Al-Fajr (, "The Dawn", "Daybreak") is the eighty-ninth chapter (''

sura A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' ( al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while the ...

'') of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, with 30 verses ('' ayat''). The sura describes destruction of disbelieving peoples: the

Ancient Egyptians Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower ...

, the people of

Iram of the Pillars Iram of the Pillars (; an alternative translation is ''Iram of the tentpoles''), also called "Irum", "Irem", "Erum", or the "City of the pillars", is a lost city mentioned in the Quran. Iram in the Quran The Quran mentions Iram in connection wi ...

, and

Mada'in Saleh HEGRA, which stands for High-Energy-Gamma-Ray Astronomy, was an atmospheric Cherenkov telescope for Gamma-ray astronomy. With its various types of detectors, HEGRA took data between 1987 and 2002, at which point it was dismantled in order to bu ...

. It condemns those who love wealth and look with disdain upon the poor and orphans. Righteous people are promised

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

– the final verse says "And enter you My Paradise!". The Surah is so designated after the word wal-fajr with which it opens.

Summary

*1-4 Various

oaths Traditionally, an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also a plight) is a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who object to making sacred oaths is to give an affirmation instead ...

by natural objects *5-13 Unbelievers are warned by the fate of Ád,

Thamúd The Thamud () were an ancient tribe or tribal confederation in pre-Islamic Arabia that occupied the northwestern Arabian Peninsula. They are attested in contemporaneous Mesopotamian and Classical inscriptions, as well as Arabic ones from the e ...

, and

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

*14-17 Man praises God in prosperity, but reproaches him in adversity *18-22 Oppression of the poor and the

orphan An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew language, Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages ...

denounced *23-26 The

wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

will vainly regret their evil deeds on the

Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

*27-30 The believing soul invited to the joys of

Period of revelation

Quran chapters are not arranged in the chronological order of believed

revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...

('' wahy''). Muhammad told his followers, the

sahaba The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...

, the placement in Quranic order of every Wahy revealed along with the original text of Quran.

Wm Theodore de Bary William Theodore de Bary ( zh, c=狄培理, p=Dí Péilǐ; August 9, 1919 – July 14, 2017) was an American Sinologist and scholar of East Asian philosophy who was a professor and administrator at Columbia University for nearly 70 years. De Bar ...

, an

East Asian East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

studies expert, describes that "The final process of collection and codification of the Quran text was guided by one overarching principle: God's words must not in any way be distorted or sullied by human intervention. For this reason, no serious attempt, apparently, was made to edit the numerous revelations, organize them into thematic units, or present them in chronological order....". ''Surat Al-Fajr'' is a

Meccan sura A Meccan surah is, according to the timing and contextual background of their revelation (''asbāb al-nuzūl'') within Islamic tradition, a chronologically earlier chapter ('' suwar'', singular ''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. The traditional chronologi ...

and meccan suras are chronologically earlier

s that were revealed to

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

before the

hijrah The Hijrah, () also Hegira (from Medieval Latin), was the journey the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers took from Mecca to Medina. The year in which the Hijrah took place is also identified as the e ...

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

in 622 CE. They are typically shorter, with relatively short '' ayat'', and mostly come near the end of the Qur'an's 114 surahs. Most of the surahs containing '' muqatta'at'' are Meccan. Henceforth apart from traditions, this surah qualifies to be Meccan typically. According to Yusuf Ali, Al-Fajr may be placed in the dating period close to ''Surat'' ''

Al-Lail Sūrat al-Layl (, "The Night") is the ninety-second ''sūrah'' (chapter) of the Qur'an, containing twenty-one '' āyāt'' (verses). This sūrah is one of the first ten to be revealed in Mecca. It contrasts two types of people, the charitable an ...

'' and ''

Ad-Dhuha Al-Ḍuḥā (, "The Morning Hours", "Morning Bright", "The Early Hours") is the ninety-third chapter (''surah'') of the Qur'an, with 11 ''āyat'' or verses. Qur'an 93 takes its name from Arabic its opening word, ''al-ḍuḥā'', "the morning" ...

''.

Asbāb al-nuzūl

Asbāb al-nuzūl Occasions or circumstances of revelation (in Arabic - ''al-nuzūl'') names the historical context in which Quranic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''a ...

'' (occasions or circumstances of revelation) is a secondary genre of Qur'anic exegesis (''tafsir'') directed at establishing the context in which specific verses of the Qur'an were revealed. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''asbāb'' is by nature an exegetical rather than a historiographical genre, and as such usually associates the verses it explicates with general situations rather than specific events. According to of the ''mufassirūn'' this surah was revealed at

, at a stage when opposition to Muhammad had grown to the stage of persecution of new Muslim converts. According to an interpretation expounded on in the ''

tafsīr Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

'' (commentary) written by

Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi Abul A'la al-Maududi (; – ) was an Islamic scholar, Islamist ideologue, Muslim philosopher, jurist, historian, journalist, activist, and scholar active in British India and later, following the partition, in Pakistan. Described by Wilfred C ...

(d. 1979) entitled ''

Tafhim al-Qur'an ''Tafhim-ul-Quran'' () is a 6-volume translation and commentary of the Qur'an by the Pakistani Islamist ideologue and activist Syed Abul Ala Maududi. Maududi began writing the book in 1942 and completed it in 1972. ''Tafhim'' is derived from t ...

'',

Iram in the Quran

The Quran mentions Iram in connection with ''‘imad'' (pillars): Quran 89:6-14 : ۝89:6 Did you not see how your Lord dealt with

ʿĀd ʿĀd (, ') was an ancient tribe in pre-Islamic Arabia. 'Ad is best known for being mentioned two dozen times in the Quran, often in conjunction with Thamud. Recently, it has been shown that 'Ad was a tribe that existed two millennia ago in the W ...

— :۝ 89:7 ˹the people˺ of Iram—with ˹their˺ great stature, :۝ 89:8 unmatched in any other land; :۝ 89:9 and Thamûd who carved ˹their homes into˺ the rocks in the ˹Stone˺ Valley; :۝ 89:10 and the

of mighty structures? :۝ 89:11 They all transgressed throughout the land, :۝ 89:12 spreading much corruption there. :۝ 89:13 So your Lord unleashed on them a scourge of punishment. :۝ 89:14 ˹For˺ your Lord is truly vigilant. There are several explanations for the reference to "Iram – who had lofty pillars". Some see this as a geographic location, either a city or an area, others as the name of a tribe. Those identifying it as a city have made various suggestions as to where or what city it was, ranging from

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

to a city which actually moved or a city called Ubar. As an area, it has been identified with the biblical region known as

Aram Aram may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Aram'' (film), 2002 French action drama * Aram, a fictional character in Japanese manga series '' MeruPuri'' * Aram Quartet, an Italian music group * ''Aram'' (Kural book), the first of the three ...

. It has also been identified as a tribe, possibly the tribe of

, with the pillars referring to tent pillars. The

Nabataeans The Nabataeans or Nabateans (; Nabataean Aramaic: , , vocalized as ) were an ancient Arabs, Arab people who inhabited northern Arabian Peninsula, Arabia and the southern Levant. Their settlements—most prominently the assumed capital city o ...

were one of the many

nomadic Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

tribes who roamed the

Arabian Desert The Arabian Desert () is a vast desert wilderness in West Asia that occupies almost the entire Arabian Peninsula with an area of . It stretches from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Jordan and Iraq. It is the fourth largest desert in the ...

and took their herds to where they could find

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

and water. They became familiar with their area as the seasons passed, and they struggled to survive during bad years when seasonal rainfall decreased. Although the Nabataeans were initially embedded in the Aramean culture, theories that they have Aramean roots are rejected by modern scholars. Instead, archaeological, religious and linguistic evidence confirms that they are a North Arabian tribe. "The identification of

Wadi Rum Wadi Rum ( ''Wādī Ramm'', also ''Wādī al-Ramm''), known also as the Valley of the Moon ( ''Wādī al-Qamar''), is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan, near the border with Saudi Arabia and about to the east of ...

with Iram and the tribe of ʿĀd, mentioned in the Quran, has been proposed by scholars who have translated

Thamudic Thamudic, named for the Thamud tribe, is a group of Epigraphy, epigraphic scripts known from large numbers of inscriptions in Ancient North Arabian (ANA) alphabets, which have not yet been properly studied. These texts are found over a huge area f ...

and

Nabataean The Nabataeans or Nabateans (; Nabataean Aramaic: , , vocalized as ) were an ancient Arab people who inhabited northern Arabia and the southern Levant. Their settlements—most prominently the assumed capital city of Raqmu (present-day Petr ...

inscriptions referring to both the place Iram and the tribes of ʿĀd and

Thamud The Thamud () were an ancient tribe or tribal confederation in pre-Islamic Arabia that occupied the northwestern Arabian Peninsula. They are attested in contemporaneous Mesopotamian and Classical inscriptions, as well as Arabic ones from the e ...

by name." The mystic ad-Dabbagh has suggested that these verses refer to ʿĀd's tents with pillars, both of which are gold-plated. He claims that coins made of this gold remain buried and that Iram is the name of a tribe of ʿĀd and not a location. Iram became widely known to Western literature with the translation of the story "The City of Many-Columned Iram and Abdullah Son of Abi Kilabah" in ''

The Book of One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of History of the Middle East, Middle Eastern List of fairy tales, folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nigh ...

''.

Theme of the surah

There are almost seven divisions in the Qur'an according to Themes. The last of these seven sections goes from surah

Al-Mulk Al-Mulk () is the List of chapters in the Quran, 67th chapter (surah) of the Quran, comprising 30 ayat, verses. Surah Al Mulk emphasizes the greatness of Allah and His creation, urging believers to reflect on the signs of God's power in the uni ...

urah number 67to surah

Al-Nas Al-Nas or Mankind () is the 114th and last chapter (''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. It is a short six- verse invocation. The chapter takes its name from the word "people" or "mankind" (''al-nas''), which recurs throughout the chapter. This and the ...

urah number 114 ''Oorah'' is a battle cry common in the United States Marine Corps since the mid-20th century. Several anecdotes attributed the phrase to John R. Massaro's time as a gunnery sergeant in the Reconnaissance Company, 1st Marine Division, in th ...

This final part

ast seventh of the Quran AST, Ast, or ast may refer to: Science and technology * Attention schema theory, of consciousness or subjective awareness Computing * Abstract syntax tree, a finite, labeled, directed tree used in computer science * Anamorphic stretch transform, ...

focuses on sources of reflection, people, final scenes they will face on

and

hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

fire and paradise in general and admonition to the

Quraysh The Quraysh () are an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. Their members were divided into ten main clans, most notably including the Banu Hashim, into which Islam's founding prophet Muhammad was born. By ...

about their fate in the present and the

hereafter The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's stream of consciousness or identity continues to exist after the death of their physical body. The surviving essential aspect varies bet ...

if they deny Muhammad, specifically. This surah Al-Fajr forms a pair with the next one

Al-Balad Al-Balad (, "The City"), is the 90th Surah or chapter of the Qur'an. It is composed of 20 '' ayat'' (verses). Summary *1-7 Man, though created in misery, yet boasts of his riches *8-16 Captives to be freed and the poor and orphan to be fed *17- ...

. The central theme of both the surahs is to reprimand the leaders of the

for the rebellious attitude and arrogant behavior they have adopted with regard to

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

and their fellow human beings after being bestowed with favors and riches.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Javed Ahmad Ghamidi (born 7 April 1952) is a Pakistani Islamic scholar and philosopher who is the founder of Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences and its sister organisation ''Danish Sara''. He is regarded as one of the most influential and ...

References

External links

Q89:7
50+ translations, islamawakened.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Fajr Fajr Islamic eschatology Tribes of Arabia Ramesses II Iram of the Pillars