SURAH 91 — Ash-Shams — الشمس — “The Sun”

• Revelation Order: 26
• Event Anchor: Early Meccan moral-cosmic reflection (c. 612–616 CE)

Explanation:
Ash-Shams uses a series of cosmic oaths—by the sun, moon, day, night, sky, earth, and the human soul—to underscore the struggle between righteousness and wickedness. This rhetorical style is quintessential early Meccan, aiming to shake listeners into recognizing moral truth through the signs of creation. The reference to the people of Thamūd reinforces the theme of moral consequences in historical precedent. The surah fits a moment when vivid, cosmic imagery served as a vehicle for moral awakening in a society resistant to abstract monotheism.

Verse	Verse #	Meccan v Medinan	General Index
By the sun and its brightness	1	Meccan	6044
And [by] the moon when it follows it	2	Meccan	6045
And [by] the day when it displays it	3	Meccan	6046
And [by] the night when it covers it	4	Meccan	6047
And [by] the sky and He who constructed it	5	Meccan	6048
And [by] the earth and He who spread it	6	Meccan	6049
And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it	7	Meccan	6050
And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness,	8	Meccan	6051
He has succeeded who purifies it,	9	Meccan	6052
And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].	10	Meccan	6053
Thamud denied [their prophet] by reason of their transgression,	11	Meccan	6054
When the most wretched of them was sent forth.	12	Meccan	6055
And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, “[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink.”	13	Meccan	6056
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].	14	Meccan	6057
And He does not fear the consequence thereof.	15	Meccan	6058