Al-'Adiyat, "The Racers," is the one hundredth surah — 11 verses revealed in Mecca.1 It opens with a burst of motion: "By the racers, panting, and the producers of sparks [when] striking and the chargers at dawn, stirring up thereby [clouds of] dust, arriving thereby in the center collectively."2
What it is about
The oaths lead to a diagnosis of the human being: "Indeed mankind, to his Lord, is ungrateful. And indeed, he is to that a witness. And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense." The surah then asks: "But does he not know that when the contents of the graves are scattered and that within the breasts is obtained, indeed, their Lord with them, that Day, is [fully] Aware."3
Why it matters
Al-'Adiyat uses an image its first listeners knew well — the charging war horse, straining itself for its rider — to shame human ingratitude toward God. It names love of wealth as a root of that ingratitude, and reminds that on the Last Day not only deeds but what lies hidden in the heart will be brought out. To read Al-'Adiyat in Arabic with translations and recitation, open it on Quran.com.