☪️ Quran: Chapter 91 The Sun - Ash Shams سورة الشمس

Revelation place: Mecca

Revelation order: 15

Number of verses: 26

Theme: The dual nature of the human soul, the choice between good and evil, and the consequences of following or rejecting guidance.

Subjects: Human Nature · Morality · Accountability · Warning · Divine Signs

Summary:Surah Ash-Shams is a Meccan surah distinguished by a series of eleven oaths, among the most in any surah. Allah swears by mighty cosmic signs to emphasize the importance of the message:

“By the sun and its brightness, and [by] the moon when it follows it, and [by] the day when it displays it, and [by] the night when it covers it, and [by] the sky and He who constructed it, and [by] the earth and He who spread it, and [by] the soul and He who proportioned it.” (91:1–7)

Each of these oaths points to balance, harmony, and precision in creation  all of which mirror the moral balance within the human soul.

Then Allah declares:

“And inspired it (the soul) with its wickedness and its righteousness. He has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who corrupts it.” (91:8–10)

This is the core message of the surah:

• Every human is given a fitrah (natural moral awareness).

• Success lies in purifying the soul nurturing its good.

• Failure lies in corrupting it through heedlessness and sin.

To illustrate the consequences of corruption and denial, the surah recounts the story of Thamūd:

“Thamūd denied [their prophet] by reason of their transgression, when the most wretched of them was sent forth. And the Messenger of Allah [Ṣāliḥ] said to them, ‘[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink.’ But they denied him and hamstrung her. So their Lord brought down upon them destruction for their sin and made it equal upon all of them.” (91:11–14)

The people of Thamūd were blessed with prosperity but corrupted their souls through arrogance. Their destruction came swiftly and completely.

“And He does not fear the consequence thereof.” (91:15)

This final verse emphasizes Allah’s absolute power and justice His judgment is never hindered or challenged.

Key Embedded Themes:

• Cosmic Oaths: The natural order reflects divine wisdom and moral balance.

• The Human Soul: Instilled with both good and evil responsibility lies with the human to choose.

• Purification vs. Corruption: Inner moral struggle determines ultimate success or failure.

• Historical Warning: The destruction of Thamūd illustrates the price of arrogance.

• Divine Justice: Allah’s decree is absolute and unchallenged.

Essence:Ash-Shams is a surah of moral clarity and spiritual responsibility. Just as the sun illuminates the world, Allah has illuminated the human soul with awareness of right and wrong. Those who purify their souls shine like the sun  and those who corrupt them face the fate of the arrogant.

I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the condemned.

With the name of Allah, the Gracious the Merciful.

(Acknowledge and declare that Allah is the author of the Quran)

1- The sun and it’s brightness (High noon light and heat)

2- And the moon as it follows it

3- And the morning as it reveals it

4- And the night as it membraned it (Covered it)

5- And the sky and That Who constructed it

6- And the land and That Who spread it

7- And the soul and That Who straighten it (Created it straight pure on the right nature)

8- So, inspired it, its wickedness and its rightlessness

9- Had prospered who purifies it

10- And had failed who slipped it (let it wander away from Allah’s guidance)

11- Denied Thamud by its transgression

12- As rose the most wretched (wicked) of them (Called upon to disobey  and challenge Allah’s command)

13- So said to them the messenger of Allah (Salah (pbuh)), the she-camel of Allah, and her drink

14- So, they denied him, and hamstrung her, so He trembled upon them their God with their sin, so leveled it (to double and repeat the torment till it was leveled)

15- So, will not fear its consequence (Whoever lives in obedience to God does not fear the consequences of his actions because he knows that God is with him)

Disclaimer:

The Holy Quran, in its essence, is a divine revelation that can only be fully appreciated in its original Arabic language. Any translation or interpretation, including the one presented here, is not and cannot be a replacement for the Arabic Holy Quran. I intended to offer an English rendering that remains faithful to the original Arabic. I am neither a scholar nor do I possess any formal Islamic qualifications. My approach to this translation is empirical, drawing upon my readings of selected scholarly interpretations, personal experiences, and understanding of the Holy Quran as a Muslim native Arabic speaker.