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العاديات

Al-'Adiyat

The Courser

Medinan11 AyahsJuz 30

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Surah Al-'Adiyat, the 100th chapter of the Holy Quran, is a powerful and evocative Meccan surah consisting of eleven concise yet profoundly impactful verses. The surah takes its name from its opening word, "Al-'Adiyat," meaning "The Coursers" or "The Charging Steeds," referring to war horses that gallop fiercely into battle. The surah opens with a series of vivid and dramatic oaths, swearing by the panting horses that strike sparks with their hooves, that launch raids at dawn, that raise clouds of dust, and that penetrate into the midst of the enemy. These striking images of charging warhorses serve as a rhetorical device to capture the listener's attention and set the stage for the surah's central message. Through this intense imagery, Allah draws a contrast between the loyalty, obedience, and sacrifice of these animals in service to their riders and the ingratitude and disloyalty that human beings often display toward their Creator who has given them everything. The core theme of Surah Al-'Adiyat is a profound indictment of human ingratitude and the excessive love of worldly wealth. After the powerful opening oaths, Allah declares that the human being is truly ungrateful to his Lord, and that the human himself is a witness to this ingratitude, and that he is intense in his love of material wealth and worldly goods. The surah highlights a fundamental flaw in human nature: despite being blessed with intellect, free will, and countless divine favors, human beings often fail to acknowledge their Lord's blessings and instead become consumed by the pursuit of wealth and material gain. This love of the world blinds them to their spiritual obligations and causes them to forget their ultimate accountability. The surah does not contain a specific narrative or story in the traditional sense, but the imagery of the war horses serves as a parable of sorts, implicitly shaming human beings by showing that even animals fulfill their purpose with dedication and vigor, while humans, who are given the highest status in creation, often fall short in fulfilling their covenant with God. The surah concludes with a powerful eschatological reminder that serves as both a warning and a wake-up call. Allah asks whether the human being does not know that when the contents of the graves are overturned and scattered, and when the secrets hidden within the hearts are brought to light, their Lord will be fully informed about them on that Day. This closing passage shifts the focus from the present world to the Day of Judgment, reminding humanity that a time will come when all that is buried — both literally in the graves and figuratively in the hearts — will be exposed and laid bare before God. No wealth, no

إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لِرَبِّهِۦ لَكَنُودٌ 6

Sahih International

Indeed mankind, to his Lord, is ungrateful.

وَإِنَّهُۥ لِحُبِّ ٱلْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ 8

Sahih International

And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense.

۞ أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِى ٱلْقُبُورِ 9

Sahih International

But does he not know that when the contents of the graves are scattered

إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌۢ 11

Sahih International

Indeed, their Lord with them, that Day, is [fully] Aware.

Hifz / Memorization Mode

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