Surah An-Naziat – Abdulhadi Kanakeri

An-Naziat ("Those Who Drag Forth") is the 79th surah of the Quran, in the 30th juz. It is a Meccan surah of 46 verses, 81st in the traditional order of revelation, after An-Naba. It affirms the resurrection against those who mocked it, recalls Moses' mission to Pharaoh, and describes the "greatest catastrophe" and the two destinies that follow.

It opens with oaths by those who drag forth violently and those who draw out gently (79:1-2), understood by most commentators as the angels who take souls at death. On the Day of the first quake, followed by a second, hearts will tremble; those who scoffed at being raised from decayed bones will be brought back by a single cry (79:6-14).

Then comes Moses. Called by his Lord in the sacred valley of Tuwa, he was sent to Pharaoh, who had transgressed, to invite him to purify himself. Pharaoh denied, gathered his people and proclaimed "I am your lord, the most high", so God seized him with the punishment of the Hereafter and of this world (79:15-26).

Are you harder to create, or the heaven He built? He raised it, gave it night and morning, and spread out the earth with its water, pasture and mountains (79:27-33). When the greatest catastrophe comes, whoever transgressed and preferred this life will have Hell as his refuge, and whoever feared standing before his Lord and restrained his soul from its desires will have Paradise as his refuge (79:34-41).

The surah ends with the question of when the Hour will come: its knowledge rests with God alone, and when people see it, it will seem they had stayed but an evening or its morning (79:42-46). Al-Bukhari reports, in his commentary on this surah, that the Prophet ﷺ joined his index and middle fingers and said: "I have been sent, and the Hour, like these two." Moses' story is told at length in Ta-Ha.