1. By the panting chargers,

2. And the fire-strikers sparking fire (with their hooves as they run),

3. And the raiders at dawn,

4. Raising a cloud of dust,

5. Penetrating into the heart (of the enemy camp) all-together.

6. Truly, the human being (who is steadfast and highly motivated in raiding) is ungrateful to his Lord (as exemplified in his lack of motivation to undertake spiritual endeavors and community service).

7. Surely he is witness to this (fact by his deeds),

8. And is indeed excessive in the love of wealth [or horses].

9. Does he not know that when the contents of the “graves” burst forth,

10. And what is hidden in the “breasts” is revealed,

11. Your Lord will indeed be fully aware of them on that Day?

[100:1] By the panting chargers,
The chapter begins with the letter wāw (وَ) to signify the taking of a solemn oath on a galloping horse. The following four verses all begin their oaths with the particle fa (فَ) to indicate that they are a corollary and a consequence of the first oath.
The root word from which ‘ādiyah (عاديه)is derived generally connotes a fast-moving object, such as cars or horses competing in a race. In ancient times, horses were so important that victory or loss on the battlefield depended upon them. In Europe, as elsewhere, they were considered the fastest of all animals and thus became symbols of speed.
Dabh (ضبح) denotes a heavily breathing animal, like a panting dog or a sweating horse after they have run at top speed for some time.

[100:2] And the fire-strikers sparking fire (with their hooves as they run),
Qadh (قدح) means striking two things, such as pieces of hard rocks, to produce sparks or a charging horse’s pounding hooves, which produce flying sparks. Today, car manufacturers demonstrate a car’s top speed by having fire shoot out of its exhaust pipes. So then, this oath refers to fast movements that cause sparks. This is the first corollary.

[100:3] And the raiders at dawn,
Mughīrah (مغيرة) means anything that instigates a transformation. In the past, the cavalry would start raiding at dawn (under the cover of darkness) while the enemy was still asleep. This surprise-by-night tactic meant that dawn was the time for attacking, pillaging, and plundering. This is the second corollary.

[100:4] Raising a cloud of dust,
Athara (أَثَر) means having turned something upside down, as is the case with a revolution thawrah (ثورة). Naq‘ (نقع) means the ground, from which a charging horse’s pounding hooves raise clouds of dust, as is the case with cars racing on a dirt road. These descriptions draw an image of an event that will soon occur, which is alluded to in the next verse.

[100:5] Penetrating into the heart (of the enemy camp) all-together.
The majority of exegetes, both past and present, believe that God is taking an oath to the warrior’s horses because after their morning prayers the Muslims would launch a pre-emptive strike against a tribe they had heard was planning to attack them. In other words, they decided to act as soon as they learned of the enemy’s hostile intent. By plunging into the midst of the enemy camp late at night or in the early morning, they would capture various valuables as part of the spoils of war. Hadith reports attributed to Ali are advanced to validate this opinion.
However, there were few horses in the Arabian Peninsula at the time. For example, at the Battle of Badr the Muslims had only one or two horses. Arabs generally rode camels on the battlefield, but even these animals were few in number. Camels were primarily used during the pilgrimage to move from one ritual station to another. Moreover, they are not known for their speed and their pounding hooves do not produce sparks. In reality, exegetes have a different understanding of the imagery that these verses evoke and the message they convey.
There is a correlation and a symmetrical relationship between such oaths and the succeeding message. For example, 103:1–2 swears by the “time” to emphasize that humans tend to waste their life, which is a great loss: “By the time, humanity is indeed in a state of loss.” In 95:1 and 4, God vows an oath to figs and olives, which were considered blessings in that barren and arid desert, just as His creation and fashioning of humans in the best form are also considered blessings: “By the fig and the olive … We created the human being in the most beautiful stature [mold].” Thus there is an associative relationship between these two things.
Likewise, there should be a symmetry and corresponding relationship between the oaths taken and what follows. One would expect that an oath taken in the name of a warrior’s horse would be followed by a complimentary and praiseworthy message. But this is not the case here, because the message is quite negative.
Upon closer examination, we notice that the first verse consists of two words, as do the four that follow. Interestingly, verses 2–5 begin with fa and end with the letter “A” (alif; ا). The next three verses (6–8), which contain the message that is the outcome of the above oaths, all begin with the particle inna (surely, indeed; إنَّ) and end with the letter “D” (dāl; د). As such, the symmetry in its outer form has been preserved: The oaths all begin with fa to indicate the result of the charging horses to their surroundings, and the following three verses (6–8), all of which begin with inna and end with “D,” are the outcome of the preceding oaths.
Here are the responses to the oaths.

[100:6] Truly, the human being (who is steadfast and highly moti-vated in raiding) is ungrateful to his Lord (as exemplified in his lack of motivation to undertake spiritual endeavors and community service).
Inna, whichmeans “certainly” and “without a doubt,” assures the audience that what is stated is nothing but the truth: Indeed, human beings are kanūd (كنود) with respect to their Lord. Kanūd is so hard to translate that most linguists have been unable to determine its precise meaning. As a result, both they and the exegetes have assigned it multiple meanings, among them “an ungrateful person” and “uncaring.” However, the late Ayatollah Tāleghānībelieved that it probably has the same meaning of the Persian word kond (to be slow). Arabic has, just like any other language, imported foreign words. It appears that this meaning is both correct and appropriate here, as it can be translated to mean that humans exhibit great speed and vigor in regard to worldly matters, but are slow and lethargic in matters that pertain to their Lord.
Remember that pre-Islamic Arab tribes made their livelihood by pillaging, plundering, and even murdering others, for the only governing law was that of the “jungle.” Thus the slightest excuse had the potential to incite them to launch generations-long vendettas of murder and mayhem against others. The Qur’an notes how hurriedly they acted when their personal financial interests were at stake or when it came to plundering others, but not so in “godly” endeavors. If they believed that they could make a profit at some place, they would rush there to take advantage of it; however, when they were called to join the prayer, they acted very slowly.
We have all heard of people looking for any chance to make money. But if they hear that people are dying of hunger or are poor and indigent, they shrug it off and casually say that it is the responsibility of the rich people (or sometimes the government) to take care of them. Moreover, as this is a collective responsibility (wājib-e kifā’ī), not everyone is obliged to help. Such attitudes exemplify kond or kanūd when it comes to dealing with the Creator and His creation. Kanūd is preceded by the letter “L” (lām; ل) for emphasis and also by inna to further accentuate the intense nature of the assertion.
In any event, if the horses described here belonged to those fighting in the cause of God, the Qur’an would not have characterized them so negatively (slow and languid) but positively (how quickly they respond to His imperative).

[100:7] Surely he is a witness to this (fact by his deeds),
Once again, “L” and inna precede the verse to indicate its importance. Humans are well aware of this fact, for they are witnesses to their own actions and are intimately aware of their own worldviews. They have testified repeatedly to their persistent struggles to attain as much personal benefit as possible, as well as to their slow, weak, feeble, and unmotivated efforts to serve others, be generous, make personal sacrifices to promote divine goals, or internalize and then act upon the truth.
Qur’an 28:20 narrates that a man raced from the other side of town to inform Moses of a plot to murder him and advised him to leave town as soon as he could. He brought this message even though doing so endangered his own life. Note the difference between people: those around Mosesfelt threatened by his message and so became hostile, whereas this particular man, and maybe others, rushed from faraway places to help him. God informs the polytheists of the Prophet’s time that since they ignored the Qur’an, He had sent unknown emissaries (jinn) among them. They came, heard the Qur’an, and went home to tell their tribes that they had heard a wondrous Book and decided to follow its guidance (72:1–2). The Qur’an refers to these emissaries as jinn, but in this case the word does not bear its usual meaning.
Is this not how many of us behave today? Muslims are inattentive to the Qur’an’s profundity, while so many others are transformed as they discover and start studying its penetrating messages. As a matter of fact, some converts (or “reverts”) talk about it with such great depth that it is amazing. One wonders what they could have seen in the Qur’an that caused them to embark upon such a transformative journey. These converts, who are less knowledgeable about the Qur’an than those who were born Muslim, have discovered truth in it, while some of the latter are so disillusioned with Islam that they want to run away from it.

[100:8] And is indeed excessive in the love of wealth [or horses].
This verse, like the two preceding ones, starts with “L” and inna for emphasis. Humans pursue their own khayr (good; خير) aggressively and resolutely; however, when used in the Qur’an it can also mean “horse.” For example, in the account of Solomon (38:32) horses are called “good” because they were highly prized. This is similar to today’s young men, many of whom consider sports cars “good” because they enjoy driving fast cars. Young men, regardless of when they live, enjoy speed because it makes them feel superior and powerful. Cars are constantly being upgraded with more features and horsepower to make them go even faster. In the past, horses played this role.
Regardless of how we translate khayr, the “good” points to material, as opposed to spiritual, wellbeing. The first five verses state a reality, out of which the first three verses evoke an image of an event found in the next two verses (4 and 5). The next three verses (6–8) then present a negative outcome, which is the general tenor of the whole chapter.
However, the last three verses of the chapter have a different tone.

[100:9] Does he not know that when the contents of the “graves” burst forth,
Each of the following three verses ends with “R” (rā; ر). Do humans not realize that one day all that is in the “graves” will be revealed? Take note that in this verse “grave” does not carry the conventional meaning. Many people die, but not all are buried in a grave. Some drown, are cremated, or eaten by wild animals. Being buried alludes to their postmortem state, when humans are covered and concealed. In other words, dead persons are buried in the “grave of nature.” Their cells dissolve and comingle with other material. Over time, the erosion of soil and other natural factors remove all traces of what was interned in the “grave.”

[100:10] And what is hidden in the “breasts” is revealed,
Do they also not know that one day humans will emerge from nature’s hidden places and that the secrets concealed in their hearts will be manifested? One day they will reap all that they had sown while alive, and each one of us will realize the fruits of our efforts on the basis of how we utilized the soil, oxygen, and the Sun’s energy to produce our fruit – in other words, all of the processes that occur in nature. On that Day we will know the true value of our life.
“What is hidden in their breasts (or hearts)” is an allegorical way of referring to a person’s positive and negative attributes: love, compassion, hope, faith, arrogance, jealousy, and envy. When these become apparent, only then will we realize what we have sent ahead for our future life and our future destiny.

[100:11] Your Lord will indeed be fully aware of them on that Day?
Your Lord, who is Sovereign, is surely (inna) fully aware of your deeds, regardless of their scope or complexity (or lack thereof). All people are aware of their overriding desire to acquire material wealth and their apathy when it comes to promoting divine goals. Why do they intentionally disregard the fact that the Omniscient (al-Khabīr) will one day reveal the consequences of their actions? Indeed, we are like lazy, self-absorbed students who do not want to be reminded that the day of the final exam is approaching. Their grades will reveal how much they have studied and understood; however, even before grading the exams the teachers will have a good idea of what their scores will be. Likewise, we purposely do not wish to become aware of the truth and change our course.

Translator: Amir Douraghy
Editor: Hamid Mavani