NAME: المرسلات, Al-Mursalat.
Name taken from Verse 1 where there is a mention of the word ”Mursalat”.
١ وَالْمُرْسَلَاتِ عُرْفًا
1 By those [winds] sent forth in gusts
But It does not mean that this name is the actual topic discussed in the whole Surah. It is just a reference and mark/symbol to distinguish this Surah from others as is with most other Surahs of Quran. While there are diversified topics discussed in these Surahs.
ENGLISH NAME: Those Sent Forth.
CHAPTER NUMBER: 77
SURAH MURSALAT TOTAL VERSES: 50
SURAH MURSALAT TOTAL WORDS: 181
TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 129
TOTAL LETTERS: 841
REVELATION PERIOD:
Meccan, Approx. 615 – 617 AD.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
God, Angels, Man, Deniers/Disbelievers.
SURAH MURSALAT MAIN TOPICS:
Description Of The Last Day: Condition Of Stars, Sky and Mountains, Creation Of Man from a liquid disdained, Description Of The Last Day: Woe That Day, To The Deniers.
SURAH MURSALAT KEY VERSES:
٢٠ أَلَمْ نَخْلُقْكُمْ مِنْ مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ
20 Did We not create you from a liquid disdained?
٢١ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ فِي قَرَارٍ مَكِينٍ
21 And We placed it in a firm lodging
٢٢ إِلَىٰ قَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ
22 For a known extent.
٢٣ فَقَدَرْنَا فَنِعْمَ الْقَادِرُونَ
23 And We determined [it], and excellent [are We] to determine.
٢٥ أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ كِفَاتًا
25 Have We not made the earth a container
٣٠ انْطَلِقُوا إِلَىٰ ظِلٍّ ذِي ثَلَاثِ شُعَبٍ
30 Proceed to a shadow [of smoke] having three columns
٣١ لَا ظَلِيلٍ وَلَا يُغْنِي مِنَ اللَّهَبِ
31 [But having] no cool shade and availing not against the flame.”
٣٢ إِنَّهَا تَرْمِي بِشَرَرٍ كَالْقَصْرِ
32 Indeed, it throws sparks [as huge] as a fortress,
٣٣ كَأَنَّهُ جِمَالَتٌ صُفْرٌ
33 As if they were yellowish [black] camels.
SUMMARY OF TOPICS
1-7(Swear By Winds, Angels, Messengers That The Last Day Will Surely Come), 8-10(Description Of The Last Day: Condition Of Stars, Sky and Mountains), 11-19(Woe, That Day To The Deniers), 20-23( Creation Of Man, From a liquid disdained, Then Placed In A Safe Place For A Fixed Term), 25-26(God Made Earth As Receptacle), 27(God Placed Lofty Firmly Set Mountains On Earth), 29-33(The Last Day Deniers Will Walk Towards A Shadow With Three Branches, Its Sparks Like Castles, Like Yellowish Black Camels, Woe That Day, To The Deniers)
SURAH MURSALAT BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACKGROUND
This Surah has 50 verses divided into 2 Rukus/Sections. It takes its name from verse 1: “وَالْمُرْسَلَاتِ عُرْفًا” ( By those sent forth in gusts) where the word “المرسلات” meaning “Those Sent Forth” appears. This Surah was revealed in Mecca most probably during the early days of Muhammad’s proclamation of his prophethood.
In the previous Surah Insan, it was mentioned how the righteous will receive the moral and spiritual perfection and their rewards, now in this Surah it is mentioned how the deniers of the truth have their recompense and destruction. The theme of the Surah is to assert the doctrine of resurrection and hereafter and to admonish and warn people of the consequences which will ultimately follow and conclude the outcome.
It is narrated in Bukhari from Abdullah bin Masud, “While we were with the Prophet of God PBUH in a cave at Mina,
وَٱلۡمُرۡسَلَـٰتِ
Surah Mursalat was revealed to Prophet. He was reciting it, and I was learning it from his mouth. Indeed, his mouth was wet with it when a snake jumped out at us. The Prophet said,
اقْتُلُوهَا.
Kill it, So we quickly moved after it, but it got away. Then the Prophet said,
وُقِيَتْ شَرَّكُمْ، كَمَا وُقِيتُمْ شَرَّهَا
It was rescued from your harm just as you all were saved from its evil. Muslim also recorded this Hadith by way of Al Amash.
Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded from Ibn Abbas, who reported from his mother that she heard the Prophet reciting
وَٱلۡمُرۡسَلَـٰتِ عُرۡفً۬ا
Surah Mursalat in the Maghrib prayer.
In a report from Malik on the authority of Ibn Abbas, he narrated that Umm Al Fadl (his mother) heard him (Ibn Abbas) reciting
وَٱلۡمُرۡسَلَـٰتِ عُرۡفً۬ا
By the Mursalat `Urfa. So she said, “O my son! You reminded me with your recitation of this Surah. Indeed, it is the last thing I heard from the Prophet of God, PBUH. He recited it in the Maghrib prayer before he died.
