الشمس
Surah Ash-Shams (الشمس) - Transliteration, Translation and Audio
Chapter 91 of the Quran, 15 verses, "The Sun"
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Surah Ash-Shams Transliteration and English Translation
- 1
وَٱلشَّمْسِ وَضُحَىٰهَا
Wash shamsi wa duhaa haa
By the sun and its brightness
- 2
وَٱلْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَىٰهَا
Wal qamari izaa talaa haa
And [by] the moon when it follows it
- 3
وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّىٰهَا
Wannahaari izaa jallaa haa
And [by] the day when it displays it
- 4
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰهَا
Wallaili izaa yaghshaa haa
And [by] the night when it covers it
- 5
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنَىٰهَا
Wassamaaa'i wa maa banaahaa
And [by] the sky and He who constructed it
- 6
وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَىٰهَا
Wal ardi wa maa tahaahaa
And [by] the earth and He who spread it
- 7
وَنَفْسٍۢ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا
Wa nafsinw wa maa sawwaahaa
And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it
- 8
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَىٰهَا
Fa-alhamahaa fujoorahaa wa taqwaahaa
And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness,
- 9
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا
Qad aflaha man zakkaahaa
He has succeeded who purifies it,
- 10
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا
Wa qad khaaba man dassaahaa
And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].
- 11
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَىٰهَآ
Kazzabat Samoodu bi taghwaahaaa
Thamud denied [their prophet] by reason of their transgression,
- 12
إِذِ ٱنۢبَعَثَ أَشْقَىٰهَا
Izim ba'asa ashqaahaa
When the most wretched of them was sent forth.
- 13
فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ نَاقَةَ ٱللَّهِ وَسُقْيَٰهَا
Faqaala lahum Rasoolul laahi naaqatal laahi wa suqiyaahaa
And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, "[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink."
- 14
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنۢبِهِمْ فَسَوَّىٰهَا
Fakazzaboohu fa'aqaroohaa fadamdama 'alaihim Rabbuhum bizambihim fasaw waahaa
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
وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَٰهَا
Wa laa yakhaafu'uqbaahaa
And He does not fear the consequence thereof.
About Surah Ash-Shams
Surah Ash-Shams (Arabic: الشمس), meaning "The Sun", is the 91st chapter of the Quran and has 15 verses. It was revealed in Makkah in the early part of the mission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The surah is about the human soul: Allah has given it awareness of right and wrong, and a person's success or failure depends on whether they purify it or corrupt it.
The surah begins with a long series of oaths: 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 proportioned it and inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness. Then comes the answer to these oaths: successful is the one who purifies it, and ruined is the one who corrupts it. Thamud are the example of failure: their prophet Salih warned them not to harm the she-camel of Allah or stop her from drinking, but they denied him and hamstrung her, so their Lord destroyed them all. In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet named it among the surahs Mu'adh ibn Jabal should recite when leading prayer.
Main Themes of Surah Ash-Shams
- Oaths by the sun, moon, day, night, sky and earth
- The soul's inborn awareness of right and wrong
- Success through purifying the soul, loss through corrupting it
- Thamud, the prophet Salih and the she-camel of Allah
Listen to Surah Ash-Shams with Audio-Synced Transliteration
Play Surah Ash-Shams 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 Ash-Shams
- What is the meaning of "qad aflaha man zakkaha"?
- Verse 9 says, "He has succeeded who purifies it", referring to the soul. Purification here includes faith, obedience to Allah and turning away from sin, and verse 10 gives the opposite: the one who corrupts the soul has failed.
- What is the story of the she-camel in Surah Ash-Shams?
- Allah sent the prophet Salih to the people of Thamud, and they were warned not to harm the she-camel of Allah or deny her share of water. The most wretched among them was sent forth, the people denied their prophet and hamstrung her, and their Lord destroyed them all for their sin.
- What does Surah Ash-Shams say about the soul knowing good and evil?
- Verse 8 says Allah inspired the soul with its wickedness and its righteousness, meaning every person has been given an inner sense of what is wrong and what is right. That awareness is what makes the choice between purifying and corrupting the soul a real responsibility.