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سُورَةُ قٓ · 50:17
MeccanRevelation order ٣٤Juzʾ ٢٦Page ٥١٩

إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى ٱلْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌۭ

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Saheeh International · EN

When the two receivers receive, seated on the right and on the left.

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Introduction

This is āyah 17 of Sūrat Qaaf (The Letter "Qaf"), the 34th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 26. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

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Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
34 of 114
Surah
Qaaf (50)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

When the two receivers receive, sitting on the right and on the left. It is reported that the two angels entrusted with the servant sit like the servant. The one on the right writes his beautiful deeds, and the one on the left writes his ugly deeds. When the servant sleeps, one stands above his pillow, while the other watches over him from his feet. When the servant walks, one goes before him and ones goes behind, both of them protecting him from blights. It has also been said that the angel of beautiful deeds is changed every day and night, another angel being sent. The wisdom in this is that tomorrow he will have many witnesses for his acts of obedience and beautiful deeds. But the angel of ugly deeds is not changed, so only that angel will know his defects. The equivalent of this in the Qur'an is found in the verse, “O My servants who have been immoderate against yourselves” [39:53]. In saying “who have been immoderate” God sums ev- erything up, keeping the lid on and without going into detail. He says: O Gabriel, you deliver the revelation, for they have been immoderate, but know not in detail what they have done. O MuḤammad, you recite the revelation, for they have been immoderate, but know not what they have done. Generous Lord, merciful King! He did not want Gabriel to know the sins of the ser-vants and the Messenger to recite their acts of disobedience. How could He then allow Satan to drive the servant away from His threshold?

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

And indeed We have created man, and We know what his self whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (16)(Remember) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being), one sitting on the right and one on the left (17)Not a word does he (or she) utter but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it)(18)And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding! (19)And the Trumpet will be blown – that will be the Day of the threat (20)And every person will come forth along with a Sa'iq and a Shahid (21)(It will be said to the sinners): "Indeed you were heedless of this. Now We have removed from you, your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day! (22) Allah encompasses and watches all of Man's Activity Allah the Exalted affirms His absolute dominance over mankind, being their Creator and the Knower of everything about them.…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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And now — what do you think?

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Provenance

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