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Surah 50 · Makkah · 45 āyāt
Phase 02 · Going public — and the persecution(c. 10–8 BH) — view in timelineQāfThe letter Qāf
ق
A Makkan surah opening with a disjointed letter and an oath by the glorious Qurʾān, centred on the resurrection that the deniers found so 'strange'. It moves from creation, to Allah's intimate knowledge of every soul, to the record kept by two recording angels, to the death-scene, the Day itself, Paradise and the Fire, and closes with a call to patience and remembrance. The Prophet ﷺ recited it regularly before large gatherings — at both ʿĪds and on the minbar every Friday.
Why it was revealed
Qāf answers Makkan disbelievers who found it 'strange' (ʿajīb) that a human being, once turned to dust, could be raised again. It was also a surah the Prophet ﷺ chose repeatedly to teach the largest audiences he addressed.
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه asked Umm Hishām bint Ḥārithah ibn al-Nuʿmān about Sūrat Qāf, and she said: 'I did not memorize Qāf except from the tongue of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; he used to recite it on the minbar every Friday.' Separately, Yaʿlā ibn Umayyah reported that he heard the Prophet ﷺ recite Sūrat Qāf on the minbar.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 872 (Umm Hishām); Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 873 (Yaʿlā ibn Umayyah)In the Prophet's ﷺ life
The Qurʾān recited from the minbar every Friday
Umm Hishām bint Ḥārithah said she learned Qāf only by hearing the Prophet ﷺ recite it repeatedly from the minbar on Fridays over roughly two years — an established practice, not a one-off.
Recalled in āyah 1
قٓ ۚ وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ٱلْمَجِيدِ
Qāf. By the glorious Qurʾān.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 872
‘A strange thing’: the oath against denial of the resurrection
Allah swears by the glorious Qurʾān that the deniers' astonishment at resurrection is misplaced. He then turns their gaze to the sky above and the earth beneath them — both witnesses to a Creator who can equally re-create.
قٓ ۚ وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ٱلْمَجِيدِ
Qāf. By the glorious Qurʾān.
أَءِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا ۖ ذَٰلِكَ رَجْعٌۢ بَعِيدٌ
'When we die and become dust — that is a distant return.'
أَفَلَمْ يَنظُرُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَٰهَا وَزَيَّنَّٰهَا وَمَا لَهَا مِن فُرُوجٍ
Have they not looked at the sky above them — how We structured it and adorned it, with no rifts in it?
From the tafsīr
The Qurʾān is majīd (glorious, abundant in good) and this itself is proof; the disbelievers' wonder ('a strange thing!') is answered by directing them to look at the heavens — built without flaw or crack — and the earth spread out and firmly anchored with mountains.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
The response to 'that is a distant return' is not argument but observation: 'Have they not looked at the sky above them, how We structured it and adorned it, with no rifts in it?' — the greater creation is evidence for the lesser one (bringing a body back).
— Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān
Key takeaways
- Denial of resurrection is met not with a debate but with an invitation to look at creation already witnessed daily.
- The scale of what Allah has already made (the heavens, the earth, growth from rain) argues for what people think impossible (return to life).
- 'A strange thing' names the disbelievers' own words back to them before dismantling the objection.
Reflect
What everyday sign of Allah's power have you stopped truly looking at?
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Question 1 of 2
How do the deniers describe resurrection in āyah 2?
Question 2 of 2
How does the surah respond to the objection 'that is a distant return'?
Nearer to him than his jugular vein
Allah created man and knows what his own soul whispers to him, being 'closer to him than his jugular vein'. Two angels sit, one on each side, recording — not a single word is uttered without a watcher present.
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِۦ نَفْسُهُۥ ۖ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ ٱلْوَرِيدِ
We have created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein.
مَّا يَلْفِظُ مِن قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ
He does not utter a word except that with him is an ever-present watcher.
From the tafsīr
'We created man and know what his soul whispers to him' — Allah's knowledge reaches the innermost, unspoken thought; the nearness described is nearness of knowledge and power, not physical proximity.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
Al-mutalaqqiyān are the two recording angels (kirāman kātibīn), one recording good deeds and one recording evil, seated ʿan al-yamīn wa ʿan al-shimāl (on the right and the left); raqīb ʿatīd means a watcher who is always present and ready.
— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- Nothing internal is hidden from Allah — even unspoken whispers of the soul are known.
- Every spoken word is recorded the instant it is uttered; there is no delay and no gap.
- Awareness of the two recording angels is meant to shape speech, not just outward action.
Reflect
If your last hour of speech were read back to you today, what would you want erased?
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Question 1 of 2
Who are al-mutalaqqiyān in āyah 17?
Question 2 of 2
What does 'closer to him than his jugular vein' describe?
The stupor of death lifts the veil
The agony (sakrah) of death arrives in truth — the very thing one used to flee. The Trumpet is blown, and on that Day every soul comes with a driver and a witness. The veil is removed, and sight becomes sharp.
وَجَآءَتْ سَكْرَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ
And the stupor of death will bring the truth. That is what you were trying to escape.
لَّقَدْ كُنتَ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَٰذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَآءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ
You were certainly heedless of this, so We have removed your veil, and your sight today is sharp.
From the tafsīr
'The stupor of death will bring the truth' — death brings with it the reality one denied or avoided thinking about; 'this is what you were trying to escape' is addressed to every soul at the point of departure.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
'We have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp' — the coverings of heedlessness (ghaflah) that blinded a person to the reality of the Hereafter in this life are stripped away, and what was previously unseen becomes plainly visible.
— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- Death does not create the truth of the Hereafter — it only removes the ability to keep ignoring it.
- Every soul is described as arriving with a 'driver' (sāʾiq) and a 'witness' (shahīd) — nothing is unaccompanied or unaccounted.
- Sharpened sight after death is a warning to sharpen insight through faith before it is forced open.
Reflect
What truth are you currently postponing that death will not let you postpone?
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Question 1 of 2
How is sight described after the veil is lifted in 50:22?
Question 2 of 2
What does 'the stupor of death will bring the truth' mean?
Hell's insatiable question and Paradise brought near
The disbeliever's companion (his qarīn, or the recording angel) disowns responsibility for his misguidance. Hell is asked 'Are you full?' and answers 'Are there more?' — while Paradise is brought near for every penitent, mindful soul, with 'increase' promised from Allah.
يَوْمَ نَقُولُ لِجَهَنَّمَ هَلِ ٱمْتَلَأْتِ وَتَقُولُ هَلْ مِن مَّزِيدٍ
On the Day We will say to Hell, 'Are you full?' and it will say, 'Are there more?'
ٱدْخُلُوهَا بِسَلَٰمٍ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ ٱلْخُلُودِ
Enter it in peace. This is the Day of Eternity.
From the tafsīr
The qarīn (companion, whether a devil or the recording angel) says 'I did not make him transgress; he was already far astray' — disowning blame on the Day when excuses are made and rejected.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
'We will say to Hell: Are you full? And it will say: Are there more?' shows Hell's vastness and its being filled precisely as decreed; Paradise, by contrast, 'is brought near to the righteous, not far' — an image of ease and welcome, not distance.
— Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān
Key takeaways
- On the Day of Judgement, no one else can be blamed for one's own choices — companionship in sin does not transfer the sin.
- Hell's vastness is described so that no one imagines it will simply run out of room for the guilty.
- 'Enter it in peace — this is the Day of Eternity' shows Paradise entered not with fear but with security.
- The 'increase' (mazīd) promised in Paradise is left open-ended, beyond what is asked or imagined.
Reflect
Whom or what are you quietly relying on to take the blame for you on that Day?
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Question 1 of 2
What does the qarīn say when he disowns the misguided person?
Question 2 of 2
What is Hell's reply in āyah 30?
Bear patiently, and glorify Him at the edges of the day
The closing address to the Prophet ﷺ: bear what they say patiently, glorify your Lord's praise before sunrise and before sunset, and in parts of the night — because he is not sent to compel belief, but only to remind those whose hearts still fear the warning.
فَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ ٱلْغُرُوبِ
So be patient over what they say, and glorify the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting.
نَّحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِجَبَّارٍ ۖ فَذَكِّرْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَن يَخَافُ وَعِيدِ
We are most knowing of what they say, and you are not a tyrant over them. So remind by the Qurʾān whoever fears My threat.
From the tafsīr
'So be patient over what they say' comforts the Prophet ﷺ against the mockery of the deniers; the command to glorify Allah at the edges of the day and night (Fajr, ʿAṣr, and portions of the night) is often linked by exegetes to the times of prayer.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm
The final āyah — 'you are not a tyrant over them; so remind by the Qurʾān whoever fears My threat' — defines the Prophet's ﷺ role as reminder, not compeller, closing the surah exactly where it opened: with the Qurʾān itself.
— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān
Key takeaways
- Patience with mockery is paired with worship, not withdrawal — remembrance is the antidote to being worn down by ridicule.
- The role of a caller to truth is to remind, not to force belief into anyone's heart.
- The Qurʾān's reminder lands specifically on 'whoever fears My threat' — receptivity, not universal compulsion, is the condition.
- The surah's opening oath by the Qurʾān and its closing command to 'remind by the Qurʾān' form a deliberate frame.
Reflect
Where do you need to trade frustration at people's response for a moment of remembrance instead?
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Question 1 of 2
What is the Prophet ﷺ told to do in response to the disbelievers' words (āyah 39)?
Question 2 of 2
What is stated about the Prophet's ﷺ authority in āyah 45?
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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.
ر ج ع
āyāt 3to return, come back
- رَجْعa return
- رَجَعَhe returned
- مَرْجِعplace of return
خ ل ق
āyāt 16, 38to create, bring into being with precise measure
- خَلَقَhe created
- خَلْقcreation
- خَالِقCreator
ق ر ب
āyāt 16to be near, close
- أَقْرَبcloser, nearer
- قُرْبnearness
- قَرِيبnear, close one
ر ق ب
āyāt 18to watch, observe closely
- رَقِيبwatcher
- رَاقَبَhe watched over
- مُرَاقَبَةvigilance, self-watching
م و ت
āyāt 3, 19to die, death
- مَوْتdeath
- مَاتَhe died
- مُمِيتone who causes death
غ ف ل
āyāt 22to be heedless, unaware
- غَفْلَةheedlessness
- غَافِلheedless one
- أَغْفَلَhe made heedless
ز ي د
āyāt 30, 35to increase, add
- مَزِيدmore, increase
- زَادَhe increased
- زِيَادَةan increase, addition
ذ ك ر
āyāt 8, 37, 45to remember, mention, remind
- ذِكْرremembrance
- تَذْكِرَةa reminder
- ذَكِّرْremind! (imperative)
Carry this with you
- Astonishment at resurrection is answered by looking at creation already before your eyes, not by argument alone.
- Allah's knowledge of you reaches further than your own awareness of yourself — 'closer than your jugular vein'.
- Every word spoken is recorded the instant it leaves the tongue; speech is never truly private.
- Death does not invent the truth of the Hereafter — it only strips away the excuse of not having seen it.
- On the Day of Judgement, no companion in sin can be blamed in your place.
- Hell's vastness is real, but Paradise is described as brought near, not distant, to the mindful.
- The caller to truth is a reminder, not a compeller — hearts remain free to fear or ignore the warning.
- Patience with mockery is strengthened by regular remembrance of Allah, not by withdrawal from it.
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Qāf · ‘A strange thing’: the oath against denial of the resurrection
What do the disbelievers call the resurrection in āyah 2?
Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol