Surah Ash-Shams — The Sun
Read Surah Ash-Shams (“The Sun”), the 91st chapter of the Qur'an, in Arabic with a verbatim English translation. Every verse below is quoted word for word — nothing paraphrased.
What Surah ash-Shams is about
Surah ash-Shams ("The Sun") opens with a chain of oaths — by the sun and its brightness, the moon, the day, the night, the sky and the earth — building to its real subject: the soul. Allah swears "by the soul and He who proportioned it, and inspired it [to know] its wickedness and its righteousness" (91:7–8), then states the surah's whole point in two verses: "He has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who corrupts it" (91:9–10, Saheeh International). The closing passage tells of Thamud, who hamstrung the she-camel sent as a sign to the Prophet Salih and were destroyed — a warning set against the surah's promise of success through purifying the soul (tazkiyah).
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَٱلشَّمْسِ وَضُحَىٰهَا
By the sun and its brightness
وَٱلْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَىٰهَا
And [by] the moon when it follows it
وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّىٰهَا
And [by] the day when it displays it
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰهَا
And [by] the night when it covers it
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنَىٰهَا
And [by] the sky and He who constructed it
وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَىٰهَا
And [by] the earth and He who spread it
وَنَفْسٍۢ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا
And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَىٰهَا
And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness,
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا
He has succeeded who purifies it,
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا
And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَىٰهَآ
Thamud denied [their prophet] by reason of their transgression,
إِذِ ٱنۢبَعَثَ أَشْقَىٰهَا
When the most wretched of them was sent forth.
فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ نَاقَةَ ٱللَّهِ وَسُقْيَٰهَا
And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, "[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink."
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنۢبِهِمْ فَسَوَّىٰهَا
But they denied him and hamstrung her. So their Lord brought down upon them destruction for their sin and made it equal [upon all of them].
وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَٰهَا
And He does not fear the consequence thereof.
Common questions
What is Surah ash-Shams about?
It is about the soul and its purification. After a series of oaths by the sun, moon, day and night, the surah states its core: "He has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who corrupts it" (91:9–10). It then recounts the people of Thamud as a warning.
Why is it called Surah ash-Shams ("The Sun")?
From its opening oath, "By the sun and its brightness" (91:1). Like most surahs, it is named after a striking word near its beginning, not because the sun is its main theme.
When should you recite Surah ash-Shams?
It is a short Meccan surah well suited to prayer — the Prophet ﷺ named surahs like ash-Shams among those to recite in prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 705). There is no authentic hadith assigning a specific reward to reciting it on its own; reciting any part of the Qur’an is rewarded (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 2910).
How many verses are in Surah ash-Shams?
Fifteen verses. It is the 91st chapter of the Qur’an and was revealed in Mecca.
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