الغاشية
Surah Al-Ghashiyah (الغاشية) - Transliteration, Translation and Audio
Chapter 88 of the Quran, 26 verses, "The Overwhelming"
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Surah Al-Ghashiyah Transliteration and English Translation
- 1
هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْغَٰشِيَةِ
Hal ataaka hadeesul ghaashiyah
Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming [event]?
- 2
وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَٰشِعَةٌ
Wujoohuny yawma 'izin khaashi'ah
[Some] faces, that Day, will be humbled,
- 3
عَامِلَةٌۭ نَّاصِبَةٌۭ
'Aamilatun naasibah
Working [hard] and exhausted.
- 4
تَصْلَىٰ نَارًا حَامِيَةًۭ
Taslaa naaran haamiyah
They will [enter to] burn in an intensely hot Fire.
- 5
تُسْقَىٰ مِنْ عَيْنٍ ءَانِيَةٍۢ
Tusqaa min 'aynin aaniyah
They will be given drink from a boiling spring.
- 6
لَّيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِن ضَرِيعٍۢ
Laisa lahum ta'aamun illaa min daree'
For them there will be no food except from a poisonous, thorny plant
- 7
لَّا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِى مِن جُوعٍۢ
Laa yusminu wa laa yughnee min joo'
Which neither nourishes nor avails against hunger.
- 8
وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ نَّاعِمَةٌۭ
Wujoohuny yawma 'izin naa'imah
[Other] faces, that Day, will show pleasure.
- 9
لِّسَعْيِهَا رَاضِيَةٌۭ
Lisa'yihaa raadiyah
With their effort [they are] satisfied
- 10
فِى جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍۢ
Fee jannatin 'aaliyah
In an elevated garden,
- 11
لَّا تَسْمَعُ فِيهَا لَٰغِيَةًۭ
Laa tasma'u feehaa laaghiyah
Wherein they will hear no unsuitable speech.
- 12
فِيهَا عَيْنٌۭ جَارِيَةٌۭ
Feehaa 'aynun jaariyah
Within it is a flowing spring.
- 13
فِيهَا سُرُرٌۭ مَّرْفُوعَةٌۭ
Feehaa sururum marfoo'ah
Within it are couches raised high
- 14
وَأَكْوَابٌۭ مَّوْضُوعَةٌۭ
Wa akwaabum mawdoo 'ah
And cups put in place
- 15
وَنَمَارِقُ مَصْفُوفَةٌۭ
Wa namaariqu masfoofah
And cushions lined up
- 16
وَزَرَابِىُّ مَبْثُوثَةٌ
Wa zaraabiyyu mabsoosah
And carpets spread around.
- 17
أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى ٱلْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ
Afalaa yanzuroona ilalibili kaifa khuliqat
Then do they not look at the camels - how they are created?
- 18
وَإِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ
Wa ilas samaaa'i kaifa rufi'at
And at the sky - how it is raised?
- 19
وَإِلَى ٱلْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ
Wa ilal jibaali kaifa nusibat
And at the mountains - how they are erected?
- 20
وَإِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ
Wa ilal ardi kaifa sutihat
And at the earth - how it is spread out?
- 21
فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌۭ
Fazakkir innama anta Muzakkir
So remind, [O Muhammad]; you are only a reminder.
- 22
لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِرٍ
Lasta 'alaihim bimusaitir
You are not over them a controller.
- 23
إِلَّا مَن تَوَلَّىٰ وَكَفَرَ
Illaa man tawallaa wa kafar
However, he who turns away and disbelieves -
- 24
فَيُعَذِّبُهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ٱلْأَكْبَرَ
Fa yu'azzibuhul laahul 'azaabal akbar
Then Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment.
- 25
إِنَّ إِلَيْنَآ إِيَابَهُمْ
Innaa ilainaaa iyaabahum
Indeed, to Us is their return.
- 26
ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا حِسَابَهُم
Summa inna 'alainaa hisaabahum
Then indeed, upon Us is their account.
About Surah Al-Ghashiyah
Surah Al-Ghashiyah (Arabic: الغاشية), meaning "The Overwhelming", is the 88th chapter of the Quran and has 26 verses. It was revealed in Makkah, during the years when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was calling the people of the city to believe in the Day of Judgment. The surah is about the Overwhelming Event, the Day of Resurrection that will cover all creation, and the two very different outcomes that await people on it.
The surah opens with a question: has the report of the Overwhelming reached you? It describes faces humbled and exhausted, burning in a blazing Fire with nothing to eat but a bitter thorny plant, and other faces full of joy in a lofty garden with a flowing spring, raised couches, cups, cushions and spread carpets. It then turns the listener to the world in front of them: have they not looked at the camel and how it was created, the sky and how it was raised, the mountains and how they were set firm, and the earth and how it was spread out? The Prophet is told to remind, not to control, and the surah ends: their return and their reckoning are with Allah. Sahih Muslim reports that he recited it with Al-Ala in the Friday and Eid prayers.
Main Themes of Surah Al-Ghashiyah
- The Overwhelming Event and the Day of Resurrection
- Humbled faces in the Fire, joyful faces in Paradise
- Reflecting on the camel, the sky, the mountains and the earth
- The Prophet as a reminder, not a controller
- Every person's return and reckoning is with Allah
Listen to Surah Al-Ghashiyah with Audio-Synced Transliteration
Play Surah Al-Ghashiyah and follow the Arabic text and Latin transliteration as each verse is recited. You can adjust the speed or loop a verse range for practice.
Frequently Asked Questions About Surah Al-Ghashiyah
- What is "al-Ghashiyah" in the Quran?
- Al-Ghashiyah means "the overwhelming" or "the one that covers", and most commentators understand it as a name for the Day of Resurrection, which will overwhelm all people with its terrors. The surah takes its name from this word in its first verse.
- Why does Surah Al-Ghashiyah mention the camel?
- Verse 17 asks whether people do not look at the camel and how it was created. The first listeners lived with camels every day, so the Quran pointed them to a familiar creature, together with the sky, the mountains and the earth, as signs of Allah's power that should lead them to believe in the Resurrection.
- Can the Prophet force belief, according to Surah Al-Ghashiyah?
- In verses 21 and 22 the Prophet (peace be upon him) is told that his task is to remind, not to force belief on anyone. Guidance belongs to Allah, and as the final verses say, people's return and their reckoning are with Him.