Surah 21 · Meccan · 112 Verses
الأنبياء
SURAH AL-ANBYA
The Prophets
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
ٱقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍۢ مُّعْرِضُونَ
[The time of] their account has approached for the people, while they are in heedlessness turning away.
مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّهِم مُّحْدَثٍ إِلَّا ٱسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ
No mention [i.e., revelation] comes to them anew from their Lord except that they listen to it while they are at play
لَاهِيَةًۭ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ وَأَسَرُّوا۟ ٱلنَّجْوَى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ هَلْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ ۖ أَفَتَأْتُونَ ٱلسِّحْرَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ
With their hearts distracted. And those who do wrong conceal their private conversation, [saying], "Is this [Prophet] except a human being like you? So would you approach magic while you are aware [of it]?"
قَالَ رَبِّى يَعْلَمُ ٱلْقَوْلَ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
He [the Prophet (ﷺ)] said, "My Lord knows whatever is said throughout the heaven and earth, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing."
بَلْ قَالُوٓا۟ أَضْغَٰثُ أَحْلَٰمٍۭ بَلِ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ بَلْ هُوَ شَاعِرٌۭ فَلْيَأْتِنَا بِـَٔايَةٍۢ كَمَآ أُرْسِلَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ
But they say, "[The revelation is but] a mixture of false dreams; rather, he has invented it; rather, he is a poet. So let him bring us a sign just as the previous [messengers] were sent [with miracles]."
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًۭا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ فَسْـَٔلُوٓا۟ أَهْلَ ٱلذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And We sent not before you, [O Muḥammad], except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message [i.e., former scriptures] if you do not know.
لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَٰبًۭا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ ۖ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّوا۟ بَأْسَنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ
And when they [i.e., its inhabitants] perceived Our punishment, at once they fled from it.
لَا تَرْكُضُوا۟ وَٱرْجِعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَآ أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِيهِ وَمَسَٰكِنِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْـَٔلُونَ
قَالُوا۟ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ
They said, "O woe to us! Indeed, we were wrongdoers."
فَمَا زَالَت تِّلْكَ دَعْوَىٰهُمْ حَتَّىٰ جَعَلْنَٰهُمْ حَصِيدًا خَٰمِدِينَ
And that declaration of theirs did not cease until We made them [as] a harvest [mowed down], extinguished [like a fire].
وَمَا خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَٰعِبِينَ
And We did not create the heaven and earth and that between them in play.
وَلَهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَنْ عِندَهُۥ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِۦ وَلَا يَسْتَحْسِرُونَ
To Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And those near Him [i.e., the angels] are not prevented by arrogance from His worship, nor do they tire.
يُسَبِّحُونَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ لَا يَفْتُرُونَ
They exalt [Him] night and day [and] do not slacken.
أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَالِهَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ
Or have they [i.e., men] taken for themselves gods from the earth who resurrect [the dead]?
لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَآ ءَالِهَةٌ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا ۚ فَسُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
Had there been within them [i.e., the heavens and earth] gods besides Allāh, they both would have been ruined. So exalted is Allāh, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.
لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَٔلُونَ
He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.
أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةًۭ ۖ قُلْ هَاتُوا۟ بُرْهَٰنَكُمْ ۖ هَٰذَا ذِكْرُ مَن مَّعِىَ وَذِكْرُ مَن قَبْلِى ۗ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ فَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدُونِ
And We sent not before you any messenger except We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."
لَا يَسْبِقُونَهُۥ بِٱلْقَوْلِ وَهُم بِأَمْرِهِۦ يَعْمَلُونَ
They cannot precede Him in word, and they act by His command.
يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ٱرْتَضَىٰ وَهُم مِّنْ خَشْيَتِهِۦ مُشْفِقُونَ
۞ وَمَن يَقُلْ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّىٓ إِلَٰهٌۭ مِّن دُونِهِۦ فَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِيهِ جَهَنَّمَ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
And whoever of them should say, "Indeed, I am a god besides Him" - that one We would recompense with Hell. Thus do We recompense the wrongdoers.
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًۭا فَفَتَقْنَٰهُمَا ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَىٍّ ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and then We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?
وَجَعَلْنَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ رَوَٰسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِهِمْ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجًۭا سُبُلًۭا لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ
And We placed within the earth firmly set mountains, lest it should shift with them, and We made therein [mountain] passes [as] roads that they might be guided.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ
And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming.
وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِكَ ٱلْخُلْدَ ۖ أَفَإِي۟ن مِّتَّ فَهُمُ ٱلْخَٰلِدُونَ
And We did not grant to any man before you eternity [on earth]; so if you die - would they be eternal?
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِٱلشَّرِّ وَٱلْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةًۭ ۖ وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ
Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned.
وَإِذَا رَءَاكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلَّا هُزُوًا أَهَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى يَذْكُرُ ءَالِهَتَكُمْ وَهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ هُمْ كَٰفِرُونَ
And when those who disbelieve see you, [O Muḥammad], they take you not except in ridicule, [saying], "Is this the one who mentions [i.e., insults] your gods?" And they are, at the mention of the Most Merciful, disbelievers.
خُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مِنْ عَجَلٍۢ ۚ سَأُو۟رِيكُمْ ءَايَٰتِى فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ
Man was created of haste [i.e., impatience]. I will show you My signs [i.e., vengeance], so do not impatiently urge Me.
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
And they say, "When is this promise, if you should be truthful?"
لَوْ يَعْلَمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ حِينَ لَا يَكُفُّونَ عَن وُجُوهِهِمُ ٱلنَّارَ وَلَا عَن ظُهُورِهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
بَلْ تَأْتِيهِم بَغْتَةًۭ فَتَبْهَتُهُمْ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ رَدَّهَا وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ
Rather, it will come to them unexpectedly and bewilder them, and they will not be able to repel it, nor will they be reprieved.
وَلَقَدِ ٱسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِٱلَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
And already were messengers ridiculed before you, but those who mocked them were enveloped by what they used to ridicule.
قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ مِنَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ۗ بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِم مُّعْرِضُونَ
Say, "Who can protect you at night or by day from the Most Merciful?" But they are, from the remembrance of their Lord, turning away.
أَمْ لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌۭ تَمْنَعُهُم مِّن دُونِنَا ۚ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَا هُم مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ
Or do they have gods to defend them other than Us? They are unable [even] to help themselves, nor can they be protected from Us.
بَلْ مَتَّعْنَا هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَءَابَآءَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ طَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْعُمُرُ ۗ أَفَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّا نَأْتِى ٱلْأَرْضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَآ ۚ أَفَهُمُ ٱلْغَٰلِبُونَ
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أُنذِرُكُم بِٱلْوَحْىِ ۚ وَلَا يَسْمَعُ ٱلصُّمُّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا مَا يُنذَرُونَ
Say, "I only warn you by revelation." But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned.
وَلَئِن مَّسَّتْهُمْ نَفْحَةٌۭ مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ
And if [as much as] a whiff of the punishment of your Lord should touch them, they would surely say, "O woe to us! Indeed, we have been wrongdoers."
وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌۭ شَيْـًۭٔا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍۢ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَٰسِبِينَ
About This Surah
Surah Al-Anbiya confronts heedlessness by placing many prophets inside one message of worship, accountability, and mercy. Abraham challenges idols, Lot is delivered, David and Solomon judge, Job prays in suffering, Jonah calls from darkness, and Zechariah asks for an heir. Their different trials share dependence on God. The chapter ends by describing Muhammad’s mission as mercy to the worlds, not as permission for coercion.
Al-Anbiya opens with approaching accountability while people remain distracted. Objections that the Messenger is merely human are answered by prophetic continuity: earlier messengers were also human beings who ate food and did not live forever. The instruction to ask people of knowledge supports evidence-seeking, not the automatic authority of every person who claims religious expertise.
The chapter argues from the coherence of creation and the mortality of all creatures. Heaven and earth, night and day, sun and moon serve as signs without becoming a scientific chronology imposed upon the text. Mockery of warning is answered by the fragility of communities that assumed security.
Abraham’s confrontation with idols exposes objects that cannot speak, benefit, or defend themselves. His rescue from the fire is a divine miracle, not a method for testing faith through dangerous behavior. Lot, Noah, David, Solomon, Job, Ishmael, Idris, Dhul-Kifl, Jonah, Zechariah, and Mary appear in rapid succession. Their stories emphasize judgment, patience, repentance, prayer, and divine response.
Job’s prayer acknowledges suffering without assigning blame or offering a universal healing formula. Jonah’s call from darkness is answered, but the verse should not be sold as a fixed-count guarantee for rescue from every crisis. Zechariah’s answered prayer likewise does not make infertility a sign of spiritual failure.
The final section describes one community of worship and warns against fragmentation. Gog and Magog and the final scenes belong to eschatological revelation; no date-setting or confident identification with current populations is justified. The Messenger is sent as mercy to the worlds. Mercy governs the presentation of warning and excludes vigilantism, forced conversion, and dehumanization.
Core Themes
- Approaching accountability and human heedlessness
- Human messengers within one prophetic continuity
- Creation signs without speculative overreach
- Idolatry challenged through moral reasoning
- Prayer in illness, isolation, and longing
- Mercy governing the final prophetic mission
Structure
Verses 1–29: heedlessness, messengers, and creation — 1-29
The opening addresses mockery, the humanity of messengers, evidence, destroyed communities, cosmic order, mortality, and the exclusive worship owed to God.
Verses 30–47: signs, mortality, and just scales — 30-47
Creation, protected sky, celestial movement, death, mockery, vulnerability, and accurate scales of judgment connect cosmic signs with personal accountability. Its placement in the surah should govern any later application.
Verses 48–75: Moses, Abraham, Lot, and Noah — 48-75
Scripture given to Moses and Aaron leads into Abraham’s challenge to idols, his rescue, and brief references to Lot and Noah as recipients of divine deliverance.
Verses 76–91: prophets in distinct trials — 76-91
David and Solomon judge; Job suffers and prays; Ishmael, Idris, and Dhul-Kifl endure; Jonah repents; Zechariah asks; and Mary receives a sign.
Verses 92–112: one worship, final judgment, and mercy — 92-112
The unity of worship, human division, Gog and Magog, final scenes, the inheritance of the earth, and the Messenger’s mission as mercy close the chapter.
Reading Guide
Compare the prophets by response, not by spectacle
Note judgment, patience, repentance, prayer, and trust across different lives. The chapter’s rapid sequence emphasizes a shared orientation rather than a catalog of miracle techniques.
Keep miracle and medical categories distinct
Job’s recovery, Jonah’s rescue, and Zechariah’s child are particular divine acts. They do not establish guaranteed treatments, fertility promises, or fixed-count emergency formulas.
Treat eschatology with disciplined uncertainty
Gog and Magog and the final scenes should not be mapped confidently onto present ethnic groups, headlines, dates, or political movements without explicit and reliable evidence.
Let mercy govern the page’s tone
Read verse 107 beside the chapter’s warnings. Mercy does not erase accountability, but it rules out dehumanization, private punishment, and coercive use of prophetic narratives.
Key Passages
Human messengers and knowledgeable testimony — 7-10
Earlier messengers were human beings, and doubters are directed toward people with knowledge. The passage supports evidence and continuity while requiring care in determining who is genuinely qualified and accountable. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.
Creation as signs — 30-33
The joined heavens and earth, water and life, mountains, routes, sky, night, day, sun, and moon invite recognition of divine order. The verses should not be forced into a modern technical theory. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.
Abraham challenges the idols — 51-70
Abraham exposes objects that cannot speak or defend themselves, leading his people back to what they already know. His rescue from fire is divine deliverance, not permission for dangerous demonstrations of faith. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.
Job, Jonah, and Zechariah pray — 83-90
Suffering, isolation, repentance, and longing receive distinct responses. The cluster encourages prayer without making illness, infertility, delayed relief, or another outcome evidence of deficient faith. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.
Inheritance and mercy to the worlds — 105-107
The righteous inheritance of the earth is followed by the description of the Messenger as mercy to the worlds. The passage cannot responsibly be used to authorize domination, forced conversion, or private violence. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.
Recitation Note
No exclusive time, fixed repetition count, or guaranteed worldly outcome is asserted here for reciting Surah Al-Anbiya. It may be read as Quran for worship, reflection, and study. Any separate claim about protection, healing, provision, marriage, pregnancy, or a prescribed number requires its own verified evidence and carefully limited wording.
Interpretation Limits
- Creation verses should not be presented as a complete modern scientific model.
- Prophetic healing, rescue, and fertility stories are not guaranteed formulas for identical outcomes.
- Gog and Magog must not be confidently identified with present ethnic or political groups.
- “Mercy to the worlds” excludes coercion, vigilantism, and dehumanizing application.