Surah An-Naba (’Amma yatasa’alun) is among the surahs that turned the hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ grey, as he told Abu Bakr. He ﷺ recited it in the night prayer, paired with Al-Mursalat in a single rak’ah, and it belongs to the Mufassal, by which he was favoured over the other prophets. It proves the Resurrection and warns of an evil end.
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq asked the Prophet ﷺ what had turned his hair grey; he named Hud, Al-Waqi’ah, Al-Mursalat, ’Amma yatasa’alun and At-Takwir.
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported that the Prophet ﷺ recited the matching surahs two in each rak’ah, including ’Amma yatasa’alun and Al-Mursalat in a single rak’ah.
It belongs to the Mufassal, given to the Prophet ﷺ as an extra by which he was favoured over the other prophets, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’: “… and I was favoured with the Mufassal.”
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
سألت النبي ﷺ: ما شيبك؟ قال: سورة هود، والواقعة، والمرسلات، وعم يتساءلون، وإذا الشمس كورت
Abu Bakr asked the Prophet ﷺ: “What has turned your hair grey?” He said: “The surahs Hud, Al-Waqi’ah, Al-Mursalat, ’Amma yatasa’alun and Idha-sh-shamsu kuwwirat.”
ولكن رسول الله ﷺ كان يقرأ النظائر في كل ركعة. الرحمن والنجم في ركعة … و ﴿عَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ﴾ ﴿وَالْمُرْسَلَاتِ﴾ في ركعة …
Ibn Mas’ud said to a man who read the whole Mufassal in one rak’ah: “… The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, rather, used to recite the matching surahs (an-naza’ir), two in each rak’ah: Ar-Rahman and An-Najm in one rak’ah … ’Amma yatasa’alun and Al-Mursalat in one rak’ah …”
Main purpose: To set out the proofs of Allah’s power to resurrect and to warn of the evil end.
An-Naba is an entirely Meccan surah, the 78th in the order of the Qur’an and the first of its last part (juz’). It has forty verses in the Kufan and Meccan counts and forty-one in the others. Revealed after Al-Ma’arij and before An-Nazi’at, it has five names taken from its words: “The News” (An-Naba), “’Amma yatasa’alun”, “’Amma”, “The Rain Clouds” (Al-Mu’sirat) and “The Questioning” (At-Tasa’ul).
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
