The Loyal Steeds & The Warning Winds: What Allah's Oaths Reveal About Our Ingratitude

The Qur'an doesn't just state truths; it demonstrates them with breathtaking imagery, particularly through divine oaths. When Allah (swt) swears by something, He elevates it, demanding our attention, and what follows the oath is a truth of profound significance. Surahs Al-'Adiyat (The Chargers) and Al-Mursalat (The Emissaries) offer stunning examples of this, using powerful scenes from the Arab world to pierce the human heart.

Surah Al-'Adiyat (100:1-8): The Loyalty That Shames Us

"By the racers, panting,
Striking sparks of fire (with their hooves),
Raiding at dawn,
Raising clouds of dust,
Plunging into the midst of the enemy en masse!" (Quran 100:1-5)

Allah swears by warhorses – specifically feminine steeds, prized by the Arabs for their unmatched speed and endurance. He paints a visceral picture for the desert-dwelling Quraysh, who relied on imagination:

• Dawn Assault: The time of vulnerability and surprise attacks.
• Panting & Sparks: Horses pushed to their absolute limit, hooves striking moist rocks at speed, igniting sparks – a detail emphasizing incredible force.
• Dust Clouds: Charging so fiercely they kick up dense dust despite morning moisture, blinding them to the dangers ahead – spears, enemies, death.
• Plunging In: Fearlessly charging as one into the heart of the enemy, driven solely by loyalty to their master.

This is the Ultimate Loyalty: The horse, a creature, submits completely. It risks everything – comfort, safety, life itself – on the command of its owner, trusting implicitly, moving into the terrifying unknown without hesitation.

The Devastating Contrast (Verses 6-8):

"Indeed, mankind is truly ungrateful to his Lord –
And he himself is a witness to that! –
And he is truly extreme in his love of wealth." (Quran 100:6-8)

After this awe-inspiring image of creaturely devotion, the Divine hammer falls: Humans are fundamentally disloyal to their true Master, their Creator (Rabb).

• "He himself is a witness to that!": The oath is the proof. Seeing the horse's submission, any listener instinctively recognizes the parallel. If this beast submits so completely to a human master, why do you, O human, refuse to submit to the Master who created you and the horse? Your own conscience (fitrah) bears witness to this ingratitude (kufr – covering blessings, ungratefulness).
• The Root Cause: Obsessive, extreme love of wealth (الْمَالَ حُبًّا شَدِيدًا). This insatiable desire distracts, corrupts, and becomes the false god preventing true submission to Allah. The horse seeks only to please its master; man seeks only to please his own desires, embodied in wealth.

Surah Al-Mursalat (77:1-7): The Winds of Warning and Mercy

Allah swears by winds – forces utterly beyond human control, manifesting both His destructive power and His sustaining mercy. Scholars debate if "Mursalaat" refers to angels or winds, but the imagery powerfully fits winds, especially for the desert audience:

1. وَالْمُرْسَلَاتِ عُرْفًا (By those winds sent forth in succession / by the mane):
• 'Urf evokes a horse's mane. Winds released like a steed whose reins are dropped, scattering wildly, uncontrollably.

2. فَالْعَاصِفَاتِ عَصْفًا (Then the violently storming winds that blast mercilessly!):

• "Fa" indicates consequence: Because the winds were let loose, they become destructive hurricanes ('aasifaat), blasting ('asf) with terrifying, inconsiderate force – like a bulldozer leveling everything. This evokes the annihilation of nations like 'Aad (Surah Al-Haaqqa 69:6-8), destroyed by a furious wind.
• The Warning: Allah reminds the mocking Quraysh: Your destruction requires no complex planning. It's as simple as Allah releasing these winds He swears by. Punishment is ever-presently possible.

3. وَالنَّاشِرَاتِ نَشْرًا (And the winds that scatter far and wide):

• A new oath (Wa). These winds distribute (nashr) clouds bearing life-giving rain, pollen for vegetation, ensuring sustenance. They bring mercy and life.

4. فَالْفَارِقَاتِ فَرْقًا (Then the winds that differentiate precisely):

• "Fa" again shows consequence. These winds separate and distribute (farq) Allah's decree with absolute precision – sending rain to some lands, drought to others; mercy to some, withholding from others. Nothing is random.

5. فَالْمُلْقِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا (Then the winds that deliver the Reminder):

• "Fa" signifies the ultimate purpose. Both the destructive and life-giving winds carry a Message (Dhikr - Reminder):
• Dependence: Like a caged animal fed by its keeper, humans are utterly dependent on Allah for every breath, every drop of rain, every morsel of food. The winds scream this truth.
• Resurrection: The winds bringing dead earth to life (after rain) are a direct, visible sign of our own resurrection after death.
• Accountability: The destructive winds warn of Allah's overwhelming power to punish the disobedient.

The Consequence (Verse 7):

"Indeed, what you are promised will surely occur." (Quran 77:7)

Whether the winds bring life-giving rain or serve as a warning blast, their ultimate message is undeniable: Allah's promise – the Day of Judgment, Resurrection, Reckoning, and fulfillment of all warnings – is absolute, inevitable truth. The winds are constant emissaries of this reality.

The Human Touch: Confronting Our Reality

These oaths aren't ancient poetry. They are divine mirrors:

1. The Loyalty Check: Does your submission to Allah match the loyalty of a warhorse charging blindly into danger for its master? Or does your "love of wealth" (priorities, desires, distractions) make you ungrateful and disobedient? The horse shames us.
2. The Dependence Check: Do you live with the constant awareness that your next breath, your next meal, the stability of your world, depends entirely on Allah's command to the winds? Or do you act like a self-sufficient lord, forgetting the Provider (Ar-Razzaq)?
3. The Reminder Check: Do you see the rain reviving dead earth and remember your own resurrection? Do you hear of storms and earthquakes and take them as warnings to return to your Lord? Or do you ignore the "Dhikr" carried on every breeze?
4. The Inevitability Check: Do you live as if the Day of Judgment is a distant myth, or as the certain reality proclaimed by every destructive and life-sustaining force in nature that Allah swears by?

Allah swears by these powerful forces – the charging steed and the mighty wind – not just to showcase His creation, but to jolt us out of our complacency and ingratitude. They are relentless reminders of our true position: dependent creatures accountable to a Sovereign Lord. The question is, will we heed the Reminder before the Promise comes to pass?