Sūrat al-Ghāshiyah

Sūrah No. 88. Revealed in Makkah, 26 verses.

Merits of reciting the Sūrah

Many hadith talk about the importance of reciting this sūra.

Imam Ja‘far al-Sādiq (a) has said: Whoever recites this Sūrah often in the obligatory or recommended prayers, Allah will keep him under the cover of His mercy in this world and the Hereafter and will save him from the punishment of the fire on the Day of Judgment.

Note: This mercy and protection will be for those who absorb the message about the hereafter in the sūrah and live their lives accordingly.

General synopsis of contents

1) The Day of Judgment and the punishment and reward for human beings according to their deeds. (vv. 1-16)

2) Signs of Allah in creation (vv. 17-20)

3) Duties of the Holy Prophet a (vv. 21-22)

4) The eventual return and accounting (vv. 23-26)

Selected Lessons

1) The faces of people on the Day of Judgment will reflect their happiness or pain at their fate.

2) Details of both punishment and rewards awaiting in the hereafter help the believer visualize the hereafter more vividly.

3) Asking questions about nature leads to the belief in the Creator.

4) The Prophet a is a reminder, about the truth that our instinct naturally knows.

5) Death is the return to Allah and the beginning of the accounting for life in this world.

Suggested verses for reflection and memorization.

1) 88:8-9- [Some] faces on that day will be happy, well pleased with their striving.

2) 88:17-20 – Then do they not look at the camels – how they are created? And at the sky – how it is raised? And at the mountains – how they are erected? And at the earth – how it is spread out?

3) 88:21-22 – So remind, [O Muhammad]; you are only a reminder. You are not over them a controller.

Activities for self-study

1) Details of the punishment and reward in the hereafter are described in many places in the Quran. Compare the description in this Sūrah with the description in sūrhas al- Rahmān and al-Wāqi‘iah.

2) One of the wonderful signs of Allah mentioned in this sūrah is the camel, a fascinating creature who has been well equipped for life in the desert. Learn more about the features of this animal which point so clearly to a wise Creator and Designer. Check:

– http://kaheel7.com/eng/index.php/gods-creations/354-this-is-the-creation-of-allah-the-camel/

– https://www.masjidtucson.org/God/animals/camels.html