Surah Ash-Shams
الشمس
Surah Ash-Shams is a 15-verse Meccan surah that swears by the sun, moon, day, night, sky, earth and soul to declare that success lies in purifying the soul, and then tells the story of Thamud.
- Meaning
- The Sun
- Surah
- 91 of 114
- Verses
- 15
- Revealed in
- Mecca
- Found in
- Juz 30
What Surah Ash-Shams is about
Surah Ash-Shams, "The Sun", has the longest run of oaths in the Quran. Verses 1 to 7 swear by the sun and its morning brightness, the moon that follows it, the day that reveals it, the night that covers it, the sky and the One who built it, the earth and the One who spread it, and the soul and the One who shaped it. Verse 8 completes the sequence: Allah inspired the soul with its wickedness and its righteousness.
All of these oaths lead to a two-verse statement. Verse 9 says that whoever purifies the soul has succeeded, and verse 10 says that whoever corrupts it has failed.
Verses 11 to 15 then give an example from history. The people of Thamud, driven by arrogance, followed the worst among them. Their messenger, the prophet Salih, told them to leave the she-camel of Allah alone and let her drink, but they called him a liar and cut her down. Their Lord destroyed them for their sin and leveled them, and the surah ends by saying He does not fear the consequences.
Main themes
Pairs in creation
The oaths come mostly in pairs: sun and moon, day and night, sky and earth. They lead naturally to the pair inside the soul, its capacity for wrong and for right.
Verses 1–8Success depends on the soul
Verses 9 and 10 are the heart of the surah. Every person can purify their soul or bury it, and the outcome rests on that choice.
Verses 9–10Thamud and the she-camel
The story of Thamud shows a whole people corrupting their souls through arrogance. Their defiance of a simple instruction about a camel brought about their destruction.
Verses 11–15
Verses to know
وَنَفۡسٖ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا ﴿٧﴾ فَأَلۡهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقۡوَىٰهَا ﴿٨﴾
7And the soul and He who proportioned it. 8And inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness.
Describes the soul as shaped by Allah and inspired with knowledge of both its wrongdoing and its righteousness. It is often cited as the Quran's account of human conscience.
قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا ﴿٩﴾ وَقَدۡ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا ﴿١٠﴾
9Successful is he who purifies it. 10Failing is he who corrupts it.
A two-line summary of moral success and failure. The Prophet ﷺ echoed it in a supplication asking Allah to give his soul its righteousness and purify it.
When Surah Ash-Shams is recited
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim report that the Prophet ﷺ advised Mu'adh ibn Jabal, who had made a long recitation while leading the Isha prayer, to recite shorter surahs such as Ash-Shams, Al-A'la and Al-Layl. Ash-Shams is still a common choice in the night prayers.
Surah Ash-Shams in Arabic and English
All 15 verses, with the Arabic, a transliteration to help you read it aloud, and the English translation by Talal Itani.
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
- 1
وَٱلشَّمۡسِ وَضُحَىٰهَا
Waalshshamsi waduhaha
By the sun and its radiance.
- 2
وَٱلۡقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَىٰهَا
Waalqamari itha talaha
And the moon as it follows it.
- 3
وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّىٰهَا
Waalnnahari itha jallaha
And the day as it reveals it.
- 4
وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَغۡشَىٰهَا
Waallayli itha yaghshaha
And the night as it conceals it.
- 5
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنَىٰهَا
Waalssamai wama banaha
And the sky and He who built it.
- 6
وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا طَحَىٰهَا
Waalardi wama tahaha
And the earth and He who spread it.
- 7
وَنَفۡسٖ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا
Wanafsin wama sawwaha
And the soul and He who proportioned it.
- 8
فَأَلۡهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقۡوَىٰهَا
Faalhamaha fujooraha wataqwaha
And inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness.
- 9
قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا
Qad aflaha man zakkaha
Successful is he who purifies it.
- 10
وَقَدۡ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا
Waqad khaba man dassaha
Failing is he who corrupts it.
- 11
كَذَّبَتۡ ثَمُودُ بِطَغۡوَىٰهَآ
Kaththabat thamoodu bitaghwaha
Thamood denied in its pride.
- 12
إِذِ ٱنۢبَعَثَ أَشۡقَىٰهَا
Ithi inbaAAatha ashqaha
When it followed its most wicked.
- 13
فَقَالَ لَهُمۡ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ نَاقَةَ ٱللَّهِ وَسُقۡيَٰهَا
Faqala lahum rasoolu Allahi naqata Allahi wasuqyaha
The messenger of Allah said to them, “This is the she-camel of Allah, so let her drink.”
- 14
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمۡدَمَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ رَبُّهُم بِذَنۢبِهِمۡ فَسَوَّىٰهَا
Fakaththaboohu faAAaqarooha fadamdama AAalayhim rabbuhum bithanbihim fasawwaha
But they called him a liar, and hamstrung her. So their Lord crushed them for their sin, and leveled it.
- 15
وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقۡبَٰهَا
Wala yakhafu AAuqbaha
And He does not fear its sequel.
Surah Ash-Shams PDF
The whole surah on printable pages: Arabic, transliteration and English side by side. Free to download, print and share.
Questions about Surah Ash-Shams
How many oaths are in Surah Ash-Shams?
The surah opens with a run of oaths in verses 1 to 7, usually counted as eleven, by the sun, its brightness, the moon, the day, the night, the sky, its builder, the earth, its spreader, the soul and its shaper. It is known as the longest sequence of oaths in the Quran.
How many verses are in Surah Ash-Shams?
Surah Ash-Shams has 15 verses. It is the 91st surah and a Meccan surah.
Who is the messenger in Surah Ash-Shams?
The messenger of verse 13 is the prophet Salih, who was sent to the people of Thamud. The surah does not name him, but the story of Salih and the she-camel appears by name in other surahs.