Surah 78
Surah An-Naba (The Tidings)
النبإ
Also written: Naba, Al Naba
Surah An-Naba (النبإ) is surah 78 of the 114 surahs of the Quran. It has 40 ayahs, was revealed in Mecca (Meccan), and its name means “The Tidings”.
- Number
- 78
- Ayahs
- 40
- Revelation
- Meccan
- Meaning
- The Tidings
Names, meaning and Meccan/Medinan classification as listed in the quran-json dataset.
About Surah An-Naba
An-Naba’, “The Great News”, opens the 30th juz, which is often called Juz ’Amma after this surah’s first word. It begins with people questioning one another about the momentous news of resurrection, answers with a sequence of familiar signs in nature, and then describes the appointed Day, the fate of the transgressors, the reward of the God-fearing, and the regret of the denier.
Main themes
- The great news (78:1–5): people dispute about it, but they will come to know. Most commentators understand the news to be resurrection and the Day of Judgement; some say the Quran itself.
- Signs all around (78:6–16): the earth spread like a cradle, mountains like pegs, humans in pairs, sleep for rest, night as a covering, day for earning a living, seven strong heavens, a blazing lamp, and rain bringing grain, plants and dense gardens.
- The Day of Decision (78:17–20): a fixed appointment; the Horn is blown and people come in crowds, the sky opens into gateways and mountains vanish like a mirage.
- Two destinations (78:21–36): Hell lies in wait for the transgressors, who never expected a reckoning; the God-fearing are given gardens, companions and a cup, where they hear no idle talk or lies — a gift from their Lord, fully accounted.
The close
78:38 describes the Spirit and the angels standing in rows, none speaking except whom the Most Merciful permits and who says what is right. The surah ends with a person seeing what his hands sent ahead, and the denier wishing he were dust (78:40).
Because the signs it lists are so familiar — sleep, night, rain, mountains — An-Naba’ is a favourite for teaching children and for recitation videos. A narration in at-Tirmidhi mentions it among the surahs that the Prophet said had turned his hair grey; scholars differ over its grading.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is the 30th juz called Juz 'Amma?
- After the first word of Surah An-Naba', the surah that opens it.
- What is the 'great news' in Surah An-Naba'?
- Most commentators say it is the resurrection and the Day of Judgement; some say it refers to the Quran.
- How many verses are in Surah An-Naba'?
- 40.
- How many ayahs are in Surah An-Naba?
- Surah An-Naba has 40 ayahs. It is surah number 78 in the Quran and is Meccan.
- Can I read Surah An-Naba in English or save it as a PDF?
- Yes. This page shows the Arabic text of every ayah with the Saheeh International English meaning under it. Use “Print / Save as PDF” for a clean printable copy that you can save as a PDF file from your browser.
- Is Surah An-Naba the same as Surah Naba?
- Yes. Naba, Al Naba and An-Naba are different English spellings of the same surah name, النبإ.
Summaries describe the surah’s content and commonly cited reports for general readers; they are not a tafsir or a religious ruling.
Making a video of Surah An-Naba
Surah An-Naba has 40 ayahs, so most videos use a passage from it rather than the whole surah. Choose the ayahs you want on the new-project page; one to five ayahs suit a Reel or Short, while longer passages work better in 16:9 for YouTube.
In the editor, the Online Recitations tab lists the reciters Quran Foundation provides for this surah. See how to create a Quran video for the full steps.
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Surah An-Naba in Arabic with English meaning
Arabic: Uthmani script from The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia (quranenc.com), Uthmani script, via quran-json (CC-BY-SA 4.0), shown as in the verified dataset; open-tanween marks use the equivalent codepoints this font draws, as in the editor. English meaning: Saheeh International (tanzil.net). A translation conveys the meaning; it is not the Quran itself.
عَمَّ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ ١
78:1About what are they asking one another
عَنِ ٱلنَّبَإِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ ٢
78:2About the great news
ٱلَّذِي هُمۡ فِيهِ مُخۡتَلِفُونَ ٣
78:3That over which they are in disagreement
كَلَّا سَيَعۡلَمُونَ ٤
78:4No! They are going to know
ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَيَعۡلَمُونَ ٥
78:5Then, no! They are going to know
أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَلِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ مِهَٰدࣰا ٦
78:6Have We not made the earth a resting place
وَٱلۡجِبَالَ أَوۡتَادࣰا ٧
78:7And the mountains as stakes
وَخَلَقۡنَٰكُمۡ أَزۡوَٰجࣰا ٨
78:8And We created you in pairs
وَجَعَلۡنَا نَوۡمَكُمۡ سُبَاتࣰا ٩
78:9And made your sleep [a means for] rest
وَجَعَلۡنَا ٱلَّيۡلَ لِبَاسࣰا ١٠
78:10And made the night as clothing
وَجَعَلۡنَا ٱلنَّهَارَ مَعَاشࣰا ١١
78:11And made the day for livelihood
وَبَنَيۡنَا فَوۡقَكُمۡ سَبۡعࣰا شِدَادࣰا ١٢
78:12And constructed above you seven strong [heavens]
وَجَعَلۡنَا سِرَاجࣰا وَهَّاجࣰا ١٣
78:13And made [therein] a burning lamp
وَأَنزَلۡنَا مِنَ ٱلۡمُعۡصِرَٰتِ مَآءࣰ ثَجَّاجࣰا ١٤
78:14And sent down, from the rain clouds, pouring water
لِّنُخۡرِجَ بِهِۦ حَبࣰّا وَنَبَاتࣰا ١٥
78:15That We may bring forth thereby grain and vegetation
وَجَنَّـٰتٍ أَلۡفَافًا ١٦
78:16And gardens of entwined growth
إِنَّ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡفَصۡلِ كَانَ مِيقَٰتࣰا ١٧
78:17Indeed, the Day of Judgement is an appointed time
يَوۡمَ يُنفَخُ فِي ٱلصُّورِ فَتَأۡتُونَ أَفۡوَاجࣰا ١٨
78:18The Day the Horn is blown and you will come forth in multitudes
وَفُتِحَتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتۡ أَبۡوَٰبࣰا ١٩
78:19And the heaven is opened and will become gateways
وَسُيِّرَتِ ٱلۡجِبَالُ فَكَانَتۡ سَرَابًا ٢٠
78:20And the mountains are removed and will be [but] a mirage
إِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ كَانَتۡ مِرۡصَادࣰا ٢١
78:21Indeed, Hell has been lying in wait
لِّلطَّـٰغِينَ مَـَٔابࣰا ٢٢
78:22For the transgressors, a place of return
لَّـٰبِثِينَ فِيهَآ أَحۡقَابࣰا ٢٣
78:23In which they will remain for ages [unending]
لَّا يَذُوقُونَ فِيهَا بَرۡدࣰا وَلَا شَرَابًا ٢٤
78:24They will not taste therein [any] coolness or drink
إِلَّا حَمِيمࣰا وَغَسَّاقࣰا ٢٥
78:25Except scalding water and [foul] purulence
جَزَآءࣰ وِفَاقًا ٢٦
78:26An appropriate recompense
إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ لَا يَرۡجُونَ حِسَابࣰا ٢٧
78:27Indeed, they were not expecting an account
وَكَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا كِذَّابࣰا ٢٨
78:28And denied Our verses with [emphatic] denial
وَكُلَّ شَيۡءٍ أَحۡصَيۡنَٰهُ كِتَٰبࣰا ٢٩
78:29But all things We have enumerated in writing
فَذُوقُواْ فَلَن نَّزِيدَكُمۡ إِلَّا عَذَابًا ٣٠
78:30So taste [the penalty], and never will We increase you except in torment
إِنَّ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ مَفَازًا ٣١
78:31Indeed, for the righteous is attainment
حَدَآئِقَ وَأَعۡنَٰبࣰا ٣٢
78:32Gardens and grapevines
وَكَوَاعِبَ أَتۡرَابࣰا ٣٣
78:33And full-breasted [companions] of equal age
وَكَأۡسࣰا دِهَاقࣰا ٣٤
78:34And a full cup
لَّا يَسۡمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغۡوࣰا وَلَا كِذَّـٰبࣰا ٣٥
78:35No ill speech will they hear therein or any falsehood
جَزَآءࣰ مِّن رَّبِّكَ عَطَآءً حِسَابࣰا ٣٦
78:36[As] reward from your Lord, [a generous] gift [made due by] account
رَّبِّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَا ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِۖ لَا يَمۡلِكُونَ مِنۡهُ خِطَابࣰا ٣٧
78:37[From] the Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Most Merciful. They possess not from Him [authority for] speech
يَوۡمَ يَقُومُ ٱلرُّوحُ وَٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ صَفࣰّاۖ لَّا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلَّا مَنۡ أَذِنَ لَهُ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ وَقَالَ صَوَابࣰا ٣٨
78:38The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they will not speak except for one whom the Most Merciful permits, and he will say what is correct
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمُ ٱلۡحَقُّۖ فَمَن شَآءَ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ مَـَٔابًا ٣٩
78:39That is the True Day; so he who wills may take to his Lord a [way of] return
إِنَّآ أَنذَرۡنَٰكُمۡ عَذَابࣰا قَرِيبࣰا يَوۡمَ يَنظُرُ ٱلۡمَرۡءُ مَا قَدَّمَتۡ يَدَاهُ وَيَقُولُ ٱلۡكَافِرُ يَٰلَيۡتَنِي كُنتُ تُرَٰبَۢا ٤٠
78:40Indeed, We have warned you of a near punishment on the Day when a man will observe what his hands have put forth and the disbeliever will say, "Oh, I wish that I were dust