Surah 69. Al-Haqqah

---

Verses [Section]: 1-37[1], 38-52 [2]

---

Quran Text of Verse 1-3769. Al-Haqqahبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِاَلْحَآقَّةُۙThe Inevitable Reality! مَاWhatالْحَآقَّةُۚ(is) the Inevitable Reality وَ مَاۤAnd whatاَدْرٰىكَwill make you knowمَاwhatالْحَآقَّةُؕ(is) the Inevitable Reality كَذَّبَتْDeniedثَمُوْدُThamudوَ عَادٌۢand Aadبِالْقَارِعَةِ the Striking Calamity فَاَمَّاSo as forثَمُوْدُThamudفَاُهْلِكُوْاthey were destroyedبِالطَّاغِیَةِ by the overpowering (blast) وَ اَمَّاAnd as forعَادٌAadفَاُهْلِكُوْاthey were destroyedبِرِیْحٍby a windصَرْصَرٍscreamingعَاتِیَةٍۙviolent سَخَّرَهَاWhich He imposedعَلَیْهِمْupon themسَبْعَ(for) sevenلَیَالٍnightsوَّ ثَمٰنِیَةَand eightاَیَّامٍ ۙdaysحُسُوْمًا ۙ(in) successionفَتَرَیso you would seeالْقَوْمَthe peopleفِیْهَاthereinصَرْعٰی ۙfallenكَاَنَّهُمْas if they wereاَعْجَازُtrunksنَخْلٍ(of) date-palmsخَاوِیَةٍۚhollow فَهَلْThen doتَرٰیyou seeلَهُمْof themمِّنْۢanyبَاقِیَةٍ remains 69. Al-Haqqah Page 567وَ جَآءَAnd cameفِرْعَوْنُFiraunوَ مَنْand (those)قَبْلَهٗbefore himوَ الْمُؤْتَفِكٰتُand the overturned citiesبِالْخَاطِئَةِۚwith sin فَعَصَوْاAnd they disobeyedرَسُوْلَ(the) Messengerرَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lordفَاَخَذَهُمْso He seized themاَخْذَةً(with) a seizureرَّابِیَةً exceeding اِنَّاIndeed Weلَمَّاwhenطَغَاoverflowedالْمَآءُthe waterحَمَلْنٰكُمْWe carried youفِیinالْجَارِیَةِۙthe sailing (ship) لِنَجْعَلَهَاThat We might make itلَكُمْfor youتَذْكِرَةًa reminderوَّ تَعِیَهَاۤand would be conscious of itاُذُنٌan earوَّاعِیَةٌ conscious فَاِذَاThen whenنُفِخَis blownفِیinالصُّوْرِthe trumpetنَفْخَةٌa blastوَّاحِدَةٌۙsingle وَّ حُمِلَتِAnd are liftedالْاَرْضُthe earthوَ الْجِبَالُand the mountainsفَدُكَّتَاand crushedدَكَّةً(with) a crushingوَّاحِدَةًۙsingle فَیَوْمَىِٕذٍThen (on) that Dayوَّقَعَتِwill occurالْوَاقِعَةُۙthe Occurrence وَ انْشَقَّتِAnd will splitالسَّمَآءُthe heavenفَهِیَso itیَوْمَىِٕذٍ(is on) that Dayوَّاهِیَةٌۙfrail وَّ الْمَلَكُAnd the Angelsعَلٰۤی(will be) onاَرْجَآىِٕهَا ؕits edgesوَ یَحْمِلُand will bearعَرْشَ(the) Throneرَبِّكَ(of) your Lordفَوْقَهُمْabove themیَوْمَىِٕذٍthat Dayثَمٰنِیَةٌؕeight یَوْمَىِٕذٍThat Dayتُعْرَضُوْنَyou will be exhibitedلَاnotتَخْفٰیwill be hiddenمِنْكُمْamong youخَافِیَةٌ any secret فَاَمَّاThen as forمَنْ(him) whoاُوْتِیَis givenكِتٰبَهٗhis recordبِیَمِیْنِهٖ ۙin his right handفَیَقُوْلُwill sayهَآؤُمُHereاقْرَءُوْاreadكِتٰبِیَهْۚmy record! اِنِّیْIndeed Iظَنَنْتُwas certainاَنِّیْthat Iمُلٰقٍ(will) meetحِسَابِیَهْۚmy account فَهُوَSo heفِیْ(will be) inعِیْشَةٍa lifeرَّاضِیَةٍۙpleasant فِیْInجَنَّةٍa Gardenعَالِیَةٍۙelevated قُطُوْفُهَاIts clusters of fruitsدَانِیَةٌ hanging near كُلُوْاEatوَ اشْرَبُوْاand drinkهَنِیْٓـًٔۢا(in) satisfactionبِمَاۤfor whatاَسْلَفْتُمْyou sent before youفِیinالْاَیَّامِthe daysالْخَالِیَةِ past وَ اَمَّاBut as forمَنْ(him) whoاُوْتِیَis givenكِتٰبَهٗhis recordبِشِمَالِهٖ ۙ۬in his left handفَیَقُوْلُwill sayیٰلَیْتَنِیْO! I wishلَمْnotاُوْتَI had been givenكِتٰبِیَهْۚmy record وَ لَمْAnd notاَدْرِI had knownمَاwhatحِسَابِیَهْۚ(is) my account یٰلَیْتَهَاO! I wish itكَانَتِhad beenالْقَاضِیَةَۚthe end مَاۤNotاَغْنٰیhas availedعَنِّیْmeمَالِیَهْۚmy wealth هَلَكَIs goneعَنِّیْfrom meسُلْطٰنِیَهْۚmy authority خُذُوْهُSeize himفَغُلُّوْهُۙand shackle him ثُمَّThenالْجَحِیْمَ(into) the Hellfireصَلُّوْهُۙburn him ثُمَّThenفِیْintoسِلْسِلَةٍa chainذَرْعُهَاits lengthسَبْعُوْنَ(is) seventyذِرَاعًاcubitsفَاسْلُكُوْهُؕinsert him اِنَّهٗIndeed, heكَانَ(did)لَاnotیُؤْمِنُbelieveبِاللّٰهِin Allahالْعَظِیْمِۙthe Most Great وَ لَاAnd (did) notیَحُضُّfeel the urgeعَلٰیonطَعَامِ(the) feedingالْمِسْكِیْنِؕ(of) the poor 69. Al-Haqqah Page 568فَلَیْسَSo notلَهُfor himالْیَوْمَtodayهٰهُنَاhereحَمِیْمٌۙany devoted friend وَّ لَاAnd notطَعَامٌany foodاِلَّاexceptمِنْfromغِسْلِیْنٍۙ(the) discharge of wounds لَّاNotیَاْكُلُهٗۤwill eat itاِلَّاexceptالْخَاطِـُٔوْنَ۠the sinners

---

Translation of Verse 1-37In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(69:1) The indubitable event!¹

(69:2) And what is that indubitable event?

(69:3) And what do you know what that indubitable event is?²

(69:4) The Thamud³ and the Ad denied the (possibility of a) sudden calamity,⁴ calling it false.

(69:5) Then the Thamud were destroyed by an awesome upheaval;⁵

(69:6) and the Ad were destroyed by a furiously raging wind-storm

(69:7) which He let loose upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession; so that (if you had been there) you might have seen people lying prostrate, as though they were uprooted trunks of hollowed palm trees.

(69:8) Do you now see any trace of them?

(69:9) Pharaoh and those before him and the people of the overturned habitations⁶ all engaged in the same great sin.

(69:10) They did not follow the Messenger of their Lord, and so He seized them with a severe grip.

(69:11) Verily when the water rose to great heights,⁷ We bore you upon a floating vessel (i.e. the Ark)⁸

(69:12) so that We might make it an instructive event for you, and retentive ears might preserve its memory.⁹

(69:13) So¹⁰ when the Trumpet is blown with a single blast

(69:14) and the earth and the mountains are carried aloft and are crushed to bits at one stroke,

(69:15) on that Day shall that indubitable event come to pass;

(69:16) when the sky will be rent asunder, the grip holding it together having loosened on that Day,

(69:17) and the angels will stand on the sides, with eight of them bearing aloft the Throne¹¹ of your Lord on that Day.

(69:18) That will be the Day when you shall be brought forth (before Allah) and no secret of yours shall remain hidden.

(69:19) On that Day, he whose Record is given to him in his right hand¹² will say: “Lo! Read my Record!¹³

(69:20) Verily I was sure that I would be handed over my account.”¹⁴

(69:21) Then he shall find himself in a life of bliss;

(69:22) in a lofty Garden

(69:23) the clusters of whose fruit will be hanging low to be within reach (of the inmates of Paradise).

(69:24) (They will be told): “Eat and drink with good cheer as a reward for the good deeds you did in the days that have passed by.”

(69:25) As for him whose Record will be given to him in his left hand,¹⁵ he will exclaim: “Would that I had never been given my Record,¹⁶

(69:26) and had not known my account.¹⁷

(69:27) Oh! Would that the death that came to me in the world had made an end of me!¹⁸

(69:28) My riches have not availed me,

(69:29) and my authority has vanished.”¹⁹

(69:30) (A command will be issued): “Seize him and shackle him,

(69:31) then cast him in the Fire,

(69:32) then fasten him with a chain, seventy cubits long.

(69:33) He would not believe in Allah, the Most Great;

(69:34) nor would he urge the feeding of the poor.²⁰

(69:35) Today he has been left here friendless;

(69:36) and has no food except the filth from the washing of wounds,

(69:37) which only the sinners will eat.”

---

Commentary

1. Literally, al-Haqqah denotes something that is bound to take place without a doubt. The significance of using this for the Resurrection and at the outset of the Surah is to convey to the disbelievers that their denial of the inevitable event, howsoever vehement, will fail to avert its occurrence.

2. These two questions, asked in quick succession, are aimed at alerting and drawing the attention of the addressees. They should better Realize the significance of the contents of this message and listen with the attention that it deserves.

3. Since the Makkan disbelievers rejected the Resurrection and dismissed its tidings mockingly, they are warned that, irrespective of their rejection and denial, the Last Day is bound to happen. They are further told that its rejection has a deep bearing on the morals of the nation and their future. It is fairly evident, from the history of earlier communities, that those who rejected the belief of the Hereafter, mistaking this worldly life as the only life, and denied their appearance and accountability before God, landed themselves into moral degeneration. Ultimately divine penalty exterminated them from the earth.

4. Al-qari‘ah literally means rapping, striking, and thumping. This terminology has been used for the Resurrection (Qiyamah), which’ emphasizes that it will be an extremely horrendous and dreadful event.

5. Al-taghiyah is described as al-rajfah in verse 78 of Surah al-A‘raf; al-sayhah in verse 67 of Surah al-Hud and sa‘iqah in verse 17 of Surah Ha Mim al-Sajdah. All these expressions refer to an astonishing upheaval.

6. This is an allusion to the settlements and dwellings of the people of the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him) which, as mentioned in verse 82 of Surah Hud and verse 74 of Surah al-Hijr, were completely razed to the ground.

7. This refers to the Flood in the days of the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) which, for their serious offences, drowned a whole community except the believers among them.

8. The whole human race that exists today consists of the descendants of those who boarded the ark several thousands of years ago. Hence it is said that “God bore you upon a floating ark.” In other words, mankind survives to this day because God had rescued the believers and drowned only the disbelievers in the deluge.

9. Reference is made to the retentive ears that facilitate taking a lesson which penetrates to the heart. The obvious allusion is to the attentive listeners who do not disregard the truth. They remember this instructive event and draw a lesson. They Realize that the rejection of the Hereafter or God’s Messengers incurs devastating consequences.

10. Before studying the later verses, it should be borne in mind that at places the Qur’an states the three different phases of Resurrection which will unfold in quick succession. At others, the Qur’an provides a coherent narrative, combining all these phases together. For example, verse 87 of Surah al-Naml refers first to the blowing of the trumpet. All human beings will rise on hearing its dreadful sound. Then they will witness the harrowing spectacle of the end of the present order of the universe, which is graphically described in verses 1-2 of Surah al-Hajj, 49-50 of Surah Ya Sin and 1-6 of Surah al-Takwir. Verses 67-70 of Surah al-Zumar relate the devastating effects of the second and third blowing of the trumpet. The former will bring about the death of all human beings while the latter will cause their resurrection and appearance before God. Verses 102~112 of Surah Ta Ha, 101-103 of Surah al-Anbiya’, 51-53 of Surah Ya Sin and 20-22 of Surah Qaf refer to only the third blowing of the trumpet. (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. V, Surah Ta Ha 20: n. 78, pp. 223-224; vol. VI, Surah al-Hajj 22: n. 1, pp. 5-6 and vol. IX, Surah Ya Sin 36: nn. 46-47, pp. 265-266.)

11. This is one of the ambiguous verses (mutashabihat) of the Qur’an, of which no precise meaning can be offered. We can neither know as to what the divine throne is, nor can we understand how eight angels will bear it aloft on the Day of Judgement. However, it is inconceivable that Allah will be sitting on His throne and that eight angels will literally bear him aloft on the Day of Judgement, for the verse does not specify this. In light of the Qur’anic description of God elsewhere, it cannot be assumed that He will be sitting on a particular spot or that any creature will carry Him, for He transcends the body, direction and place. Any attempt to overstretch the import of this verse is tantamount to jeopardizing one’s faith. However, this point should be understood well, that for conveying a palpable idea of God’s kingship and dominion, the Qur’an has employed the same imagery which is associated with the worldly kings. It has drawn upon the same terms which are usually used for the description of a king and his kingdom. By this analogy alone, man can gain some idea of God's dominion. Such terms are readily comprehensible to the human mind. However, it will be incorrect to take these expressions literally.

12. As one’s record will be given to him in his right hand, it will signify that his account is clean and clear. He will appear before God not as a criminal, but as a righteous person. It is likely that at the time of the handing over of records, he himself will collect it in his right hand. From his death, up to the moment of his appearance in the grand assembly, he will receive such treatment, convincing him that God will reward, not punish him. The Qur’an clarifies that at the time of death, everyone Realizes his status as a culprit or as a righteous servant of God. Obviously, these two types of persons are treated differently from the time of their death to the Resurrection. A righteous person is treated as a guest and an evil person as a culprit under custody. On the Day of Judgement, which will inaugurate a new life for everybody, the disbelievers and the righteous will stand apart from each other. (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. IV, Surah al-Nahl 16: 28 and 32, n. 26, pp. 324-325; vol. V, Surah Ta Ha 20: 102, 103 and 124-126, nn. 79, 80 and 107, pp. 224-225 and 240-241; Surah al-Anbiya’ 21: 103, n. 98, p. 299; vol. VIL, Surah al-Furqan 25: 24, n. 38, p. 20; Surah al-Naml 27: 89,n. 109, pp. 189-190; vol. IX, Surah Saba’ 34: 51, n. 72, p. 202; Surah Ya Sin 36: 26-27, nn. 22-23, pp. 253-254; Surah al-Mu'min 40: 45-46, n. 63: Surah Muhammad 47: 27, n. 37; Surah Qaf 50: 19-23, nn. 22, 23 and 25.)

13. He will be delighted on getting his record in his right hand and will show it to his friends. Verse 9 of Surah al-Inshiqaq captures his state of mind thus: “He shall return to his people joyfully.”

14. He will explain the reason behind his good fortune: that it lay in the fact that he was never heedless of the Hereafter and spent his entire life in believing that one day he will be made to stand before God and be called to render account by Him.

15. Verse 10 of Surah al-Inshiqaq states that a sinner will be given his record behind his back. This is likely to be because he would already be aware of his being a sinner and a culprit, and also of the contents of his ignoble record, so he will dejectedly collect his record in his left hand and will try to hide it behind his back so that no one may find out what he received.

16. A sinner would wish that he had not faced public humiliation in the grand assembly when he receives his record of deeds. His wish would be that he should have been punished for his misdeeds secretly.

17. Another possible meaning could be: “Would that I had known what accounting is!” This emphasizes that the evildoers will be faced with something they had not imagined — that they will be required to render an account of all their deeds and that the whole record of their lives will be placed before them.

18. His wish would be that his death would have made a permanent end to him, not to be followed by any other life after death.

19. The word sultan connotes both a clinching argument and authority.

In its former sense, the meaning would be that his resorting to any argument or pretext in this world will not work on the Day of Judgement.

He will have no argument whatsoever to defend himself. Taken in the latter sense, the verse means that on that day, he will see that the power he once enjoyed in the world, which had made him exultant and arrogant, has vanished. Unaided by an army, or by those who once obeyed him, he will stand as a miserable and powerless creature, lacking even the ability to defend himself.

20. Let alone feeding a hungry person himself, he was not even moved enough to ask others to do so.