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Surah Al-Ghashiyah (The Overwhelming) — Full Text in Clear Arabic Script

26 ayahs · Meccan· Hafs ‘an ‘Asim · reading time ~3 minutes · the eleventh surah of Juz ‘Amma

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By Saad Al-Ghamdi

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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْغَٰشِيَةِ﴿١﴾وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَٰشِعَةٌ﴿٢﴾عَامِلَةٌۭ نَّاصِبَةٌۭ﴿٣﴾تَصْلَىٰ نَارًا حَامِيَةًۭ﴿٤﴾تُسْقَىٰ مِنْ عَيْنٍ ءَانِيَةٍۢ﴿٥﴾لَّيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِن ضَرِيعٍۢ﴿٦﴾لَّا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِى مِن جُوعٍۢ﴿٧﴾وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ نَّاعِمَةٌۭ﴿٨﴾لِّسَعْيِهَا رَاضِيَةٌۭ﴿٩﴾فِى جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍۢ﴿١٠﴾لَّا تَسْمَعُ فِيهَا لَٰغِيَةًۭ﴿١١﴾فِيهَا عَيْنٌۭ جَارِيَةٌۭ﴿١٢﴾فِيهَا سُرُرٌۭ مَّرْفُوعَةٌۭ﴿١٣﴾وَأَكْوَابٌۭ مَّوْضُوعَةٌۭ﴿١٤﴾وَنَمَارِقُ مَصْفُوفَةٌۭ﴿١٥﴾وَزَرَابِىُّ مَبْثُوثَةٌ﴿١٦﴾أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى ٱلْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ﴿١٧﴾وَإِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ﴿١٨﴾وَإِلَى ٱلْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ﴿١٩﴾وَإِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ﴿٢٠﴾فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌۭ﴿٢١﴾لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِرٍ﴿٢٢﴾إِلَّا مَن تَوَلَّىٰ وَكَفَرَ﴿٢٣﴾فَيُعَذِّبُهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ٱلْأَكْبَرَ﴿٢٤﴾إِنَّ إِلَيْنَآ إِيَابَهُمْ﴿٢٥﴾ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا حِسَابَهُم﴿٢٦﴾
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About Surah Al-Ghashiyah

Surah Al-Ghashiyah is the 88th 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 26 ayahs, and it is the eleventh surah of Juz ‘Amma, the final part of the Quran that most Muslims begin their memorisation with.

The surah opens with a question — «hal ataka hadithu al-ghashiyah» (“Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming?”). Al-Ghashiyah is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection, because it overwhelms and envelops all creation. The surah then sets two scenes side by side: faces on that Day humbled, labouring and weary, entering a blazing Fire — and faces showing pleasure, satisfied with their striving, in an elevated garden. From there it turns the gaze to the camel, the sky, the mountains and the earth as signs of their Creator, and closes by commanding the Prophet ﷺ to remind — for to Allah is their return, and upon Him is their account.

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-Ghashiyah

1. Recited by the Prophet ﷺ on Eid and Friday

An-Nu‘man ibn Bashir related that the Prophet ﷺ used to recite Surah Al-A‘la and Surah Al-Ghashiyah in the two Eid prayers and in the Friday prayer — and if Eid and Friday fell on the same day, he recited them in both. This is recorded in Sahih Muslim, and it gives Al-Ghashiyah a fixed place in the great weekly and yearly gatherings of the Muslims.

2. Fear and hope side by side

The surah paints a balanced portrait of the two kinds of faces on the Last Day: the humbled, weary faces of those who enter the Fire, and the joyful faces of those who find their striving rewarded in an elevated garden. Reading them together leaves the heart between fear and hope.

3. An invitation to reflect on creation

In four short questions, the surah invites the reader to look — at the camel, how it was created; at the sky, how it was raised; at the mountains, how they were erected; and at the earth, how it was spread out. Reflection on these everyday signs is offered as a path to certainty in the One who made them, and in the Day He has promised.

Themes of the Surah

1. The Overwhelming Day and the humbled faces (ayahs 1–7)

The surah opens with the report of the Overwhelming — a name of the Day of Resurrection. Faces on that Day are humbled, labouring and weary; they enter a blazing Fire and are given drink from a boiling spring, with no food except «dari‘» — a bitter, thorny plant that neither nourishes nor satisfies hunger.

Read from ayah 1 →

2. The joyful faces (ayahs 8–16)

Other faces that Day show pleasure, satisfied with their striving, in an elevated garden where no idle talk is heard. In it is a flowing spring, raised couches, cups set in place, cushions lined up, and carpets spread around.

Read from ayah 8 →

3. Do they not look? (ayahs 17–20)

Four signs set before every eye: the camel, how it was created; the sky, how it was raised; the mountains, how they were erected; and the earth, how it was spread out — an open invitation to reflect on the Creator’s deliberate, wise handiwork.

Read from ayah 17 →

4. You are only a reminder (ayahs 21–26)

The surah closes with a command and a comfort to the Prophet ﷺ: so remind — you are only a reminder; you are not a controller over them. But whoever turns away and disbelieves, Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment; indeed to Us is their return, then indeed upon Us is their account.

Read from ayah 21 →

Tips for reading and memorising

  • It is a short surah with short ayahs — 26 in all, ideal for steady memorisation.
  • A simple plan is one section a day over four days — between four and nine ayahs each.
  • Listen to the recitation above by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi and repeat after him.
  • Notice the mirrored structure of the two “faces” passages — the contrast makes both easier to retain.
  • 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-Ghashiyah?

Surah Al-Ghashiyah has 26 ayahs. It is the 88th surah in the order of the mushaf, the eleventh surah of Juz ‘Amma, and it is a Meccan surah.

Why is it called Surah Al-Ghashiyah?

It is called Surah Al-Ghashiyah (“The Overwhelming”) after its opening question — «hal ataka hadithu al-ghashiyah» — “Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming?” Al-Ghashiyah is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection, because that Day overwhelms and envelops all creation.

Where did the Prophet ﷺ recite Surah Al-Ghashiyah?

An-Nu‘man ibn Bashir related that the Prophet ﷺ used to recite Surah Al-A‘la and Surah Al-Ghashiyah in the two Eid prayers and in the Friday prayer — and if Eid and Friday fell on the same day, he recited them in both. This is recorded in Sahih Muslim.

What is dari‘, the food of the people of the Fire?

The «dari‘» mentioned in ayah 6 is, according to the commentators, a bitter, thorny plant — the food of the people of the Fire. As ayah 7 says, it neither nourishes nor satisfies hunger.

Why is the camel singled out in ayah 17?

The camel was a creature the surah’s first audience knew intimately. The surah points to it as a sign of deliberate, wise creation: “Do they not look at the camel — how it was created?”

What does “you are not a controller over them” mean?

In ayahs 21–22, Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ: “So remind — you are only a reminder; you are not a controller over them.” The Prophet’s ﷺ duty was to convey the message, not to compel people to believe. The account of those who turn away belongs to Allah alone.

What is Surah Al-Ghashiyah about?

It opens with the Overwhelming Day and two kinds of faces: faces humbled, labouring and weary, entering a blazing Fire and given drink from a boiling spring — and faces showing pleasure, satisfied with their striving, in an elevated garden with a flowing spring, raised couches, cups set in place, cushions lined up and carpets spread around. It then invites reflection on the camel, the sky, the mountains and the earth, and closes by commanding the Prophet ﷺ to remind — for to Allah is their return, and upon Him is their account.

How long does it take to read the full surah?

A complete recitation of Surah Al-Ghashiyah 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.

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