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قQuranicpediaEncyclopedia of the Glorious Qur’an

Surah al-Mursalat سُورَة الْمُرْسَلَات

In review — pending scholar verification

The 77th surah of the Quran — Meccan, 50 verses — opening with five oaths on cosmic agencies and warning of the Day of Judgement, with the recurring refrain "Woe that Day to the deniers."

Overview

Sūrat al-Mursalāt (Arabic: سُورَة الْمُرْسَلَات; "the Emissaries") is the 77th surah of the Quran — a Meccan surah of 50 verses. Its name and opening come from the first oath: "By those sent forth in succession."

Structure

Five opening oaths in verses 1–6 — interpreted classically as either angels or winds:

  1. Those sent forth in succession.
  2. The blowing winds.
  3. Those that scatter.
  4. Those that distinguish.
  5. Those that deliver a reminder.

The opening then introduces the fearful imagery of the Day. The surah's structural feature is the refrain "Woe that Day to the deniers" — repeated ten times throughout, dividing the surah into thematic stanzas.

Significance

One of the surahs the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mentioned as having "aged him" alongside Sūrah Hūd and others, in the hadith of Jami at-Tirmidhi 3297 (Hasan).

See also

References

  1. The Quran: Surah al-Mursalāt 77.
  2. Jami at-Tirmidhi 3297, graded Hasan by al-Albani.
  3. Ibn Kathir, Tafsīr, on Surah al-Mursalāt.