النازعات An-Nāziʻāt Those Who Pull Out |
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Arabic text · English translation |
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Classification | Meccan |
Other names | Those Who Drag Forth, Soul-Snatchers, The Pluckers, Those That Rise, The Forceful Chargers |
Position | Juzʼ 30 |
No. of Rukus | 2 |
No. of verses | 46 |
No. of words | 179 |
No. of letters | 762 |
Arabic text · English translation
Sūrat an-Nāziʻāt (Arabic: سورة النازعات, “Those Who Pull Out”, in reference to “the angels who tear out the souls of the wicked”) is the seventy-ninth sura of the Qur'an with 46 ayat. Its name derived from the word wan-nazi‘at with which it opens. The root (n-z-‘) roughly means “to yank out with great force”, although it can also mean “to yearn for” or “to yearn after”.
Its subject matter testifies that Sūrat an-Nāziʻāt belongs to the earliest period at Makkah. According to Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas, this Surah was sent down before Surah An-Naba, whilst Muḥammad Khaṭīb has opined that surah 79 was revealed around five years before the Hegira, although other commentators have dated the surah’s revelation at eight years before the Hegira. Western Qur’an scholar Richard Bell has argued that parts of surah 79, notably the opening verses, may date from a later Meccan period, though this is not generally accepted by other scholars.
Its theme is affirmation of Resurrection and the life hereafter. It also warns of the consequences of belying the Messenger of God.
The Surah opens with oaths sworn by the angels who take the soul at deaths and those who hasten to carry out Allah’s Commands, and those who conduct the affairs of the universe according to Divine Will, to assure that the Resurrection will certainly come to pass and the second life after death will certainly take place. For the angels who are employed to pluck out the soul today can also be employed to restore the soul tomorrow, and the angels who promptly execute Allah's Commands and conduct the affairs of the universe today can also upset the order of the universe tomorrow by orders of the same God and can also bring about a new order.