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Surah 86 · Makkah · 17 āyāt
Phase 02 · Going public — and the persecution(c. 10–8 BH) — view in timelineAt-TāriqThe Nightcomer
الطارق
A short, early Makkan surah that swears by the piercing night-star to establish a single truth: every soul has a watcher over it. From there it moves to the astonishing origin of man from a fluid ejected from between the loins and the ribs, to Allah's power to resurrect, to an oath by rain-bearing sky and life-splitting earth affirming the Qur'an is decisive speech, and closes with a quiet warning: the plotters plot, but Allah's plan prevails — so give the disbelievers a little respite.
Why it was revealed
Revealed in Makkah during the period when the Prophet ﷺ preached mainly to close associates and Quraysh had not yet organised open persecution, though mockery of the Resurrection was already a common objection raised against him.
No authentic, specific occasion of revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl) is transmitted for this surah beyond its general placement among the early Makkan surahs that establish tawḥīd, the reality of an ever-watching Lord, and the certainty of resurrection. Where no sound report exists, it is better to say so plainly than to invent one.
Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, introduction to Sūrat aṭ-Ṭāriq; al-Suyūṭī, al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān (on the Makkan surahs)In the Prophet's ﷺ life
Qur'an named among the earliest revealed
Scholars of the Qur'anic sciences place aṭ-Ṭāriq among the early Makkan surahs, alongside others that open with oaths and press the case for tawḥīd and resurrection before the more detailed legal surahs of Madinah were revealed.
Recalled in āyah 1, 2, 3
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلطَّارِقِ
By the sky and the night-comer —
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلطَّارِقُ
And what can make you know what the night-comer is?
ٱلنَّجْمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ
It is the piercing star.
Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, introduction to the surah
The oath: every soul has a watcher
Allah swears by the sky and by the piercing night-star (aṭ-ṭāriq) that no soul is left without a guardian recording over it. The oath's grandeur matches the weight of the claim: nothing you do escapes notice.
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلطَّارِقِ
By the sky and the night-comer —
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلطَّارِقُ
And what can make you know what the night-comer is?
ٱلنَّجْمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ
It is the piercing star.
إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ
There is no soul but that it has over it a guardian.
From the tafsīr
Aṭ-ṭāriq is that which comes at night; here it is explained by what follows — an-najm al-thāqib, the piercing star whose light cuts through darkness. Allah swears by it that every soul has a protector (ḥāfiẓ) over it, recording its deeds.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Al-ṭurūq linguistically is a coming by night, because a night-visitor typically knocks (yaṭruqu) at the door; the star is named ṭāriq because it appears at night. Al-thāqib means piercing and brilliant, cutting through the darkness with its light.
— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- Allah swears by something small and distant — a single star — to teach that nothing is too small for His notice either.
- The word ḥāfiẓ (guardian/recorder) means the watching over you is active and continuous, not occasional.
- A soul that truly believes it is watched behaves differently than one that assumes it is unseen.
Reflect
What would change in your day if you pictured the recording angel as vividly as the night sky?
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Question 1 of 2
How does the surah itself explain the meaning of aṭ-ṭāriq?
Question 2 of 2
What is the response (jawāb al-qasam) to the oath in this surah?
Man's origin: proof written into his own creation
Let man consider what he was created from: a fluid ejected, emerging from between the backbone and the ribs. The verse turns attention inward — the proof of Allah's power needs no distant miracle, only honest reflection on one's own beginning.
فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ
So let man observe from what he was created.
خُلِقَ مِن مَّآءٍ دَافِقٍ
He is created from a fluid, ejected,
يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ ٱلصُّلْبِ وَٱلتَّرَآئِبِ
Emerging from between the backbone and the ribs.
From the tafsīr
Māʾ dāfiq is the ejected, spurting fluid from which man is created; it emerges from between aṣ-ṣulb (the man's backbone) and at-tarāʾib (the ribs of the chest), a description of the source of reproductive fluid in the human body.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
The command falyanẓur al-insān — 'let man consider' — is an invitation to reflect, drawing the conclusion that the One who originated him from so humble a beginning is certainly able to return him after death.
— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- The strongest evidence for the Resurrection cited here is not external — it is each person's own body.
- Reflection (naẓar) on creation is presented as a religious duty, not idle curiosity.
- A being created from something so unremarkable has no basis for arrogance.
Reflect
Where in your own life have you overlooked evidence of Allah's power because it was too close to notice?
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Between which two parts is the fluid described as emerging?
The power to bring back, and the day secrets are exposed
The One who began that creation is certainly able to return it. A day is coming when the innermost secrets are tested and brought out — and on that day, man will have no strength and no helper of his own.
إِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَجْعِهِۦ لَقَادِرٌ
Indeed, He, to return him [to life], is Able.
يَوْمَ تُبْلَى ٱلسَّرَآئِرُ
The Day when secrets will be tested,
فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن قُوَّةٍ وَلَا نَاصِرٍ
Then he will have no power or any helper.
From the tafsīr
Innahu ʿalā rajʿihī la-qādir — He who created him the first time is certainly able to bring him back after death; yawma tublā as-sarāʾir is the Day of Judgement, when hidden matters of the heart — beliefs, intentions, deeds kept secret — are exposed and tested.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
As-sarāʾir refers to what people concealed of their deeds and beliefs in the worldly life; on that Day nothing of it remains hidden, and man will find neither strength (quwwah) in himself nor any helper (nāṣir) to save him.
— Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān
Key takeaways
- The argument moves logically: if He could originate, He can certainly repeat — a first creation is the harder case, not the second.
- 'The secrets tested' means intentions matter as much as visible deeds.
- On that Day, wealth, status, and allies that once seemed like strength will all fail to help.
Reflect
What intention or private matter would you want to already have corrected before it is tested and exposed?
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How is as-sarāʾir explained by the mufassirūn?
A second oath: the Qur'an is decisive speech
A fresh oath — by the sky that returns rain and the earth that splits open for plants — affirms that the Qur'an is a decisive word (qawl faṣl), no idle jest, separating truth from falsehood.
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلرَّجْعِ
By the sky which returns [rain],
وَٱلْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ ٱلصَّدْعِ
And the earth which cracks open [for plants],
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ
Indeed, it is a decisive statement,
وَمَا هُوَ بِٱلْهَزْلِ
And it is not amusement.
From the tafsīr
As-samāʾ dhāt ar-rajʿ is the sky that repeatedly sends down rain; al-arḍ dhāt aṣ-ṣadʿ is the earth that splits open for seeds and plants to emerge — cycles of return and renewal, fitting an oath about a Book that likewise returns truth and brings forth guidance.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Qawl faṣl means speech that distinguishes and separates truth from falsehood decisively; wa mā huwa bil-hazl — 'it is not amusement' — negates any notion that the Qur'an is frivolous or a jest.
— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- The imagery of rain and sprouting earth mirrors the Qur'an's own function: it brings life and growth to hearts.
- 'Decisive speech' means the Qur'an settles matters — it is not open to careless dismissal.
- Calling revelation 'no jest' rules out treating guidance as a matter of entertainment or indifference.
Reflect
Do you engage with the Qur'an as decisive guidance, or sometimes as background noise?
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What quality of the Qur'an does 'qawl faṣl' point to?
Their scheming, and His greater plan
The disbelievers plot and scheme (kayd), and Allah plots too — His plan overtakes theirs completely. The surah closes with a striking instruction: give the disbelievers a little respite, a calm word rather than a panicked one.
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا
Indeed, they are planning a plan,
وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا
And I am planning a plan.
فَمَهِّلِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًا
So allow time for the disbelievers. Give them respite, a little.
From the tafsīr
Innahum yakīdūna kaydā, wa akīdu kaydā — they plot a plot, and I too plan a plan; Allah's plan (His decree and gradual seizing of the wrongdoers) is described as encompassing and certain, however elaborate their scheming.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Famahhil al-kāfirīna amhilhum ruwaydā — 'so give the disbelievers respite, a gentle respite' — instructs patience rather than haste in confronting them, trusting that Allah's response will come in its due time.
— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- Human scheming against truth is real, but it is never the last word — Allah's plan is described as overtaking it.
- 'Ruwaydā' (a little, gently) counsels measured patience, not passivity or panic.
- The surah that opened with a watcher over every soul closes by reminding the listener that Allah is also watching, and outmaneuvering, every scheme against His guidance.
Reflect
Where do you need 'ruwaydā' — patience without panic — while trusting Allah's plan over visible opposition?
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What instruction closes the surah in āyah 17?
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Roots from this surah
Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.
ط ر ق
āyāt 1, 2to knock, to come by night
- طَارِقnight-comer, one who knocks
- طَرِيقpath, road
- طَرَقَhe knocked, arrived at night
ح ف ظ
āyāt 4to guard, preserve, watch over
- حَافِظguardian, protector
- حِفْظpreservation, memorisation
- مَحْفُوظprotected, preserved
خ ل ق
āyāt 5, 6to create, bring into being
- خَلَقَhe created
- خَلْقcreation
- خَالِقthe Creator
ر ج ع
āyāt 8, 11to return, come back
- رَجَعَhe returned
- رَجْعreturn, repetition
- مَرْجِعplace of return
س ر ر
āyāt 9to conceal, keep secret
- سِرّa secret
- سَرِيرَةan inner, hidden matter
- أَسَرَّhe concealed, kept hidden
ق و ل
āyāt 13to speak, say
- قَوْلa statement, speech
- قَالَhe said
- مَقَالَةan article, saying
ك ي د
āyāt 15, 16to scheme, plot, devise a plan
- كَيْدa scheme, plot
- كَادَhe plotted, schemed
- مَكِيدَةa stratagem
م ه ل
āyāt 17to grant time, delay, act gently
- مَهَّلَhe gave respite
- مُهْلَةa grace period
- تَمَهَّلَhe proceeded calmly
Carry this with you
- Every soul lives under an unbroken watch — nothing done in secret is truly unseen.
- Reflect on your own creation; it is proof enough of what your Creator can do again.
- The One who began you from something so humble can certainly return you after death.
- On the Day secrets are tested, no worldly power or ally will be able to help.
- The Qur'an is decisive speech, never to be treated as idle amusement.
- Human scheming against the truth is real, but Allah's plan overtakes it entirely.
- Facing opposition calls for measured patience (ruwaydā), not panic or despair.
- Where no authentic occasion of revelation is transmitted, it is better to say so than to invent one.
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At-Tāriq · A second oath: the Qur'an is decisive speech
What does qawl faṣl mean as a description of the Qur'an in āyah 13?
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