Surah Al-Fajr 89
سُورَةُ الفَجۡرِ“The Dawn”30 Ayat
وَٱلْفَجْرِ
By the dawn
وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ
And [by] ten nights
وَٱلشَّفْعِ وَٱلْوَتْرِ
And [by] the even [number] and the odd
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ
And [by] the night when it passes,
هَلْ فِى ذَٰلِكَ قَسَمٌ لِّذِى حِجْرٍ
Is there [not] in [all] that an oath [sufficient] for one of perception?
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with 'Aad -
إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلْعِمَادِ
[With] Iram - who had lofty pillars,
ٱلَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى ٱلْبِلَٰدِ
The likes of whom had never been created in the land?
وَثَمُودَ ٱلَّذِينَ جَابُوا ٱلصَّخْرَ بِٱلْوَادِ
And [with] Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley?
وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِى ٱلْأَوْتَادِ
And [with] Pharaoh, owner of the stakes? -
ٱلَّذِينَ طَغَوْا فِى ٱلْبِلَٰدِ
[All of] whom oppressed within the lands
فَأَكْثَرُوا فِيهَا ٱلْفَسَادَ
And increased therein the corruption.
فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ
So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِٱلْمِرْصَادِ
Indeed, your Lord is in observation.
فَأَمَّا ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَكْرَمَنِ
And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me."
وَأَمَّآ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَهَٰنَنِ
But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me."
كَلَّا بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ ٱلْيَتِيمَ
No! But you do not honor the orphan
وَلَا تَحَٰٓضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ
And you do not encourage one another to feed the poor.
وَتَأْكُلُونَ ٱلتُّرَاثَ أَكْلًا لَّمًّا
And you consume inheritance, devouring [it] altogether,
وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا
And you love wealth with immense love.
كَلَّآ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا
No! When the earth has been leveled - pounded and crushed -
وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا
And your Lord has come and the angels, rank upon rank,
وَجِاىٓءَ يَوْمَئِذٍ بِجَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ
And brought [within view], that Day, is Hell - that Day, man will remember, but what good to him will be the remembrance?
يَقُولُ يَٰلَيْتَنِى قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِى
He will say, "Oh, I wish I had sent ahead [some good] for my life."
فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُٓ أَحَدٌ
So on that Day, none will punish [as severely] as His punishment,
وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُٓ أَحَدٌ
And none will bind [as severely] as His binding [of the evildoers].
يَٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ
[To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul,
ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً
Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him],
فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَٰدِى
And enter among My [righteous] servants
وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى
And enter My Paradise."
Recitation of Surat Al-Fajr in the Prayer
An-Nasa'i recorded a narration from Jabir that Mu'adh prayed a prayer and a man came and joined him in the prayer. Mu'adh made the prayer long, so the man went and prayed (alone) at the side of the Masjid, and then left. When Mu'adh was informed of this he said, "(He is) a hypocrite." He (Mu'adh) then informed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ of what happened. The Prophet ﷺ then asked the young man (about it) and he replied, "O Messenger of Allah! I came to pray with him, but he made the prayer too long for me. So I left him and prayed at the side of the Masjid. Then I went to feed my she-camel." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said,
أَفَتَّانٌ يَا مُعَاذُ؟ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ مِنْ
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الاّعْلَى
وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا
وَالْفَجْرِ
وَالَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ
(Are you causing trouble Mu'adh? Why don't you recite ('Glorify the Name of your Lord the Most High'), ('By the sun and its brightness'), ('By the dawn'), (and ('By the night as it envelops')?)
Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — the surah's virtues, naming and revelation context.