The Prophet ﷺ often recited Surah At-Tur in his prayers: Jubayr ibn Mut’im heard him recite it at maghrib and, when he reached “Were they created from nothing, or are they the creators?”, his heart almost flew away. He also recited it while praying beside the Kaaba, and paired it with Adh-Dhariyat in one rak’ah of the night prayer. It is one of the long surahs of the Mufassal.
Jubayr ibn Mut’im heard the Prophet ﷺ recite At-Tur at maghrib; when he reached verses 35 to 37, his heart almost flew away. According to some versions, he was still an idolater at the time, and it was the first moment faith settled in his heart.
It was among the similar surahs (an-naza’ir) that the Prophet ﷺ recited in his night prayer, pairing it with Adh-Dhariyat in a single rak’ah, as Ibn Mas’ud reported.
It belongs to the Mufassal, by which the Prophet ﷺ was favoured over the other prophets, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’; Ibn Hajar counts it among the long surahs of the Mufassal.
When to recite it
Sometimes in the maghrib prayer, as Jubayr ibn Mut’im heard it from the Prophet ﷺ (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
In the night prayer: the Prophet ﷺ recited it with Adh-Dhariyat in a single rak’ah (Muslim)
Hadiths on its virtues
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
سمعت النبي ﷺ يقرأ في المغرب بالطور، فلما بلغ هذه الآية ﴿أَمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ الْخَالِقُونَ (35) أَمْ خَلَقُوا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بَلْ لَا يُوقِنُونَ (36) أَمْ عِنْدَهُمْ خَزَائِنُ رَبِّكَ أَمْ هُمُ الْمُصَيْطِرُونَ﴾ كاد قلبي أن يطير.
I heard the Prophet ﷺ recite At-Tur in the maghrib prayer; when he reached these verses: “Were they created from nothing, or are they the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they have no certainty. Or do they possess the treasures of your Lord, or are they the controllers?”, my heart almost flew away.
شكوت إلى رسول الله ﷺ إني اشتكي! فقال: (طوفي من وراء الناس، وأنت راكبة) فطفت ورسول الله ﷺ يصلي إلى جنب البيت، يقرأ بـ (الطور وكتاب مسطور).
I complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that I was ill. He said: “Perform tawaf behind the people while riding.” So I did, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was praying beside the House, reciting “By the Mount, and by a Book inscribed”.
أتاه رجل فقال: إني أقرأ المفصل في ركعة. فقال: هذًّا كهذ الشعر، ونثرًا كنثر الدقل، ولكن رسول الله ﷺ كان يقرأ النظائر في كل ركعة. الرحمن والنجم، في ركعة، والطور والذاريات في ركعة …
A man came to him and said: “I recite the Mufassal in a single rak’ah.” He replied: “Rushing through it like poetry and scattering it like poor dates! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite similar surahs (an-naza’ir) in each rak’ah: Ar-Rahman and An-Najm in one rak’ah, At-Tur and Adh-Dhariyat in one rak’ah …”
What the surah is about
Allah’s oath by some of His creations and by His Book that the resurrection and the recompense are true
The fate of the deniers and the gardens and bliss prepared for the God-fearing
Believing offspring joined with their fathers in Paradise and raised to their rank
Refuting the idolaters who called the Prophet ﷺ a soothsayer, a madman or a poet
The challenge to the deniers to produce speech like the Qur’an, and the refutation of many gods
Consoling the Prophet ﷺ, promising him support and commanding patience and glorification of his Lord
Main purpose: To present the arguments and proofs that refute the doubts of those who belied the Prophet ﷺ.
About Surah At-Tur
At-Tur is a wholly Meccan surah. It has forty-nine verses in the Kufan and Syrian counts, forty-eight in the Basran count and forty-seven in the Hijazi copy. The Prophet ﷺ often recited it in his prayers. Allah opens it with an oath by the Mount (At-Tur), the inscribed Book, the much-frequented House, the raised canopy and the kindled sea: the punishment of your Lord will surely come to pass, none can avert it.
