The Connection We can see the connection clearly in the last two verses. By the night as it deepens or departs, and then the daybreak, that turns this darkness into light. This is the Qurʾān - the word of this noble messenger Gabriel. It overcomes the darkness inside the heart and replaces it with light. Recall that the previous surah mentioned this as well when it mentioned how revelation germinates the seed of goodness and purity placed inside us by Allah.
So these two oaths are referring to revelation as it overcomes the darkness of misguidance. What about the oath by the retreating planets, that become visible in the night - during darkness - and disappear during the day - under light? The dawn is the Qurʾān. The Arabs, and even us to this day, used the stars in the night for navigation. Arabia is a desert, for travellers in a desert, there were no fixed landmarks to determine direction. So they used the stars such as the polaris as fixed reference points to find direction. They even used them to track seasons. They noticed that certain stars rose at predictable times of the year which would sometimes coincide with seasonal changes. It was a sort of natural calendar. Hence, stars were their source of guidance to find direction.
In these verses, stars refer to whatever religion, books, scriptures or guidance they were following because just like stars, they are their source of guidance. But these religions, or books that they have, their light and guidance is like the tiny flicker of light produced by a distant star during the night, almost nothing. These scriptures may contain some guidance - some right instructions and truths - some tiny flickers of light, but all this is still during the night, in darkness. They are all false. When the Qurʾān comes, it overpowers all of these books, religions and scriptures, and overcomes them just as how the sun makes the stars invisible. It overpowers them, and becomes the sole entity of guidance, and unlike those stars, its illumination is perfect and complete. The Qurʾān illuminates everything clearly and brightly like the dawn, while whatever they have, can hardly be called light, it is but a mere flicker. Just like there are many stars in the night, there are many false religions; but there is only one sun during the day - only one correct path, and when it appears, they all disappear.
Hence, this Qurʾān, this brilliant guidance that overshadows all false religions and scriptures, is the word conveyed by a noble, mighty messenger of God, not by a false prophet as with those religions. It is not made up, nor forged like other scriptures nor is it corrupted or changed.
The one who brings this from Allah is mighty and strong. No second party can overwhelm or subjugate him. He is situated and well established right by the throne of God. He is accepted and of a high rank near Allah. He is a messenger approved by the king himself. He is obeyed by legions of angels as he comes down to pass revelation to Muhammad ﷺ , who clear the way for him, and protect the path of revelation. Now that this messenger is strong and powerful, authorized and accepted by God and is followed by legions of angels who guard his path to Muhammad ﷺ , the only thing that can harm revelation is if the messenger himself is unreliable. Hence, Allah says next that he is trustworthy.
Because this revelation comes from Allah and is conveyed through a noble, trusted and powerful messenger through a protected and well guarded path to the Prophet ﷺ , the Qurʾān remains secure, protected and perfect. Because it comes from Allah and remains perfectly preserved, it is able to overcome all darknesses and falsehoods, and shine brilliantly as the sole true guidance. Had it not been such, the Qurʾān would lack these qualities.
This was the connection of these oaths with each other. Now what is the connection of all these oaths with the events of judgment day described earlier? Allah had said:
إِذَا ٱلشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ
When the sun is wrapped up In these oaths, the sun referred to the Qurʾān. The Qurʾān will be wrapped up i.e, it will be closed. The disbeliever will ask God to return him to life so he may do good actions instead of what he committed on earth,52 but the Qurʾān will be wrapped up, it will be closed and not revealed again. You had the opportunity to read, learn and act on it, but now, that door is closed. You will not be returned and given a second change to obey the Qurʾān.
إِوَ ذَا ٱلنُّ جُومُ ٱنكَدَرَتْ
When the stars are plucked The stars referred to the false religions, scriptures and belief systems of people. When these false religions will come crashing down and collapse. Allah said earlier:
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌۭ مَّآ أَحْضَرَتْ
Each soul will know, what it presented They will see the falsehood of their beliefs. Their actions, that they did by following those false religions and scriptures, will be laid bare as false and unacceptable in front of them. Whatever they did following those falsehoods, will be presented, then deemed worthless and hence, they will not benefit or save them, rather it will be counted against them.
Secondly, when Allah said
52 Q. 32:12
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍۢ كَرِيمٍۢ
Truly, this is the word of a karīm messenger He is referring to the Qurʾān as a whole but in this context, He is referring to what has come before in this surah, namely the first fourteen verses. These verses that describe the events of judgment day are conveyed by a karīm - a perfect messenger. Even in the last two surahs, the central topic was judgment day. From the next surah onwards, the topic remains judgment day but with Allah’s attribute of justice as the core. This surah establishes the divine roots of the Qurʾān and the next surahs describe the central pillars of it. The disbelievers deny judgment day and hence, justice itself. This connection will be made even more explicit in the next surah. Allah is telling them that these are the words of Allah, conveyed through a perfect messenger. They are not made up. The events described earlier in this surah will in fact happen, they are the words of Allah. And just as the Qurʾān reigns supreme and overwhelms all false religions and scriptures, so will these words overpower all false notions people have of this world. The last surah described those who preferred the worldly life thinking it would last. This false notion will be overwhelmed and destroyed when these events described earlier happen.
Obeyed there. Trustworthy.
The Connection We can see the connection clearly in the last two verses. By the night as it deepens or departs, and then the daybreak, that turns this darkness into light. This is the Qurʾān - the word of this noble messenger Gabriel. It overcomes the darkness inside the heart and replaces it with light. Recall that the previous surah mentioned this as well when it mentioned how revelation germinates the seed of goodness and purity placed inside us by Allah.
So these two oaths are referring to revelation as it overcomes the darkness of misguidance. What about the oath by the retreating planets, that become visible in the night - during darkness - and disappear during the day - under light? The dawn is the Qurʾān. The Arabs, and even us to this day, used the stars in the night for navigation. Arabia is a desert, for travellers in a desert, there were no fixed landmarks to determine direction. So they used the stars such as the polaris as fixed reference points to find direction. They even used them to track seasons. They noticed that certain stars rose at predictable times of the year which would sometimes coincide with seasonal changes. It was a sort of natural calendar. Hence, stars were their source of guidance to find direction.
In these verses, stars refer to whatever religion, books, scriptures or guidance they were following because just like stars, they are their source of guidance. But these religions, or books that they have, their light and guidance is like the tiny flicker of light produced by a distant star during the night, almost nothing. These scriptures may contain some guidance - some right instructions and truths - some tiny flickers of light, but all this is still during the night, in darkness. They are all false. When the Qurʾān comes, it overpowers all of these books, religions and scriptures, and overcomes them just as how the sun makes the stars invisible. It overpowers them, and becomes the sole entity of guidance, and unlike those stars, its illumination is perfect and complete. The Qurʾān illuminates everything clearly and brightly like the dawn, while whatever they have, can hardly be called light, it is but a mere flicker. Just like there are many stars in the night, there are many false religions; but there is only one sun during the day - only one correct path, and when it appears, they all disappear.
Hence, this Qurʾān, this brilliant guidance that overshadows all false religions and scriptures, is the word conveyed by a noble, mighty messenger of God, not by a false prophet as with those religions. It is not made up, nor forged like other scriptures nor is it corrupted or changed.
The one who brings this from Allah is mighty and strong. No second party can overwhelm or subjugate him. He is situated and well established right by the throne of God. He is accepted and of a high rank near Allah. He is a messenger approved by the king himself. He is obeyed by legions of angels as he comes down to pass revelation to Muhammad ﷺ , who clear the way for him, and protect the path of revelation. Now that this messenger is strong and powerful, authorized and accepted by God and is followed by legions of angels who guard his path to Muhammad ﷺ , the only thing that can harm revelation is if the messenger himself is unreliable. Hence, Allah says next that he is trustworthy.
Because this revelation comes from Allah and is conveyed through a noble, trusted and powerful messenger through a protected and well guarded path to the Prophet ﷺ , the Qurʾān remains secure, protected and perfect. Because it comes from Allah and remains perfectly preserved, it is able to overcome all darknesses and falsehoods, and shine brilliantly as the sole true guidance. Had it not been such, the Qurʾān would lack these qualities.
This was the connection of these oaths with each other. Now what is the connection of all these oaths with the events of judgment day described earlier? Allah had said:
إِذَا ٱلشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ
When the sun is wrapped up In these oaths, the sun referred to the Qurʾān. The Qurʾān will be wrapped up i.e, it will be closed. The disbeliever will ask God to return him to life so he may do good actions instead of what he committed on earth,52 but the Qurʾān will be wrapped up, it will be closed and not revealed again. You had the opportunity to read, learn and act on it, but now, that door is closed. You will not be returned and given a second change to obey the Qurʾān.
إِوَ ذَا ٱلنُّ جُومُ ٱنكَدَرَتْ
When the stars are plucked The stars referred to the false religions, scriptures and belief systems of people. When these false religions will come crashing down and collapse. Allah said earlier:
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌۭ مَّآ أَحْضَرَتْ
Each soul will know, what it presented They will see the falsehood of their beliefs. Their actions, that they did by following those false religions and scriptures, will be laid bare as false and unacceptable in front of them. Whatever they did following those falsehoods, will be presented, then deemed worthless and hence, they will not benefit or save them, rather it will be counted against them.
Secondly, when Allah said
52 Q. 32:12
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍۢ كَرِيمٍۢ
Truly, this is the word of a karīm messenger He is referring to the Qurʾān as a whole but in this context, He is referring to what has come before in this surah, namely the first fourteen verses. These verses that describe the events of judgment day are conveyed by a karīm - a perfect messenger. Even in the last two surahs, the central topic was judgment day. From the next surah onwards, the topic remains judgment day but with Allah’s attribute of justice as the core. This surah establishes the divine roots of the Qurʾān and the next surahs describe the central pillars of it. The disbelievers deny judgment day and hence, justice itself. This connection will be made even more explicit in the next surah. Allah is telling them that these are the words of Allah, conveyed through a perfect messenger. They are not made up. The events described earlier in this surah will in fact happen, they are the words of Allah. And just as the Qurʾān reigns supreme and overwhelms all false religions and scriptures, so will these words overpower all false notions people have of this world. The last surah described those who preferred the worldly life thinking it would last. This false notion will be overwhelmed and destroyed when these events described earlier happen.