سُوْرَةُ الدُّخَانِ
Surah Ad-Dukhaan (44) — Ayah 10
فَٱرْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِى ٱلسَّمَآءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿10﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Then wait you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke,
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَٱرْتَقِبْ
fa-ir'taqib
Then watch
يَوْمَ
yawma
(for the) Day
تَأْتِى
tatī
(when) will bring
ٱلسَّمَآءُ
l-samāu
the sky
بِدُخَانٍۢ
bidukhānin
smoke
مُّبِينٍۢ
mubīnin
visible
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
10. So wait for the Day when the sky will bring forth a clear [8] smoke.
[8]
The Punishment of Famine Upon the Quraysh:
There is a difference of opinion among the commentators regarding the interpretation of verses 10 to 16. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ presents the interpretation of these verses with great emphasis and certainty in the following words: Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that when the Quraysh did not obey the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and persisted in their mischief, the Prophet ﷺ supplicated: "O Allah! Help me by sending upon them a seven-year famine like that of the time of Yusuf ؑ." Eventually, such a severe famine befell them that they began to eat bones and carrion, and the situation reached such an extent that if any one of them, due to the intensity of hunger, looked towards the sky, he would see something like smoke. At that time, Abu Sufyan came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "O Muhammad ﷺ! Your people are perishing, pray to Allah to remove this famine." So the Prophet ﷺ prayed. And the polytheists also began to say: "Our Lord! Remove this punishment from us, we will believe." Allah Almighty said to the Prophet ﷺ: "See, when this punishment is lifted, these people will return to polytheism." Anyway, due to your supplication, Allah Almighty removed this punishment, but they again returned to disbelief and polytheism. Eventually, Allah Almighty revealed this verse: ﴿يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرٰي اِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُوْنَ﴾. By "Batshah" is meant the punishment of Badr. As for the punishment of the Hereafter, it will never be lifted from them. Ibn Mas'ud says that there are five things that have already occurred: "Lizam" (the capture of prisoners at Badr), the resurgence of Rome, "Batshah" (the humiliating defeat at Badr), the splitting of the moon, and "Dukhan" (the punishment of smoke) [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير].
Which Smoke is Meant by the "Clear Smoke"?
And Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) interprets the smoke mentioned in verse 10 as the smoke that will envelop the earth near the Day of Judgment, and it will be a sign of the Hour. According to narrations, this smoke will cover the earth for forty days. Its effect on a righteous person will be mild, causing them something like a cold, but for the disbeliever and hypocrite, this smoke will prove to be extremely painful. This smoke may be the same material of the heavens mentioned in ﴿ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰٓي اِلَي السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ﴾, and they interpret ﴿يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرٰي اِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُوْنَ﴾ as the punishment of the Day of Judgment. And Allah knows best what is correct. However, the events mentioned in these verses are related to the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Therefore, the interpretation of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ appears to be more preferable.
[8]
The Punishment of Famine Upon the Quraysh:
There is a difference of opinion among the commentators regarding the interpretation of verses 10 to 16. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ presents the interpretation of these verses with great emphasis and certainty in the following words: Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that when the Quraysh did not obey the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and persisted in their mischief, the Prophet ﷺ supplicated: "O Allah! Help me by sending upon them a seven-year famine like that of the time of Yusuf ؑ." Eventually, such a severe famine befell them that they began to eat bones and carrion, and the situation reached such an extent that if any one of them, due to the intensity of hunger, looked towards the sky, he would see something like smoke. At that time, Abu Sufyan came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "O Muhammad ﷺ! Your people are perishing, pray to Allah to remove this famine." So the Prophet ﷺ prayed. And the polytheists also began to say: "Our Lord! Remove this punishment from us, we will believe." Allah Almighty said to the Prophet ﷺ: "See, when this punishment is lifted, these people will return to polytheism." Anyway, due to your supplication, Allah Almighty removed this punishment, but they again returned to disbelief and polytheism. Eventually, Allah Almighty revealed this verse: ﴿يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرٰي اِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُوْنَ﴾. By "Batshah" is meant the punishment of Badr. As for the punishment of the Hereafter, it will never be lifted from them. Ibn Mas'ud says that there are five things that have already occurred: "Lizam" (the capture of prisoners at Badr), the resurgence of Rome, "Batshah" (the humiliating defeat at Badr), the splitting of the moon, and "Dukhan" (the punishment of smoke) [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير].
Which Smoke is Meant by the "Clear Smoke"?
And Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) interprets the smoke mentioned in verse 10 as the smoke that will envelop the earth near the Day of Judgment, and it will be a sign of the Hour. According to narrations, this smoke will cover the earth for forty days. Its effect on a righteous person will be mild, causing them something like a cold, but for the disbeliever and hypocrite, this smoke will prove to be extremely painful. This smoke may be the same material of the heavens mentioned in ﴿ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰٓي اِلَي السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ﴾, and they interpret ﴿يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرٰي اِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُوْنَ﴾ as the punishment of the Day of Judgment. And Allah knows best what is correct. However, the events mentioned in these verses are related to the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Therefore, the interpretation of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ appears to be more preferable.
