SURAH (100) AL-ADIYAT (AYA 1 to 11)

Sura (100) AL-ADIYAT (The Chargers) Aya 1 to 11 verses in 1 Section

Revealed at Makka

SECTION 1

Man’s ingratitude to ALLAH (SWT)

Against the innumerable bounties, favours and blessings of ALLAH (SWT), man is ungrateful to his Lord---He shall be raised once again to requite for what he has wrought in this life---ALLAH (SWT) is well aware of what all men do.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ 

وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا {100:1}

[Q100:1] Wal‘aadi yaati dabhaa, 
[Q100:1] 1. By the (steeds) that run, with panting (breath),

±  Commentators have given imaginary interpretation to the metaphors and symbols mentioned in verses 1 to 5.

VERSES 1 – 5 are the mystic symbols of some event of special importance. The truth is that the Surah as a whole was revealed on a particular occasion of special importance.

The Sixth Holy Imam Jafar ibne Muhammad As-Sadiq said: "The tribes of Bani Salim raised a huge army to launch a surprise attack on Madina in order to kill the believers and arrest the Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf).  

      The Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf), after receiving the information, [*] sent one of his companions along with a party of Muslim warriors to prevent the planned attack, but in the first encounter he ran away from the battlefield, leaving a large number of his men dead. [*] Another companion was sent. He also returned defeated. [*] Then Umar volunteered to go with a promise that he would certainly disperse the enemy. He too failed. [*] At last Ali was sent. He with his men, travelling in the night and resting in the daytime, reached the scene of battle, attacked the enemy in the early hours of dawn, and won a decisive victory.

     WHEN HE TURNED, the Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf) received him outside the city and said: "O Ali, if there had not been the risk of people idolizing you as the Christians worship Isa, I would have made public such of your merits as would make people use the soil under your feet to cure their ailments."

These verses were revealed on this occasion. (Minhajus Sadiqin). BESIDES, the reference to the particular expedition known as ‘Zatus-Salasal’---the first five verses may refer to the (camel or horse) cavalries which were used by the Muslims against the disbelievers---or for pilgrimage.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:1) By (the horses) that charge snorting, *1

*1 There is no indication in the words of the verse to show whether "those who run" imply the horses; only the word waI-`Adiyat (by, those who run) has been used. That is why the commentators have disputed as to what is implied by "those who run". One section of the Companions and their immediate successors has been to think that it implies the horses; another section says that it implies the camels. But since the peculiar sound called dabh is produced only by the panting, snorting horses, and the following verses also in which mention has been made of striking sparks and raiding a settlement early at dawn and raising clouds of dust, apply only to the horses, most scholars are of the opinion that horses are meant. Ibn Jarir says: "Of the two views this view is preferable that by "those who run" horses are implied, for the camel does not breathe hard in running, it is the horse which does so, and Allah has said: "By those runners which pant and breathe hard in running'." Imam Razi says: "The words of these verses proclaim that horses are meant, for the sound of dabh (panting breath) is only produced by the horses, and the act of striking sparks of fire with the hoofs too is associated with the horses, and, likewise, mounting of a raid early at dawn is easier by means of the horses than by other animals." 

فَالْمُورِيَاتِ قَدْحًا {100:2}

[Q100:2] Fal moori yaati qadhaa, 
[Q100:2] Striking sparks of fire (by their hooves),

The march being in the night, creating bright sparks of fire by the striking of the hoofs of the charges on the rocky soil on which they march.

The reference is to the expedition of the believers led by Ali, surrounding the enemy by surprise in the early hours of dawn---for this justification of the action explains the attitude of the enemy who treacherously violated the Treaty of Peace with the Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf) and killed in cold blood several Muslims (Ghazwa-e-Zatus-Salasal)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:2) then raise sparks of fire (by their hoofs), *2

*2 "Dashing off sparks" indicates that the horses run in the dead of night, for the sparks struck by their hoofs become conspicuous only at night.

فَالْمُغِيرَاتِ صُبْحًا {100:3}

[Q100:3] Fal mugeeraati subhaa, 
[Q100:3] And scouring to the raid at dawn

The chargers of those who attacked the enemy at dawn, for Ali had made the attack on the enemy in early hours of dawn and had taken the enemy by surprise.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:3) then raid by the dawn, *3

*3 The practice among the Arabs was that when they had to mount a raid on a settlement, they marched out in the night so as to take the enemy by surprise; then they would launch a sudden attack early in the morning so that everything became visible in the light of day, and at the same tune it did not become so bright that the victim could notice their movement from a distance and be ready to meet the offensive. 

فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِ نَقْعًا {100:4}

[Q100:4] Fa atharna bihee naq'a, 
[Q100:4] And raise the dust in clouds the while,

The dust raised by the rush of the chargers, on the enemy, all of a sudden.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:4) and blaze a trail of dust,

فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِ جَمْعًا {100:5}

[Q100:5] Fawa satna bihee jam‘a, 
[Q100:5] Penetrating forthwith as one into the midst (of the foe);

The actual fall of the believers on the enemy’s forces, with the consolidated heaviest pressure on them.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:5) and penetrate deep into a host.

إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ {100:6}

[Q100:6] Innal insaana lirRabbihee lakanood; 
[Q100:6] Verily! Man (disbeliever) is ungrateful to his Lord;

The Holy Prophet (pbuh & hf) said the ‘Kanud’ is the one who eats alone and obstructs others receiving anything from anybody, i.e., grossly selfish--- HE WHO RECEIVES GIFTS AND WAGES, WAR AGAINST THE BENEFACTOR HIMSELF--- reference to the enemies of Islam- who through under the obligation of the grace of ALLAH (SWT), reject the belief in Him and wage war on the believers.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:6) Verily man is most ungrateful to his Lord; *4

*4 This is for which an oath has been sworn by the horses, which run with panting breath and dash off sparks at night, then raising dust rush to assault a settlement at dawn and penetrate into the enemy host. It is astonishing to note that a large number of the commentators have taken these horses to imply the horses of the Muslim fighters and the enemy host to imply the host of disbelievers, whereas the oath has been sworn to impress the point that "man is highly ungrateful to his Lord". NOW, OBVIOUSLY, in the course of Jihad for the sake of Allah, the rushing forth of the fighters' horses and their assaulting a host of disbelievers all of a sudden, does not at all support the point that man is ungrateful to his Lord, nor the following sentences, viz. "man himself is a witness to it, and he loves the worldly wealth with all his heart," apply to the people who go out to fight in the cause of Allah. Therefore, one will have to admit that the oaths sworn in the first five verses of this Surah, refer, in fact, to the general bloodshed, loot and plunder prevalent in Arabia at that time. In the pre-Islamic days of ignorance the night was a very dreadful thing: in it the people of every tribe and settlement apprehended the danger of a sudden attack by some unknown enemy, and when the light of day appeared they would heave a sigh of relief that the night had passed in peace. The tribes did not fight only retaliatory wars but different tribes also raided others in order to deprive them of their worldly goods and herds and to capture their women and children to be made slaves. This kind of tyranny and plunder was carried opt mostly by means of the horses, which Allah is presenting here as an argument for the fact that man is ungrateful to his Lord. That is the powers which man is employing for fighting, shedding blood and plundering had not been given him by God for this purpose. Therefore this indeed is sheer ingratitude that the resources granted by Allah and the power given by Him should be used for causing chaos and corruption to spread in the earth which Allah abhors. 

وَإِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ {100:7}

[Q100:7] Wa innahu 'alaa zaalika la shaheed; 
[Q100:7] And to that fact he bears witness (by his deeds);

The selfish and the ungrateful prove his selfishness and ingratitude by his own deeds without the necessity of evidence from anybody else.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:7) and he himself is a witness to that, *5

*5 That is his own conscience and his own deeds are a witness to it; then there are many disbelievers also who by their own tongue express their ingratitude openly 'for they do not even believe that God exists to say nothing of acknowledging His blessings for which they may have to render gratitude to Him. 

وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ {100:8}

[Q100:8] Wa innahu lihubbil khairi la shadeed. 
[Q100:8] And verily, he is violent in the love of wealth.

 (see commentary for verse 6)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:8) and surely he loves riches with a passionate loving. *6

*6 Literally "He is most ardent in the love of khair". But the word khair is not only used for goodness and virtue in Arabic but also for worldly wealth. In Surah Baqarah: 180, khair has been used in the meaning of worldly wealth. The context itself shows where khair has been used in the sense of goodness and where in that of worldly goods. The context of this verse clearly shows that here khair means worldly wealth and not virtue and goodness. For about the man who is ungrateful to his Lord and who by his conduct is himself testifying to his ingratitude it cannot be said that he is very ardent in the love of goodness and virtue. 

أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِي الْقُبُورِ {100:9}

[Q100:9] Afala ya'lamu iza b'uthira ma filquboor. 
[Q100:9] Knows he not that when the contents of the graves are brought out and poured forth (all mankind is resurrected).

*Dead bodies from the graves, AND closely guarded secret plots AND evil thoughts from the breasts of the resurrected men will stand forth before ALLAH (SWT) on the Day of Resurrection. ALLAH (SWT)'S KNOWLEDGE IS ALL-ENCOMPASSING AT ALL TIMES.

On the Day of Judgment [*] His knowledge will make manifest all secrets long forgotten OR [*] blotted out from the memory of mankind; AND the books of their deeds will make known whatever they did in the world before the seat of judgment. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:9) Is he not aware that when whatever lies (buried) in the graves is overthrown; *7

*7 That is, the dead men will be raised back as living men from whatever state and wherever they would be lying buried in the earth. 

وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِي الصُّدُورِ {100:10}

[Q100:10] Wa hussila maa fis sudoor: 
[Q100:10] And that which is in the breasts (of men) shall be made known.

Whatever is hidden, be that the motives and the thoughts concealed in the minds, will be made manifest.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:10) and the secrets of the hearts are laid bare (and examined)? *8

*8 That is all the intentions aims and objects, ideas and thoughts and the motives behind acts and deeds that lie hidden in the hearts will be exposed and examined in order to sort out the good from the evil. In other words judgement will not be passed only on the apparent and superficial as to what a man practically did but the secrets hidden in the hearts also will be brought out to see what were the intentions and motives under which a man did what he did. If man only considers this he cannot help admitting that real and complete justice cannot be done anywhere except in the Court of God. Secular laws of the world also admit in principle that a person should not be punished merely on the basis of his apparent act but his motive for so acting also should be seen and examined. But no court of the world has the means by which it may accurately as certain the motive and intention. This can be done only by God: He alone can examine the underlying motives behind every apparent act of man as well as take the decision as to what reward or punishment he deserves. Then, as is evident from the words of the verse, this judgement will not be passed merely on the basis of the knowledge which Allah already has about the intentions and motives of the hearts, but on Resurrection Day these secrets will be exposed and brought out openly before the people and after a thorough scrutiny in the Court it will be shown what was the good in it and what was the evil. That is why the words hussila ma fis-sudur have been used. Tahsil means to bring out something in the open, and to sort out different things from one another. Thus, the use of tahsil concerning hidden secrets of the hearts contains both the meanings: to expose them and to sort out the good from the evil. This same theme has been expressed in Surah At-Tariq, thus: "The Day the hidden secrets are held to scrutiny." (v. 9) 

إِنَّ رَبَّهُمْ بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَخَبِيرٌ {100:11}

[Q100:11] Inna rabbahum bihim yauma 'izil la khabeer. 
[Q100:11] Verily, that Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) their Lord will be Well-Acquainted with them (as to their deeds), (and will reward them for their deeds).

ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT EVERYTHING will be open and known to the Lord Who is ever Vigilant and Knowing everything, manifest and concealed.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(100:11) Surely on that Day will their Lord be fully informed about them. *9

*9 That is, He will be knowing full well who is who, and what punishment or reward he deserves.

**********************