وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا
By the racers, panting. (100:1)
فَالْمُورِيَاتِ قَدْحًا
Then those striking sparks. (100:2)
فَالْمُغِيرَاتِ صُبْحًا
Then those charging at dawn. (100:3)
The initial wāw marks an oath, while the repeated fāʾ of the following verses suggests rapid succession in a connected scene. The familiar exegetical reading describes galloping horses; some early reports differ about the referent. The rhetorical force is the escalating visual and auditory sequence, preparing the audience for the eventual response to the oath.