Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah is dedicated to proving the certainty of the Resurrection and Judgment. It establishes this reality through powerful oaths and the stages of human creation. The surah warns humanity against prioritizing fleeting worldly life and concludes with a decisive confrontation between the dying man and the impending final reality.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan by consensus.

Context: The surah was revealed to answer the polytheists' consistent mockery and denial of life after death. Its opening oath, mentioning the Resurrection, immediately addresses this fundamental point of disbelief.

Chronology: It is counted as the 31st surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat al-Qāriʿah and before al-Humazah.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: The surah's established name is "Sūrat al-Qiyāmah" (The Resurrection), and it is also known as "Sūrat Lā uqsimu" for the unique and solemn oath by the Day of Resurrection with which it opens.

Ayah Count: 39 ayahs (Majority) or 40 (Kūfan).

Surah Overview:

• Affirming the certainty of the Resurrection and warning of the Hour's approach and signs. [1-12]
• Establishing recompense for the deeds performed in the world. [13-15]
• Integrity of Revelation: Answering the Prophet's (ﷺ) concern about memorizing the Quran by assuring him that Allah will guide its recitation and preservation. [16-19]
• Warning humanity against prioritizing the fleeting life of this world over the Hereafter. [20-21]
• Describing the differing conditions of the Day of Judgment between the blessed and the wretched. [22-25]
• The Final Moments: Describing the crisis of a soul upon death and the realization that the time of separation has arrived. [26-30]
• The Origin of Man: Using the creation of man from a drop of fluid to prove the ease of recreating the body. [36-40]