The opening oaths of Surat Al-Fajr have been the subject of over 30 different interpretations. In this video, Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan outlines some of them, but focuses primarily on the one he believes is the most compelling; that these ayat are a reference to the Hajj.

Here, he says, Allah evokes the spirit of the Hajj, that momentous occasion when we leave everything behind – money, status, ego – to stand before Allah, materially and spiritually naked.

The day of nahr (sacrifice) is the culmination of 10 days of struggle performing the Hajj rituals, and marks the moment when we are cleansed of all our sins, ready to start a new life on the path of Allah.