Section 1: Verses 1–30
Thematic progression across verses 1–30
عَمَّ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ 1
Amma Yatasaa-aloon
What are they asking one another about
عَنِ ٱلنَّبَإِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ 2
Anin-nabaa-il 'azeem
About the Great Event
ٱلَّذِي هُمۡ فِيهِ مُخۡتَلِفُونَ 3
Allazi hum feehi mukh talifoon
About which they disagree
كَلَّا سَيَعۡلَمُونَ 4
Kallaa sa y'alamoon
Surely, they will find out
ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَيَعۡلَمُونَ 5
Thumma kallaa sa y'alamoon
Most certainly, they will find out
أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَلِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ مِهَٰدࣰ ا 6
Alam naj'alil arda mihaa da
Did We not make the earth a cradle
وَٱلۡجِبَالَ أَوۡتَادࣰ ا 7
Wal jibaala au taada
And the mountains pegs
وَخَلَقۡنَٰكُمۡ أَزۡوَٰجࣰ ا 8
Wa khalaq naakum azwaaja
And created you in pairs
وَجَعَلۡنَا نَوۡمَكُمۡ سُبَاتࣰ ا 9
Waja'alnan naumakum subata
And made your sleep for rest
وَجَعَلۡنَا ٱلَّيۡلَ لِبَاسࣰ ا 10
Waja'alnal laila libasa
And made the night a cover
وَجَعَلۡنَا ٱلنَّهَارَ مَعَاشࣰ ا 11
Waja'alnan nahara ma 'aasha
And made the day for livelihood
وَبَنَيۡنَا فَوۡقَكُمۡ سَبۡعࣰ ا شِدَادࣰ ا 12
Wa banaina fauqakum sab 'an shi daada
And built above you seven strong ones
وَجَعَلۡنَا سِرَاجࣰ ا وَهَّاجࣰ ا 13
Waja'alna siraajaw wah haaja
And placed a blazing lamp
وَأَنزَلۡنَا مِنَ ٱلۡمُعۡصِرَٰتِ مَآءࣰ ثَجَّاجࣰ ا 14
Wa anzalna minal m'usiraati maa-an saj-jaaja
And brought down from the clouds pouring water
لِّنُخۡرِجَ بِهِۦ حَبࣰّ ا وَنَبَاتࣰ ا 15
Linukh rija bihee habbaw wana baata
To produce with it grains and vegetation
وَجَنَّٰتٍ أَلۡفَافًا 16
Wa jan naatin alfafa
And luxuriant gardens
إِنَّ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡفَصۡلِ كَانَ مِيقَٰتࣰ ا 17
Inna yaumal-fasli kana miqaata
The Day of Sorting has been appointed
يَوۡمَ يُنفَخُ فِي ٱلصُّورِ فَتَأۡتُونَ أَفۡوَاجࣰ ا 18
Yauma yun fakhu fis-soori fataa toona afwaaja
The Day when the Trumpet is blown, and you will come in droves
وَفُتِحَتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتۡ أَبۡوَٰبࣰ ا 19
Wa futiha tis samaa-u fakaanat abwaaba
And the sky is opened up, and becomes gateways
وَسُيِّرَتِ ٱلۡجِبَالُ فَكَانَتۡ سَرَابًا 20
Wa suyyi raatil jibaalu fa kaanat saraaba
And the mountains are set in motion, and become a mirage
إِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ كَانَتۡ مِرۡصَادࣰ ا 21
Inna jahan nama kaanat mirsaada
Hell is lying in ambush
لِّلطَّٰغِينَ مَـَٔابࣰ ا 22
Lit taa gheena ma aaba
For the oppressors, a destination
لَّٰبِثِينَ فِيهَآ أَحۡقَابࣰ ا 23
Laa bitheena feehaa ahqaaba
Where they will remain for eons
لَّا يَذُوقُونَ فِيهَا بَرۡدࣰ ا وَلَا شَرَابًا 24
Laa ya zooqoona feeha bar daw walaa sharaaba
They will taste therein neither coolness, nor drink
إِلَّا حَمِيمࣰ ا وَغَسَّاقࣰ ا 25
Illa hamee maw-wa ghas saaqa
Except boiling water, and freezing hail
جَزَآءࣰ وِفَاقًا 26
Jazaa-aw wi faaqa
A fitting requital
إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ لَا يَرۡجُونَ حِسَابࣰ ا 27
Innahum kaanu laa yarjoona hisaaba
For they were not anticipating any reckoning
وَكَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا كِذَّابࣰ ا 28
Wa kazzabu bi aayaa tina kizzaba
And they denied Our signs utterly
وَكُلَّ شَيۡءٍ أَحۡصَيۡنَٰهُ كِتَٰبࣰ ا 29
Wa kulla shai-in ahsai naahu kitaa ba
But We have enumerated everything in writing
فَذُوقُواْ فَلَن نَّزِيدَكُمۡ إِلَّا عَذَابًا 30
Fa zooqoo falan-nazee dakum ill-laa azaaba
So taste! We will increase you only in suffering
Section 2: Verses 31–40
Thematic progression across verses 31–40
إِنَّ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ مَفَازًا 31
Inna lil mutta qeena mafaaza
But for the righteous there is triumph
حَدَآئِقَ وَأَعۡنَٰبࣰ ا 32
Hadaa-iqa wa a'anaa ba
Gardens and vineyards
وَكَوَاعِبَ أَتۡرَابࣰ ا 33
Wa kaawa 'iba at raaba
And splendid spouses, well matched
وَكَأۡسࣰ ا دِهَاقࣰ ا 34
Wa ka'san di haaqa
And delicious drinks
لَّا يَسۡمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغۡوࣰ ا وَلَا كِذَّٰبࣰ ا 35
Laa yasma'oona fiha lagh waw walaa kizzaba
They will hear therein neither gossip, nor lies
جَزَآءࣰ مِّن رَّبِّكَ عَطَآءً حِسَابࣰ ا 36
Jazaa-am mir-rabbika ataa-an hisaaba
A reward from your Lord, a fitting gift
رَّبِّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَا ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِۖ لَا يَمۡلِكُونَ مِنۡهُ خِطَابࣰ ا 37
Rabbis samaa waati wal ardi wa maa baina humar rahmaani laa yam likoona minhu khi taaba
Lord of the heavens and the earth, and everything between them—The Most Merciful—none can argue with Him
يَوۡمَ يَقُومُ ٱلرُّوحُ وَٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ صَفࣰّ اۖ لَّا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلَّا مَنۡ أَذِنَ لَهُ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ وَقَالَ صَوَابࣰ ا 38
Yauma yaqoo mur roohu wal malaa-ikatu saf-fal laa yata kalla moona illa man azina lahur rahmaanu wa qaala sawaaba
On the Day when the Spirit and the angels stand in row. They will not speak, unless it be one permitted by the Most Merciful, and he will say what is right
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمُ ٱلۡحَقُّۖ فَمَن شَآءَ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ مَـَٔابًا 39
Zaalikal yaumul haqqu faman shaa-at ta khaaza ill-laa rabbihi ma-aaba
That is the Day of Reality. So whoever wills, let him take a way back to his Lord
إِنَّآ أَنذَرۡنَٰكُمۡ عَذَابࣰ ا قَرِيبࣰ ا يَوۡمَ يَنظُرُ ٱلۡمَرۡءُ مَا قَدَّمَتۡ يَدَاهُ وَيَقُولُ ٱلۡكَافِرُ يَٰلَيۡتَنِي كُنتُ تُرَٰبَۢا 40
In naa anzar naakum azaaban qareebaiy-yauma yan zurul marr-u maa qaddamat yadaahu wa ya qoolul-kaafiru yaa lai tanee kuntu turaaba
We have warned you of a near punishment—the Day when a person will observe what his hands have produced, and the faithless will say, “O, I wish I were dust.”
Quran-Anchored Prophetic Context
Authentic narrations in the active corpus that explicitly cite, name, or explain verses in Surah An-Naba.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ شَقِيقٍ، قَالَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ قَدْ عَلِمْتُ النَّظَائِرَ الَّتِي كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقْرَؤُهُنَّ اثْنَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ. فَقَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ عَلْقَمَةُ وَخَرَجَ عَلْقَمَةُ فَسَأَلْنَاهُ فَقَالَ عِشْرُونَ سُورَةً مِنْ أَوَّلِ الْمُفَصَّلِ عَلَى تَأْلِيفِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ آخِرُهُنَّ الْحَوَامِيمُ حم الدُّخَانُ وَعَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ.
`Abdullah said, "I learnt An-Naza'ir which the Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite in pairs in each rak`a." Then `Abdullah got up and Alqama accompanied him to his house, and when Alqama came out, we asked him (about those Suras). He said, "They are twenty Suras that start from the beginning of Al- Mufassal, according to the arrangement done be Ibn Mas`ud, and end with the Suras starting with Ha Mim, e.g. Ha Mim (the Smoke). and "About what they question one another?" (78.1)