In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

1- By those winds that scatter (dhariyat) far and wide,

2- And those that carry (hamilat) a heavy burden (wiqr) [of the rain],

3- and those that glide with ease [upon the sea],

4- and those who distribute [rain] by [God’s] command,

5- surely (innama), what you are promised is true (la sadiq):

6- The Recompense (Day of Judgment) is sure to happen.

7- By the heaven (as-sama) with its pathways (hubuk),

8- Surely, you are of various opinions.

9- Those who turn away from it are [truly] deluded (man ufik).

10- Perish (qutila) the conjecturers (kharras),

11- those steeped in ignorance (ghamrah) and heedlessness (sahun).

12- They ask [mockingly], “When is this Judgment Day coming?”

13- It will be the Day when they will be tried (and tested) over the Fire.

14- [It will be said to them], “Taste the punishment! This is what you wished to hasten.”

15- The righteous (muttaqin) will be in Gardens (jannat) with [flowing] springs (‘uyun),

16- joyously receiving what their Lord gives them. Indeed, they were doers of good (muhsin):

17- sleeping only a little at night,

18- praying at dawn (ashar) for God’s forgiveness,

19- and in their wealth, the beggar (sa’il) and the needy (mahrum) have a due share.

20- On Earth there are signs for those with sure faith,

21- and in yourselves too. Do you not see?

22- and in the heaven (sama) is your sustenance and all that you have been promised.

23- By the Lord (rabb) of the heavens and Earth. All this is as real and true (inna-hu la-haqq) as your speaking.

24- [O Muhammad], have you heard the story (hadith) of Abraham’s honored guests?

25- They went in to see him and said, “Peace” (salaman). He answered, “Peace” (salamun) [saying to himself] “These people are strangers.”

26- Then he [Abraham] returned (ragha) to his family and brought back a fat [roasted] calf,

27- and placed it near them (fa qarrabahu), saying, “Will you not [please] eat?”

28- He [Abraham] became afraid of them. But they said, “Do not be afraid” and gave him good news of a son who would be gifted with knowledge.

29- His wife [Sarah] then entered with a loud cry, struck her face, and said, “A barren old woman?”

30- They replied, “It will be so. This is what your Lord has said. He is the Wise, the All-Knowing.”

The central theme of thischapter, along with several others, is the Day of Resurrection (yawm-ul-qiyāmah). Whereas chapter 50focused on demonstrating that this eventwould certainly come to pass and discussedhowour actions and thoughts in this world are recorded and preserved for recompense in the next, this one explains howpeople will see the results of theirdeeds – whether good or bad – on the Day of Judgment and howthey will reap there what they have sown here.

In pursuit of this goal, this chapter opens with aseries of oaths that invokes the mechanism by which rain is made to fall upon Earth. This represents a sort of symbolism for deeds and their consequences in the natural order and calls to mind the famous verses of Saʻdī in the Gulistān: “The clouds and the wind, the moon, the sun and the firmament are all at work to put bread in your hand and that you do not eat it heedlessly.”

[51:1] By those winds that scatter (dhāriyāt) far and wide,
This oath, sworn by the winds that scatter in a particular manner (i.e. dispersing clouds),has three results, each one of which isintroduced by the conjunction fāʾ (signifying a consequent):

[51:2] And those that carry (hāmilāt)a heavy burden(wiqr)[of the rain],

[51:3] and those that glide with ease [upon the sea],

[51:4] and those who distribute [rain] by [God’s] command,
Although these four verses represent four separate oaths,in reality they are all sworn by the same phenomenon, for the latter three verses merely expound different aspects of the same thing. But what is their significance? Remember, invoking something in the context of an oath suggests that the message is of great consequence and value. Also, when God wills to demonstrate the greatness and importance of a created phenomenon, He swears an oath by it.
Dhāriyātrefers to the winds that blow across the oceans, scattering the molecules of moisture and water vapor that they carry into the air. In reality, the dhāriyāt are particles of water that spread throughout the atmosphere. This termis mainly used for storms and winds that carry dust particles high into the air. However, given the context of the following verses, the reference here clearly has to do with moisture and precipitation.
The rain that falls throughout the year is caused bythe warm winds from equatorial regions that blow across the oceans’ surface.This causes water to evaporate and diffuse into the air, rise upward,and be carried at high speedby the wind for several thousand kilometers in order to bring sustenanceto various lands by dispersingmillions of tons of water – rain –throughout the land. In meteorology, these dhāriyāt(i.e., that which produces particles [dharrāt]) are known as “trade winds,” a vast network of winds that constantly blow all across Earth’s surface.
In verse 2, the hāmilāt (carriers) are those forces of naturethat carry a wiqr (heavy load). A highly esteemed or important person could be calledmuwaqqar or waqqār. Therefore, as these particles of water vapor condense into rain clouds and are borne aloft by the winds, they represent an extremely heavy load.
Verse 3 calls attention to the apparent ease with which the winds moves these loads across Earth without the need for any motor, fuel, or electricity. And this iswhy we always compare things to the wind and air when we want to say how light they are!Even though they are nothing more than air currents, these winds carry millions of tons of water – the mass of all the rivers’ water – over the land.
Verse 4 refers to those forces that distribute things by God’s command, in this case a cosmic instruction to distribute sustenance to all people and beings according to the dictates of the divine will. For example, each year Iran receives approximately 250 ml of atmospheric precipitation, while southern California receives 350 ml and the Himalayas receive almost 2000 ml. Floods and storms such as Hurricane Katrina, as well as forest fires, also occur according to the principles of a higher system that is hidden from our knowledge.
The trade winds constantly blow across Earth’s surface.It is worth recalling that in Arabic, jāriyah (pl. jāriyāt) refers to anything that is in constant motion, such as a boat, for it is always floating on a body of water.
I recently came across an interesting article onhow differentkinds of wind blew across Earth’s surface and how theyaffect the oceans’ waters. The author, who based his research upon regional temperature patterns, studied and classified the surface waters of different oceans in order toidentifythe warm waters of the tropical regions and their currents to colder regions, as well as the extremely cold waters whose temperature was almost -2 degrees centigrade. In addition, he presented charts and diagrams. According tohisresearch, thesewaters are constantly flowing over and under one another. In fact, the oceans even have internal currents and flows with temperatures at 200 to 300 degrees centigrade in their depths. In short, the oceans are worlds unto themselves. Just as the windsare always in motiondue to their own currents and storms – sometimes temperate, sometimes stormy – so is the water in the oceans. Neither of them are ever at rest.
But even bearing all of this in mind, we should not lose sight of these oaths’ ultimate purpose: to call attention to the point that God is making in the next verse.

[51:5] surely(innamā), what you are promised is true(la sādiq):
The prepositions innamā and la serve to emphasize the predicate ṣādiq (true). In other words, God’s promise that the Resurrection will happen is absolute and contains not even the slightest hint of falsehood. What does this fact have to do with these oaths?

[51:6] The Recompense (Day of Judgment) is sure to happen.
The recompense, namely, the natural result of a person’s deeds, will certainly be forthcoming. The original meaning of dīn is “recompense” or “due,”and thus the Day of Recompense (yawm-ud-dīn) means the day upon which people receive their just desserts for whatever they have done.
Therefore, given the process of creating and distributing trillions of invisible water molecules worldwide, these molecules will either become a source of life and blessings for all living creatures or violent storms and floods that ruin the land. Countless processes converge in order to bring about these effects. The Day of Judgment is no different, for each atom of a person’s deeds will be collected and brought forth. The countlessactions that we have performed during our lives will, just like the countless tiny water molecules comprisinga cloud, cluster together and one day return to us, whether in the form of life and blessings or of ruin and devastation.
God is using these oaths to encourage us tolook at the marvels of the oceans, which contain thousands of movements and currents in their depths, and toobserve the transformations they produce in the atmosphere. All of these constitute a single process, the result of which falls as rain upon the land, which appears to be recompensed for its behavior and actions in the broadest possible sense of the word. This is a continuous cycle.
God says: “From (earth) We created you, into it We shall return you, and from it We shall raise you a second time” (20:55). In fact, the sentence“We belong to God and to Him is our return” (2:156) means that we are utterly dependent upon Him and will return to Him. This is exactly like the water cycle described above. As Rumi says: “That which is from the sea goes to the sea.”Everything returns to its source,follows the cycle of causeandeffect, and follows a particular path.
When God swears oaths by these visible phenomena anddeclares that the promised Resurrection is real and truthful,this implies that the best way we can understand the latter’s nature and mechanism is by studying theworkings of the natural order that surrounds us. Dīn (recompense) is nothing but the ultimate outcome of causeandeffect. All of the processes to which these oaths call attention toare designed tobring water to the land and keep it alive. This is the “recompense” of nature. In the same way, the ultimate “recompense”of our actions will one day return to us.

[51:7] By the heaven(as-samā) with its pathways(hubuk),
This oath invokes the heavens, those symbols of stability and beauty. This is the only mention ofhubuk in the Qur’an, so we cannotcompare it with othersto better understand its meaning. However, classical Arabic lexicons say that it refers to things that have been tightly bound together and are well-made. For example, a decorative belt is both an item of clothing that can be tightly bound and a type of ornamentthat beautifies a person’s appearance. In other Qur’anic chapters, Earth’s atmosphere is given two functions; to beautifyas well as to protectthe planet and its inhabitants. For instance, “We have adorned the lowest heavens with stars and made them a safeguard …” (37:6-7)makes this very point. Not only does the atmosphere contain the oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other gases essential for life, but it also traps the sun’s heat, blocks out harmful ultraviolet radiation, and shields our planet against harmful meteors. Today, we know that every day as many as 25 million meteors enter the atmosphere and thatthe vast majority of them burnup on entry. Therefore, hubuk refers to the atmosphere’s beauty and stability as well asto its role of protecting our planet’s surface.
As-samā, which is in the definite form (as-), appears to refer to the seven distinct levels of our planet’s atmosphere,each of which performs a specific function, from the nearest (the troposphere) to the furthest (the magnetosphere), a magnetic field that shieldsEarth from cosmic rays and other harmful particles.

[51:8] Surely, you are of various opinions.
Meaning that human beings, just like the heavens, are not uniform and undifferentiated. Each person is different, with his or her own voice.

[51:9] Those who turn away from it are [truly] deluded(man ufik).
You turn away from the facts that the Resurrection is fast approaching and that you will have to face the consequences of your deeds. You dispute and deny these facts, acting as though they will never happen. Instead of reflecting on the Hereafter and your future in eternity, you cling to this world with all of your might. This is called ifk. What sort of person holds such a mistaken notion of the Hereafter?
Man ufikarefers to one who has gone astray and whose way of thinking is mistaken, or one who is averse to whatever God wills or makesand, as a result, denies His signs in the heavens and in oneself.

[51:10] Perish(qutila) the conjecturers(kharrās),
A kharrāṣ is someone who speaks on the basis of supposition and conjecture, who gives opinions without any knowledge, who relies on norational or transmitted evidence or principles. In short, theyjust say whatever they feel like saying. The Qur’an usesqutila, a common expression among the Arabs of that time,for people who speak without knowledge and thereby are casting their souls into perdition and ruin.Their denial of these higher realities cuts them off from God’s mercy and casts them outside the divine order of creation. Those who do not care about the truth and speak on the basis of their own conjectures without evidence have gone, and are leading others,away from the Truth. But they also have other qualities, as is made clear below.

[51:11] those steeped in ignorance (ghamrah) and heedlessness(sāhūn).
Ghamra means something that covers and seizes, as when water encompasses and drowns a person. Here, God is saying that such people are drowned and lost because they are consumed by their base desires. It is one thing to make a mistake, butquite another thing entirely to have gone utterly astray. The difference between these two states is like that between an occasional gambler and one who is totally consumed by it, for one who is addicted to pleasure and enjoyment pursues whatever this world has to offer.Those afflicted by ghamra, namely, those whose souls have been suffocated by materialism, have lost all traces of spirituality and thus no longer believe in higher principles or transcendent moral values.
They are also “heedless” (sāhūn, plural of sāhī), meaning carefree and treating all things lightly, no matter how important they might actually be. The Qur’an mentions “Those who are heedless (sāhūn) of their prayers”(107:5), those who go through the motions while their minds wander elsewhere.They hastily bow and prostrate themselves for a few minutes, mindlessly repeating some formulae without paying any attention to their meaning.This is the prayer of the sāhī, one offered without any heart, just bowingthe head without paying any attention to who or to whatone is bowing.These people are also in a state of ghamra because they attach no importance to belief in God, the Hereafter, their religion, or their faith.

[51:12] They ask [mockingly], “When is this Judgment Day coming?”
The question of “when” is meaningless in this context, forwe all know that every person will eventually die. Instead of impudently asking when they will die, they should think about how they will use their remaining time to make up for their previous misdeeds.It is enough that people accept this fact and come to their senses. A good student studies in the here and now, instead of asking: “How long do I have until the final exam?”
In reality, those who ask this question are trying to evade the real issue and make excuses to avoid changing how they live. They do not realize that God has kept the time of the Resurrection a secret in order to test humanity.

[51:13] It will be the Day when they will be tried (and tested) over the Fire.
After people extract gold and silver from the ground, they heat up these ores to remove their impurities and refine them into metal. Everyone will be tested so that their true nature and essence will be revealed.

[51:14] [It will be said to them], “Taste the punishment! This is what you wished to hasten.”
Youwere so eager to see it before you believed in it, so why are you averse to it now?

[51:15] The righteous(muttaqīn) will be in Gardens (jannāt) with [flowing] springs (‘uyūn),
“Gardens and springs” (jannāt wa ‘uyūn) are indefinite to indicate that their true nature is beyond human comprehension.We cannot fully grasp that which we have not seen or experienced directly.For example, God describes the breadth of paradise as being “as vast as the heavens and Earth” (3:133) – all of the universe’s galaxies would fit into it. So how can we conceive of such a paradise when we cannot even fully understand our own planet? When speaking of things existing beyond our level of experience, it is only natural to employ figurative and metaphorical speech to make them somewhat comprehensible.

[51:16] joyously receiving what their Lord gives them. Indeed, they were doers of good(muhsin):
They are like a battery that is perpetually being recharged, for they constantly receive their Lord’s bounties and blessings. Andwhy are they enjoying this prosperity and happiness?Because they lived virtuous lives in this world. In the Qur’an’s vocabulary, muhsin refers to those who do good deeds, those which reflect their inner beauty and benefit others.
People must acquire three qualities to be complete:faith (īmān), defined as their relationship with God; virtue (ihsān), as in treating God’s creatures properly; and piety (taqwā), meaning that they respect the rights of others, the limits laid down by God, and the obligation to be obedient and moral.The Qur’an describes these people as muhsīn (someone with ihsān), those whoare kind to others, who give charity, and who do good deedsto benefit others instead of themselves.

[51:17] sleeping only a little at night,
This description relates to īmān. So, as well as being muttaqīn (people with taqwā) and muhsinīn (people with ihsān), the inhabitants of paradise also haveīmān.
Some commentatorssay that this verse means that these people would weep for part of the night. However, a more plausible reading is that they spentpart of the night awake, which is also a habit of the faithful.We are told that the Prophet spent two-thirds of the night in worship. Many other believers have also spent many hours during the night praying, supplicating, and reciting the Qur’an. This is what the first Muslimswere like.
God says to His Prophet: “And keep vigil(tahajjud) for a part of the night, as a supererogatory devotion for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station” (17:79).Here, God advises the Prophet to stay awake not as an obligation (wājib), but as a voluntary act of devotion for his own benefit. When we wake up in the middle of the night, when everything is silent and calm and we feel rested, this is the best time to focus on worship and prayer. When we pray during the daytime, our mind is sometimes so busy that we can barely focus. But during the night, our minds are relatively relaxed and free from distracting thoughts, which enable us to approach God with our fullest attention. That said, this is only a recommendation, as opposed to a duty, that has been highly recommended by the Qur’an, the Prophet, and the great scholars.

[51:18] praying at dawn(ashār) for God’s forgiveness,
Ashār is the plural of sahar (dawn), which shares its etymological root with sihr (to bewitch). Sihr means to cover the appearance of reality, and a sāhir (magician) is someone who can do this. Sahar also conveys a sense of concealing, for at that time silence dominates and the hustle and bustle of the day that has yet to begin. It is as if the world has been shielded from the day and hidden beneath a cover. This is when the pious ask God to cleanse them of impurity, try to draw closer to Him, reflect upon their past, and think about their future. They ponder how to make the best use of their remaining time and opportunities in this life, knowing thatsooner or later they will die and enter a different realm.But where do they want to go in this new realm, and what do they have to do to get there? These verses call such things to mind. Are these “things that scatter” (dhāriyāt) – their exceedingly small daily deeds that emanate from their being and gradually accumulate into something larger – goingto become the “rains” of God’s mercy or the “storms” of tribulation and ruin?
In one of his supplications, Imam Ali says: “Alas! The provision is little, the way is long, the journey is far, and the goal is hard to reach.” We forget that we are on the road to eternity and cannot conceive of what is waiting forus. What provisions should we take on such a momentous journey? Whenever we travel, even if only for a day or two, we take whatever we need. So should we not do the same for our journey to the infinite? God proclaims: “The best provision is piety” (2:197). So the more taqwā– self-control – we have, the better prepared we are and the easier our road will be.

[51:19] and in their wealth, the beggar(sā’il) and the needy (mahrūm)have a due share.
Chapter 70 (The Ascending Ways; al-Maʻārij) expresses the same idea. Those who possesstaqwā do not see their wealth asbelonging only to them, and thusconsciously set aside a certain percentage of it for the less fortunate. Remember, when these verses were revealed givingzakāt (almsgiving) was still voluntary. When it became obligatory, a set rate had to be given depending upon how much the person had. Therefore, this verse can onlyrefer to that which people have freely chosen to donate. However, Muslims should not imagine that after payingzakāt they can spend the rest of their wealth any way they want and without regard for the needs and hardships of others. In fact, such a lifestyle is incompatible with the Qur’anic worldview.
According to the verse under discussion, the poor and needy have a “right” (haqq) to and a claim over the wealth of the affluent. The Prophet stated: “In wealth there is a right [for others]besides the zakat,”and the Qur’an stipulates: “Give the relatives their right, and the needy and the wayfarer, but do not squander wastefully” (17:26).Note thatGod describes this as a “right,”as opposed to giving something to others in order to gain the upper handover them later on.
This verse identifies two kinds of people: the “beggar” (sā’il) who asks for help,and the “needy” (mahrūm) who do not publicize their plight because they are ashamed to do so. An Islamic society or each Muslim is obliged to be aware of such people and take care of them, for: “You recognize them by their countenance; they do not ask the people importunately” (2:273) and “The unaware suppose them to be well-off because of their dignified bearing” (2:273). Such people have placed their hopes in God and do not want to bow and humble themselves to others.
These individual acts of kindness and assistance are further examples of this chapter’s central theme: “things that scatter” (dhāriyāt).” No matter how small or insignificant such acts might seem, they will eventually become the “rain” that sustains us in the next world by reviving the dead land of our hearts. How many times does the Qur’an call attention to rain’s ability to give life to dead and barren lands before reminding us that we will be brought to life in exactly the same way: “Thus you too shall be raised” (43:11).

[51:20] On Earth there are signs for those with sure faith,

[51:21] and in yourselves too.Do you not see?
In other words, this world contains signs – such as the oceans and the infinite life forms dwelling therein, some of which are truly dazzling to behold – that, if pondered upon, might enable people to attain certainty of belief. This is true for the bird, insect, plant, and all other kingdoms of living creatures. In short, if you pay close attention you will see God’s signs all around you. In fact, all you really have to do is look at yourself, for you contain unbelievable wonders. For example, you are composed of trillions of cells that live together in a single massive city. It has been estimated that building a structure to perform all of a single cell’s functions would require millions of hectares. And yet in our bodies a single cell occupies only a fraction of a square millimeter. It is as though the entire world has been compressed into a single atom.
In 2004, Professors Linda Buck and Richard Axel were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery that hundreds of genes are responsible for identifying and distinguishing between various kinds of odors and that a one-hour-old baby can identify its mother’s scent and will turn its head toward it for feeding. Their research showed that every scentthat reaches our odorant sensors in the form of a chemical compound consists of thousands of molecules and that even a slight change to this molecular structure is enough to produce a different smell. This ability relies upon a tiny cell cluster located in our nasal cavity,a cluster whose total volume is several thousand times smaller than a needle tip. By absorbing various molecules, each one of which is different from the other, these ultra-fine receptors make it possible for us to sense countless different odors.
But how do they distinguish between so many millions of molecules, each of which carry more than a thousand different odors, and correctly identify each one? As it so happens, each sensor has a specific task and identifies just one part of every odor. Thus all of them have to work together to detect a particular fragrance. Buck and Axel’s study, for example, explained how we can perceive and distinguish the smells of moist soil, asphalt, or soot from one another.
In ancient times, perhaps one could plead ignorance or be excused for being unaware of such wonders. One cannot do so today, however, due to the many academic articles, documentary films, and other accessible sources of information that reveal these facts.Is not a person at fault and heedless if they are unaware of the amazing things taking place inside of their own bodies? And bear in mind that this is true even for a single cell.What if we were to look at all of the wonders of the human brain, which contains so many millions of cells? Without this organ, we could not even be considered human beings.

[51:22] and in the heaven(samā) is your sustenance and all that you have been promised.
This refers to the outpourings of mercy in the form of rain as well as all of the processes and changes that make it possible. All of these spring forth from a world beyond this one. While “heavens” (asmā) literally denotes the sky,in reality this wordalso points to the cosmic order and systems governing this world. For example, life could not exist without rain and sunlight, which come from the heavens.

[51:23] By the Lord (rabb) of the heavens and Earth. All this is as real and true (inna-hu la-haqq)as your speaking.
Rabb means the one who directs, guides, and arranges the world. So this verse invokes not only the greatness of the heavens and Earth, but also the One who governs them. The use ofinna and lain innahu la-haqqis for emphasis. Some commentators have said that this verse means that this prediction – that the Resurrection will occur – is as clear as the words you utter. Although people may not believe what they see with their own eyes or what they hear with their own ears, such doubt is not possible when they are speaking.
The late Muhandis Tāj, an especially astute scholar of the Qur’an, makes a fine observation about this verse:When a person wants to speak, his/her mind goes at once to its archive of information and, in the blink of an eye, makes everything ready. It then instructs the tongue and the lips to carry the vibrations made by the larynx and vocal cords (with all the precision of a musician playing the flute) into the world to express the speaker’s thoughts.
If we have the ability to verbalize all of the sights, sounds, and knowledge stored in our minds, surely the All-Powerful can cause all that one of His servants has done to manifest themselves, for such things have been stored in an archive that is infinitely greater than the brain (which He also created).Given that the Lord has the power to make the world reveal and to relate everything that has happened in it, in the Hereafter the world will speak just as we speak to each other today.
Thenext verse speak about Prophet Abraham, whom the Qur’an holds up as an exemplar for all people to follow. His relationship to his people is like that of a refreshing rain to a dry and dead land. However, they did not appreciate the blessing that he represented and thus were unworthy of it. Various aspects of his story are referenced in twenty-five of the Qur’an’s chapters.

[51:24] [O Muhammad], have you heard the story (hadith) of Abraham’shonored guests?
The meaning of hadīth here is, of course, not in the technical sense of a report or statement narrated by the Prophet or the Imams. Some have argued that, based on “So what speech (hadīth) will they believe after this?” (77:50), the Qur’an should be the sole basis for our understanding of Islam’s fundamental truths and the sole source of our moral code and practices. What they are really saying is thatthe traditions and narrations from the Prophet and the Imams must be put aside. However, such people are reading hadīthhere in its technical sense, when it actually refers to any speech or happenstance.The words hādithah and hawādith, denoting an “event” or “occurrence,” are derived from the same etymological root. In the Qur’an, hadīth is most commonly used in the sense of a new discourse or story.
Realizing that the Qur’an is first and foremost a book of guidance that relateshistorical events to teach us a lesson, we must ask ourselves what message God is imparting to usby means of these verses. This is especially so considering the very specific details provided, which at first glance do not seem essential for us to know.

[51:25] They went in to see him and said, “Peace” (salāman). He answered, “Peace” (salāmun) [saying to himself] “These people are strangers.”
What does this mean? Naturally, whenever two or more people encounter one another they exchange greetings. What lesson is there in this for us? If we pay close attention to the verse, we notice several differences: First, the strangers’ greeting is grammatically accusative – salāman – whereas Abraham’s response is grammatically nominative – salāmun. Second, the first sentence is verbal (i.e., a one-time act) while the second one is nominal (i.e.,a stable and continuous act). Thus, the Qur’an is hinting that whenever someone greets you, you should returnit with an equivalent or better response, as stated in “When you are greeted with a salute, greet with a better one than it, or at least the same” (4:86).
“These people are strangers” contain several noteworthy points. For instance, Abraham had never met them and yet treated them in a very friendly and kind manner. If a family member visits you, it is only natural for you to greet him or her warmly. But if you see someone unfamiliar at the door, you will be more standoffish and cool, perhaps asking: “Do you need something?” You would not normally welcome such a person into your home with warmth and affection.But this is exactly what Abraham did, even though he might never see them again.Clearly, we can derive important lessons from even the briefest of the Qur’an’s intimations.

[51:26] Then he [Abraham] returned (rāgha) to his family and brought back a fat [roasted] calf,
The verb rāgha appears in another place denoting “to go covertly”: “He stealthily (rāgha) advanced towards their gods…” (37:91). But why does the Qur’an say he “covertly” returned to his family? He did so because he thought that if his guests knew his intention, they might insist that he not trouble himself and his family on their account.
As for he “brought back a fat [roasted] calf,” what does this teach us? Abraham could have brought them simple food, thereby leaving more food for himself and his family after they left; however, he slaughtered a plump calf for them. In ancient times many societies viewed cows as very important,and so it is not surprisingthat various peoples still worship them today. Cows were valuable because people’s lives depended upon them. So you can see the great respect and generosity that Abraham was showing to these complete strangers.He was doing this as a host and was expecting nothing from them in return.

[51:27] and placed it near them(fa qarrabahu), saying, “Will you not [please] eat?”
Again, notice the subtle lessons here of how to treat guests. It does not say that Abraham placed it in front of them, but rather fa qarrabahu – he brought it close to them.This simple action showed affection and consideration for them, as well as his sincere hope that they would eat it. This is just one example of how the Qur’an does not waste a single letter, let alone a single word. However, we can only discover this fact if we reflect upon its language.Abraham once again demonstrates his qualities as a host by insisting that they eat something, as if to dispel any suggestion that he might prefer them either to eat nothing or only a very little.
And yet despite all this, Abraham’s guests do not touch the food – not because they have rejected it but because they are angels who have assumed the form of human beings. Among ancient peoples, it was customary for a guest to eat from the offered food in order not to insult or disrespect the host. Even today, this practice is common among tribal societies. In fact, ignoringthis custom might suggest that the guest intends to somehow harm the host. Therefore, he becomes concerned when his guests do not reach for the food.

[51:28] He [Abraham] became afraid of them.But they said, “Do not be afraid” and gave him good news of a son who would be gifted with knowledge.
Despite his apprehension, his face showed none of his concern.Throughout his life Abraham had longed for a child, and now these angels had brought him the good news that his wife would bear a wise son.

[51:29] His wife [Sarah] then entered with a loud cry, struck her face, and said, “A barren old woman?”
“How shall I bear a child?”The Torah says that Sarah was ninety years old at this time, and that Abraham himself was about 110 years old. And so it seems that she struck her face out of embarrassment as well as of joy and excitement.

[51:30] They replied, “It will be so. This is what your Lord has said. He is the Wise, the All-Knowing.”
Given thatGod does everything on the basis of wisdom and knowledge,there is a reason behind whatever He wills.

Translator: Alexander Hainy (Khaleeli)
Editor: Hamid Mavani