Surah Al-Mursalaat (77) — Ayah 1

At the beginning of this Surah, after a few oaths, it is said: « اِنَّمَا تُوْعَدُوْنَ لَوَاقِعٌ » "Indeed, that which you are promised is sure to occur." That is, these oaths are mentioned to instill certainty that the Day of Judgment is true. In these verses, the things by which oaths are sworn are not mentioned by name, but only their attributes are described; those attributes are found in several things, so the commentators have considered different things as their referents. Most commentators have considered their referent to be the winds, some have considered them to be the angels, and some have said that the first four attributes are of the winds and the last attribute {’’ فَالْمُلْقِيٰتِ ذِكْرًا (5) عُذْرًا اَوْ نُذْرًا ‘‘} is of the angels. However, if the continuity of the discourse is taken into account, all these attributes should be of one thing, and it is clearer that what is meant by them is the winds, because the attributes mentioned in these verses are described elsewhere in the Qur'an as attributes of the winds. For example, Allah Almighty said: « اَللّٰهُ الَّذِيْ يُرْسِلُ الرِّيٰحَ فَتُثِيْرُ سَحَابًا فَيَبْسُطُهٗ فِي السَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ يَشَآءُ وَ يَجْعَلُهٗ كِسَفًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلٰلِهٖ » [ الروم : ۴۸ ] "Allah is the One Who sends the winds, and they raise the clouds, then He spreads them in the sky as He wills and makes them into fragments, so you see the rain coming forth from within them." And He said: «وَ لِسُلَيْمٰنَ الرِّيْحَ عَاصِفَةً تَجْرِيْ بِاَمْرِهٖۤ اِلَى الْاَرْضِ الَّتِيْ بٰرَكْنَا فِيْهَا » [ الأنبیاء : ۸۱ ] "And We subjected to Solomon the strong wind, which blew by his command toward the land in which We had placed blessing." Moreover, for the proof of the Day of Judgment, it is more appropriate to present something that everyone can see, rather than the attributes of angels, who are not visible at all.

(Ayah 1 to 7) { وَ الْمُرْسَلٰتِ عُرْفًا … : ’’ الْمُرْسَلٰتِ ‘‘} This is the attribute of {’’اَلرِّيَاحُ‘‘} which is omitted; those winds which are released, which are sent. {’’ عُرْفًا ‘‘} This is the opposite of {’’نُكْرٌ‘‘}, a familiar thing, goodness. The hair on a horse's neck and the comb of a rooster are also called {’’عُرْفٌ‘‘}. Both these things come one after another in a row, so by their resemblance, this word is also used for things that come successively, for example: {’’جَاؤُوْا عُرْفًا وَاحِدًا‘‘} "They all came one after another." If the meaning of {’’ عُرْفًا ‘‘} is taken as a familiar thing, then the letter "ba" will be implied before it: {’’أَيْ وَالْمُرْسَلَاتِ بِالْعُرْفِ‘‘} "That is, by the winds which are released in a familiar, usual manner!" If its meaning is goodness, then the letter "lam" will be implied before it and it will be the object for which: {’’أَيْ وَالْمُرْسَلَاتِ لِلْعُرْفِ‘‘} "That is, by the winds which are released for (people's) benefit!" And if the meaning is successive, then {’’ عُرْفًا ‘‘} will be the state, that is, "By the winds which are released one after another!" All three meanings are correct.

The oaths mentioned in the Qur'an are generally evidence for the claim that is mentioned later. The meaning of these verses is that in the winds with these five attributes, there is a powerful testimony that the Day of Judgment, which is promised, will surely come. Look! Sometimes the winds blow gently, then sometimes they become strong and fierce storms, then they lift the clouds and spread them, then they separate their pieces and start pouring rain, and sometimes they pass by without dropping a single drop. These different states of the winds—sometimes blowing gently, sometimes becoming fierce storms, then lifting the clouds, spreading them and causing rain, and dispersing them, sometimes coming as a terrifying storm as a punishment—seeing all this reminds one of Allah Almighty. Similarly, these winds inspire the remembrance of Allah in hearts and draw attention toward Allah, sometimes with encouragement and sometimes with warning. If the winds are pleasant and beneficial, they are a blessing from Allah, and their effect on the servant should be that he gives thanks and seeks pardon for his shortcomings in deeds. And if, on the contrary, they come as terrifying storms and lightning, their effect on the servant should be that he becomes fearful and turns toward repentance from sins. For the Lord Who creates these winds with different states and manages them, what difficulty is there in establishing the Day of Judgment and resurrecting all the deceased to question them?

1. By the oath of the pleasant, blowing winds (1)

The tafsir of this ayah is included with the following verse(s).