Surah No. 69
Introduction
Merits of the Surah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَاقَّةُ (1)
(69:1) The inevitable reality.1
1. The allusion is to the Day of Judgment. Some scholars have said that “al-haqqah” is one of the names of the Day of Judgment (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
Yusuf Ali expands: “Al-haqqa: the sure Truth; the Event that must inevitably come to pass; the state in which all falsehood and pretence will vanish, and the absolute Truth will be laid bare. The questions in the three verses raise an air of wonder. The solution is suggested in what happened to the Tham ud and the ‘A ad, and other people of antiquity, who disregarded the Truth of Allah and came to violent end, even in this life, symbolically suggesting the great Cataclysm of the Hereafter, the Day of Doom.”
At the conceptual level, we might hear Asad’s comments: “The Day of Resurrection and Judgment, on which man will become fully aware of the quality of his past life and, freed from all self-deception, will see himself as he really was, with the innermost meaning of all his past doings – and thus of all his destiny in the hereafter – blindingly revealed.”
مَا الْحَاقَّةُ (2)
(69:2) What is that Inevitable Reality?
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحَاقَّةُ (3)
(69:3) And what will teach you what the Inevitable Reality is?
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ وَعَادٌ بِالْقَارِعَةِ (4)
(69:4) Thamud and ‘Aad denied the Clatterer.2
2. “Al-Qari`ah” is a name for the Hour (Ibn Jarir); because it will literally knock people down with its grave events (Qurtubi and others).
فَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَأُهْلِكُوا بِالطَّاغِيَةِ (5)
(69:5) As for Thamud, they were destroyed by the Screamer.3
3. This is how Qatadah explained the word “taghiyyah.” However Mujahid’s interpretation was “sin”, i.e., “they were destroyed because they were covered by sins” (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
Yet another possible meaning is: “They were destroyed because of a rebellious group (taghiyyah) which had hamstrung the camel” (Razi, Qurtubi).
وَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَأُهْلِكُوا بِرِيحٍ صَرْصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍ (6)
(69:6) As for `Aad, they were destroyed by a fierce4 roaring wind.5
4. “Sarsar” has also been explained as a bitterly cold wind (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir).
5. We have the famous hadith of the Sahihayn. The Prophet said,
“I was helped by an easterly wind, while the nation of `A ad was destroyed by a westerly wind” (Ibn Kathir).
سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًا فَتَرَى الْقَوْمَ فِيهَا صَرْعَىٰ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ (7)
(69:7) Which He imposed upon them seven nights and eight days in succession; so you could see the people therein fallen, as if they were stumps of hollow palm-trees.
فَهَلْ تَرَىٰ لَهُمْ مِنْ بَاقِيَةٍ (8)
(69:8) So, do you see any remnants of them?
وَجَاءَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَمَنْ قَبْلَهُ وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَاتُ بِالْخَاطِئَةِ (9)
(69:9) Likewise, Fir`awn, those before him, and the overturned towns6 came up with the great error.7
6. That is, the nation of L ut (asws) – Ibn Jarir.
7. That is, the great error of polytheism, rejection of Allah and His Messengers (Au.).
فَعَصَوْا رَسُولَ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَخَذَهُمْ أَخْذَةً رَابِيَةً (10)
(69:10) They disobeyed the Messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a severe seizure.
إِنَّا لَمَّا طَغَى الْمَاءُ حَمَلْنَاكُمْ فِي الْجَارِيَةِ (11)
(69:11) Lo. When the waters rose high, We bore you8 in the boat.
8. That is, mankind.
لِنَجْعَلَهَا لَكُمْ تَذْكِرَةً وَتَعِيَهَا أُذُنٌ وَاعِيَةٌ (12)
(69:12) That We might make it a reminder,9 and that preserving ears may preserve it.
9. To what does the pronoun “it” refer to. Ibn Kathir thinks it refers to the boat: not Nuh’s boat, but the generic noun.
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ نَفْخَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ (13)
(69:13) Then, when the Trumpet is blasted - a single blast.10
10. That will be the first blast (Ibn Jarir). But some say it will be the last blast, there being three in all. The first blast will be of fright that will frighten every living being. The second blast will destroy all life on earth, and the third will resurrect (Ibn Kathir).
وَحُمِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ وَالْجِبَالُ فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةً وَاحِدَةً (14)
(69:14) And the earth and the mountains are heaved up, and the two are crushed – a single crushing.
فَيَوْمَئِذٍ وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ (15)
(69:15) That day then, the great Occurrence will occur.
وَانْشَقَّتِ السَّمَاءُ فَهِيَ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاهِيَةٌ (16)
(69:16) The heaven shall split - and that day it shall be frail.
وَالْمَلَكُ عَلَىٰ أَرْجَائِهَا ۚ وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمَانِيَةٌ (17)
(69:17) The angels shall be at its edges,11 and that day, eight shall carry above them the `Arsh of your Lord.12
11. That is, at the edges, or borders, of the heaven (Mujahid, Sa`eed, Dahhak, etc. - Ibn Jarir).
12. Ibn `Abbas is widely reported to have said that the allusion is to eight rows of angels whose numbers no one knows (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).
Some reports suggest that the bearers of the `Arsh are angels in the shape of wild goats. However, all such reports are weak (Au.).
Ibn Kathir quotes a hadith from Abu Da’ud:
The Prophet said, “I have been allowed to mention to you an angel of Allah who bears the `Arsh, between whose ear-lobe and the shoulder, the (travel) distance is seven hundred years.”
Another version, slightly different, is in Tirmidhi which he declared Sahih (Au.).
Qurtubi comments: The angels bear the `Arsh, and none bears the carriers of `Arsh but Allah.
In other words, it will be outlandish to think that the `Arsh would then be occupied by the Most High. There is nothing to this effect in the Qur’an or hadith, and in fact, some scholars have suggested that we are not even sure whether it is the same `Arsh that the Qur’an has spoken of in other places as associated with Allah. To conclude, this is another of the mutashabihat (Au.).
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَىٰ مِنْكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ (18)
(69:18) That day you shall be presented, no hider from among you able to hide.13
13. Another possible connotation as suggested by some of the Salaf is: none will be able to hide his deeds.
Sayyid comments: “So, everyone is exposed .. exposed in body .. exposed in spirit .. exposed in deeds .. exposed to the ultimate end. All veils that used to cover the secrets will fall down, and the people shall stand bare and naked. Man will be stripped of his cunning, schemes, and (false) perceptions. Even that which he wished to remain unexposed to his own self will stand exposed. Allah sees all, at all times. But man did not take account of it. Now he stands fully exposed. The earth has been leveled. There are no ups and downs. The heaven is rendered asunder concealing nothing behind it. And the bodies of men are naked.
“It is a horrendous situation for man, more horrible than the leveling up of the earth, or rendering asunder of the heaven .. his standing naked: naked of body, naked of the soul, naked of perceptions .. his deeds exposed, good or evil .. in front of the creations.”
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَيَقُولُ هَاؤُمُ اقْرَءُوا كِتَابِيَهْ (19)
(69:19) Then, as for him who is given his record in his right hand, he shall say, ‘Here! Read my Record.14
14. The grammatical suffix “um” lends the meaning of “you all.” That is, “come on, you all, read my Record” (Ibn Kathir).
According to a hadith in Tirmidhi,
When a bedouin called out in a loud voice “O Muhammad”, the Messenger answered him almost in the same pitch, “HaaUmu”. We told the man, “Woe unto you man, lower down the pitch of your voice” (Qurtubi).
إِنِّي ظَنَنْتُ أَنِّي مُلَاقٍ حِسَابِيَهْ (20)
(69:20) Indeed, I was certain15 that I shall encounter my reckoning.’
15. This is how Ibn `Abbas and Qatadah understood the word. Ibn Zayd added that a believer’s “zann” is certainty (Ibn Jarir).
فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَاضِيَةٍ (21)
(69:21) He shall be in a life pleasing.
فِي جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ (22)
(69:22) In a lofty garden.
قُطُوفُهَا دَانِيَةٌ (23)
(69:23) Its cluster low and near.
كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئًا بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ (24)
(69:24) ‘Eat and drink freely, for what you did in days gone by.’16
16. That is, the good deeds that you sent forward from the previous life (Ibn Jarir).
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِشِمَالِهِ فَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَابِيَهْ (25)
(69:25) As for him who is given his record in his left hand, he shall say, ‘I wish I was never given my record.
وَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا حِسَابِيَهْ (26)
(69:26) And had not known what my reckoning was.
يَا لَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ الْقَاضِيَةَ (27)
(69:27) Ah, would that it was the end.17
17. That is, he would wish that the death, which he hated most in the world, could swallow him now (Qatadah, Ibn Zayd: Ibn Jarir). Dahhak has said that every “zann” from a believer as used in the Qur’an is in the sense of “certainty” while every “zann” from an unbeliever as used in the Qur’an is “uncertainty” (Qurtubi).
Another possible meaning, and, quite a legitimate one, has been pointed out by Razi which would render the verse as, “I wish my first death was the last one.”
مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنِّي مَالِيَهْ ۜ (28)
(69:28) My wealth has not availed me
هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلْطَانِيَهْ (29)
(69:29) My authority has perished from me.’18
18. According to another understanding, “sultan” here alludes to arguments (that he could put forth that day to defend his erstwhile response to the call of truth) - Ibn Jarir.
خُذُوهُ فَغُلُّوهُ (30)
(69:30) ‘Seize him and shackle him.
ثُمَّ الْجَحِيمَ صَلُّوهُ (31)
(69:31) Then cast him into the blazing Fire.
ثُمَّ فِي سِلْسِلَةٍ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًا فَاسْلُكُوهُ (32)
(69:32) Then into a chain of length seventy cubits insert him.19
19. The chain will be inserted through his one orifice and brought out of another; according to some others, brought out of the nostrils – and then roasted in Hell (like chicken) - Ibn Jarir and others.
إِنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ (33)
(69:33) This one would not believe in Allah, the Great.
وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ (34)
(69:34) Nor would encourage feeding of the destitute.20
20. The importance in Islam, of feeding the poor cannot be exaggerated (Au.).
فَلَيْسَ لَهُ الْيَوْمَ هَاهُنَا حَمِيمٌ (35)
(69:35) So, there is not for him here this day, a loyal friend.
وَلَا طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنْ غِسْلِينٍ (36)
(69:36) Nor a food but foul puss from the washing of the wounded.
لَا يَأْكُلُهُ إِلَّا الْخَاطِئُونَ (37)
(69:37) That none shall eat except the erroneous ones.
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِمَا تُبْصِرُونَ (38)
(69:38) Nay,21 I do swear by what you see.
21. That is, the matter regarding Muhammad and his Message is not as the pagans say, but rather it is as follows .. (Qurtubi).
وَمَا لَا تُبْصِرُونَ (39)
(69:39) And by what you do not see.22
22. Asad has a philosophic comment: “The phrase ‘all that you can see’ comprising all the observable phenomenon of nature – including man himself and the organic conditions of his own existence – as well as the configuration of human society and the perceptible rules of its growth and decay in the historical sense; whereas ‘that which you cannot see’ relates to the intangible spiritual verities accessible to man’s intuition and instinct, including the voice of his own conscience; all of which ‘bear witness’, as it were, to the fact that the light which the divine writ (spoken of in the sequence) casts on the innermost realities and interrelations of all that exists objectively – or, as the case may be, manifests itself subjectively in man’s own psyche – must be an outcome of genuine revelation, inasmuch as it goes far beyond anything that unaided human intellect could ever achieve.”
Sayyid Qutub has another point of view: “Surely those who confine themselves within the boundaries of the sight and perception .. are the poor luckless ones. They are imprisoned in their limited perceptions by physical senses. They are bound to a small, constricted world; small, when compared to the vast world.
“During various phases in the history of man there were few or large number of people who imprisoned themselves in a little prison of what can be seen and felt, shutting against themselves the windows of knowledge and cognition, refusing any contact with the Truth through belief and true knowledge. And they try to shut these windows – after having shut them for themselves – sometimes in the name of false knowledge, and sometimes in the name of secularism. This is the prison in which they live..”
We might add: Angels, Shayateen, microbes, our own cells are things that we do not see. Nor do we see how the brain works or the child learns. Radio waves, electromagnetism, gravity, nucleic arrangement, or the other forces of nature, are things we do not see and will never see. In fact, what we do not see is more than what we see. The universe is made up of four elements: visible matter, dark matter measurable energy and dark energy. Visible matter makes up for 4% of the mass of the universe. About 22% is dark matter; so called because it is invisible. The rest of the 74% is in the form of dark energy that prevails everywhere in space.
Stars at the edge of the spiral galaxies are revolving around the center of the galaxies much too fast than they should. At that speed, they should break away from the pull of the galactic center; just as a rocket accelerated to a speed of more than 12 km. per second, breaks away from the earth’s gravitational pull. Similarly, calculations show that galaxies in the clusters should have by now broken away from the clusters and receded far into empty space, beyond vision.
What holds the stars at the edge of the galaxies, and the galaxies themselves in the clusters? It is this mysterious dark matter that works against gravity of known and visible matter. The theoretical, but reliable studies that have been augmented by X-ray satellite observations, have led to the conclusion that there is far more of invisible matter around us than there is visible matter.
The discovery in 1990 that the universe is accelerating in its expansion shocked the cosmologists and has led to revision of many theories. Even the Big Bang theory is now being questioned. A mysterious antigravity force seems to be opposing gravity and, so to say, is tearing the visible matter apart at speeds that are accelerating all around. This antigravity force, which cannot be seen, or measured, is known as the Dark Energy; and because of its effect, it is speculated that much visible matter might have already been pushed out so far that light emanating from them may never reach the earth. Thus, once again, the visible world is not only much less than the invisible, it is likely to get lesser because of the ever increasing rate of expansion. As light leaves one part of the universe to chase the part on the other accelerating side, matter of the two sides increase their space at speeds greater than the speed of light, which can never catch up, and so anyone on one side will never know whether there is any matter on the other side.
Science is ever adding newer invisible materials to the list. For instance, String Theory predicts that matter could be made up of not three or four dimensions but ten. The matter of this class will remain invisible. And how much of this matter could there be? Well, scientists say that infinite numbers of whole universes of this class could be there, which will ever remain invisible because of the dimensional problem (Au.).
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ (40)
(69:40) Surely, this is the words of a noble messenger.23
23. The allusion is to Prophet Muhammad (Ibn Jarir). That is, it is he who delivers (Ibn Kathir).
But Hasan, Kalbi and Muqatil said that the allusion is to Jibril, although the other opinion has also been held as true (Qurtubi).
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَا تُؤْمِنُونَ (41)
(69:41) It is not the words of a poet.24 Littleit is that youbelieve.
24. Shabbir addresses the unbelievers: “It is apparent that impressed by the Qur’anic style and content, some amount of faith grows in your heart. But you tend to dismiss it by saying that this is poetry. Really! Can you assure yourself that this is poetry? You know that poetry has rhyme and rhythm. But the Qur’an is free of them. Poets make statements that have no basis in reason. Most of their ideas are windy and abstruse. In contrast, the Qur’an offers distinct concepts based on sound principles of logic. (How do you compare this with that)?”
وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (42)
(69:42) Nor the words of a soothsayer.25 Little it is that you heed.26
25. Shabbir again addresses the skeptics: “Think about it. This cannot be a soothsayer’s speech. Among the Arabs of the past there were plenty of soothsayers (as there are plenty of them now in the east and the west: Au.). They had contacts with the demons, Jinn, ghouls and witches. They used to feed these soothsayers with news of the future in words and phrases that could be best described as incongruous and mysterious. But their orations were not unique. One soothsayer’s oration matched with another’s. Anyone with a will could learn to say the same things. But this Qur’an is inimitable, unmatchable. The orations of the soothsayers are filled with redundant words. But the Qur’an has not a word in its entire content which is redundant. Soothsayers’ orations bore no message. The Qur’an has a coherent message that appeals to reason. It has laws and principles, a constitution and a model, information about this world and the next, past, present and future. (How does this compare with the orations of the soothsayers)?”
26. It is reported that when the Quraysh gathered together to arrive at a common response to the Prophet and his message, Nadr b. al-Harith said, “O Quraysh. By God you face a challenge, to face which you have not yet come up with any proper strategy. Muhammad has been among you the most pleasing person, the most trustworthy one, until when you had seen grey hair on his cheek, he came with that which you know. Now you say he is a sorcerer. No by God, he is not one. We have seen sorcerers, their blowing and their knots. Then you said he is a soothsayer. No by God, he is no soothsayer. We have seen soothsayers, their enigmatic sayings and utterances. Then you said he is a poet. Nay, he is no poet either. We have heard poetry of all kinds and classes. Then you said he is mad. But we have seen madness. None of its signs can be discerned here. O Quraysh, look into your situation, for you are facing a great challenge” (Sayyid).
تَنْزِيلٌ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (43)
(69:43) A sending down by the Lord of the worlds.27
27. We have a report in Ahmad’s collection,
`Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “Once I went out hoping to encounter the Prophet. That was before I embraced Islam. I found that he had overtaken me to the Grand Mosque. I stood behind him. He had started reciting Surah al-Haqqah. I was amazed by the composition of the Qur’an. I said, ‘By Allah, this is a poet as the Quraysh have been saying.’ Then he recited, ‘Surely, it is the words of a noble messenger. It is not the words of a poet; little it is that you believe.’ I said, ‘(He must be a) soothsayer.’ He recited, ‘Nor the words of a soothsayer. Little it is that you heed. A sending down by the Lord of the worlds’ .. to the end of the chapter. It was then that Islam entered into my heart to take firm root there” (Ibn Kathir, Alusi).
Haythami remarks that the above report is on the authority of Shurayh b. `Ubayd. But he had not met `Umar (Au.).
وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ (44)
(69:44) And, had he fastened upon us some sayings.
لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ (45)
(69:45) We would have surely seized him by the right hand.28
28. Another connotation is, “We shall seize him strongly” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir), and Naftawayh explained that it means, “We would have strongly held him from interpolating in the Qur’an” (Qurtubi).
Thanwi says that the rule is applicable in a lesser degree to the common men. If a charlatan claims “wilayah,” sooner or later he is exposed. If not, a simple rule may be employed. When scholars begin to doubt someone who lays a claim, he may be shunned.
ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ (46)
(69:46) Then We would have surely severed the life-vein.
فَمَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَاجِزِينَ (47)
(69:47) And none of you could have been a shield before it.29
29. That is, before the punishment.
That is, the pronoun “it” refers to the punishment. In other words, none of you could come between him and the punishment (Ibn Kathir, Thanwi).
وَإِنَّهُ لَتَذْكِرَةٌ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ (48)
(69:48) Assuredly it is30 a sure reminder unto the righteous.
30. That is, the Qur’an.
وَإِنَّا لَنَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مِنْكُمْ مُكَذِّبِينَ (49)
(69:49) While We know for certain that among you are deniers.
وَإِنَّهُ لَحَسْرَةٌ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ (50)
(69:50) But surely, it31 will definitely be a (cause of) regret for the unbelievers.
31. “It”, i.e., either this Reminder, or alternatively, this rejection (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
وَإِنَّهُ لَحَقُّ الْيَقِينِ (51)
(69:51) Yet indeed, it is the truth of certainty.32
32. Majid comments: “Every truth is itself certain, but certainty has degrees. First there is a certainty of reasoning or inference, known as Úáã ÇáíÞíä . Next there is a certainty of sense-perception called Úíä ÇáíÞíä . Last, there is a certainty, the highest degree of it, the absolute certainty, with no possibility of error, either of judgment or perception, and this is what is termed as ÍÞ ÇáíÞíä.”
فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ (52)
(69:52) So, glorify the name of your Lord, the Great.33
33. That is, writes Shafi` Deobandi, ignore, O Prophet, the reaction and responses of the pagans, polytheists and other unbelievers, and busy yourself with the exaltation of your Lord, as it was said elsewhere:
“And, certainly We are aware that your heart constricts over what they say. Therefore, celebrate the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves.”