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].
15
١٥
walā yakhāfu ʿuq'bāhā
And He does not fear the consequence thereof.
Surah Ash-Shams (The Sun) — Full Text
Ayah 1
وَٱلشَّمْسِ وَضُحَىٰهَا
By the sun and its brightness
Allah kicks off this surah with one of the most dramatic oath sequences in the entire Quran — and it starts with the sun and its radiant morning light. The word "duha" refers to that time of the morning when the sun has risen just enough to flood the earth with warm, full brightness. By swearing by the sun, Allah is drawing our attention to one of His most magnificent creations — something we see every single day but rarely stop to appreciate. This is the beginning of seven consecutive oaths, and the sheer buildup is about to make a massive point.
Ayah 2
وَٱلْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَىٰهَا
And [by] the moon when it follows it
Next, Allah swears by the moon as it follows the sun. When the sun sets and disappears, the moon takes its place and reflects its light — like a faithful companion picking up where the other left off. Some scholars point out that this especially refers to the crescent moon that appears right after sunset, reflecting the sun's glow across the night sky. The alternation of sun and moon is a perfect display of divine design — everything in creation operates in beautiful, coordinated balance.
Ayah 3
وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّىٰهَا
And [by] the day when it displays it1
Now Allah swears by the day when it reveals and illuminates the world. When daylight breaks, everything becomes clear and visible — the earth, the landscape, all of creation is on full display. The day essentially "shows off" the sun's brilliance and makes it possible for us to see, work, and function. It's a reminder that clarity and truth are built into the very structure of the universe — Allah designed the world to make things visible, not hidden.
Ayah 4
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰهَا
And [by] the night when it covers [i.e., conceals] it
Then Allah swears by the night when it covers and conceals. Just as the day reveals, the night wraps everything in darkness — the sun disappears, the sky goes dark, and the world is veiled. This contrast between light and darkness, between what's revealed and what's hidden, mirrors a deeper reality: the contrast between guidance and misguidance, between truth and falsehood. Allah is painting a picture with these oaths, showing that duality is woven into every part of creation.
Ayah 5
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنَىٰهَا
And [by] the sky and He who constructed it
The fifth oath is by the sky and the One who built it (or by the sky and its incredible construction). Just look up on a clear night — the sky stretches endlessly in every direction with no cracks, no pillars, and no visible supports. Allah raised it with immense power and expanded its vastness in ways we're still discovering through modern science. Whether you take this as an oath by the sky's Maker or by its flawless architecture, the point is the same: the heavens are a jaw-dropping testament to Allah's creative power.
Ayah 6
وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَىٰهَا
And [by] the earth and He who spread it
Next comes the oath by the earth and the One who spread it out. Allah took this planet and made it livable — stretching out its surface so we can walk on it, build on it, grow food from it. The word used here (tahaha) means to spread and extend, describing how Allah prepared the earth as a perfect habitat for human life. With the sky above and the earth below, Allah is basically saying: the entire universe, top to bottom, testifies to My design. And all of this buildup is heading somewhere big.
Ayah 7
وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا
And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it1
Now the oaths shift from the external world to something deeply personal — the human soul, and the One who perfectly shaped and balanced it. Allah didn't just throw the soul together randomly; He designed it with incredible precision, giving it the capacity for thought, emotion, and moral reasoning. Every person is born with a natural disposition (called "fitrah") that inclines toward recognizing God and knowing right from wrong. Your soul, in its original design, is one of Allah's most remarkable creations.
Ayah 8
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَىٰهَا
And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness,
Then Allah gave the soul an inner awareness of both good and evil — the ability to recognize what's right (taqwa) and what's wrong (fujur). This is huge. It means nobody can genuinely say "I didn't know" — Allah built a moral compass right into your nature. You have the free will to choose either path, and deep down you know which is which. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself used to pause at this verse and make a special prayer asking Allah to guide his soul toward goodness. That's how seriously this should be taken.
Ayah 9
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا
He has succeeded who purifies it,
HERE is the punchline of those seven massive oaths. After swearing by the sun, moon, day, night, sky, earth, and the soul — all of that buildup leads to this: the one who actively purifies their soul is truly successful. "Tazkiyah" means to cleanse and grow — it's about clearing out the toxic stuff (bad habits, ego, jealousy, dishonesty) and replacing it with good character, obedience to Allah, and genuine self-improvement. This is the whole game plan of life distilled into one verse: take care of your soul, and you win.
Ayah 10
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا
And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].
And the flip side: whoever corrupts and buries their soul has truly failed. The Arabic word "dassaha" literally means to bury something in the ground or push it down — imagine taking a pure, beautiful soul and burying it under layers of sin, arrogance, and spiritual neglect until it can't breathe anymore. When you ignore your conscience, chase every selfish desire, and refuse to grow, you're essentially suffocating the best part of yourself. After seven oaths by the greatest things in creation, Allah's verdict is clear: your soul is a trust, and what you do with it determines everything.
Ayah 11
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَىٰهَآ
Thamūd denied [their prophet] by reason of their transgression,
Now Allah gives a real-world example of people who corrupted their souls — the tribe of Thamud. They rejected their prophet Salih out of sheer arrogance and rebellion. The word used here ("bi-taghwaha") means they denied the truth because of their own transgression and wickedness, not because the message was unclear. Their rejection wasn't an honest mistake — it was a deliberate choice rooted in pride and corruption, the exact kind of soul-pollution the previous verses warned about.
Ayah 12
إِذِ ٱنۢبَعَثَ أَشْقَىٰهَا
When the most wretched of them was sent forth.1
When the most wicked person in the tribe stepped up to commit the worst act, it sealed their fate. This was a man named Qudar ibn Salif — a powerful, influential leader in Thamud's society. The Prophet (peace be upon him) described him as a strong, mighty man who was untouchable in his tribe. The fact that their most corrupt individual was also their most powerful tells you everything about how upside-down that society had become. When the worst among you are the ones calling the shots, destruction is not far behind.
And the messenger of Allāh [i.e., Ṣāliḥ] said to them, "[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allāh or [prevent her from] her drink."
Prophet Salih had warned them clearly: leave the she-camel of Allah alone, and let her drink on her designated days. This wasn't some random animal — Allah had brought it out of solid rock as a miraculous sign, and it had an agreed-upon schedule for sharing the water source. All they had to do was respect that arrangement. Salih was essentially saying: "This is a test from God — do not mess with it." The she-camel symbolized the principle of respecting divine boundaries and the rights of others, even when they seem small or easy to violate.
But they denied him and hamstrung1 her. So their Lord brought down upon them destruction for their sin and made it equal [upon all of them].
But they called Salih a liar and slaughtered the she-camel anyway. And this wasn't just one guy acting alone — the whole tribe was complicit. The elders, the youth, men and women all gave their approval to the act. When an entire community collectively agrees to cross a divine red line, the consequences hit everyone equally. So Allah unleashed a devastating punishment ("damdama" — an overwhelming, crushing destruction) upon them because of their sin, and He leveled them all without exception. Nobody was spared.
Ayah 15
وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَـٰهَا
And He does not fear the consequence thereof.1
And Allah has no fear whatsoever of the consequences. When a human ruler destroys a people, he has to worry about retaliation, survivors seeking revenge, or public backlash. But Allah is beyond all of that — no force in existence can challenge Him or hold Him accountable. When divine justice arrives, it arrives completely and finally. This closing verse is both a warning and a comfort: a warning to anyone who thinks they can defy Allah and get away with it, and a comfort knowing that ultimate justice is always in the hands of the One who is absolutely sovereign over everything.