Tafsir Surah al-Tariq

Tafsir Surah al-Ṭāriq Overview Surah al-Ṭāriq is a Meccan surah. It was revealed during the time when the Muslims were just beginning to experience the hostility from the disbelievers, after surah al-Balad has prophesized the grave oppositions that the Prophet will be facing. In this phase, the disbelievers were active in planning their plot against the Prophet. “al-Ṭāriq” means bright stars. It refers to the themes and the styles of this surah, namely God’s inaccessible secrets and the secret plots of the disbelievers are never hidden from the knowledge of God. It also touches on two main points. Firstly, that man will surely be resurrected to face God in his afterlife. Secondly, that the Quran is not a play of words, but is a firm speech of God, of which no amount of planning can overcome or overpower it. In the beginning of the surah, Allah mentions the clusters of stars as a proof that nothing is left unsupervised by its observer – including humans and non-humans alike. And man is commanded to reflect upon himself, how he is made from just a drop of sperm and formed fully to become a perfectly built human. All of these are in the secrets of Allah. Then, the surah reminds man that the God that has created him in the first place surely has the same ability to resurrect him again. Only this time, the purpose is to disclose all the secrets that he has kept to himself during his lifetime. At that time, man can find nothing to hide behind it from God. All of his deeds will be weighed, and he cannot escape from its consequences. And no one can help him. In conclusion, Allah stresses that just as the phenomena of the cycle of rain and the growth of plants on Earth are not child’s play, but are something serious, such is also the case with the contents of the Quran. They are not merely words but are substantially important and need to be reflected and acted upon. The disbelievers thought that their conspiracies can overcome the Quran. They have not a single clue as to the planning of Allah that is far more superior to theirs. Then, Allah comfort the Prophet by telling him not to worry about the disbelievers. Give them their time. Soon, they will come to know that their efforts will never produce any results. And they will irrevocably regret their misdeeds. 1

1. Allah Swears by the Stars: “By the heaven and the nightly star!” When a surah begins with an oath, it means that there something that will be the object of the oath. It also means that the message of this surah is serious and is not to be taken lightly. Allah swears by the sky that contains al-Ṭāriq, which literally means night travellers, and something unavoidably noticeable. Therefore, this easily refers to the stars which appear only at nights and are attention-catching. So, the stars are being made the witness of what Allah is trying to get across. 2. Man Does Not Know What al-Ṭāriq Is: And what will make you realize what the nightly star is? With the magnificent characteristics of the stars that are far away and out of reach from human perception, Allah rhetorically asks about the realities of the stars, alluding to human’s inability in answering the question. Whenever Allah asks with the “wa mā adrāka mā…”, it signifies that the answers are out of human reach. Therefore, the answer lies only with Allah. And only He has the authority to provide the answer. 3. Piercing Light: ˹It is˺ the star of piercing brightness. Thereafter, He provides the answer. These are faraway stars whose lights penetrate even the farthest corners of the universe. Although the lights come from places that are unimaginably faraway, they are still able to penetrate the distance and enlighten the darkness of earthly nights. This is how Allah wishes humans to reflect on objects that we observe every day, but from different angles. 2

4. Guardian Angels: There is no soul without a vigilant angel ˹recording everything˺. The penetrating feature of the starlight are actually a simile to the characteristics of the angels, whom Allah has entrusted with the affairs of the human life. These angels are tasked to observe and record the daily deeds of humans. And this supervision is a secret that man has no means whatsoever to expose, about who, when, where, and how is he being supervised. And the supervision of these angels penetrate all aspects of human life, just as the lights of the stars penetrate all corners of the Earth, almost like cameras being held above the Earth. 5. Reflecting the Creation of Man: Let people then consider what they were created from! Then, He shifts the focus from the stars to the human creation itself. He urges man to reflect on his own creation, from what and how. It is interestingly notable here that from the first verse, not once Allah’s name is mentioned explicitly. There is only an implication. This is also to point to the mystery of God Himself, which is far more inaccessible to the human mind. 6. Undignified Origin: ˹They were˺ created from a spurting fluid, About his life, Allah urges man to reflect on its journey. Even from the start, the human life is a difficult one. Had not Allah executed His planning with flawless wisdom and precision, surely man could not even survive his life in the womb. Man was picked from millions of other sperms to be ejaculated in the womb of his mother. And God has provided many means which sustain his foetal growth, supplying him with accurate measurements of nutrients that he required. When he is born, God has provided him with a pair of caretakers, his parents. Then, when he no longer needs his parents, God has equipped him with many faculties – reason, the senses, etc – for him to understand the world around him and act accordingly. Until his death, there is not a thing that occurred to him that is out of place. So, how can he concede that his life is not managed by an Omniscient Planner? 3

7. Sperm as the Origin of Man: Stemming from between the backbone and the ribcage. See verse 6. 4

8. Allah the Life-Giver: Surely He is fully capable of bringing them back ˹to life˺ The word “rajʿihī” refers to man’s re-creation. Which means that Allah is powerful to create man ceaselessly without it taking any toll on Him. Hence, what makes human think that God is not all-Powerful and ascribes authority to himself undeservingly? Therefore, Allah is surely able (la-qādir) to resurrect him. 9. Disclosure: On the Day all secrets will be disclosed. And this resurrection means disclosure. It is the day where all of the secrets that have been kept neatly by man will be exposed utterly. “al-Sarāʾir” means secrets. But they are not just any secrets. They are secrets that are known to none other than one’s self. It is these secrets that will be disclosed. Some examples of these secrets are what we keep in our hearts: plans, motives, intentions, thoughts, emotions, etc. 10.Every Man for Himself: Then one will have neither power nor ˹any˺ helper. And on that day, the disbelievers are helpless in turning over the occurrence. The secrets that they kept among themselves to hurt the Prophet will be exposed, no matter how hard they try to keep it a secret. They also planned to back each other up in Allah’s court. But how can they? Even individually, they cannot sort things out. So, how can they have the confidence in ganging up against Allah? 11.Pouring Sky: By the sky with its recurring cycles, Then, Allah makes a second oath. This time, it is by the rain cycle. And whenever the cycle recurs, it becomes a witness for Allah. 5

12.Spurting Plants: And the earth with its sprouting plants! Even every plant that spurts out from the Earth’s surface will be the witness for Allah. So far, Allah has gathered the stars, the raindrops, and the plants to testify the seriousness and truth of what He is talking about. 13.Serious Messages: Surely this ˹Quran˺ is a decisive word, Of what do these objects and phenomena become witnesses? They testify the truth of the Quran, that it is not a purposeless truth. These “hard” truths have consequences and implications. For those who believe and acknowledge their belief, they will be rewarded with Paradise. And whoever refuses to believe and acknowledge its truth, then their fate are the most dire of consequences. 14.The Quran is not a Joke: And is not to be taken lightly. Therefore, the Quran is not an empty speech (hazl). This verse is a criticism against those who listen to the Quran only as mental entertainment. They think the Quran is just another theory of the world. Hence, they listen to it. But that is as far as they are willing to accept it, just to kill the time. 15.The Disbelievers’ Plots: They are certainly devising ˹evil˺ plans, That is, they are complotting against the Quran. They wanted to extinguish the light of the Quran; they devised many doubts against it among the society; they fabricated news about the Prophet, to weaken his efforts and to maintain people in the darkness of Jāhiliyya. 16.Allah’s Plans: But I too am planning. But Allah also has His own planning. Their plans will never in any way overcome Allah’s plans. And Islam will surely become the victor. 6

17.Letting the Disbelievers Have Their Laugh: So bear with the disbelievers ˹O Prophet˺. Let them be for ˹just˺ a little while. So, Allah tells the Prophet to let the disbelievers play their games. Their plans are just as defective as their thinking. Meanwhile, Allah’s plans extend not only during the time of the Prophet, but until the end of time. 7