Surah Ash-Shams
Surah 91 · The Sun · 15 verses · meccan
The Sun — ash-Shams, the first of eleven consecutive oaths.
The story
Allah swears by the sun, the moon, the day, the night, the sky and the earth — and then tells us why: because He put inside you the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. You already know.
How it unfolds
AYAH 1-8
Eleven oaths
Sun, moon, day, night, sky, earth, and the soul proportioned and inspired.
AYAH 9-10
Purify or bury
The two outcomes stated in two lines.
AYAH 11-15
Thamud
The she-camel, the most wretched among them, and a levelled town.
Verses to carry
- 91:8"And inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness." The conscience described as installed.
- 91:9"He has succeeded who purifies it."
- 91:10"And he has failed who buries it."
Remember this
You know the difference between right and wrong. Allah put it inside you.
Talk about it
How do you know when something is wrong, even before anyone tells you?