Written by: Faḍl Akbar Kashmiri
(عَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ ﴿١﴾ عَنِ النَّبَإِ الْعَظِيمِ ﴿٢﴾ الَّذِي هُمْ فِيهِ مُخْتَلِفُونَ ﴿٣﴾)
"What are they asking one another about? About the Great News, concerning which they differ."
[Al-Nabaʾ: 1–3]
✔ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) stated that Sūrah al-Nabaʾ is a Makkan sūrah.
Refer to:
– Al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān 1/12–13
– Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tafāsīr (manuscript) by Shaykh Ḥāfiẓ Zubair ʿAlī Zai (رحمه الله), p. 1 — Authenticated
✔ This sūrah is also known by another name: Sūrah al-Tasāʾul
Zād al-Masīr by Ibn al-Jawzī 3/9
Sayyidunā Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) reported:
"O Messenger of Allah! You have aged."
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
"Sūrah Hūd, al-Wāqiʿah, al-Mursalāt, ʿAmma Yatasaʾalūn, and Idhā al-Shamsu Kuwwirat have aged me."
Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3297 — Ḥadīth Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ
This hadith illustrates how the themes of the Hereafter described in these sūrahs impacted the Prophet ﷺ deeply, even physically.
Qatādah (رحمه الله) said:
“The Great News refers to the Qur’an.”
Tafsīr ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 3453 — Chain is authentic
Supporting Evidence:
(قُلْ هُوَ نَبَأٌ عَظِيمٌ)
“Say: It is a great news.”
[Ṣād: 67]
Qatādah (رحمه الله) explained:
“It refers to those who believe in it and those who deny it.”
Tafsīr ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 3454 — Chain is authentic
He wrote:
“They disputed about the Qur’an — some called it magic, others divination or poetry, and some deemed it tales of the ancients.”
Al-Wasīṭ: 4/411–412
This sūrah presents vivid descriptions of the conditions of the Day of Resurrection, which profoundly moved the Prophet ﷺ — to the extent that it contributed to the greying of his blessed hair.
Sūrah al-Nabaʾ is among the Makkan chapters that profoundly emphasize belief in the Hereafter and the magnitude of the Qur’an. The term al-nabaʾ al-ʿaẓīm — “the Great News” — refers to either the Qur’an itself or the Day of Judgment, over which disbelievers argue and differ. Understanding these verses reveals the seriousness of divine revelation and the urgency of preparing for the Hereafter.
✦ The Great News
(عَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ ﴿١﴾ عَنِ النَّبَإِ الْعَظِيمِ ﴿٢﴾ الَّذِي هُمْ فِيهِ مُخْتَلِفُونَ ﴿٣﴾)
"What are they asking one another about? About the Great News, concerning which they differ."
[Al-Nabaʾ: 1–3]
❖ Jurisprudence of the Qur’an (فقه القرآن)
✔ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) stated that Sūrah al-Nabaʾ is a Makkan sūrah.
Refer to:– Al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān 1/12–13
– Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tafāsīr (manuscript) by Shaykh Ḥāfiẓ Zubair ʿAlī Zai (رحمه الله), p. 1 — Authenticated
✔ This sūrah is also known by another name: Sūrah al-Tasāʾul
Zād al-Masīr by Ibn al-Jawzī 3/9❖ The Effect of Sūrah al-Nabaʾ on the Prophet ﷺ
Sayyidunā Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) reported:
"O Messenger of Allah! You have aged."
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
"Sūrah Hūd, al-Wāqiʿah, al-Mursalāt, ʿAmma Yatasaʾalūn, and Idhā al-Shamsu Kuwwirat have aged me."
Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3297 — Ḥadīth Ḥasan ṢaḥīḥThis hadith illustrates how the themes of the Hereafter described in these sūrahs impacted the Prophet ﷺ deeply, even physically.
❖ Meaning of “the Great News” (النَّبَإِ الْعَظِيمِ)
Qatādah (رحمه الله) said:
“The Great News refers to the Qur’an.”
Tafsīr ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 3453 — Chain is authenticSupporting Evidence:
(قُلْ هُوَ نَبَأٌ عَظِيمٌ)
“Say: It is a great news.”
[Ṣād: 67]
❖ “Differing About It” (مُخْتَلِفُونَ)
Qatādah (رحمه الله) explained:
“It refers to those who believe in it and those who deny it.”
Tafsīr ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 3454 — Chain is authentic❖ View of Imām al-Wāḥidī
He wrote:
“They disputed about the Qur’an — some called it magic, others divination or poetry, and some deemed it tales of the ancients.”
Al-Wasīṭ: 4/411–412❖ The Sūrah and the Day of Judgment
This sūrah presents vivid descriptions of the conditions of the Day of Resurrection, which profoundly moved the Prophet ﷺ — to the extent that it contributed to the greying of his blessed hair.
❖ Conclusion
Sūrah al-Nabaʾ is among the Makkan chapters that profoundly emphasize belief in the Hereafter and the magnitude of the Qur’an. The term al-nabaʾ al-ʿaẓīm — “the Great News” — refers to either the Qur’an itself or the Day of Judgment, over which disbelievers argue and differ. Understanding these verses reveals the seriousness of divine revelation and the urgency of preparing for the Hereafter.
