Surah Al Shams is one of the surahs that includes an important message and valuable teachings, as the surah begins with the oath with the sun and its light, and the moon that follows it, and refers to the alternating appearance of the sun and the moon in the sky as signs of Allah, and concludes the surah with an affirmation that Allah is just and does not oppress anyone,
and that he – Almighty – is the just ruler who no one can escape from his ability and justice. In this article, we address the interpretation of Surat Al-Shams and explain its virtues and the reasons for its revelation
The history and reasons for the revelation of Surah Al Shams
Surah Al Shams is a Meccan surah of the Holy Qur’an, consisting of fifteen verses, and its order in the Qur’an is ninety-ninth. The surah begins with the oath of the sun and its dawn, and the various cosmic manifestations, then mentions the story of the people of Thamud who lied to their Prophet Saleh, peace be upon him, and killed the great camel that split for them from the rock by the command of Allah,
and the surah concludes with a statement that salvation and the farmer are for those who purify themselves and obey their Lord, and that loss and disappointment are for those who trampled it and disobeyed his Lord.
The reason for the descent of Surat Al-Shams is that it was revealed as a complement to Surat Al-Balad that preceded it, which included mentioning the owners of the starboard and the owners of Al-Mashama, and the definition of each category of them, so Surat Al-Shams came to clarify the fate of each category through its work and behavior in the world,
and some commentators have stated that Surat Al-Shams was revealed after Surat Al-Qadr, and before Surat Al-Buruj, and that it was revealed in the period between the migration of the Companions to Abyssinia and the incident of Isra and Mi’raj, and scholars have differed in determining the exact time for its descent, but they agreed on It is one of the Meccan surahs that were revealed before the migration to Medina.
Virtues of Surat Al-Shams
Surah Al-Shams has many virtues, including:
1- It is one of the surahs of the joint that Allah preferred his Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) over other prophets, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: (I was given the place of the seven long Torah, and I was given the place of the centenary Zabur, and I was given the place of the Mathani Gospel, and I preferred the joint).
2- It contains a mention of the Day of Resurrection and the great events that happen in it, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: (Whoever is pleased to look at the Day of Resurrection as if it were the opinion of an eye, let him read: If the sun is broken, if the sky breaks open, and if the sky splits).
3- It includes the reward of reading the Holy Qur’an and what a Muslim gets from the reward and good deeds, and the Almighty said: (And be divine by what you knew the Book and by what you were studying), and the Almighty said:
(And those who hold the Book and establish prayer, we do not waste the reward of the reformers), and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: (Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah has good deeds in it, and the good deeds are ten times as good, I do not say the pain of the letter, but: A letter, a letter L, and a meme).
Tafsir of Surah Al Shams
وَٱلشَّمۡسِ وَضُحَىٰهَا (1) وَٱلۡقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَىٰهَا (2) وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّىٰهَا (3) وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَغۡشَىٰهَا (4) وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنَىٰهَا (5) وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا طَحَىٰهَا (6) وَنَفۡسٖ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا (7) فَأَلۡهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقۡوَىٰهَا (8) قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا (9) وَقَدۡ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا (10) كَذَّبَتۡ ثَمُودُ بِطَغۡوَىٰهَآ (11) إِذِ ٱنۢبَعَثَ أَشۡقَىٰهَا (12) فَقَالَ لَهُمۡ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ نَاقَةَ ٱللَّهِ وَسُقۡيَٰهَا (13) فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمۡدَمَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ رَبُّهُم بِذَنۢبِهِمۡ فَسَوَّىٰهَا (14) وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقۡبَٰهَا (15)
By the sun and its brightness
And [by] the moon when it follows it
And [by] the day when it displays it
And [by] the night when it covers it
And [by] the sky and He who constructed it
And [by] the earth and He who spread it
And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it
And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness,
He has succeeded who purifies it,
And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].
Thamud denied [their prophet] by reason of their transgression,
When the most wretched of them was sent forth.
And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, “[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink.”
But they denied him and hamstrung her. So their Lord brought down upon them destruction for their sin and made it equal [upon all of them].
And He does not fear the consequence thereof.
Surah Ash-Shams – Tafsir As-Saadi
“By the sun and its brightness,”
Allah swears by the sun, its daylight, and its radiance,
“And the moon as it follows it,”
And by the moon as it accompanies and follows the sun in its rising and setting,
“And the day as it reveals it,”
And by the day when it illuminates and uncovers the darkness,
“And the night as it envelops it,”
And by the night when it covers the earth, making it dark,
“And the sky and He who constructed it,”
And by the sky and its well-constructed structure,
“And the earth and He who spread it,”
And by the earth and how it was spread out,
“And the soul and He who proportioned it,”
And by every soul and how Allah created it and perfected its form,
“Then He inspired it to discern its wickedness and its righteousness,”
Then He inspired it to recognize the path of evil and the path of good,
“He has succeeded who purifies it,”
Successful indeed is the one who purifies their soul,
“And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].”
And indeed, he has failed who corrupts and pollutes his soul.
“Thamud denied [the truth] in their transgression.”
Thamud denied their prophet in their extreme disobedience,
When the most wicked of them was sent forth.
When the most wicked among them rose up to harm the she-camel,
And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, “[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink.”
And the messenger of Allah, Prophet Salih (peace be upon him), said to them: Beware of the she-camel that Allah has sent as a sign to you, do not touch her with any harm and do not prevent her from drinking, for she has her drinking day, and you have your drinking day, both appointed.
But they denied him and hamstrung her.
But they denied him and slaughtered the she-camel,
So their Lord brought down upon them destruction for their sin and made it equal upon all of them.
So their Lord brought down destruction upon them for their sin and made it equal for all of them,
And He does not fear the consequence thereof.
And their Lord does not fear the consequences of what He has revealed to them in terms of severe punishment.
In conclusion, Surat Al-Shams is one of the surahs that contains among its verses many messages, great lessons and valuable teachings, and from this point of view, Wahion Youha Academy for the interpretation of the Qur’an offers many specialized courses in the sciences of interpretation, intonation and other Islamic studies, and provides free trial classes that you can join now.