Al-Adiyat

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سورة العاديا Sūrat Al-ʿĀdiyāt The Coursers
Arabic text · Translations
Classification	Meccan
Other names (Eng.)	The Chargers, The Assaulters
Position	Juz' 30
Structure	11 verses

Page from an 18th century Qur'an showing al-Adiyat in naskh script with a Persian translation in red.

Sūrat Al-ʿĀdiyāt (Arabic: سورة العاديات‎ ) (The Courser, The Chargers) is the 100th sura of the Qur'an with 11 verses (ayat).

Allah in the beginning of this surah is referring to the steeds that charge into battle in early morning, the preferred time of attack by the prophet Muhammad. He waited to hear the athan from the other side, if it was not heard he would attack.

Important Note:[1] A large number of the commentators are creating a misunderstanding that the horses referred to in the first sentence of this surah is the horses of the Muslim fighters and the host referred to in sentence five is the host of disbelievers. But anyone can clearly understand that these two points are totally wrong when one read the sentence six "man is highly ungrateful to his Lord”. The oath in the first five sentences has been sworn to impress the point that "man is highly ungrateful to his Lord". Now, obviously, in the course of Jihad for the sake of Allah, the rushing forth of the fighters' horses and their assaulting a host of disbelievers all of a sudden, does not at all support the point that man is ungrateful to his Lord, nor the following sentences, viz. "man himself is a witness to it, and he. loves the worldly wealth with all his heart," apply to the people who go out to fight in the cause of Allah. Therefore, one will have to admit that the oaths sworn in the first five verses of this Sarah, refer, in fact, to the general bloodshed, loot and plunder prevalent in Arabia at that time. In the pre-Islamic days of ignorance the night was a very dreadful thing: in it the people of every tribe and settlement apprehended the danger of a sudden attack by some unknown enemy, and when the light of day appeared they would heave a sigh of relief that the night had passed in peace. The tribes did not fight only retaliatory wars but different tribes also raided others in order to deprive them of their worldly goods and herds and to capture their women and children to be made slaves. This kind of tyranny and plunder was carried opt mostly by means of the horses, which Allah is presenting here as an argument for the fact that man is ungrateful to his Lord. That is the powers which man is employing for fighting, shedding blood and plundering had not been given him by God for this purpose. Therefore this indeed is sheer ingratitude that the resources granted by Allah and the power given by Him should be used for causing chaos and corruption to spread in the earth. which Allah abhors.

→[2] There is no indication in the words of the first sentence to show whether "those who run" imply the horses; only the word waI-`Aadiyat (by, those who run) has been used. That is why the commentators have disputed as to what is implied by "those who run". One section of the Companions and their immediate successors has been to think that it implies the horses; another section says that it implies the camels. But since the peculiar sound called dhabh is produced only by the panting, snorting horses, and the following verses also in which mention has been made of striking sparks and raiding a settlement early at dawn and raising clouds of dust, apply only to the horses, most scholars are of the opinion that horses are meant. Ibn Jarir says: "Of the two views this view is preferable that by "those who run" horses are implied, for the camel does not breathe hard in running, it is the horse which does so, and Allah has said: "By those runners which pant and breathe hard in running'." Imam Razi ays: "The words of these verses proclaim that horses are meant, for the sound of dabh (panting breath) is only produced by the horses, and the act of striking sparks of fire with the hoofs too is associated with the horses, and, likewise, mounting of a raid early at. dawn is easier by means of the horses than by other animals."

Other scholars have said that the beginning of this surah refers to how horses behave toward their masters, yet us, the mankind continues to disobey our master, Allah, and so, therefore horses are better than man.

The sura adds that mankind is evidence against itself of these sins. On the Last Day, "when that which is in the tombs is overthrown and that which is in the breasts is brought out," people will be judged according to what their hearts intended in life. The sura concludes with the reminder that while men are fully aware of what they are doing and why, God is even more aware - what is hidden in men's hearts is known to God.

The sura can be translated into English as:

By the racers, panting, (1)

And the producers of sparks [when] striking (2)

And the chargers at dawn, (3)

Stirring up thereby [clouds of] dust, (4)

Arriving thereby in the center collectively, (5)

Indeed mankind, to his Lord, is ungrateful. (6)

And indeed, he is to that a witness. (7)

And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense. (8)

But does he not know that when the contents of the graves are scattered (9)

And that within the breasts is retrieved, (10)

Indeed, their Lord with them, on that Day, is [fully] Acquainted (and on everyday as well). (11)

Another Translation:

By the snorting coursers, (1) Striking sparks of fire (2) And scouring to the raid at dawn, (3) Then, therewith, with their trail of dust, (4) Cleaving, as one, the centre (of the foe), (5) Lo! man is an ingrate unto his Lord (6) And lo! he is a witness unto that; (7) And lo! in the love of wealth he is violent. (8) Knoweth he not that, when the contents of the graves are poured forth (9) And the secrets of the breasts are made known, (10) On that day will their Lord be perfectly informed concerning them. (11)

Previous sura: Az-Zalzala	The Qur'an - Sura 100	Next sura: Al-Qaria
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Sura al-Adiyat in pdf format.