Al-Mursalāt المرسلات "The Emissaries", "Winds Sent Forth"

Holy Quran

Al-Mursalāt (المرسلات, "The Emissaries", "Winds Sent Forth") is the 77th chapter of the Quran, with 50 verses

The chapter takes its name from the word Al-Mursalāt in the first verse

Summary

1-7 Oath by the messengers of God that the judgment-day is inevitable

8-15 Woe on that day to those who accuse Muhammad of imposture

16-19 In former times infidels were destroyed for accusing their prophets of imposture

20-28 God the Creator of all things, therefore woe to those who accuse His messengers of imposture

29-40 The woe of those who have been cast into hell for calling their prophets impostors

41-44 The joy of those who did not call their prophets impostors

45-50 The infidel Quraish soon to be overtaken by the woes of the judgment-day [4]

Theme and subject matter

The sura's theme is to affirm the Resurrection and Hereafter, and to warn the people of the consequences which will ultimately follow the denial and the affirmation of these truths.

In the first seven verses, the system of winds has been presented as an evidence of the truth that the Resurrection which is being foretold by the Qur'an and Muhammad must come to pass. The reasoning is that the power of All-Mighty Allah Who established this wonderful system on the earth, cannot be helpless in bringing about the Resurrection, and the express wisdom which underlies this system bears full evidence that the Hereafter must appear, for no act of an All-Wise Creator can be vain and purposeless, and if there was no Hereafter, it would mean that the whole of one's life was useless and absurd.

The people of Makkah repeatedly asked, "Bring about the Resurrection with which you threaten us; only then shall we believe in it." In verses 8-15, their demand has been answered, saying: "Resurrection is no sport or fun so that whenever a jester should ask for it, it should be brought forth immediately. It is indeed the Day of Judgment to settle the account of all mankind and of all its individuals. For it Allah has fixed a specific time it will take place at its own time, and when it takes place with all its dreads and horrors, it will confound those who are demanding it for fun today. Then their cases will be decided only on the evidence of those Messengers whom these deniers of the truth are repudiating with impunity. Then they will themselves realize how they themselves are responsible for their dooms

Conclusion[edit]

In the end, the deniers of the Hereafter and those who turn away from God-worship, have been warned as if to say: "Enjoy your short-lived worldly pleasure as you may, but your end will ultimately be disastrous." The discourse concludes with the assertion that the one who fails to obtain guidance from a Book like the Qur'an, can have no other source in the world to afford him Guidance. [6]

Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi[7][circular reference] - Tafhim al-Qur'an[8][circular reference]- The Meaning of the Qur'an[9][circular reference]