Allah has placed in the skies? The lamp is سراجا (shining, burning, luminous lamp) and it is وهاجا which means that it keeps giving intense heat, over and over again.


 And sent down, from the rain clouds, pouring water

معصرات is something that squeezes, so clouds squeeze and push against each other to produce rain. ثجاجا refers to abundant, continuous  pouring, so it refers to heavy pouring rain.

That We may bring forth thereby grain and vegetation


And gardens of entwined growth.

حبا and نباتا are necessities for survival. Grain and vegetation refers to the things necessary for survival.
الفافا is something that is entwined, entangled. Gardens represent beauty, and they are not essential unlike grains and vegetation. So, the earth produces things of necessity and things of beauty, and both have their own purpose.

Allah uses the word جنات to remind us of the gardens of Jannah. Everything in dunya should remind us of akhirah. Allah gave us a preview of the blessings of Jannah in this dunya. If we hadn't experienced snippets of these blessings in dunya (e.g. rivers, garden etc.), we would not have been drawn to the beauty of Jannah.

Indeed, the Day of Separation/Judgement is an appointed time -

It is a Day of Separation. Why is it called a Day of separation? People will be separated in different groups based on their deeds. Also, we will be separated from our status, wealth, friends, family, opportunities and possessions that we had in dunya, and we will be on our own on that day.

The Day the Horn is blown and you will come forth in multitudes


The trumpet will be blown twice. When it is blown the first time, the entire world will come to an end. When it is blown the second time, people of the entire world, the earlier generations as well as the latter generations, will be resurrected and come in multitudes and droves. افواجا refers to huge groups or large herds of people. (MQ)

And the heaven is opened and will become gateways

The heaven was earlier described as seven strong skies. At other places in the Quran, Allah says: Do you see any crack in it? The sky was described as an impenetrable fort. But, on the Day of Judgement, it will become massive passageways and gateways. The sky will have so many openings that it will not even appear like a wall anymore. There will be paths, and routes for the descending of the angels.

Narrated Al--A`mash:

Abu Huraira said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'Between the two sounds of the trumpet, there will be forty." Somebody asked Abu Huraira, "Forty days?" But he refused to reply. Then he asked, "Forty months?" He refused to reply. Then he asked, "Forty years?" Again, he refused to reply. Abu Huraira added. "Then (after this period) Allah will send water from the sky and then the dead bodies will grow like vegetation grows, There is nothing of the human body that does not decay except one bone; that is the little bone at the end of the coccyx of which the human body will be recreated on the Day of Resurrection." (Bukhari)

And the mountains are removed and will be [but] a mirage.

The word سيرت means 'set in motion'/made to move smoothly. It signifies that mountains, which are taken as an example of firmness and strength, will be shifted from their positions, and will become like little particles of dust flying about in the atmosphere. 
The word سراب literally means 'to disappear' and it also refers to 'mirage' or an optical illusion, as of a sheet of water, that sometimes appears in a desert, because it seems to be a sheet of water from a distance, but when a person comes near it, it disappears. (MQ)

Indeed, Hell has been lying in wait

مرصاد means 'an ambush' or 'lying in wait to attack while someone is unaware' or 'a secret position for surprise attack'. Imagine an eagle that is perched and is waiting to pounce on its prey, or a lion eyeing its prey to ambush it. Hell is in wait for the disbelievers so that it can ambush and devour them.

مرصاد also means a "road/path". This could refer to the bridge of Siraat. Everyone will have to pass over this bridge, even the believers, so they see what they were saved from.

Sayyidna Hasan Basri (RA) said that there will be an outpost of guardian angels on the bridge of Hell. If anyone has a permit to enter Paradise, he will be permitted to enter; but if anyone does not have the permit to enter Paradise, he will be prevented from entering it. The angels of reward and punishment will lie in wait. The angels of punishment will make a surprise attack on the inmates of Hell. (MQ)

For the transgressors, a place of return,

طاغين is derived from طغيان, meaning 'rebellion'. طغيان is also used for water that spills out out of its container and floods everything. Water has no bounds unless you put limits around it. So, it refers to a 'person who exceeds the limits set by Allah and rebels against Allah'. This is possible only when he gives up his faith. So, this verse refers to the disbelievers or the stray groups of Muslims who have deviated from the limits of Qur'an and Sunnah, though they may not have adopted kufr expressly. (MQ)

مأبا refers to a place of return.  These people want to escape from Hell, but they will be pushed back into Hell again and again.

In which they will remain for ages [unending].

The word لابثين is the plural of لابث which means 'one who abides'. It usually refers to the one who remains at a place for a long period of time. 

The word احقاب means 'ages/eons or a long time'. Scholars differ on the exact length or specific amount of time meant by this word. Some state that حقب is eighty years, and the year constitutes twelve months, and every month comprises thirty days, and each day is equivalent to one thousand years, thus one حقب totalling about twenty million and eighty-eight hundred thousand years. So, the people will remain for multiple such periods (احقاب) over and over again. 

It can also simply mean a very long period of time, so this will be interpreted as 'many long periods of time successively following the others'. Why didn't Allah simply say eternity? The idea was to emphasise that when they become expectant of their release after the passing of a حقب, they will be thrown back into hell, over and over again. There will be no escape for them. Whenever one hiqbah [era] is over, a new hiqbah will start; when the second era come to an end, a third hiqbah will start; when the third hiqbah ends, the fourth hiqbah will start and it will carry on for eternity. (MQ)

If the inmates of Hell are informed that they will abide in Hell for the number of pebbles in the entire world, they will be happy even at this information, because these pebbles though will count into billions or zillions, still they are finite. If so, their punishment will, some time or the other, come to an end. If the same information is given to the inmates of Paradise that they will abide therein to the count of billions of pebbles in the entire world, it will sadden them, because, in that case, no matter how long the space of time they will live in Paradise, they will be expelled after this period. (MQ)

They will not taste therein [any] coolness or drink

They will not find any coolness or relief from the fire. They will be given no drink to quench their thirst. They will ask for relief and anything to drink, but they will only be given boiling water.

Except scalding water and [foul] purulence -

حميما means 'intensely boiling water if brought near the face, it would burn its flesh, and when put into the stomach it would cut into pieces the internal organs'. It is the heat that has reached its maximum temperature and point of boiling.

The غساقا is gathered from the pus, sweat, tears, and wounds of the people of Hellfire. It is unbearably cold with an intolerable stench.. (MQ)

 An appropriate recompense.

جزا is earned income. وفاقا is something agreeable, appropriate. The punishment given to them in Hell will be based on justice and equity - a fitting recompense - on account of their false beliefs and evil deeds. They will not be wronged in the least

Indeed, they were not expecting an account

These people had no sense of accountability. Even if they had lived for eternity, they would have continued on the same lifestyle.

And denied Our verses with [emphatic] denial.

These people denied the word of Allah, and made a mockery out of it. Ayaat could refer to all the signs Allah showed them, but they turned away in denial.

But all things We have enumerated in writing.

Allah has recorded everything in our book of deeds.

"So taste [the penalty], and never will We increase you except in torment."

In the world, they continued to be persistent in disbelief. If death did not overtake them by coercion, they would have continued to add disbelief, so today their punishment will be increased. Allah describes hell with graphic descriptions so that we can take appropriate precautions, and protect ourself from the imminent punishment. We can only protect ourselves from the storm if we are aware of it.

Indeed, for the righteous is attainment -

مفازا refers to the time and place of success. Allah immediately follows the description of Hell by description of the heaven. Taqwa refers to taking appropriate precautions to protect oneself. Protection is required from the evil around us, from Shaytaan and from the evil within our own Nafs. Allah has given us the ability to protect ourselves, but if we do not exercise that muscle, it becomes dead and we become similar to animals.

Gardens and grapevines

And full-breasted [companions] of matching age


And a full cup.

This brings an image to the mind of a posh gathering, in which we are being served drinks and celebrating our success.

No ill speech will they hear therein or any falsehood -

After hearing mention of women, and drinks, we might imagine that such a gathering will have vain talk and activities. Allah immediately emphasises that there will be no lagw (useless, vain speech) there and there will be no falsehood. Allah painted this image to compare the vain gatherings of this dunya with the beautiful, pure gatherings of akhirah.

[As] reward from your Lord, [a generous] gift [made due by] account,

Here two things are mentioned. First, these blessings are a reward of their deeds. Secondly, they are a Divine grant. Apparently, they seem to be contradictory, because reward means receiving something in lieu of doing some service, whereas grant is a gift given without any service. The Qur'an has combined the two words in order to indicate that the blessings of Paradise are reward for the inmates of Paradise only apparently, and in reality they are a Divine gift, because human deeds cannot be the reward of even those blessings which were given to him in the world, let alone the blessings of the Hereafter which depend entirely on Divine grace.

"No one can enter Paradise merely by virtue of his deeds, unless Allah shows His grace." The Companions asked: "What about you, Messenger of Allah." He replied: "Nor will I enter Paradise merely by virtue of my action." (Hadith)

The word حسابا has two meanings: 

[1] a grant [that is] sufficient [and] abundant. This meaning is adapted from an idiom which means that I gave him so much so that it was sufficient for him until he yelled out "enough, this is too much for me"; and 

[2] the second meaning 'balancing of account' and 'comparing'. The grant will be in keeping with the degree of sincerity of their deeds as reported in authentic Traditions. The deeds of the noble Companions are greater than the deeds of the rest of the Ummah. (MQ)

[From] the Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Most Merciful. They possess not from Him [authority for] speech.

This could be linked to the previous verse. In this case, it would mean that when Allah grants a certain grade of reward, no one dare speak about the grade as to why someone got more and others got less. In the general sense, it will mean that no one in the gathering will have the power to speak to Him without His permission.

The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they will not speak except for one whom the Most Merciful permits, and he will say what is correct.

Ruh (Spirit), according to some of the commentators, refers to the angel Jibrail (RA). He has been mentioned before the other angels in general in order to show the greatness of his status. He is the general of the legion of angels. All angels will be standing in humility before Allah, and they will be responsible for escorting the people to their final abode.

الرحمان means exceedingly, grandly merciful. It reflects the intensity of Allah's mercy.

صوابا means to speak accurately. اصاب is used when something hits the target accurately. Who will be given permission? According to hadith, Prophet ﷺ will be given the permission to intercede on behalf of the ummah.

Narrated Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "I am the chief of the children of Adam on the Day of Judgement and I am not boasting, and in my hand is the banner of praise and I am not boasting, and there has been no Prophet since Adam or other than him, except that he is under my banner. And I am the first for whom the earth will split open, and I am not boasting." He said: "The people will be frightened by three frights. So they will come to Adam saying: 'You are our father Adam, so intercede for us with your Lord.' So he says: 'I committed a sin for which I was expelled to the earth, so go to Nuh.' So they will come to Nuh and he will say: 'I supplicated against the people of the earth, so they were destroyed. So go to Ibrahim.' So they will go to Ibrahim, and he says: 'I lied three times.'" Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "He did not lie except defending Allah's religion." "So go to Musa.' So they will come to Musa, and he will say: 'I took a life. So go to 'Eisa. So they go to 'Eisa and he says: 'I was worshiped besides Allah. So go to Muhammad (ﷺ).'" He said: "So they will come to me, and I will go to them." And it will be said: 'Who is there?' It will be said: 'Muhammad.' They will open it for me, and welcome me saying, 'Welcome.' I will fall prostrate and Allah will inspire me with statements of gratitude and praise and it will be said to me: 'Raise your head, ask and you shall be given, intercede, and your intercession shall be accepted, speak, and your saying shall be heard.' And that is Al-Maqam Al-Mahmud about which Allah said: It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqaman-Mahmud (17:79)." (Tirmidhi)

That is the True Day; so he who wills may take to his Lord a [way of] return.

That is the day of حق i.e. ultimate reality and truth. On that day, we will be shown the reality of  our deeds, good or bad. The true value of everything will be revealed on that day. 
حق also refers to rights, so it will be the day when the rights of everyone will be fulfilled in a just and fair manner. 
حق also means purpose, so on that day, the purpose of our life will be fulfilled, and our eternal fate will be determined.

مأبا refers to a place of return. The knowledge and recognition of Allah is a part of fitrah, but sometimes we become oblivious to it. Allah wants us to make Him our مأبا.  Allah is eager for our return to Him.

Indeed, We have warned you of a near punishment on the Day when a man will observe what his hands have put forth and the disbeliever will say, "Oh, I wish that I were dust!"

The punishment refers to the Day of Judgement. Every individual will take a good look at the investment his hands sent for the future. 
This might happen in one of two ways: 
[1] his scroll of deeds will be given in his hands and he will see it; or 
[2] his deeds will appear on the day of Qiyamah, epitomized in a visible shape
A third possibility also exists. The word 'day' may refer to 'the day of death'. And the words 'will see' means to see in the grave or barzakh.

Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (RA) reports that on the Day of Resurrection the entire earth will become a plain surface where all human beings, Jinn, domesticated animals and wild animals will be gathered. If one animal had wronged another animal in the world, it will be given the opportunity to take its revenge. If a goat with horns had wronged a goat without horns, it will be granted the opportunity to take its avenge. When this phase is over, all animals will be commanded to become dust. They will become dust. At that moment the disbelievers will wish that they were also animals and would become dust like them, so that they would have been spared the torment of reckoning and punishment of Hell. 

We seek refuge in Allah from it! And all praise and thanks are due to Allah. He is the Giver of success and protection from error. Allah knows best!