An-Naba — The Announcement
سُورَةُ النَّبَإِ
Verses
40
Revealed
80th
Period
Makkan
Juz
30
An-Naba opens the second half of Juz Amma and takes its name from an-naba' al-'azim — “the great news” — the Day of Resurrection that the Makkans argued about endlessly. The surah begins by capturing that very argument: the people are questioning one another about something, and the Qur'an answers their disputing with a thunderous double warning: kalla saya'lamun — “No! They will come to know.”
What follows is a masterclass in argument from creation. Before describing the Day they doubt, the surah walks through the world they live in — the earth spread as a bed, mountains as stakes, sleep as rest, the sun a blazing lamp, rain pouring from the clouds. The logic is simple and overwhelming: the One who arranged all of this so precisely is more than able to raise you again. The surah then splits humanity into two destinations — Hell as an ambush for the transgressors, and a magnificent garden of mafaza (attainment) for the God-conscious — before closing on the most sobering wish in the Qur'an: the disbeliever crying, “I wish I were dust.”
The great news — resurrectionSigns in creationThe Day of DecisionHell as an ambushThe reward of the God-conscious
Before you begin
Start with sincerity — ask Allah to make this easy for you and to let what you learn benefit you. A short dua to begin with:
رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
Rabbi zidni ‘ilma — “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” (Qur'an 20:114)
0/5 sections learned
Core message
The surah opens by overhearing a conversation: about what are these people questioning one another? The answer is an-naba' al-'azim — the great news of resurrection — the very thing they cannot agree on. Then comes the response, not as a proof yet but as a warning repeated for emphasis: No! They will soon come to know. Then again: No! They will come to know.
1–3
عَمَّ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ•عَنِ ٱلنَّبَإِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ•ٱلَّذِى هُمْ فِيهِ مُخْتَلِفُونَ
About what are they asking one another? About the great news - That over which they are in disagreement.
4–5
كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ•ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ
No! They are going to know. Then, no! They are going to know.
Memory hook — the doubled warning
Verses 4 and 5 are nearly identical — kalla saya'lamun, then thumma kalla saya'lamun. The only difference is the added thumma (“then / moreover”) in v.5. Learn v.4, then just prepend thumma for v.5. The repetition is deliberate: a warning so serious it is said twice, escalating each time.
Why a question to open?
Opening with a question — 'amma yatasa'alun (“about what are they asking?”) — pulls the listener straight into the scene. The Makkans treated resurrection as a topic for debate and ridicule. The surah meets them exactly where they are, then dismantles their doubt over the next thirty-five verses.
Section 1 — The great question (vv. 1–5)
يَتَسَآءَلُونَ
yatasa'alun
They question one another
v.1 — the opening scene of disputing
ٱلنَّبَإِ
an-naba'
The news / the announcement
v.2 — the surah's title; the report of resurrection
ٱلْعَظِيمِ
al-'azim
The great / tremendous
v.2 — describing the magnitude of the news
مُخْتَلِفُونَ
mukhtalifun
In disagreement
v.3 — they cannot agree about it
كَلَّا
kalla
No! / Nay!
v.4 & v.5 — a sharp word of rebuke and warning
سَيَعْلَمُونَ
saya'lamun
They will come to know
v.4 & v.5 — the doubled warning
Section 2 — Signs in creation (vv. 6–16)
مِهَٰدًا
mihada
A resting place / bed
v.6 — the earth laid out for living
أَوْتَادًا
awtada
Stakes / pegs
v.7 — the mountains anchoring the earth
أَزْوَٰجًا
azwaja
Pairs / mates
v.8 — humankind created in pairs
سُبَاتًا
subata
Rest / repose
v.9 — sleep as a means of rest
لِبَاسًا
libasa
Clothing / covering
v.10 — the night that wraps over you
سِرَاجًا وَهَّاجًا
sirajan wahhaja
A blazing lamp
v.13 — the sun, luminous and hot
ثَجَّاجًا
thajjaja
Pouring / gushing
v.14 — rain sent down in torrents
أَلْفَافًا
alfafa
Entwined / dense
v.16 — gardens of thick, interlaced growth
Section 3 — The Day of Decision (vv. 17–20)
يَوْمَ ٱلْفَصْلِ
yawm al-fasl
The Day of Decision
v.17 — when all is finally distinguished and judged
مِيقَٰتًا
miqata
An appointed time
v.17 — a fixed, unmissable appointment
ٱلصُّورِ
as-sur
The Horn / Trumpet
v.18 — blown to summon all to gather
أَفْوَاجًا
afwaja
In crowds / multitudes
v.18 — people streaming out group after group
أَبْوَٰبًا
abwaba
Gateways / doors
v.19 — the opened heaven becomes all openings
سَرَابًا
saraba
A mirage
v.20 — the mountains reduced to an illusion
Section 4 — Hell, the ambush (vv. 21–30)
مِرْصَادًا
mirsada
An ambush / place lying in wait
v.21 — Hell watching for the transgressors
ٱلطَّٰغِينَ
at-taghin
The transgressors
v.22 — those who exceeded all bounds
أَحْقَابًا
ahqaba
Ages / endless eras
v.23 — the duration of their stay
حَمِيمًا وَغَسَّاقًا
hamiman wa ghassaqa
Scalding water and foul discharge
v.25 — their only drink
جَزَآءً وِفَاقًا
jaza'an wifaqa
A fitting recompense
v.26 — punishment matched to the crime
حِسَابًا
hisaba
An account / reckoning
v.27 — what they never expected
أَحْصَيْنَٰهُ
ahsaynahu
We have enumerated it
v.29 — everything counted and recorded
Section 5 — The reward and the final Day (vv. 31–40)
ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
al-muttaqin
The God-conscious
v.31 — those who guarded against wrong
مَفَازًا
mafaza
Attainment / triumph
v.31 — the mirror of the transgressors' ambush
كَأْسًا دِهَاقًا
ka'san dihaqa
A full / overflowing cup
v.34 — among Paradise's delights
لَغْوًا
laghwa
Idle / vain speech
v.35 — never heard in Paradise
عَطَآءً حِسَابًا
'ata'an hisaba
A generous gift, well-calculated
v.36 — reward measured by the Lord
ٱلرُّوحُ
ar-ruh
The Spirit
v.38 — standing with the angels in rows
مَـَٔابًا
ma'aba
A way of return
v.39 — the open path back to the Lord
تُرَٰبًا
turaba
Dust
v.40 — what the disbeliever wishes he were
Note on length
At 40 verses, An-Naba is one of the longer surahs in Juz Amma but its short, fast-rhyming verses make it flow quickly. It is a popular choice for the night prayer and for those beginning their memorisation of the juz. The rhyme shifts in long, sustained runs, which makes it satisfying to recite and relatively easy to hold in memory.
Full surah — single rak'ah
Verses 1–40 · the complete argument in one arc
Reciting the whole surah in one rak'ah preserves its full logic: the disputed question → the signs in creation → the Day of Decision → Hell → the Garden → the final wish of the disbeliever. Roughly 2–3 minutes at a measured pace.
The closing verse — wa yaqulu al-kafiru ya laytani kuntu turaba — lands with great weight before ruku', making it a natural surah to recite when you want a sobering ending.
Two-part split — most common division
Split at v.16 or v.30
Option 1 — split at v.16: Rak'ah 1 covers vv.1–16 — the great question and the full catalogue of signs in creation, ending on the entwined gardens. Rak'ah 2 covers vv.17–40 — the Day of Decision, Hell, and the Garden.
Option 2 — split at v.30: Rak'ah 1 covers vv.1–30 — everything through Hell and the recorded deeds, ending on fa-lan nazidakum illa 'adhaba. Rak'ah 2 covers vv.31–40 — the reward of the righteous and the final scene.
Three-part split — extended qiyam
Breaks at v.16 and v.30
Rak'ah 1 — vv.1–16: The disputed news and the signs in creation. A self-contained argument that ends on a peaceful image of gardens.
Rak'ah 2 — vv.17–30: The Day of Decision and the ambush of Hell. The darkest stretch of the surah.
Rak'ah 3 — vv.31–40: The triumph of the righteous and the climactic standing before the Most Merciful. Ends on the disbeliever's wish.
Natural stopping points used by reciters
v.5
thumma kalla saya'lamun — end of the opening warning. The doubled rebuke makes a complete, ringing pause before the creation passage begins.
v.16
wa jannatin alfafa — end of the signs in creation. The image of dense gardens is a calm, complete landing before the Day of Decision.
v.20
wa suyyirat al-jibalu fa-kanat saraba — end of the cosmic-collapse passage. The mountains becoming a mirage closes the scene of unravelling.
v.30
fa-dhuqu fa-lan nazidakum illa 'adhaba — end of the Hell passage. The taunt “taste it” is one of the most forceful verse-endings in the surah.
v.36
jaza'an min rabbika 'ata'an hisaba — end of the Paradise description. A generous, complete close before the surah rises to its final scene.
v.40
ya laytani kuntu turaba — the final verse. The disbeliever's wish to be dust needs no more words. Powerful before ruku'.