Surah At-Tariq

Name

The Surah taken its name from the word at-tariq in its first verse.

Period of Revelation

The style of its subject matter resembles that of the earliest Surahsrevealed at Makkah, but this surah was sent down at a stage when thedisbelievers of Makkah were employing all sorts of devices and plansto defeat and frustrate the message of the Qur'an and Muhammad (uponwhom be Allah's peace and blessings).

Theme and Subject Matter

It discuses two themes: first that man has to appear before God afterdeath; second, that the Qur'an is a decisive Word which no plan ordevice of the disbelievers can defeat or frustrate.

First of all, thestars of the heavens have been cited as an evidence that there isnothing in the universe which may continue to exist and survivewithout guardian over it. Then man has been asked to consider his ownself as to how he has been brought into existence from a mere spermdrop and shaped into a living human being. Then it has been said thatthe God, Who has so brought him into existence, has certainly the powerto create him once again, and this resurrection will be for thepurpose to subject to scrutiny all the secrets of man which remainedhidden in the world. At that time, man will neither be able to escapethe consequences of his deeds by his own power, nor will anyone elsecome to his rescue.

In conclusion, it has been pointed out that justas the falling of rain from the sky and the sprouting of plants andcrops from the earth is no child's play but a serious task, so alsothe truths expressed in the Qur'an are no jest but a firm andunchangeable reality. The disbelievers are involved in themisunderstanding that their plans and devices will defeat theinvitation of the Qur'an, but they do not know that Allah too isdevising a plan which will bring to naught all their scheming andplanning. Than in one sentence the discourse has been summed up, witha word of consolation to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and atacit warning to the disbelievers, saying: "Have patience for a while:let the disbelievers do their worst. Before long they will themselvesrealize whether they have been able to defeat the Qur'an by theirscheming or the Qur'an has dominated them in the very place where theyare exerting their utmost to defeat it."