Surah 88 · Meccan · 26 Verses
الغاشية
SURAH AL-GHASHIYAH
The Overwhelming
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْغَٰشِيَةِ
Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming [event]?
وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَٰشِعَةٌ
[Some] faces, that Day, will be humbled,
تَصْلَىٰ نَارًا حَامِيَةًۭ
They will [enter to] burn in an intensely hot Fire.
تُسْقَىٰ مِنْ عَيْنٍ ءَانِيَةٍۢ
They will be given drink from a boiling spring.
لَّيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِن ضَرِيعٍۢ
For them there will be no food except from a poisonous, thorny plant
لَّا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِى مِن جُوعٍۢ
Which neither nourishes nor avails against hunger.
وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ نَّاعِمَةٌۭ
[Other] faces, that Day, will show pleasure.
لِّسَعْيِهَا رَاضِيَةٌۭ
With their effort [they are] satisfied
فِى جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍۢ
In an elevated garden,
فِيهَا عَيْنٌۭ جَارِيَةٌۭ
Within it is a flowing spring.
فِيهَا سُرُرٌۭ مَّرْفُوعَةٌۭ
Within it are couches raised high
وَأَكْوَابٌۭ مَّوْضُوعَةٌۭ
And cups put in place
وَنَمَارِقُ مَصْفُوفَةٌۭ
And cushions lined up
وَزَرَابِىُّ مَبْثُوثَةٌ
And carpets spread around.
أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى ٱلْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ
Then do they not look at the camels - how they are created?
وَإِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ
And at the sky - how it is raised?
وَإِلَى ٱلْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ
And at the mountains - how they are erected?
وَإِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ
And at the earth - how it is spread out?
فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌۭ
So remind, [O Muḥammad]; you are only a reminder.
لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِرٍ
You are not over them a controller.
إِلَّا مَن تَوَلَّىٰ وَكَفَرَ
However, he who turns away and disbelieves –
فَيُعَذِّبُهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ٱلْأَكْبَرَ
Then Allāh will punish him with the greatest punishment.
إِنَّ إِلَيْنَآ إِيَابَهُمْ
Indeed, to Us is their return.
ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا حِسَابَهُم
Then indeed, upon Us is their account.
About This Surah
Surah Al-Ghashiyah presents faces humbled by exhausting effort and faces joyful with their striving, then invites reflection on camels, sky, mountains and earth. The Messenger is told to remind rather than compel. The closing places people’s return and final accounting with God, setting a clear limit on religious coercion.
The overwhelming event is introduced through faces rather than a chronological map. Some faces are humbled and exhausted, entering severe conditions; others are radiant, satisfied with their prior striving and welcomed into an elevated garden without empty speech.
The surah then turns from the unseen to visible creation. Readers are asked to look at the camel’s creation, the raised sky, set mountains and spread earth. The questions invite attentive reflection within the audience’s world. They should not be forced into claims that a single animal or geological feature proves every disputed scientific theory.
The Messenger’s role is then defined: remind, for you are a reminder; you are not a controller over them. Those who turn away remain accountable to God.
The ending makes return and reckoning divine responsibilities. This protects both the seriousness of warning and the boundary against coercive control by the preacher.
A useful overview should preserve the chapter’s progression from “Contrasting faces and outcomes” through “Reminder without control.” Revisit 88:1–7 while tracking the themes “Final outcomes reveal the value of striving” and “Garden speech is free of emptiness.” That second pass shows how the surah joins its images, questions and commands rather than presenting isolated slogans. It also gives the reader a clear boundary between Quranic wording and historical, legal or devotional details that require separate sourcing.
Core Themes
- Final outcomes reveal the value of striving
- Garden speech is free of emptiness
- Familiar creation invites reflection
- The Messenger reminds but does not compel
- Return and accounting belong to God
Structure
Verses 1-16: contrasting faces and outcomes — 1-16
Verses 1-16 focus on contrasting faces and outcomes.
Verses 17-20: look at familiar creation — 17-20
Verses 17-20 focus on look at familiar creation.
Verses 21-26: reminder without control — 21-26
Verses 21-26 focus on reminder without control.
Key Passages
Humbled faces — 1-7
Verses 1-7 address humbled faces.
Joyful faces — 8-16
Verses 8-16 address joyful faces.
Camel, sky, mountains and earth — 17-20
Verses 17-20 address camel, sky, mountains and earth.
Remind, do not control — 21-26
Verses 21-26 address remind, do not control.
Interpretation Limits
- Do not use the creation questions as unstable scientific proof-texts.
- Do not erase the anti-coercion boundary in the closing.
- Do not expand afterlife scenes beyond the text.