Surah Al-Mursalat, Ayah 8

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

إِنَّمَا تُوعَدُونَ لَوَاقِعٌ ( …that which you are promised is sure to happen…77:7)

This is the subject of these oaths. It means that the Day of Judgment, Reckoning, and Reward and Punishment that is promised by the Prophets (علیہم السلام) has certainly to be fulfilled. Allah then describes some of the events that will occur on the Day of Judgment. The stars will be extinguished, which could mean that they will be completely destroyed, or they will exist, but their lights will be lost. In this way the entire world will be plunged in absolute darkness. The second event to occur is the splitting of the sky. The third event to occur is that the mountains will be blown away as dust. The fourth event is described in the following verse:

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.