Surah Al-Mursalat, Ayah 15

Which was revealed in Makkah

The Revelation of this Surat and its Recitation in the Maghrib Prayer

Al-Bukhari recorded from `Abdullah - that is Ibn Mas`ud -- that he said, "While we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a cave at Mina,

وَالْمُرْسَلَـتِ

(By the Mursalat.) was revealed to him. He was reciting it and I was learning it from his mouth. Verily, his mouth was moist with it when a snake leaped out at us. The Prophet said,

«اقْتُلُوهَا»

(Kill it!) So we quickly went after it, but it got away. Then the Prophet said,

«وُقِيَتْ شَرَّكُمْ، كَمَا وُقِيتُمْ شَرَّهَا»

(It was saved from your harm just as you all were saved from its harm.)" Muslim also recorded this Hadith by way of Al-A`mash. Imam Ahmad recorded from Ibn `Abbas, who reported from his mother that she heard the Prophet reciting

وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ (Woe, that Day, to the deniers!...77:15) The word wail means 'destruction'. According to certain Hadith narratives, the word wail is a 'valley of Hell where the pus of the wounds of the inmates of Hell will be collected. This is the place where the deniers will live. After this, the present-day people are asked to learn a lesson from [ the destruction ] of the former generations, thus:

Vapour rises from the surface of the sea. This rises in the atmosphere and forms clouds. The winds take these clouds from one place to another. Leaving some places dry, they shower rain at other places, causing freshness and the growth of greenery. This shows that the system of this world is based on the principle of differentiating between one thing or person. The manifestation of this principle is only partially evident in the present world, but in the Hereafter it will take a perfect shape. This nature of the winds is a sort of reminder for man. Their being a mercy to some and bringing harm to others is to remind us of the fact that, as there are these two different types of persons in the present world, God’s verdict in respect of these two types of persons will also appear in two different shapes in the next world.