English tafsir abridged from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Hafiz Ibn Kathir), abridgement by Shaykh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri (Darussalam), via Quran.com.
Which was revealed in Makkah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ
(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Swearing by the Horses of War about the Ungratefulness of Man and His Zeal for Wealth
Allah swears by the horses when they are made to gallop into battle in His path (i.e., Jihad), and thus they run and pant, which is the sound that is heard from the horse when it runs.
فَالمُورِيَـتِ قَدْحاً
(Striking sparks of fire.) meaning, the striking of their hooves on the rocks, which causes sparks of fire to fly from them.
فَالْمُغِيرَتِ صُبْحاً
(And scouring to the raid at dawn.) meaning, the raid that is carried out in the early morning time. This is just as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to perform raids in the early morning. He would wait to see if he heard the Adhan (call to prayer) from the people. If he heard it he would leave them alone, and if he didn't hear it he would attack. Then Allah says,
فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِ نَقْعاً
(And raise the dust in clouds the while.) meaning, dust at the place of the battle with the horses.
فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِ جَمْعاً
(And penetrating forthwith as one into the midst.) means, then are all in the middle of that spot, together. Allah's saying;
فَالْمُغِيرَتِ صُبْحاً
(And scouring to the raid at dawn.) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah, all said, "This means the invasion of the horses in the morning in the way of Allah." And His statement,
فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِ نَقْعاً
(And raise the dust in clouds the while.) This is the place in which the attack takes place. The dust is stirred up by it. And His statement,
فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِ جَمْعاً
(And penetrating forthwith as one into the midst.) Al-`Awfi narrated from Ibn `Abbas, `Ata, `Ikrimah, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak that they all said, "This means into the midst of the disbelieving enemy." Concerning Allah's statement,
إِنَّ الإِنسَـنَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ
(Verily, man is ungrateful (Kanud) to his Lord.) This is the subject what is being sworn about, and it means that he (man) is ungrateful for the favors of His Lord and he rejects them. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Abu Al-Jawza', Abu Al-`Aliyah, Abu Ad-Duha, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Muhammad bin Qays, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and Ibn Zayd all said, "Al-Kanud means ungrateful." Al-Hasan said, "Al-Kanud is the one who counts the calamities (that befall him) and he forgets Allah's favors."
Concerning Allah's statement,
وَإِنَّهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ
(And to that He bears witness.) Qatadah and Sufyan Ath-Thawri both said, "And indeed Allah is a witness to that." It is also possible that the pronoun (He) could be referring to man. This was said by Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi. Thus, its meaning would be that man is a witness himself to the fact that he is ungrateful. This is obvious in his condition, meaning this is apparent from his statements and deeds. This is as Allah says,
مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يَعْمُرُواْ مَسَاجِدَ الله شَـهِدِينَ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِم بِالْكُفْرِ
(It is not for the idolators, to maintain the Masajid of Allah, while they witness disbelief against themselves.) (9:17) Allah said;
وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ
(And verily, he is violent in the love of wealth.) meaning, and indeed in his love of the good, which is wealth, he is severe. There are two opinions concerning this. One of them is that it means that he is severe. There are two opinions concerning this. One of them is that it means that he is severe in his love of wealth. The other view is that it means he is covetous and stingy due to the love of wealth. However, both views are correct.
The Threat about the Hereafter
Then Allah encourages abstinence from worldly things and striving for the Hereafter, and He informs of what the situation will be after this present condition, and what man will face of horrors. He says,
أَفَلاَ يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِى الْقُبُورِ
(Knows he not that when the contents of the graves are poured forth) meaning, the dead that are in it will be brought out.
وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِى الصُّدُورِ
(And that which is in the breasts shall be made known) Ibn `Abbas and others have said, "This means what was in their souls would be exposed and made apparent."
إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌ
(Verily, that Day their Lord will be Well-Acquainted with them.) meaning, He knows all of that they used to do, and He will compensate them for it with the most deserving reward. He does not do even the slightest amount of injustice. This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-`Adiyat, and all praise and thanks are due to Allah.
Which was revealed in Makkah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Al-Qariah is one of the names of the Day of Judgement, like Al-Haqqah, At-Tammah, As-Sakhkhah others
Then Allah intensifies concern and fright for it by saying,
وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ
(And what will make you know what Al-Qari`ah is) Then He explains this by saying,
يَوْمَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ كَالْفَرَاشِ الْمَبْثُوثِ
(It is a Day whereon mankind will be like moths scattered about.) meaning, in their scattering, their dividing, their coming and their going, all due to being bewildered at what is happening to them, they will be like scattered moths. This is like Allah's statement,
كَأَنَّهُمْ جَرَادٌ مُّنتَشِرٌ
(As if they were locusts spread abroad.) (54:7) Allah said,
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنفُوشِ
(And the mountains will be like wool, carded.) meaning, they will become like carded wool that has began to wear out (fade away) and be torn apart. Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, `Ata' Al-Khurasani, Ad-Dahhak and As-Suddi have all said,
كَالْعِهْنِ
(like wool (`Ihn). ) "Woolen." Then Allah informs about the results received by those who performed the deeds, and the honor and disgrace they will experience based upon their deeds. He says,
فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَزِينُهُ
(Then as for him whose Balance will be heavy.) meaning, his good deeds are more than his bad deeds.
فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ
(He will live a pleasant life.) meaning, in Paradise.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَزِينُهُ
(But as for him whose Balance will be light.) meaning, his bad deeds are more than his good deeds. Then Allah says,
فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ
(His mother will be Hawiyah.) It has been said that this means he will be falling and tumbling headfirst into the fire of Hell, and the expression `his mother' has been used to refer to his brain (as it is the mother of his head). A statement similar to this has been reported from Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Abu Salih and Qatadah. Qatadah said, "He will fall into the Hellfire on his head." Abu Salih made a similar statement when he said, "They will fall into the Fire on their heads." It has also been said that it means his mother that he will return to and end up with in the Hereafter will be Hawiyah, which is one of the names of the Hellfire. Ibn Jarir said, "Al-Hawiyah is only called his mother because he will have no other abode except for it." Ibn Zayd said, "Al-Hawiyah is the Fire, and it will be his mother and his abode to which he will return, and where he will be settled." Then he recited the Ayah,
وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ
(Their abode will be the Fire.) (3:151) Ibn Abi Hatim said that it has been narrated from Qatadah that he said, "It is the Fire, and it is their abode." Thus, Allah says in explaining the meaning of Al-Hawiyah,
وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ
(And what will make you know what it is). Allah's statement
نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ
(A fire Hamiyah!) meaning, extreme heat. It is a heat that is accompanied by a strong flame and fire. It is narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said,
«نَارُ بَنِي آدَمَ الَّتِي تُوقِدُونَ، جُزْءٌ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ جُزْءًا مِنْ نَارِ جَهَنَّم»
(The fire of the Children of Adam that you all kindle is one part of the seventy parts of the fire of Hell.) They (the Companions) said, "O Messenger of Allah! Isn't it sufficient" He replied,
«إِنَّهَا فُضِّلَتْ عَلَيْهَا بِتِسْعَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ جُزْءًا»
(It is more than it by sixty-nine times.) This has been recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. In some of the wordings he stated,
«إِنَّهَا فُضِّلَتْ عَلَيْهَا بِتِسْعَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ جُزْءًا، كُلُّهُنَّ مِثْلُ حَرِّهَا»
(It is more than it by sixty-nine times, each of them is like the heat of it.) It has been narrated in a Hadith that Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said,
«إِنَّ أَهْوَنَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ عَذَابًا مَنْ لَهُ نَعْلَانِ، يَغْلِي مِنْهُمَا دِمَاغُه»
(Verily, the person who will receive the lightest torment of the people of the Hellfire will be a man who will have two sandals that will cause his brain to boil. )" It has been confirmed in the
Two Sahihs that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«اشْتَكَتِ النَّارُ إِلَى رَبِّهَا فَقَالَتْ: يَا رَبِّ أَكَلَ بَعْضِي بَعْضًا، فَأَذِنَ لَهَا بِنَفَسَيْنِ: نَفَسٍ فِي الشِّتَاءِ، وَنَفَسٍ فِي الصَّيْفِ، فَأَشَدُّ مَا تَجِدُونَ فِي الشِّتَاءِ مِنْ بَرْدِهَا، وَأَشَدُّ مَا تَجِدُونَ فِي الصَّيْفِ مِنْ حَرِّهَا»
(The Hellfire complained to its Lord and said, "O Lord! Some parts of me devour other parts of me." So He (Allah) permitted it to take two breaths: one breath in the winter and one breath in the summer. Thus, the most severe cold that you experience in the winter is from its cold, and the most severe heat that you experience in the summer is from its heat. ) In the Two Sahihs it is recorded that he said,
«إِذَا اشْتَدَّ الْحَرُّ فَأَبْرِدُوا عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ، فَإِنَّ شِدَّةَ الْحَرِّ مِنْ فَيْحِ جَهَنَّم»
(When the heat becomes intense pray the prayer when it cools down, for indeed the intense heat is from the breath of Hell.) This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Qari`ah, and all praise and thanks are due to Allah.
Which was revealed in Makkah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Result of Loving the World and Heedlessness of the Hereafter
Allah says that all are preoccupied by love of the world, its delights and its adornments, and this distracts you from seeking the Hereafter and desiring it. This delays you until death comes to you and you visit the graves, thus becoming its inhabitants. In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it is recorded in the Book of Ar-Riqaq (Narrations that soften the Heart) from Anas bin Malik, who reported that Ubayy bin Ka`b said, "We used to think that this was a part of the Qur'an until the Ayah was revealed which says;
أَلْهَـكُمُ التَّكَّاثُرُ
(The mutual increase diverts you.)" He was referring to the Hadith in which the Prophet said,
«لَوْ كَانَ لِابْنِ آدَمَ وَادٍ مِنْ ذَهَب»
(If the Son of Adam had a valley of gold, he would desire another like it...) Imam Ahmad recorded from `Abdullah bin Ash-Shikhkhir that he said, "I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was saying,
أَلْهَـكُمُ التَّكَّاثُرُ
يَقُولُ ابْنُ آدَمَ: مَالِي مَالِي، وَهَلْ لَكَ مِنْ مَالِكَ إِلَّا مَا أَكَلْتَ فَأَفْنَـيْتَ، أَوْ لَبِسْتَ فَأَبْلَيْتَ، أَوْ تَصَدَّقْتَ فَأَمْضَيْتَ؟»
((The mutual increase diverts you.)" He was referring to the Hadith in which the Prophet said,
«لَوْ كَانَ لِابْنِ آدَمَ وَادٍ مِنْ ذَهَب»
(If the Son of Adam had a valley of gold, he would desire another like it...) Imam Ahmad recorded from `Abdullah bin Ash-Shikhkhir that he said, "I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was saying,
أَلْهَـكُمُ التَّكَّاثُرُ
يَقُولُ ابْنُ آدَمَ: مَالِي مَالِي، وَهَلْ لَكَ مِنْ مَالِكَ إِلَّا مَا أَكَلْتَ فَأَفْنَـيْتَ، أَوْ لَبِسْتَ فَأَبْلَيْتَ، أَوْ تَصَدَّقْتَ فَأَمْضَيْتَ؟»
((The mutual increase diverts you.)( The Son of Adam says, "My wealth, my wealth." But do you get anything (of benefit) from your wealth except for that which you ate and you finished it, or that which you clothed yourself with and you wore it out, or that which you gave as charity and you have spent it)" Muslim, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i also recorded this Hadith. Muslim recorded in his Sahih from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ: مَالِي مَالِي، وَإِنَّمَا لَهُ مِنْ مَالِهِ ثَلَاثٌ: مَا أَكَلَ فَأَفْنَى، أَوْ لَبِسَ فَأَبْلَى، أَوْ تَصَدَّقَ فَأَمْضَى، وَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ فَذَاهِبٌ وَتَارِكُهُ لِلنَّاس»
(The servant says "My wealth, my wealth." Yet he only gets three (benefits) from his wealth: that which he eats and finishes, that which he eats and finishes, that which he wears until it is worn out, or that which he gives in charity and it is spent. Everything else other than that will go away and leave him for the people.) Muslim was alone in recording this Hadith. Al-Bukhari recorded from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«يَتْبَعُ الْمَيِّتَ ثَلَاثَةٌ، فَيَرْجِعُ اثْنَانِ وَيَبْقَى مَعَهُ وَاحِدٌ: يَتْبَعُهُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَعَمَلُهُ، فَيَرْجِعُ أَهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ، وَيَبْقَى عَمَلُه»
(Three things follow the deceased person, and two of them return while one remains behind with him. The things which follow him are his family, his wealth and his deeds. His family and his wealth return while his deeds remain.) This Hadith has also been recorded by Muslim, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i. Imam Ahmad recorded from Anas that the Prophet said,
«يَهْرَمُ ابْنُ آدَمَ وَيَبْقَى مِنْهُ اثْنَتَانِ: الْحِرْصُ وَالْأَمَل»
(The Son of Adam becomes old with senility, but yet two things remain with him: greed and hope.) Both of them (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) recorded this Hadith in the Two Sahihs.