Al-Qiyamah القيامة
The Resurrection
Al-Qiyamah opens with an oath sworn on the Day of Resurrection itself and on the self-reproaching soul, before addressing a specific human doubt head-on: does man think God will not gather his bones? The surah answers that God is able to reshape even his fingertips precisely — a small, exact image chosen to counter the argument that decayed remains make resurrection implausible. It then diagnoses why people push the Day away: man wants to deny what's ahead of him, distracted by love of this fleeting life over the next, and warns not to rush the Quran's recitation before its revelation is complete, a verse tradition connects to the Prophet ﷺ moving his lips along with Jibril out of eagerness to memorize. It closes with two matched scenes — faces radiant and looking at their Lord that Day, and faces darkened, certain that a back-breaking calamity is about to befall them — before a final rhetorical question aimed at anyone still doubting: is He who created not able to give life to the dead?
لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ
By the Day of Resurrection
وَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلنَّفْسِ ٱللَّوَّامَةِ
and by the self-reproaching soul!
أَيَحْسَبُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُۥ
Does man think We shall not put his bones back together?
بَلَىٰ قَـٰدِرِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّسَوِّىَ بَنَانَهُۥ
In fact, We can reshape his very fingertips.
بَلْ يُرِيدُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ لِيَفْجُرَ أَمَامَهُۥ
Yet man wants to deny what is ahead of him:
يَسْـَٔلُ أَيَّانَ يَوْمُ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ
he says, ‘So, when will this Day of Resurrection be?’
فَإِذَا بَرِقَ ٱلْبَصَرُ
When eyes are dazzled
وَخَسَفَ ٱلْقَمَرُ
and the moon eclipsed,
وَجُمِعَ ٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ
when the sun and the moon are brought together,
يَقُولُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَيْنَ ٱلْمَفَرُّ
on that Day man will say, ‘Where can I escape?’
كَلَّا لَا وَزَرَ
Truly, there is no refuge:
إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْمُسْتَقَرُّ
they will all return to your Lord on that Day.
يُنَبَّؤُا۟ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ
On that Day, man will be told what he put first and what he put last.
بَلِ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِۦ بَصِيرَةٌ
Truly, man is a clear witness against himself,
وَلَوْ أَلْقَىٰ مَعَاذِيرَهُۥ
despite all the excuses he may put forward.
لَا تُحَرِّكْ بِهِۦ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهِۦٓ
[Prophet], do not rush your tongue in an attempt to hasten [your memorization of] the Revelation:
إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُۥ وَقُرْءَانَهُۥ
We shall make sure of its safe collection and recitation.
فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَـٰهُ فَٱتَّبِعْ قُرْءَانَهُۥ
When We have recited it, repeat the recitation
ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُۥ
and We shall make it clear.
كَلَّا بَلْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱلْعَاجِلَةَ
Truly you [people] love this fleeting world
وَتَذَرُونَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ
and neglect the life to come.
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ
On that Day there will be radiant faces,
إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ
looking towards their Lord,
وَوُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بَاسِرَةٌ
and on that Day there will be the sad and despairing faces
تَظُنُّ أَن يُفْعَلَ بِهَا فَاقِرَةٌ
of those who realize that a great calamity is about to befall them.
كَلَّآ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ ٱلتَّرَاقِىَ
Truly, when the soul reaches the collarbone;
وَقِيلَ مَنْ ۜ رَاقٍ
when it is said, ‘Could any charm-healer save him now?’;
وَظَنَّ أَنَّهُ ٱلْفِرَاقُ
when he knows it is the final parting;
وَٱلْتَفَّتِ ٱلسَّاقُ بِٱلسَّاقِ
when his legs are brought together:
إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْمَسَاقُ
on that day he will be driven towards your Lord.
فَلَا صَدَّقَ وَلَا صَلَّىٰ
He neither believed nor prayed,
وَلَـٰكِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
but denied the truth and turned away,
ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦ يَتَمَطَّىٰٓ
walking back to his people with a conceited swagger.
أَوْلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوْلَىٰ
Closer and closer it comes to you.
ثُمَّ أَوْلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوْلَىٰٓ
Closer and closer still.
أَيَحْسَبُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى
Does man think he will be left alone?
أَلَمْ يَكُ نُطْفَةً مِّن مَّنِىٍّ يُمْنَىٰ
Was he not just a drop of spilt-out sperm,
ثُمَّ كَانَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ
which became a clinging form, which God shaped in due proportion,
فَجَعَلَ مِنْهُ ٱلزَّوْجَيْنِ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰٓ
fashioning from it the two sexes, male and female?
أَلَيْسَ ذَٰلِكَ بِقَـٰدِرٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يُحْـِۧىَ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ
Does He who can do this not have the power to bring the dead back to life?
Arabic text and translation (M.A.S. Abdel Haleem) via the Quran.Foundation API.
Frequently asked
Forty verses.
Meccan, revealed in Makkah.
The assumption that decayed bones can't be reassembled — the surah answers that God is able to precisely reshape even a person's fingertips.
Verses 16–19 instruct not to rush moving the tongue to memorize revelation before it is complete — tradition connects this to the Prophet ﷺ eagerly repeating words along with the angel Jibril during revelation.