Surah 86:3
Show Full Scripture Context (86:1-10) — 10 Verses
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلطَّارِقِ
By the sky and the night visitor!
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلطَّارِقُ
And what will make you know what the night visitor is?
ٱلنَّجۡمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ
The piercing star!
إِن كُلُّ نَفۡسٖ لَّمَّا عَلَيۡهَا حَافِظٞ
Over every person (there is) a watcher.
فَلۡيَنظُرِ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ
So let the human consider: what was he created from?
خُلِقَ مِن مَّآءٖ دَافِقٖ
He was created from spurting water.
يَخۡرُجُ مِنۢ بَيۡنِ ٱلصُّلۡبِ وَٱلتَّرَآئِبِ
It comes forth from (a place) between the spine and the ribs.
إِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَجۡعِهِۦ لَقَادِرٞ
Surely He is able indeed to bring him back,
يَوۡمَ تُبۡلَى ٱلسَّرَآئِرُ
on the Day when (all) secrets will be examined,
فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن قُوَّةٖ وَلَا نَاصِرٖ
and he will have no power (and) no helper.
Allah swears by the heaven and what He has placed in it of radiant stars. Thus, He says,
{By the heaven, and At-Tariq;} Then He says,
Then He explains it by His saying,
{The star of Ath-Thaqib.} Qatadah and others have said, “The star has been named Tariq because it is only seen at night and it is hidden during the day.” His view is supported by what has been mentioned in the authentic Hadith that prohibits a man to come to his family Taruq. This means that he comes to them unexpectedly at nighttime.
Concerning Allah’s statement,
{Ath-Thaqib.} Ibn ‘Abbas said, “The illuminating.” ‘Ikrimah said, “It is illuminating and it bums the Shaytan.”
Then Allah says.
meaning, every soul has a guardian over it from Allah that protects it from the calamities. This is as Allah says,
How Man is created is a Proof of Allah’s Ability to Return Him to Him
Allah says.
{So, let man see from what he is created!} This is alerting man to the weakness of his origin from which he was created. The intent of it is to guide man to accept (the reality of) the Hereafter, because whoever is able to begin the creation then he is also able to repeat it in the same way. This is as Allah says,
Then Allah says,
{He is created from a water gushing forth.} meaning, the sexual fluid that comes out bursting forth from the man and the woman. Thus, the child is produced from both of them by the permission of Allah. Due to this Allah says,
meaning, the backbone (or loins) of the man and the ribs of the woman, which is referring to her chest. Shabib bin Bishr reported from Ikrimah who narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said.
“The backbone of the man and the ribs of the woman. It (the fluid) is yellow and fine in texture. The child will not be bom except from both of them (i.e., their sexual fluids).”
Concerning Allah’s statement,
This means that He is able to return this man that is created from fluid gushed forth. In other words, He is able to repeat his creation and resurrect him to the final abode. This is clearly possible, because whoever is able to begin the creation then he surely is able to repeat it. Indeed Allah has mentioned this proof in more than one place in the Qur’an.
On the Day of Judgement, Man will have no Power or Assistance
In this regard Allah says,
meaning, on the Day of Judgement the secrets will be tested. This means that they will be exposed and made manifest. Thus, the secret will be made open and that which is concealed will be well known. It is confirmed in the Two Sahihs on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah said,
“Every betrayer will have a flag raised for him behind his back, and it will be said, 'This is the betrayal of so-and-so, the son of so-and-so.'”
Concerning Allah’s statement,
{Then he will have no} meaning, man on the Day of Judgement.
{any power} meaning, within himself.
meaning, from other than himself. This statement means that he will not be able to save himself from the torment of Allah, and nor will anyone else be able to save him.