سُورَتَا الْعَادِيَاتِ وَالتَّكَاثُرِ

The text: Surah Al-'Aadiyaat (100), verses 1 to 11 بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا ﴿١﴾ فَالْمُورِيَاتِ قَدْحًا ﴿٢﴾ فَالْمُغِيرَاتِ صُبْحًا ﴿٣﴾ فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِ نَقْعًا ﴿٤﴾ فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِ جَمْعًا ﴿٥﴾ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ ﴿٦﴾ وَإِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ ﴿٧﴾ وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٨﴾ ۞ أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِي الْقُبُورِ ﴿٩﴾ وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِي الصُّدُورِ ﴿١٠﴾ إِنَّ رَبَّهُمْ بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَخَبِيرٌ ﴿١١﴾

The text: Surah At-Takaathur (102), verses 1 to 8 بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ ﴿١﴾ حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ ﴿٢﴾ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣﴾ ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤﴾ كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ ﴿٥﴾ لَتَرَوُنَّ الْجَحِيمَ ﴿٦﴾ ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ الْيَقِينِ ﴿٧﴾ ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ ﴿٨﴾

Listen to the two recitations while following the text with your eyes, then read the meaning in the next block.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Two surahs, one mirror These two surahs describe a fault each of us can find within: attachment to the goods of this world, which makes one forget the One who gives them and the appointment of death. For Al-'Aadiyaat, the scholars differ on the place of revelation (Makkah or Madinah) [À VÉRIFIER]; At-Takaathur is Makkan according to the majority [À VÉRIFIER].

Al-'Aadiyaat (100), "the chargers", passage by passage • Verses 1 to 5: Allah swears by the horses that run panting, strike sparks with their hooves, raid at dawn, raise the dust and plunge into the midst of the enemy ranks. For most commentators these are the horses of those striving in the path of Allah; another view, reported by Ibn Kathir, sees in them the camels of the pilgrims [À VÉRIFIER]. • Verses 6 to 8: the answer to the oaths: "Man is truly ungrateful (kanuud) to his Lord." He himself is a witness to that, and he is intense in his love of wealth. • Verses 9 to 11: does he not know that, when what is in the graves is overturned and what is in the breasts is laid bare, on that day their Lord will be fully informed about them?

At-Takaathur (102), "the race for more", passage by passage • Verses 1 and 2: "The race for more distracts you, until you visit the graves." People compete in wealth, children and prestige, until death. • Verses 3 to 7: "No! You will soon know!" repeated twice. If only you knew with certain knowledge… You will surely see the Blaze, with your own eyes, with certainty. • Verse 8: "Then, on that day, you will be asked about the delights."

What the Prophet ﷺ said about it • While reciting At-Takaathur, he said: "The son of Adam says: my wealth, my wealth! But do you have of your wealth anything other than what you ate and consumed, wore and wore out, or gave in charity and so sent ahead?" (Muslim 2958). • "If the son of Adam had a valley of gold, he would want to have two; and only earth will fill his mouth; and Allah accepts the repentance of the one who repents" (Bukhari 6439, Muslim 1048). • One day the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr and 'Umar, driven out by hunger, were received by a man of the Anṣaar who offered them dates, meat and cool water. The Prophet ﷺ said: "You will be asked about this blessing on the Day of Resurrection" (Muslim 2038).

Exercise: write down three ordinary "delights" of your day (a meal, cool water, health, a roof). For each one, ask yourself: "If I am asked about this blessing, what will I answer?"

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Al-'Aadiyaat opens with an image of strength and speed: horses at full charge, obeying to the end the one who feeds them. The contrast is intended: the animal is faithful to its master, while the human being is ungrateful to his Lord. The word kanuud means, according to the commentators, the one who counts misfortunes and forgets blessings. The remedy is not to despise wealth, but to put it back in its place: means received from Allah, to obey Him. At-Takaathur describes the same disease in everyday life: comparing, accumulating, competing, until death stops the race. The surah does not say that wealth is bad; it says that the race "distracts", that is, it makes one forget what matters. The hadith of Muslim 2958 gives the true measure: what really belongs to us is what we have used and, above all, what we have given. The question about the delights (verse 8) is not only about great riches. The hadith of Muslim 2038 shows that a simple meal, after hunger, is a blessing one will answer for: by thanking Allah and using it in His obedience.

Lessons to draw from it • Count Allah's blessings rather than what is lacking. • Do not let comparison and accumulation fill your life. • See charity as the wealth one truly keeps. • Remember death and the graves to put things back in their place. • Thank Allah for ordinary blessings: water, food, health.

Key points to remember • Al-'Aadiyaat (100), 11 verses: "man is truly ungrateful to his Lord". • At-Takaathur (102), 8 verses: the race for more distracts until the grave. • Muslim 2958: "my wealth, my wealth!" • Bukhari 6439, Muslim 1048: the valley of gold. • Muslim 2038: asked about a meal of dates, meat and water.

The main message The goods of this world are blessings we will be asked about: thank Allah for them, give a share of them, and do not let the race for more make you forget the grave.