Al-Fajr الفجر
The Dawn
Al-Fajr opens with a cluster of oaths — the dawn, ten nights (traditionally understood as the first ten of Dhul-Hijjah), the even and the odd, and the night as it departs — before turning to history as evidence: the destroyed peoples of 'Ad, Thamud, and Pharaoh, each described by their power and excess, each brought to ruin by their Lord's watchful scourge. From that historical warning the surah turns to a human misreading: people assume God's provision or its withholding are themselves a test of honor, generosity when wealthy read as favor, hardship read as humiliation — and the surah corrects this, condemning instead the failure to honor the orphan, feed the poor, and the devouring of inheritance and love of wealth without limit. It closes with one of the Quran's most-cited passages on death: the reassured soul (an-nafs al-mutma'innah) called to return to its Lord well-pleased and pleasing, to enter among His servants and His Paradise — verses frequently recited at funerals.
وَٱلْفَجْرِ
By the Daybreak,
وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ
by the Ten Nights,
وَٱلشَّفْعِ وَٱلْوَتْرِ
by the even and the odd,
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ
by the passing night––
هَلْ فِى ذَٰلِكَ قَسَمٌ لِّذِى حِجْرٍ
is this oath strong enough for a rational person?
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ
Have you [Prophet] considered how your Lord dealt with [the people] of 'Ad,
إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلْعِمَادِ
of Iram, [the city] of lofty pillars,
ٱلَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى ٱلْبِلَـٰدِ
whose like has never been made in any land,
وَثَمُودَ ٱلَّذِينَ جَابُوا۟ ٱلصَّخْرَ بِٱلْوَادِ
and the Thamud, who hewed into the rocks in the valley,
وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِى ٱلْأَوْتَادِ
and the mighty and powerful Pharaoh?
ٱلَّذِينَ طَغَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْبِلَـٰدِ
All of them committed excesses in their lands,
فَأَكْثَرُوا۟ فِيهَا ٱلْفَسَادَ
and spread corruption there:
فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ
your Lord let a scourge of punishment loose on them.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِٱلْمِرْصَادِ
Your Lord is always watchful.
فَأَمَّا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَأَكْرَمَهُۥ وَنَعَّمَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَكْرَمَنِ
[The nature of] man is that, when his Lord tries him through honour and blessings, he says, ‘My Lord has honoured me,’
وَأَمَّآ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَهَـٰنَنِ
but when He tries him through the restriction of his provision, he says, ‘My Lord has humiliated me.’
كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ ٱلْيَتِيمَ
No indeed! You [people] do not honour orphans,
وَلَا تَحَـٰٓضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ
you do not urge one another to feed the poor,
وَتَأْكُلُونَ ٱلتُّرَاثَ أَكْلًا لَّمًّا
you consume inheritance greedily,
وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا
and you love wealth with a passion.
كَلَّآ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا
No indeed! When the earth is pounded to dust, pounded and pounded,
وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا
when your Lord comes with the angels, rank upon rank,
وَجِا۟ىٓءَ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ
when Hell is that Day brought near- on that Day man will take heed, but what good will that be to him then?
يَقُولُ يَـٰلَيْتَنِى قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِى
He will say, ‘Would that I had provided for this life to come!’
فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ
On that Day, no one will punish as He punishes,
وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ
and no one will bind as He binds.
يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ
‘[But] you, soul at peace:
ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً
return to your Lord well pleased and well pleasing;
فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى
go in among My servants;
وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى
and into My Garden.’
Arabic text and translation (M.A.S. Abdel Haleem) via the Quran.Foundation API.
Frequently asked
Thirty verses.
Meccan, revealed in Makkah.
'Ad, Thamud, and Pharaoh — each described by their strength and excess before their destruction.
"The reassured soul," named in Al-Fajr's closing verses, called to return to God well-pleased and pleasing and to enter His Paradise — verses often recited at funerals.