Surah Al-Qiyamah 75:1
سُورَةُ القِيَامَةِ · Meccan · Verse 1 of 40
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ
Translation
By the Day of Resurrection
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
As we begin our reflection on Surah Al-Qiyamah, we encounter a powerful and unique opening in its very first verse: "لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ" (No, I swear by the Day of Resurrection). Allah, the Exalted, is speaking here, addressing those who deny the reality of the hereafter. The tone is one of profound emphasis, a stern reminder that the Day of Account will certainly come.
A Unique Oath
The most striking feature of this verse, from a linguistic perspective, is the phrase "لَآ أُقْسِمُ" (la uqsimu). Literally, it appears to mean "I do not swear." However, the learned scholars explain that in classical Arabic, this is not a denial of the oath but a profound rhetorical device to *magnify* what is being sworn by.
Imam Ibn Ashur explains that including the negative particle "لا" (la) before "أُقْسِمُ" (uqsimu, meaning "I swear") is a way of creating hyperbole, or extreme emphasis, regarding the sanctity and importance of the Day of Resurrection. It's like saying, "The Day of Resurrection is so immensely significant that it is beyond the need for a mere oath, or perhaps, nothing is more honorable for Me to swear by." Al-Razi, among other scholars, also highlights this, suggesting that the truth of the Resurrection is so clear and evident that it doesn't *need* an oath to prove it. This makes the statement even more powerful: "The matter is so weighty, so clear, so indisputable, that an oath almost feels insufficient or unnecessary to convey its certainty."
Why the Day of Judgment?
Allah chooses to swear by "يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ" (Yawm al-Qiyamah, the Day of Resurrection) for a specific reason. As Ibn Ashur notes, this oath serves as a brilliant opening, a *bara'at istihlal*, for a Surah whose primary theme is the description and reality of this very Day. The Day itself is highlighted as a container of divine justice, recompense, and the gathering of all souls. By swearing by it, Allah underscores its paramount importance and inevitability. The very act of taking an oath by something implies its profound value and truth.
Ultimately, the intended message, implicit in this oath and made explicit in the subsequent verses, is that humanity will indeed be resurrected and brought to account. The unique wording of this oath serves to shake the listener into realizing the tremendous, undeniable reality of the Day of Resurrection, urging them to prepare for it with humility and reverence.
Source: Ibn Ashur, al-Zamakhshari, al-Razi
Sources: Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi), al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), al-Jalalayn
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Qiyamah 75:1 is discussed in 6 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Qiyamah 75:1 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.