CHAPTER 77: AL-MURSALAT (THE EMISSARIES / THE SENT WINDS)

It was revealed in the Mecca period. It consists of 50 verses. The 48th verse was revealed in the Medina period. The Surah took its name from the word "mursalat" in the first verse, which means "those sent forth." (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/579)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

77 / 1-15 WOE TO THE DENIERS ON THAT DAY

Translation

1- By those [angels] sent forth in succession,

2- And those who move as storm winds,

3- And those who scatter [the clouds or revelation] far and wide,

4- And those who separate [right from wrong] decisively,

5- And those who deliver a reminder [the revelation],

6- As a justification [for the believers] or a warning [to the disbelievers],

7- Indeed, what you are promised will surely befall.

8- So when the stars are extinguished,

9- And when the heaven is split asunder,

10- And when the mountains are blown away [as dust],

11- And when the messengers are brought to their appointed time, [the resurrection has occurred].

12- For what Day were these postponed?

13- For the Day of Judgement.

14- And what can make you know what the Day of Judgement is?

15- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

Commentary

(1-7) ‘By those (angels) sent forth in succession, by those who blow as storms;’ In these two verses, the words "mursalat" and "asifat" refer to winds, as "those sent forth" and "those who blow strongly" are characteristics of the winds. (M. A. SABUNI, 3/475)

Here, by pointing to the various states of the wind, it is essentially said that: vapor rises from the seas, the winds carry these and first divide them into various parts and leave them as rain in different regions of the earth. This shows us that things in the universe do not run by themselves. There is a Supreme Power that runs it. Thus, it is understood that there is a deep relationship between the life of humans, animals, and plants on earth and the wind and rain. (From MAWDUDI, M. DEMIRCI, 3/479)

‘By those who scatter far and wide, and those who bring the remembrance; for clearing the fault and for warning.’ It is clear that the words "nashirat," "fariqat," and "mulqiyat" in these verses are for the "angels." Because the expressions "those who scatter far and wide," "those who separate truth from falsehood," and "those who carry divine revelation" clearly show that they are angels. We also preferred the views of Ibn Kathir and Tashil (li ulumi 't-tanzil). (M. A. SABUNI, 3/475)

Angels bring down Allah's commands to the prophets and distinguish between truth and falsehood, guidance and misguidance, and halal and haram. They bring a revelation to the prophets that clears the fault of the creatures and warns them if they oppose Allah's commands. (S. HAWWA, 15/518)

In my opinion, there is a distinct harmony between the angels sent one after another and the winds that blow violently. Just as angels bring good things like revelation, good news, help, and peace, winds also bring rain and abundance. From this perspective, there is a clear harmony between the oath made to the angels and the oath made to the winds. (S. HAWWA, 15/517)

‘Indeed, what you are promised (and threatened with) will surely happen.’ This verse is the answer to the previous oaths. Nasafi says here: "The Day of Resurrection promised to you will definitely occur. There is no doubt about this." (S. HAWWA, 15/518)

(8-11) ‘When the (light of the) stars is extinguished, when the heaven is split asunder, when the mountains are uprooted and scattered, when the messengers are given a fixed time (to testify for their ummahs), (then the resurrection has occurred).’ On that day, the stars darken, the heaven is torn apart, and the mountains are crumbled and turn into dust flying in the air. Many scenes describing this universal upheaval are presented in various surahs of the Qur'an. The common image given by all these scenes is this: On that day, the balance of the visible universe is broken. This breaking is accompanied by terrifying noises, tremors, and explosions. These dreadful events are not at all like the small-scale natural events that cause fear and terror, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or lightning, which humans have observed for ages. If we were to make a comparison, these natural events remain like children's holiday firecrackers next to a hydrogen bomb when compared to the dreadful events of the resurrection. Even this comparison is merely an attempt to bring an issue closer to the human mind. Otherwise, the terror that the breaking apart and scattering of the universe will create as described to us is definitely too large to fit into the human capacity of imagination. (S. KUTUB, 10/320)

‘When the time (for testimony regarding their nations) of the prophets is designated (the resurrection has already occurred).’ It has been stated in many places in the Holy Qur'an that Allah will gather all people in His presence on the field of Mashar and will call the prophet of every nation as a witness and have them testify whether Allah's message reached the people or not. (Maida 5/109). Against those who are deviant and criminal, Allah will first show the prophets as witnesses, and this will be His greatest proof. Thus, it will be revealed that they themselves were the cause of their falling into deviance. It will also be proven that Allah informed them of this. (MAWDUDI, 6/531)

(12-14) ‘So, for what day have all these been postponed?’ ‘To the Day of Judgement.’ ‘Do you know what the Day of Judgement is?’ One name of the resurrection is "yawm al-fasl." This means "the day of judgment." Because on that day, judgment will be made with justice among people, and the rightful will be separated from the wrongful, the good from the bad, and those of paradise from those of hell. (O. CELIK, 5/324)

(15) ‘Woe, that day, to those who deny (the truth, the prophets, the holy books, and the day of hereafter)!’ "Wayl" is a word said to indicate the atrocity of the situation when a disaster occurs. It means "Pity, pity!" "Woe to him!" Besides meanings such as "tumbling into the abyss" and "suffering destruction and loss," this word is also used to wish punishment upon someone. Accordingly, by the command "Woe to the deniers," it is informed both of the atrocity of their situation and that they deserve the disaster and the punishment. This verse is repeated ten times throughout the surah. Each time, it expresses a meaning according to the verses it follows. Here, "those who deny the day of judgment" are meant. (O. CELIK, 5/324)

The word "Mukadhdhibin" should be considered according to the meaning expressed by the preceding subject before being repeated in each verse. For example, the first occurrence is related to the day of judgment, the second to the punishment to be given to the criminals, the third to the knowledge and power of Allah, the fourth to the fact that the human being is in need and has a limited power, while the divine power encompasses everything and the meaning of denying Allah's blessing. (ELMALILI, 8/480)

77/16-24 DID WE NOT CREATE YOU FROM A DISDAINED LIQUID?

Translation

16- Did We not destroy the former peoples?

17- Then We will follow them with the later ones.

18- Thus do We deal with the criminals.

19- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

20- Did We not create you from a liquid disdained?

21- And We placed it in a firm lodging [the womb]

22- For a known extent.

23- And We determined [it], and excellent are We to determine.

24- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

Commentary

(16) ‘Did We not destroy the former peoples (because of this)?’ All peoples, without exception, who denied the hereafter, thinking this world was the actual life, and who tied their moral values to it by accepting the results, good, and evil in this world as a measure, have been destroyed. Those who act without taking the hereafter—which is a reality—into account fall into loss. (MAWDUDI, 6/531)

(17, 18) ‘Then We will follow them with the later ones (the deniers).’ We will do the same to those among the later ones who resemble them as We did to the former ones. Because the later ones have also denied just like them. This is Our custom. For this reason, Allah Almighty says in the next verse: ‘Thus do We deal with the criminals.’ We apply the same punishment to everyone who commits a crime. In that case, refrain from denying the Resurrection and the Prophets. (S. HAWWA, 15/522, 523)

(20-23) ‘Did We not create you from a liquid disdained?’ Almighty Allah created man from the embryo formed by the male's sperm fertilizing the female's egg, and by putting it through various stages in the mother's womb and equipping it with material and spiritual abilities, He turned him into the most perfect being on earth. It is necessary for man to know this, to recognize his Lord, and not to fall short in servitude to Him; to know that the worldly life is finite, that he will die one day, enter the earth, and be resurrected when the apocalypse breaks, and to prepare for the hereafter. (I. KARAGOZ,8/366, 367)

‘And We determined / decided.’ It is Almighty Allah who decides on the existence of everything, the sustenance of people, the height, color, intellect, and talents of the child in the mother's womb, the deaths of those whose life span is full, and everything that happens in the universe. The verse ‘We have decreed death among you’ in the 60th verse of Surah Al-Waqi'a also expresses this meaning. (I. KARAGOZ,8/367)

‘And We placed it in a firm lodging (the womb) for a known extent.’ ‘And We determined [it], and excellent are We to determine!’ (...) Man is warned from two aspects: (a) Allah created man from a simple, weak liquid, generally from semen, and by putting him through various stages in the mother's womb and equipping him with material and spiritual abilities, He turned him into the most perfect being on earth. But mankind, by being ungrateful, rebels against Allah, who granted him priceless blessings. For this reason, people are warned by the command ‘Woe, that Day, to the deniers!’ (b) According to the verses, the event of resurrection after death will definitely take place. For the creative power that created and brought forth such a perfect human from a simple liquid is also capable of resurrecting him after death. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/528)

77/25-34 GO TOWARDS THE PUNISHMENT YOU USED TO DENY

Translation

25- Have We not made the earth a container

26- For the living and the dead?

27- And We placed therein lofty, firmly set mountains and have given you to drink sweet water.

28- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

29- [It will be said], "Proceed to that which you used to deny."

30- "Proceed to a shadow [of smoke] having three columns

31- [Which offers] no cool shade and avails not against the flame."

32- Indeed, it throws sparks [as huge] as a palace,

33- As if they were yellow camels.

34- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

Commentary

(25-27) ‘Have We not made the earth a container for the living and the dead?’ ‘And have We not placed therein high, firmly set mountains? Have We not given you sweet water to drink?’ Have We not made this earth a mother's lap that embraces all its children, both the living and the dead? "Have We not created high mountains there?" These are steep mountains that do not move from their places, whose peaks are cloudy and through whose lives sweet water streams flow. Can these things happen without any plan or preliminary design? Can they occur or maintain their existence without wisdom and purpose? After all this, how can the deniers deny the truths? (S. KUTUB, 10/322)

‘Have We not given you sweet water to drink?’ Water, consisting of two hydrogens and one oxygen, is an indispensable substance for humans, animals, and plants. Water is life. It is not possible to live without water. It is Almighty Allah who creates the water necessary for humans to drink, clean, and grow vegetables and fruits through rain and groundwater. "We sent down pure water from the sky so that We may bring life to a dead land and give drink to many of the animals and humans We created." (20/48-49, cf. 7/57, 24/43; I. KARAGOZ,8/368, 369)

(29) ‘(It will be said to the disbelievers in the hereafter:) Go to the (punishment) you used to deny!’ On that day, it will be said to the deniers with a style of scolding and frightening them: "Go to the thing (punishment) you denied while in the world." The keepers of hell and the zabaniyah will say this. (I. H. BURSEVI, 22/616)

(30-33) ‘Go to a shadow (of smoke) with three branches, which neither shades nor protects from the fire!’ Go, especially to the shadow divided into three branches. Go to the shadow of the smoke of hellfire. This expression carries the same meaning as the verse "They are under a shadow of pitch-black smoke that is neither cool nor pleasant." (al-Waqi'a 56/43, 44). In other words, it is being said here: "Go to a pitch-black, dense shadow, a heap of smoke divided into three branches." (I. H. BURSEVI, 22/616)

‘It neither shades nor protects from the flame.’ Because it is branched, and flames attack through its branches. Therefore, it is of no use and cannot be sought refuge in. ‘It throws sparks like a palace.’ The word "qasr," known as "mansion" in our language, is interpreted here as a "large building built high"; since the purpose is a comparison in size, it means "like a palace." That is, each of them is like a palace or a mansion in size and extension. ‘As if those sparks were yellow (herds of male camels).’ The previous comparison was in terms of size, and this one is in terms of color, abundance, and movement. (ELMALILI, 8/482)

77/35-40 THIS IS THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT

Translation

35- This is a Day they will not speak,

36- Nor will it be permitted for them to make excuses.

37- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

38- This is the Day of Judgement; We have gathered you and the former peoples.

39- So if you have a plan, then plan against Me.

40- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

Commentary

(35, 36) ‘The Day of Resurrection is a day when (the disbelievers) will not be able to speak.’ ‘Nor will they be permitted to make excuses.’ This will be their final state—the last situation before entering Hell. Before that, in the field of Hashir (the Gathering), they will put forward many excuses. They will blame each other for their own sins and strive to prove their innocence. They will curse those who led them astray. In fact, as reported in many parts of the Qur'an, some will shamelessly try to deny their crimes. However, their hands, feet, and all their organs will testify against them. After their crimes are fully proven and there is no deficiency left in terms of justice and truth, the punishment for their crimes will be announced. At that point, they will have no right to speak left. They will have no excuses remaining. They will not be given the opportunity to put forward excuses or permission to defend themselves. This does not mean they are [unfairly] deprived of defense; what is primarily intended is that after all crimes are proven, they will have no evidence left. Thus, their mouths will be closed. (MAWDUDI, 6/535)

(38, 39) ‘The Day of the Hereafter is the Day of Judgement; We gather you and the former ones together.’ ‘If you have a trick (to escape), then trick Me now (and get past Me).’ What is meant by the "Day of Separation" (Ayırım Günü) is the day of judgment where truth will be distinguished from falsehood, the rightful from the wrongful, and the believer from the denier. On that day, Allah will gather both the community addressed by the Qur'an and subsequent generations, as well as all humans who lived and passed away before the revelation of the Qur'an, and He will give His judgment among them. (cf. Waqi'a 56/49-50) (...) By saying, "If you have a plan, then apply your plan against Me!", they are asked to use any remedy they might have to escape the punishment they deserve; however, this request is not for them to actually find a remedy, but to reveal the helplessness into which they will fall. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/531)

77/41-50 AFTER THE QUR'AN, IN WHAT STATEMENT WILL THEY BELIEVE?

Translation

41- Indeed, the righteous will be among shades and springs

42- And fruits from whatever they desire,

43- [Being told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you used to do."

44- Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.

45- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

46- [O disbelievers], eat and enjoy yourselves a little [in this world]; indeed, you are criminals.

47- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

48- And when it is said to them, "Bow [in prayer]," they do not bow.

49- Woe, that Day, to the deniers!

50- Then in what statement after the Qur'an will they believe?

Commentary

(41, 42) ‘Indeed, the righteous will be among shades and springs, and fruits from whatever they desire.’ Allah Almighty, to inform about His God-fearing (muttaqi) servants who worship Him by fulfilling the obligatory duties and abandoning the forbidden things, says that on the Day of Resurrection, they will be in gardens and by springs. On the other hand, the wretched ones will be in a shadow of pitch-black smoke that is foul-smelling and very hot. "They are among fruits they desire." They find whatever they wish from the varieties of fruits. ‘Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you used to do.’ This is said to them as a grace. (From Ibn Kathir; S. HAWWA, 15/527)

After this, He reports something new and says: ‘Indeed, We thus reward those who do good (muhsinin).’ Perform good deeds so that you may be rewarded with such compensations. (S. HAWWA, 15/527)

Being a "muhsin" (doer of good) is also a characteristic of the righteous. For a person to be a muhsin, they must believe and perform righteous deeds in the best way, with the consciousness of seeing Allah. (2/195; I. KARAGOZ,8/373)

(46) ‘(O disbelievers! In this world) Eat and enjoy yourselves a little. Indeed, you are criminals.’ In the verse, those who deny the day of judgment are addressed. The commands "eat and enjoy yourselves a little" in the verse are commands that express a threat. (From Ibn Kathir; S. HAWWA, 15/527)

(48) ‘When it is said to them: 'Bow / Submit to Allah,' they do not bow / they do not believe and obey.’ When they are told to perform prayer, they do not perform prayer, or when they are told to fear Allah, to accept His revelation, to follow His religion, and to behave humbly towards Him, they continue their claim of greatness and do not bend—that is, they do not fear Allah. They do not accept the revelation and insist on their arrogance. (S. HAWWA, 15/528)

This verse was revealed about the tribe of Thaqif. When the Prophet (pbuh) read the verses regarding prayer to this tribe, they said, "Remove the prayer from us; we cannot bend, this is a cause of shame/humiliation for us." The Prophet (pbuh) rejected this request of theirs. (I. KARAGOZ,8/376)

(49) ‘Woe, that Day, to the deniers!’ Woe that day to those who deny Allah, His Prophet, the day of the hereafter, the commands Allah has given, and the prohibitions He has set. (S. HAWWA, 15/528)

(50) ‘(The disbelievers) Then in what statement after this will they believe?’ The Qur'an is a divine book above which there is no explanation and no proof stronger than its proofs. Despite all this, if they do not believe in the Qur'an and the truths within it and do not fulfill the things it commands, it means there is nothing left that will benefit them anymore. (S. HAWWA, 15/528) (With the help of our Lord, Surah Al-Mursalat and the 29th Juz are completed. With the wish that He grants us the ability to learn and to practice. August 15, 2018; 4 Dhu al-Hijjah 1439)