It is derived from the sentence wa tartt kullu ummat- in jathiyat-un of verse 28, implying thereby that it is the Surah in which the word jathiyah has occurred.
The period of the revelation of this Surah also has not been mentioned in any authentic tradition, but its subject matter clearly shows that it was revealed consecutively after Surah Ad Dukhan. The close resemblance between the contents of the two Surahs makes them look like the twin Surahs.
It answers the doubts and objections of the disbelievers of Makkah about Tauhid and the Hereafter and warns them for their attitude that they had adopted against the message of the Qur'an.
The discourse begins with the arguments for Tauhid. In this connection, reference has been made to the count- less Signs that are found in the world, from man's own body to the earth and heavens, and it is pointed out that everywhere around him man finds things which testify to Tauhid which he refuses to acknowledge. If man sees carefully the variety of animals, the day and night, the rainfall and the vegetation thereby, the winds and his own creation, and ponders over them intelligently, without prejudice, he will find these Signs sufficiently convincing of the truth that this universe is not Godless, nor under the control of many gods, but it has been created by One God, and He alone is its Controller and Ruler. However, the case of the person who is determined not to acknowledge and wants to remain involved in doubts and suspicions is different. He cannot be blessed with the faith and conviction from anywhere in the world.
A little below, in the beginning of the second section, it has been reiterated that the things man is exploiting in the world, and the countless forces and agencies that are serving his interests in the universe, did not come into being just accidentally, nor have they been provided by the gods and goddesses, but it is One God alone, Who has supplied and subjected these to him from Himself. If only a person uses his mind properly and rightly, his own intellect will proclaim that God alone is man's real Benefactor and He alone deserves that man should pay obeisance to Him.
After this, the disbelievers of Makkah have been taken to task and reproved for their stubbornness, arrogance, mockery and insistence on disbelief with which they were resisting the invitation of the Qur'an they have been warned that this Qur'an has brought the same blessing which had been granted to the children of Israel before, by virtue of which they became distinguished above all the people of the world. Then, when they failed to recognize the true worth of this blessing and disputed their religion and lost it, this blessing now has been sent to them. This is such a code of guidance which shows the clear highway of Religion to man. The people who would turn it down by their own folly, would only prepare for their own doom, and only such people would become worthy of God's succour and mercy who would adopt obedience to it and lead a life of piety and righteousness.
In this connection, the followers of the Holy Prophet have been instructed that they should forbear and pardon the absurd and foolish behavior towards them of the people fearless of God, for if they showed patience God Himself would deal with their opponents and would reward them for their fortitude.
Then, there is a criticism of the erroneous ideas that the disbelievers hold about the Hereafter. They said that life was only this worldly life there was no life hereafter. Man dies in the course of time just as a watch stops functioning suddenly. The body is not survived by any soul, which might be seized and then breathed again into the human body some time in the future. In this regard, they challenged the Holy Prophet, saying: "If you lay a claim to this, then raise our dead forefathers back to life." In answer to this, Allah has given the following arguments:
"You do not say this on the basis of any knowledge but are uttering this grave thing on the basis of conjecture. Do you really have the knowledge that there is no other life after death, and the souls are not seized but are annihilated?"
"Your this claim rests mainly on this that you have not seen any dead person rising back to life and returning to the world. Is this basis strong enough for a person to make a claim that the dead people will never rise to life?When you do not experience and observe a thing, does it mean that you have the knowledge that it does not exist at all?
It is utterly against reason and justice that the good and the bad, the obedient and the disobedient, the oppressor and the oppressed, should be made equal ultimately. Neither a good act should bear a good result nor an evil act an evil result; neither the grievances of the oppressed be redressed nor the oppressor be punished, but everyone should meet with the same fate ultimately. Whoever has formed this view about the universe of God, has formed a patently wrong view. The unjust and wicked people adopt this view because they do not want to face the evil results of their deeds, but this world of God is not a lawless kingdom; it is rather a system based on the Truth, in which there can be no question of the injustice of regarding the good and the bad as equal.
That the creed of the denial of the Hereafter is highly destructive of morals. This is adopted only by such people as are the slaves of their lusts, and for the reason that they should have full freedom to serve their lusts. Then, when they have adopted this creed, it goes on making them more and more perverse till at last their moral sense becomes dead and all avenues of guidance are closed against them.
After giving these arguments Allah says most emphatically: "Just as you did not become living of your own accord, but became living by Our power, so you do not die of your own accord, but die when We send death on you. And a time is certainly coming when you will all be gathered together. If you do not believe in this because of your ignorance and folly today, you may not; when the time arrives, you will see for yourself that you are present before your God and your whole book of conduct is ready accurately, which bears evidence against each of your misdeeds. Then you will come to know how dearly has your denial of the Hereafter and your mockery of it cost you."
En el nombre de Allah, el Misericordioso, el Compasivo.
Ḥa, Mim.
Descenso del Libro procedente del Poderoso, el Sabio.
En los cielos y en la Tierra hay signos para los creyentes.
Y en vuestra propia creación y en la de las criaturas que ha repartido, hay signos para gente que tenga certeza.
Y en la sucesión de la noche y el día, en la provisión que Allah hace bajar del cielo con la que le da vida a la tierra después de muerta y en el cambio de los vientos, hay signos para gente que razona.
Ésos son los signos de Allah que te recitamos con la verdad. ¿En qué relato más allá de Allah y de Sus signos creerán?
¡Perdición para todo embustero y malvado!
Que oye los signos de Allah cuando se le recitan y, sin embargo, persiste y se llena de soberbia como si no los hubiera oído. Anúnciale un castigo doloroso.
Y cuando llegan a su conocimiento Nuestros signos los toma a burla. Ésos tendrán un castigo infame.
Detrás de ellos tienen Ŷahannam. No les servirá de nada lo que lograron, ni los protectores que tomaron fuera de Allah. Tendrán un castigo inmenso.
Ésto es una guía; y los que se nieguen a creer en los signos de su Señor tendrán el castigo de un tormento doloroso.
Allah es Quien os ha sometido el mar para que la nave navegara en él por Mandato Suyo y buscarais parte de Su favor. Tal vez así fuerais agradecidos.
Y os ha subordinado lo que hay en los cielos y en la Tierra, todo gracias a Él. Realmente en eso hay signos para la gente que reflexiona.
Di a los que creen que perdonen a aquellos que no esperan los días de Allah; para que Él recompense a una gente por lo que adquirió.
Quien obre con rectitud lo hará para sí mismo y quien obre mal lo hará contra sí mismo, luego regresaréis a vuestro Señor.
Y a los hijos de Israil les dimos el Libro, el Juicio y la Profecía, les dimos cosas buenas como provisión y los preferimos por encima de los mundos.
Y les dimos pruebas claras de lo que debían asumir. No hubo diferencias entre ellos sino después de haberles llegado el conocimiento, a causa de envidias mutuas. Tu Señor juzgará entre ellos el Día del Levantamiento sobre lo que discreparon.
Luego a ti, dentro de la misma vía, te hemos dado un camino ya trazado*. Síguelo, y no sigas los deseos de los que no saben.
Ellos no te van a servir de nada ante Allah. Es cierto que los injustos son amigos unos de otros, pero Allah es el Amigo de los que Le temen.
Esto son evidencias para los hombres y una guía y misericordia para la gente que tiene certeza.
¿O es que piensan los que tienen en su haber malas acciones que los consideraremos como a los que creyeron y practicaron las acciones de bien, y que su vida y su muerte serán iguales? ¡Malo es lo que juzgan!
Allah creó los cielos y la Tierra con la verdad. Y para recompensar a cada alma por lo que adquirió sin ser tratada injustamente.
¿Has visto a quien toma por dios a su pasión y Allah lo extravía en virtud de un conocimiento, sella su oído y su corazón y pone un velo sobre su vista? ¿Quién lo guiará fuera de Allah? ¿Es que no vais a recapacitar?
Y dicen: Sólo existe esta vida nuestra de aquí, morimos y vivimos y no es sino el tiempo lo que acaba con nosotros. Pero no tienen conocimiento de eso, no hacen sino conjeturar.
Y cuando se les recitan Nuestros signos evidentes su único argumento es decir: Traednos a nuestros padres si es verdad lo que decís.
Di: Allah os da la vida, luego os hace morir y luego os reunirá para el Día del Levantamiento acerca del que no hay duda. Sin embargo la mayoría de los hombres no sabe.
Y a Allah pertenece la soberanía de los cielos y de la Tierra; el día que llegue la Hora, ese día perderán los farsantes.
Y verás a todas las comunidades de rodillas, cada una será llamada a su Libro: Hoy se os pagará lo que hicisteis.
Este Libro Nuestro habla en vuestra contra con la verdad, habíamos mandado escribir lo que hacíais.
A los que creyeron y practicaron las acciones de bien su Señor los hará entrar en Su misericordia; ése es el triunfo indudable.
Pero a los que se negaron a creer... ¿No se os recitaron Mis signos y sin embargo vosotros os llenasteis de soberbia y fuisteis gente de mal?
Y cuando se dijo: La promesa de Allah es verdadera y no hay duda sobre la Hora, dijisteis: No sabemos qué es la Hora, sólo tenemos conjeturas y ninguna certeza.
Pero han aparecido ante ellos las malas acciones que cometieron y aquello de lo que se burlaban los ha rodeado.
Y se dirá: Hoy os olvidamos, al igual que vosotros olvidasteis el encuentro de este día vuestro; vuestra morada será el Fuego y no tendréis quien os auxilie.
Eso es por haber tomado los signos de Allah a burla y porque la vida del mundo os sedujo. Hoy no serán sacados de él ni se les pedirá que busquen el agrado (de su Señor).
Y la alabanza pertenece a Allah, el Señor de los cielos, el Señor de la Tierra y el Señor de los mundos.
Suya es la grandeza en los cielos y en la Tierra y Él es el Poderoso, el Sabio.