English Translaiton and Tafsir of Surah an-Naba’ Ayah 1-16
78:1 About what are they asking one another?
78: 2 About the Great News,
78: 3 About which they are in disagreement.
78: 4 No! They shall certainly know.
78: 5 Then, no! They shall certainly know.
78: 6 Have We not made the earth like a bed
78: 7 and the mountains like pegs?
78: 8 And We have created you in pairs,
78: 9 We have made your sleep for rest,
78: 10 We have made the night like a garment,
78: 11 We have made the day for livelihood,
78: 12 We have built above you seven strong ones,
78: 13 We have made a blazing lamp,
78: 14 and We have made pouring water come down from the rain clouds
78: 15 that We may bring forth thereby grain and plants,
78: 16 and luxuriant gardens. [Quran:Surah an-Naba': 1-16]
Relationship with Surah al-Mursalat
Surah al-Mursalat comes before surah an-Naba’ according to the written copy of the Quran (the Mushaf). First, both surahs speak about the resurrection on the Day of Judgment and that Allah, Exalted be He, is able to resurrect people after death for reckoning. Second, both surahs mention descriptions of Paradise and Hell and mention the bliss of the believers and the torment of the disbelievers in the Hereafter. Besides, both surahs mention a description of the horrors of the Day of Judgment. Third, surah al-Mursalat briefly talks about the Day of Judgment while surah an-Naba’ mentions details about it.
Tafsir
78:1 About what are they asking one another?
Surah an-Naba’ begins with interrogation to draw the listeners’ attention to show the horror of the matter, and refer to its greatness. The interrogation also indicates criticism to the disbelievers.
About what are the disbelievers asking one another? What is the matter that the disbelievers asking one another about? About what are they arguing with one another?
The disbelievers used to ask one another about Messenger Muhammad, Islam, and the Quran. Al-Hassan said, ‘When Allah sent Muhammad as His Messenger, the disbelievers asked one another about his message. Thus, Allah revealed, [About what are they asking one another.] [Tafsir al-Tabari, Jama al-Bayan]
The pronoun ‘they’ refers to the disbelievers though they are not mentioned earlier because the context of the surah refers to them.
78: 2 About the Great News,
78: 3 About which they are in disagreement.
The expression ‘about the Great News’ magnifies the effect of the news that the disbelievers are asking one another about. It is as if it is said, ‘About what are those deniers asking one another? They are asking one another about the great and decisive news. They are in disagreement about it. Some of them deny it, others doubt it, and others believe in it. The pronoun ‘they’ refers to the inhabitants of Mecca as they used to ask one another about the occurrence of the Day of Judgment.
The scholars say that the great news refers to the Quran, the Day of Judgment, the resurrection after death, and the message of Messenger Muhammad [Tafsir al-Mawardi, an-Nikat wa-al-Oyoun].
78: 4 No! They shall certainly know.
78: 5 Then, no! They shall certainly know.
In the Arabic version, kalla, which is translated into ‘no’ is used. It is a word used to show strong reprimand and reproof. The disapproval is repeated in the following ayah by using ‘thumma kalla’, which is translated into ‘then no.’ The repetition is for emphasis. The meaning is as follows: They should not dispute the occurrence of the Day of Judgment, they should not dispute the truthfulness of Messenger Muhammad, and they should not dispute the truthfulness of the Quran and that Allah revealed it to Messenger Muhammad. It is the truth about which there is no doubt. They will surely know the evil consequences of their denial. Verily, they will know the result of their disbelief when the torment befalls them soon. Indeed, no matter how long the occurrence of the Day of Judgment may be late, it will certainly take place, and those who deny it will suffer severe torment for their denial.
78: 6 Have We not made the earth like a bed
78: 7 and the mountains like pegs?
Then the ayat mention proofs confirming that the Day of Judgment will certainly take place. Allah, the Able, who has created all these great things in the universe, is able to resurrect people for reckoning on the Day of Judgment.
The interrogation in the ayah is for emphasis. Allah, by His perfect ability, has made the earth level so that it is like a bed or a cradle that is stable and comfortable. Allah has made the earth level and stable so that people’s life is easy and comfortable. They can settle on earth and move about easily, just like a person sleeping on a comfortable bed moving to the right and the left comfortably. Moreover, Allah, by His perfect ability, has also made the mountains like pegs to make the earth stable and prevent it from shaking with its inhabitants. In fact, the scholars maintain that the mountains have firm roots on earth, just like firm pegs used to fix something on an area. Verily, Allah is Able and His blessings are countless.
78: 8 And We have created you in pairs,
The ayah mentions another proof denoting Allah’s perfect ability. An aspect of Allah’s ability is that He has created people in pairs, male and female. By doing so, people can procreate and will not perish on earth. Besides, creating human beings in pairs of male and female organizes their life on earth by having lawful relationships that enable them to satisfy their sexual desires. Moreover, Allah has created people in pairs so that some are white while others are black, some are old while others are young, some are destined to be happy while others are destined to be miserable, etc.
78: 9 We have made your sleep for rest,
This is another proof confirming the resurrection on the Day of Judgment. Allah, out of His bounty, has made sleep a means of rest after laboring. Waking up is similar to the resurrection because a sleeping person resembles a dead person. When he wakes, he becomes alert like a dead person who he is raised after death on the Day of Judgment.
78: 10 We have made the night like a garment,
Allah, out of His mercy, has made the night dark so that people can rest after toiling during the day. The night covers all things with its darkness just like a garment that covers the body and protects it from harmful things. The darkness of the night helps people achieve many beneficial things, such as resting after the hard work of the day, and hiding from enemies, etc.
78: 11 We have made the day for livelihood,
Allah, the generous, has made the day bright so that people can seek livelihood during it by trading, manufacturing, cultivating the land, etc.
78: 12 We have built above you seven strong ones,
The ayah refers to the greatness of creating the heavens. Allah has created seven strong heavens. They are perfectly mighty and there is no fissure, split, or crack therein.
78: 13 We have made a blazing lamp,
This is another blessing denoting Allah’s perfect ability. The blazing lamp refers to the sun. It is called so because it is like a lamp that illuminates its surroundings. It is described as blazing because its glowing and light are very strong.
Allah, the Able, has created the sun like a blazing lamp in the heavens. When it rises, it changes the darkness of the earth into light and brightness.
78: 14 and We have made pouring water come down from the rain clouds
78: 15 that We may bring forth thereby grain and plants,
78: 16 and luxuriant gardens.
Allah has made pouring water come down from the rain clouds so that grain, plants, and luxuriant gardens grow thereby. People use these products for food or feed their cattle therefrom.
The proofs mentioned in the previous ayat are tangible that any sane person cannot deny. These proofs confirm that Allah is able to resurrect people for reckoning on the Day of Judgment.
The Noble Quran Surah an-Naba’ : Translation and Tafsir
Learned Lessons from Surah an-Naba’ Ayah 1-16
• Magnifying the horrors of the Day of Judgment and confirming its occurrence as it is the truth that there is no doubt about it.
• Deniers of Islam and the Quran will know the truthfulness of what Messenger Muhammad brought when the torment of Allah befalls them.
• The amazing universe with its countless wonders, such as the sun, the moon, the heavens, etc. is undeniable evidence that Allah is able to resurrect people for reckoning on the Day of Judgment.
• Some proofs confirming Allah’s perfect ability are making the earth level, creating the mountains to prevent the earth from shaking, creating people in pairs, e.g. males and females, white and black, and making pouting water come down from the heavens so that different kinds of plants and vegetation grow thereby.
The Noble Quran, English Translation
The Noble Quran, Tafsir ibn Kathir, Surah An-Naba’
The Noble Quran, Introduction to Tafsir of Surah an-Naba’
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