فَٱلْمُغِيرَٰتِ صُبْحًا 3
Translations
And the chargers at dawn,
Transliteration
Fal-mughirāti subḥā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the horses that raid at dawn, swearing by their swift and vigorous morning raids as a manifestation of Allah's power and creation. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as an oath by which Allah emphasizes the strength and courage of these noble creatures, which were central to Arabian warfare and society. The ayah serves as an introduction to the surah's theme of human ingratitude despite clear signs of divine provision and blessing.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-'Adiyat is a Meccan surah that employs vivid natural imagery and animal oaths to draw attention to signs of Allah's power and human responsibility. This opening ayah uses the phenomenon of war horses charging at dawn—a familiar sight to the Arabian audience—as the first in a series of oaths to establish the gravity of the message about human nature and accountability on the Day of Judgment.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly references this specific verse, Sahih Bukhari contains numerous hadiths emphasizing the virtue of horses in Islam. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest blessing after women is horses' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). This connects to the surah's exaltation of these creatures as signs of Allah's creation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that Allah draws our attention to the remarkable aspects of His creation—even seemingly ordinary phenomena like animals and natural events—to awaken our consciousness and gratitude. We should recognize the signs of divine power in the world around us and respond with acknowledgment of our dependence on Allah rather than ingratitude and forgetfulness.