Az-Zumar (
Arabic: الزمر, ’az-zumar; meaning: "The Troops, The Throngs") is the 39th chapter (surah) of the
Qur'an, the central religious text of
Islam. It contains 75 verses (
ayat). This surah derives its name from the Arabic word zumar (troops) that occurs in verses 71 and 73. Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed
revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is believed to have been revealed in the
mid-Maccan period[1] when persecutions of the Muslim believers by the polytheists had escalated.[1]
The surah expounds the signs of God's Oneness (
tawhid) in the natural world and emphasizes the absurdity of associating partners with God. It also hints at emigration for the believers who were suffering great difficulties in worshiping God in their homeland. It also declares that there can be no reconciliation between believing in God's Oneness and association partners with God. The chapter also reminds readers of the
other world, where Muslims believe people will see the outcome of their own deeds.[2]
31-32 Muhammad and the infidels shall debate before the Lord
33-36 The reward and punishment of believers and unbelievers
37 The infidels of Makkah threaten Muhammad
37-38 True believers shall be rightly directed
39 Idolaters acknowledge God as creator
40-42 Muhammad yet to be vindicated
43 God shall raise the dead as he raiseth from sleep
44-45 None can
intercede except by God’s permission
46 Idolaters dread God but joy in their false gods
47 God shall judge between the faithful and the idolaters
48 Idolaters will give two worlds to escape God's wrath
49-50 They shall not escape the evils of the
Judgement Day
51-52 The infidels of former times were punished
52-53 The idolaters of Makkah shall not escape
54-56 Idolaters exhorted to repent; their sin will be forgiven
57-59 The regrets of the impenitent at the Judgement Day
60-61 God shall reject their
apologies and blacken their faces for the ones who lied. (Warning verse to those who lie about God).
62 But He will save the righteous
63 God the Sovereign Ruler of heaven and earth
64-66 Muhammad cannot worship idols, seeing he has received a revelation from God
67 The resurrection and the Judgement Day, fearful scenes of
Qiyamah
68 The blowing of the
Armageddon trumpet, when every creatures and creations will meet their death, except those chosen by Allah to survive the Qiamah[3] According to several tafsir scholars, the creature who destined to survive from the Armageddon trumpet blow were
Israfil, an archangel who blow the trumpet himself.[3] Israfil were also said to be one of gigantic archangels who bear the throne of Allah.[3] According to a Hadith sourced from
Anas ibn Malik which narrated by Ibn Mawardayh and al-Firyabi, Al-Suyuti narrated those who survived from the blow of the Israfil trumpet were Israfil,
Jibril,
Mikail,
Bearers of the Throne, and the
Archangel of death.[4]
69 The resurrection and the Judgement Day, fearful scenes of
Qiyamah
70-73 Troop of the righteous and wicked, their reward and punishment
74-75 God shall be praised by righteous men and angels [5]
Translation: He created the heavens and earth in truth. He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. Unquestionably, He is the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver.[2][6]
According to
Turkish writer
Ali Ünal: the word "wraps" in this verse is a simile, which alludes both to the earth's being rounded and to differences in the times of
sunrise and
sunset.[7]
^Al-Suyuti (2021). Yasir, Muhammad (ed.).
Misteri Alam Malaikat (Religion / Islam / General) (in Indonesian). Translated by Misbahul Munir. East Jakarta: Pustaka al-Kautsar. p. 24.
ISBN9789795929512. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
^Wherry, Elwood Morris (1896). A Complete Index to
Sale's Text, Preliminary Discourse, and Notes. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain.