Surah Al-Fajr (The Dawn) Full Text — Wal-Fajr (Hafs)

وَٱلْفَجْرِ﴿١﴾وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍۢ﴿٢﴾وَٱلشَّفْعِ وَٱلْوَتْرِ﴿٣﴾وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ﴿٤﴾هَلْ فِى ذَٰلِكَ قَسَمٌۭ لِّذِى حِجْرٍ﴿٥﴾أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ﴿٦﴾إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلْعِمَادِ﴿٧﴾ٱلَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى ٱلْبِلَٰدِ﴿٨﴾وَثَمُودَ ٱلَّذِينَ جَابُوا۟ ٱلصَّخْرَ بِٱلْوَادِ﴿٩﴾وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِى ٱلْأَوْتَادِ﴿١٠﴾ٱلَّذِينَ طَغَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْبِلَٰدِ﴿١١﴾فَأَكْثَرُوا۟ فِيهَا ٱلْفَسَادَ﴿١٢﴾فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ﴿١٣﴾إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِٱلْمِرْصَادِ﴿١٤﴾فَأَمَّا ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَأَكْرَمَهُۥ وَنَعَّمَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَكْرَمَنِ﴿١٥﴾وَأَمَّآ إِذَا مَا ٱبْتَلَىٰهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّىٓ أَهَٰنَنِ﴿١٦﴾كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ ٱلْيَتِيمَ﴿١٧﴾وَلَا تَحَٰٓضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ﴿١٨﴾وَتَأْكُلُونَ ٱلتُّرَاثَ أَكْلًۭا لَّمًّۭا﴿١٩﴾وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّۭا جَمًّۭا﴿٢٠﴾كَلَّآ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ دَكًّۭا دَكًّۭا﴿٢١﴾وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلْمَلَكُ صَفًّۭا صَفًّۭا﴿٢٢﴾وَجِا۟ىٓءَ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ﴿٢٣﴾يَقُولُ يَٰلَيْتَنِى قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِى﴿٢٤﴾فَيَوْمَئِذٍۢ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌۭ﴿٢٥﴾وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌۭ﴿٢٦﴾يَٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ﴿٢٧﴾ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةًۭ مَّرْضِيَّةًۭ﴿٢٨﴾فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَٰدِى﴿٢٩﴾وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى﴿٣٠﴾

About Surah Al-Fajr

Surah Al-Fajr is the 89th surah in the order of the mushaf, and one of the Meccan surahs — revealed to the Prophet ﷺ before the migration to Madinah. It contains 30 ayahs, and it is the twelfth surah of Juz ‘Amma, the final part of the Quran that most Muslims begin their memorisation with.

The surah takes its name from its opening oath — «wal-fajr» (“By the dawn”) — the first of a series of oaths by the dawn, the ten nights, the even and the odd, and the night as it passes. It then recalls how Allah dealt with ‘Ad, Thamud and Pharaoh when they transgressed and spread corruption, and exposes man’s attitude towards honour and wealth: neglecting the orphan and the poor while loving wealth with immense love. The surah closes with the Day when the earth is pounded to powder and regret comes too late — and with the tender address to the reassured soul, invited to return to its Lord and enter His Paradise.

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, the reading used in most of the Muslim world, in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

Virtues and place of Surah Al-Fajr

1. The oath by the ten nights

In its second ayah, Allah swears by «layalin ‘ashr» — “ten nights” — which most commentators explain as the first ten nights of Dhul-Hijjah. Their special standing is confirmed in the hadith of Ibn Abbas, who related that the Prophet ﷺ said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days” — meaning the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah — recorded by al-Bukhari.

2. The address to the reassured soul

The closing verses — «ya ayyatuha an-nafs al-mutma’innah», “O reassured soul, return to your Lord well-pleased and pleasing (to Him)” — are among the most beloved and consoling verses of the Quran. They are recited in remembrance of death and the meeting with Allah, holding out to the believer the hope of a return to his Lord that ends in His Paradise.

3. A warning against the love of wealth

The surah warns sharply against the love of wealth and the neglect of the orphan and the poor. It corrects the notion that riches are a sign of Allah’s honour and poverty a sign of humiliation, and rebukes those who do not honour the orphan, do not urge one another to feed the poor, and devour inheritance while loving wealth with immense love.

Themes of the Surah

1. The oaths of the dawn (ayahs 1–5)

The surah opens with a series of solemn oaths: by the dawn, by the ten nights — which most commentators explain as the first ten nights of Dhul-Hijjah — by the even and the odd, and by the night as it passes. It then asks: is there in that a sufficient oath for one of perception?

Read from ayah 1 →

2. The fate of ‘Ad, Thamud and Pharaoh (ayahs 6–14)

Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with ‘Ad — Iram of the lofty pillars, the like of which was never created in the lands — and Thamud, who carved the rocks in the valley, and Pharaoh, owner of the stakes? They transgressed in the lands and spread much corruption, so your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment — indeed your Lord is ever watchful.

Read from ayah 6 →

3. Man’s trial with honour and wealth (ayahs 15–20)

When his Lord tries man with honour and favour, he says “my Lord has honoured me”; and when He restricts his provision, he says “my Lord has humiliated me”. No! Rather, you do not honour the orphan, you do not urge one another to feed the poor, you devour inheritance altogether, and you love wealth with immense love.

Read from ayah 15 →

4. When regret comes too late (ayahs 21–26)

When the earth is pounded to powder, and your Lord comes with the angels rank upon rank, and Hell that Day is brought near — that Day man will remember, but how will the remembrance avail him? He will say, “Would that I had sent ahead (good deeds) for my life!” On that Day none punishes as He punishes, and none binds as He binds.

Read from ayah 21 →

5. The reassured soul (ayahs 27–30)

The surah closes with one of the most tender addresses in the Quran: “O reassured soul, return to your Lord well-pleased and pleasing (to Him); enter among My (righteous) servants, and enter My Paradise.”

Read from ayah 27 →

Tips for reading and memorising

It is a short surah with short ayahs — ideal for building your Quran memorisation.
A simple plan is about six ayahs a day over five days.
Listen to the recitation above by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi and repeat after him.
Reflect on the closing address to the reassured soul — it makes the final ayahs easy to hold in the heart.
Use the “font size” buttons at the top of the page for a comfortable read.
You can print the surah from your browser (Ctrl+P) for a clean paper copy.

Frequently asked questions

How many ayahs are in Surah Al-Fajr?

Surah Al-Fajr has 30 ayahs. It is the 89th surah in the order of the mushaf, a Meccan surah, and the twelfth surah of Juz ‘Amma.

Why is it called Surah Al-Fajr?

It is called Surah Al-Fajr (“The Dawn”) after its opening oath — «wal-fajr», “By the dawn” — the first of a series of oaths with which the surah begins.

What are “the ten nights” the surah swears by?

Most commentators explain «layalin ‘ashr» — “the ten nights” — in the second ayah as the first ten nights of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Abbas related that the Prophet ﷺ said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days” — meaning the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah — recorded by al-Bukhari.

Who were ‘Ad, Iram, Thamud and “Pharaoh of the stakes”?

They were destroyed nations whose fate the surah recalls as a warning. Per the commentators, Iram was the tribe (or city) of ‘Ad, described as “of the lofty pillars, the like of which was never created in the lands”; Thamud were the people who carved the rocks in the valley; and Pharaoh’s “stakes” refer to his instruments of torture or his armies’ tent-pegs. Because they transgressed and spread corruption, Allah poured upon them a scourge of punishment.

What is “the reassured soul” (an-nafs al-mutma’innah)?

It is the soul at rest through faith and the remembrance of Allah. In the surah’s closing verses Allah addresses it: «ya ayyatuha an-nafs al-mutma’innah» — “O reassured soul, return to your Lord well-pleased and pleasing (to Him); enter among My servants, and enter My Paradise.”

What is Surah Al-Fajr about?

It opens with oaths by the dawn, the ten nights, the even and the odd, and the passing night; then recalls how Allah dealt with ‘Ad, Thamud and Pharaoh when they transgressed; then exposes man’s attitude in ease and hardship — honouring neither the orphan nor the poor while loving wealth immensely; then describes the Day when the earth is pounded, Hell is brought near and regret comes too late; and it closes with the beautiful address to the reassured soul, invited into Allah’s Paradise.

How long does it take to read the full surah?

A complete recitation of Surah Al-Fajr takes about 3 minutes at a moderate pace. Its verses are short, which makes it well suited to daily reading and memorisation.

Which recitation is the text on this page based on?

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim — the most widely used reading in the Muslim world — written in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation on this page is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

How can I memorise Surah Al-Fajr easily?

Because its ayahs are short, a good plan is about six ayahs a day over five days. Listen to the recitation above repeatedly, recite from memory in your prayers, and review what you have learnt regularly. Use the font-size buttons to read it comfortably.

Surah Al-Fajr (The Dawn) — Full Text in Clear Arabic Script

Listen to the recitation