Surah Fajr

Surah Fajr or Surat al-Fajr (سورَةُ الفَجر), meaning dawn, that is also known as surah of Imam Hussain (الإِمامُ الحُسَين), is one of the short Makki (مَکّي) surahs of the last juz’ (30th section) of the Noble Quran. It is named Fajr because it begins by God swearing by the dawn. It discusses the following topics:

• the fate of disbelieving nations
• man’s foolishness when he is tested by enjoying or being deprived of the blessings of God
• man’s inattentiveness to orphans and the needy and greedily claiming inheritance
• the events of Qiyamah
• the severe punishment of God on that day
• the entrance of the “Soul at peace” (Imam Hussain) to paradise while he is pleased with God and God is pleased with him.

Facts about Surah Fajr

Arabic Text and Translation of Surah Fajr

In this article, we will consider:

Tafseer (Exegesis) of Surah Fajr

To begin with, God swears by five very significant things:

• the dawn (الفَجر)
• the ten sacred nights (لَيالٍ عَشر)
• the Even (الشَّفع)
• the Odd (الوَتر)
• the night when it departs (وَالَّيلِ إِذا يَسر)

It is important to realize that when God swears by certain things, He is in fact attaching profound significance to them. To conclude these oaths, God says: Are these oaths not enough for men of reason? Another point is that narrations have stated that the final verses of the Quran that talk about “the Soul at peace” (نَفسُ المُطمَئِنَّة) are in reality a reference to Imam Hussain (الإِمامُ الحُسَين) who was martyred in Karbala on the tenth of Muharram. For this reason, this surah is also known as the surah of Imam Hussain.

What Do the Oaths in Surah Fajr Entail?

God mentions one by one the highly important matters that entail such oaths such as:

• the terrible fate of the people of ‘Ād, that is, the nation of Prophet Hud (هود):
  • They had built great cities with massive pillars.
  • Such cities were unmatched compared to other cities in the past and future.
  • God punished them and leveled their cities for disobeying their prophet and God.
• the dreadful fate of the people of Thamūd, that is, the nation of Prophet Ṣaleḥ (صالِح) owing to their transgression:
  • They would make homes by carving mountains, which shows their might and power.
• Pharaoh and his men who used to torture people by impaling and crucifying them, were punished by God, inasmuch as:
  • rebelling against God in their cities
  • causing corruption
• God lays in ambush to take necessary action in due time.
• Man lacks understanding when he is tested by God.
• Not honoring orphans and not feeding the poor causes one to fail God’s test
• Devouring inheritance wrongfully and loving wealth too much causes trouble for the human being on Qiyamah.
• Man will be regretful of his deeds on Qiyamah and he will be punished like never before.
• The Soul at peace will enter paradise while he is pleased with God and God is pleased with him.

The Ten Nights as Mentioned in Surah Fajr

The second verse of surah Fajr speaks about ten holy nights that God swears by.

وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ ﴿2﴾

by the ten nights,

As has been noted, this surah is called the surah of Imam Hussain. For the same reason, some exegetes have said that these sacred ten nights that God swears by are the first ten nights of the month of Muharram, the month in which our dear Imam Hussain was martyred. Of course, other exegetes have said that it may refer to the first ten nights of the month of hajj, that is, Dhu al-Ḥijjah (ذو الحِجَّة). Eid al-Aḍḥā (عيدُ الأَضحیٰ) is on the tenth day of this holy month.

The Even and the Odd

In the third verse of this surah, God swears by the Even al-Shaf‘ and the Odd al-Watr.

وَٱلشَّفْعِ وَٱلْوَتْرِ ﴿3﴾

by the Even and the Odd,

A number of exegetes say that the Even refers to the penultimate prayer that Muslims offer as a part of the night prayer (صَلوٰةُ الَّيل) that is known by the same name (i.e. al-Shaf‘), whereas the Odd is the final prayer of the night prayer known as al-Watr. To clarify, the reason the former is known as even is that it is two units, which is an even number, while the latter is a one unit prayer, which is an odd number. As a matter of fact, God is swearing by these two prayers in order to show the significance of these two prayers as well as the great reward that they bring.

The Night Prayer Mentioned in Surah Fajr

The night prayer is a highly recommended supererogatory prayer that Muslims offer late in the night before the dawn prayer. This prayer is so important that God made it obligatory for Prophet Muhammad. However, it is not obligatory for others. Nonetheless, it is extremely recommended and brings a great deal of reward. What follows is the correct and simple way of performing this prayer:

1. After making ablution, one must make a sincere intention for performing this prayer.
2. The worshipper must offer four two-unit prayers, making a total of eight units of prayer.
3. The worshipper must offer a two-unit prayer known as al-Shaf‘.
4. Finally, the worshipper must offer a one-unit prayer known as al-Watr.

In case there is not enough time to offer the first eight units on account of the arrival of the dawn prayer, one may simply offer the two last forms of prayer as noted.

The Fate of the People of ‘Ād as Stated in Surah Fajr

Verses 6-8 of this surah make mention of an ancient Arabian tribe and nation that existed in the distant past called the people of ‘Ād.

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ ﴿6﴾

Have you not regarded how your Lord dealt with [the people of] ‘Ad,

إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلْعِمَادِ ﴿7﴾

[and] Iram, [the city] of the pillars,

ٱلَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى ٱلْبِلَـٰدِ ﴿8﴾

the like of which was not created among cities,

In fact, they were called ‘Ād because their great ancestor was a man named ‘Ād ibn ‘Ūḍ (عادِ ابنِ عوض). These people enjoyed abundant blessings. However, they did not believe in one God and worshipped idols. The people of ‘Ād were very mighty and powerful people both in terms of physique and manpower who lived very long lives. 1 As the Quran says, they were tall like date palms 2 and were great in stature. 3 Verse seven of surah Fajr mentions one of the great cities they had built by the name of Iram. In fact, these cities had large buildings and houses with tall pillars made of stone, fertile land, gardens, and orchards.

This is what made their cities stand out. Meanwhile, God sent His prophet Hūd (هود) to invite them to monotheism and the true religion. However, they refused to do believe in him, saying that he is crazy and a liar. 4 No matter how much Prophet Hūd preached to them, they refused to let go of their idolatry. Ultimately, they asked Hūd to ask his God to punish them if he is truthful. Therefore, they were punished by an icy gale and nothing remained of them. 5 Nevertheless, Hūd and those who believed in him were saved. 6

The Fate of the People of Thamūd as Stated in Surah Fajr

Verse nine of surah Fajr makes mention of the people of Thamūd.

وَثَمُودَ ٱلَّذِينَ جَابُوا۟ ٱلصَّخْرَ بِٱلْوَادِ ﴿9﴾

and [the people of] Thamud, who hollowed out the rocks in the valley,

Similar to the people of ‘Ād, the people of Thamūd were a mighty Arabian tribe and nation that came after the people of ‘Ād. In fact, these two tribes had many similarities. For instance, they were strong, tall, and powerful people who made large houses by carving the stones of mountains. Moreover, they too lived long lives. They also worshipped idols. Therefore, God sent His prophet Ṣāliḥ (صالِح) to invite them to monotheism and the true path. 7 However, they also refused to believe in him and asked him to show them a sign or miracle.

Consequently, Prophet Ṣāliḥ prayed to God to make a she-camel emerge from the mountain. Afterward, Ṣāliḥ said: You must allow this camel to eat and drink and you should not inflict harm on her or else you will be punished. 8 However, his people did not believe in him and even slew the camel. 9 Subsequently, God punished them with a storm of thunder and lightning. 10

The Fate of the Pharaoh as Stated in Surah Fajr

In verses 10-13 of surah Fajr, God makes a brief mention of the fate of Pharaoh and his men.

وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِى ٱلْأَوْتَادِ ﴿10﴾

and Pharaoh, the impaler

ٱلَّذِينَ طَغَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْبِلَـٰدِ ﴿11﴾

—those who rebelled [against Allah] in their cities

فَأَكْثَرُوا۟ فِيهَا ٱلْفَسَادَ ﴿12﴾

and caused much corruption in them,

فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ ﴿13﴾

so your Lord poured on them lashes of punishment.

First, the surah begins by describing the Pharaoh as an impaler (ذي الأوتادی: dhi al-awtād). The word awtād is the plural of watad (وَتَد) which means stake or nail. The Quran has given this name to Pharaoh since he crucified those who disobeyed him on date palms by hammering nails into their hands and feet. The most compelling evidence for this naming can be found in the story of the Pharaoh and the magicians who expressed their faith in God, whereby the Pharaoh threatened to crucify them on a date palm by impaling their hands and feet from opposite sides. 11

Therefore, God punished the Pharaoh by drowning him in the sea. To conclude, in verse 14 God states how He is always waiting in ambush to take action in due time.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِٱلْمِرْصَادِ ﴿14﴾

Indeed your Lord is in ambush.

God Tests Man

Verses 15 and 16 of surah Fajr mention a very stark fact about the human being. First of all, verse 15 says that when man is tested by God by means of giving him honor and blessing him with many bounties, he says: My Lord has honored me.

فَأَمَّا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَأَكْرَمَهُۥ وَنَعَّمَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَكْرَمَنِ ﴿15﴾

As for man, whenever his Lord tests him, and grants him honour, and blesses him, he says, ‘My Lord has honoured me.’

Conversely, when God tests him by taking away some blessings from him and puts him in an unpleasant financial situation, man says: My Lord has humiliated me.

وَأَمَّآ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَهَـٰنَنِ ﴿16﴾

But when He tests him and tightens for him his provision, he says, ‘My Lord has humiliated me.’

However, neither is necessarily true. That is to say, if God honors someone and gives him a great deal of blessings such as money, clothing, food, wife, children, and the like, He is in truth testing him to see whether or not he gives thanks to God and remembers Him. In like manner, when God causes someone to be in dire financial straits, He is testing him to see whether he still gives thanks to God regardless of his situation.

In either case, God wants man to remember Him, give thanks to Him, and worship Him earnestly notwithstanding his financial or social status.

How to Pass God’s Test as Stated in Surah Fajr

It is interesting that God states how man can pass or fail this test. Firstly, verse 17 says, “No indeed! He (i.e. man) did not honor the orphan.”

كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ ٱلْيَتِيمَ ﴿17﴾

No indeed! No, you do not honour the orphan,

In reality, one of the acts that God very much loves from His servants is to help orphans both spiritually and financially. After all, children who are orphaned usually do not have a very good psychological and financial state, inasmuch as having lost their father, mother, or even both. Therefore, others must support them caringly and compassionately.

Secondly, verse 18 says that man does not feed the poor.

وَلَا تَحَـٰٓضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ ﴿18﴾

and do not urge the feeding of the needy.

With this in mind, one can emphatically assert that if we want to pass God’s test, one of the best ways of doing so is by feeding the poor. So long as one makes this a habit, he will be honored by God. Thirdly, in verse 19, God says that one of the factors behind man’s failure is greedily devouring inheritance, in that one wrongfully claims inheritance and infringes on the rights of the other heirs.

وَتَأْكُلُونَ ٱلتُّرَاثَ أَكْلًا لَّمًّا ﴿19﴾

You eat the inheritance rapaciously,

Finally, in verse 20, God says that man loves wealth so much that it is the only thing he can think of, and this is to his own detriment.

وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا ﴿20﴾

and love wealth with much fondness.

Qiyamah in Surah Fajr

Then, God in verses 21-30 of surah Fajr describes the events of Qiyamah. Firstly, in verse 21, God says how one of the signs of Qiyamah is how God levels the earth, reducing it to a plain.

كَلَّآ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا ﴿21﴾

No indeed! When the earth is levelled to a plain,

Verse 22 states how God and the angels show presence.

وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا ﴿22﴾

and your Lord [’s edict] arrives with the angels in ranks,

Thereafter, as stated in verse 23, hell is brought near.

وَجِا۟ىٓءَ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ ﴿23﴾

the day when hell is brought [near], man will take admonition on that day, but what will that admonition avail him?

On that day, man will take admonishment, but what good would that admonishment do to him? As a matter of fact, he becomes regretful and wishes he had done good deeds while on earth. Then in verses 25 and 26, God wants to show the severity of punishment on that day by saying:

فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ ﴿25﴾

On that day none shall punish as He punishes,

وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ ﴿26﴾

and none shall bind as He binds.

The Soul at Peace

All of a sudden, the tone of the verses changes starting with verse 27 until verse 30, that is, the end of the surah.

يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ﴿27﴾

‘O soul at peace!

ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً ﴿28﴾

Return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing!

فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى ﴿29﴾

Then enter among My servants,

وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى ﴿30﴾

and enter My paradise!’

In other words, the previous verses were about the regret and punishment of evildoers, whereas from verse 27 onward, it is about the “Soul that is at peace.” Evidently, God is talking about a specific individual because He is directly addressing one single soul. Most Quranic exegetes agree that the final verses of this surah are about Imam Hussain (AS).

In reality, he is the one whose soul is confident about its salvation. Imam Hussain strived in the way of God by standing against the corrupt ruler of the time, Yazid son of Mu‘wiyah who was intending to efface the religion of Islam. In light of his self-sacrifice and jihad, God revealed these verses in his honor.

It is important to realize that some verses that God revealed to Prophet Muhammad are about the future. In other words, certain events may have not yet materialized. Historians agree that God through His angel Gabriel related the entire story of Imam Hussain in Karbala and the day of Ashura (عاشورا) to the Prophet and informed him of his self-sacrifice and martyrdom.

Some even say that God revealed these verses in order to inform the Prophet about the future of his dear grandson Imam Hussain and how he would be a savior of Islam. Therefore, on Qiyamah, Imam Hussain returns to God while he is pleased with God and God is pleased with him and after that, he will enter paradise.

The Virtues of Reciting Surah Fajr

One of our holy Imams has said, “Whoever recites surah Fajr often will enter paradise with Imam Hussain (AS).” Furthermore, his holiness has said:

اقرءوا سورة الفجر فی فرائضكم و نوافلكم، فإنها سورة الحسین بن علی

“Recite surah Fajr in your obligatory and recommended prayers because it is the surah of Hussain son of ‘Ali.”

One of those present there asked his holiness, “Why is this surah called the surah of Imam Hussain? His holiness replied, “Have you not heard this part of the verse and word of God that states, “O soul at peace! Return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing! Then enter among My servants, and enter My paradise!”

This verse is about Imam Hussain because his eminence possessed a reassured and peaceful spirit, as he was pleased with God and God was pleased with him. Indeed, this surah is about Imam Hussain, his followers, and the followers of the household of Muhammad. 12

Benefits of Reciting Surah Fajr

Prophet Muhammad has said that whoever recites surah Fajr in the first ten days of the lunar Islamic month of Dhu al-Ḥijjah, their sins will be forgiven, and if they recite it at other times, it will be a source of illumination for them on Qiyamah. 13 Here three other benefits of reciting surah Fajr:

1. Having children: Whoever writes this surah and keeps it with him will have a child who will be a source of comfort for him. 14
2. Some have said that if this surah is recited eleven times before conception, one’s baby will be a boy, God willing. 15
3. Being in God’s protection: Whoever recites surah Fajr during the dawn will be safe from danger until the dawn of the next day. 16