Adh-Dhariyat, "The Winnowing Winds," is the fifty-first surah — 60 verses revealed in Mecca.1 It opens with oaths "by the [winds] scattering [dust], dispersing [it] and the [clouds] carrying a load [of water] and the ships sailing with ease and the [angels] apportioning [each] matter," leading to one claim: "Indeed, what you are promised is true. And indeed, the recompense is to occur."2
What it is about
The surah addresses people "in differing speech," confused about the Day of Recompense. It describes those who will be saved, points to signs in the earth and in human beings, recalls the prophets and the peoples who rejected them, and ends with the reason human beings exist at all.
Key themes
The night of the righteous. "They used to sleep but little of the night, and in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness, and from their properties was [given] the right of the [needy] petitioner and the deprived."3
Signs in the self. "On the earth are signs for the certain [in faith] and in yourselves. Then will you not see?" And an oath: "by the Lord of the heaven and earth, indeed, it is truth — just as [sure as] it is that you are speaking."4
Abraham's guests. Abraham's "honored guests" greet him with peace; he hurries to bring them "a fat [roasted] calf" and grows uneasy when they do not eat. They give him "good tidings of a learned boy," and his wife cries out, "[I am] a barren old woman!" They are angels on their way to the people of Lot.5 Moses, 'Ad, Thamud and Noah follow, each a sign.
Flee to God. "The heaven We constructed with strength... And the earth We have spread out... And of all things We created two mates; perhaps you will remember. So flee to Allah."6
The purpose of creation. "I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me. Indeed, it is Allah who is the [continual] Provider, the firm possessor of strength."7
Why it matters
Adh-Dhariyat contains 51:56, the verse most often cited in Islamic teaching on the meaning of life: human beings exist to know and worship God, who needs nothing from them. Its portrait of the righteous — sleeping little, seeking forgiveness before dawn, and treating the poor's share as a right rather than a favor — sets a high standard of devotion and generosity. To read Adh-Dhariyat in Arabic with translations and recitation, open it on Quran.com.