Surah 86 · Meccan · 17 Verses
الطارق
SURAH AT-TARIQ
The Nightcomer
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلطَّارِقِ
By the sky and the knocker
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلطَّارِقُ
And what can make you know what is the knocker?
إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌۭ
There is no soul but that it has over it a protector.
فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ
So let man observe from what he was created.
خُلِقَ مِن مَّآءٍۢ دَافِقٍۢ
He was created from a fluid, ejected,
يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ ٱلصُّلْبِ وَٱلتَّرَآئِبِ
Emerging from between the backbone and the ribs.
إِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَجْعِهِۦ لَقَادِرٌۭ
Indeed, He [i.e., Allāh], to return him [to life], is Able.
فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن قُوَّةٍۢ وَلَا نَاصِرٍۢ
Then he [i.e., man] will have no power or any helper.
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلٌۭ فَصْلٌۭ
Indeed, it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is a decisive statement,
وَمَا هُوَ بِٱلْهَزْلِ
And it is not amusement.
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًۭا
Indeed, they are planning a plan,
وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًۭا
But I am planning a plan.
About This Surah
Surah At-Tariq swears by the night visitor, described as a piercing star, and states that every soul has a keeper. It asks humans to consider their origin, affirms God’s power to restore life and warns that secrets will be tested. Rain and sprouting earth then frame the Quran as a decisive word rather than amusement.
The opening asks what can make the reader know the night visitor, then identifies it as a piercing star. The oath leads to a moral claim: every soul has a keeper. The text does not turn the star into an astrological influence or horoscope.
Human beings are asked to consider what they were created from. The embryonic description functions as an argument for dependence and resurrection. The One who originated life can restore it on a day when secrets are tested and no independent strength or helper remains.
The final oaths use the returning rain and splitting, sprouting earth. As rain produces growth, the revelation separates truth decisively. It is not entertainment. Opponents scheme, but their planning remains within God’s encompassing plan.
The Messenger is told to give deniers a little time. This closing is restrained: it does not authorize private retaliation or specify when consequences must occur.
The chapter can be reread in two movements: begin with “The night visitor and every soul’s keeper,” then observe how the argument reaches “Rain, decisive revelation and patient delay.” Use 86:15–17 to test the relationship between “Creation reveals dependence” and “Resurrection follows from the power to originate.” Reading in sequence protects the text from proof-texting, keeps warning and hope in proportion, and makes clear which conclusions arise directly from the cited verses and which would need additional evidence.
Core Themes
- Creation reveals dependence
- Resurrection follows from the power to originate
- Hidden motives will be tested
- The Quran is a decisive message
- Human plotting does not escape divine knowledge
Structure
Verses 1-4: the night visitor and every soul’s keeper — 1-4
Verses 1-4 focus on the night visitor and every soul’s keeper.
Verses 5-10: human origin, restoration and tested secrets — 5-10
Verses 5-10 focus on human origin, restoration and tested secrets.
Verses 11-17: rain, decisive revelation and patient delay — 11-17
Verses 11-17 focus on rain, decisive revelation and patient delay.
Key Passages
The piercing star — 1-4
Verses 1-4 address the piercing star.
Origin and return — 5-10
Verses 5-10 address origin and return.
Rain and decisive speech — 11-14
Verses 11-14 address rain and decisive speech.
Plotting and respite — 15-17
Verses 15-17 address plotting and respite.
Interpretation Limits
- Do not use the star for astrology or predictions.
- Do not turn the embryonic language into unsupported medical detail.
- Do not interpret the ending as permission for vigilante action.