CHAPTER 69: AL-HAQQAH(THE SURE REALITY)

It was revealed in the Mecca period. It consists of 52 verses. It takes its name from the first verse, which means "the reality of the Resurrection whose occurrence is certain." (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/565)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

69/1-8 WHAT IS THE INEVITABLE REALITY? WHAT IS THAT WHICH IS TO TAKE PLACE?

Translation

1- The Inevitable Reality.

2- What is the Inevitable Reality?

3- And what can make you know what is the Inevitable Reality?

4- Thamud and 'Ad denied the Striking Calamity (the Resurrection).

5- So as for Thamud, they were destroyed by the overpowering blast (and earthquake).

6- And as for 'Ad, they were destroyed by a screaming, violent wind

7- Which Allah imposed upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so you would see the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees.

8- Then do you see of them any remains?

Commentary

(1, 2) ‘The Inevitable Reality.’ Al-Haqqah is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection. This is because the promised reward and punishment will take place on that day. ‘(Yes,) what is that which is certainly to take place?’ This question is intended to exalt the status of the Resurrection and to emphasize the greatness of its terror. (S. HAWWA, 15/301)

(3) ‘Indeed, what can make you know what that inevitable reality (Resurrection) is?’ Nesefi says: "You cannot comprehend its true nature and the limits of its greatness. For it is so great and severe that the knowledge of creatures will not be sufficient to grasp it." (S. HAWWA, 15/302)

(4) ‘Thamud and 'Ad denied that (Resurrection) which is to come with terror.’ In the fourth verse, the name "al-Qari'ah" (the Striking Calamity) is used for the Resurrection. Qari'ah means an event that strikes people's heads, explodes in their brains, and makes them shudder with its terrifying states. Their denial caused their destruction. (O. CELIK, 5/221)

(5) ‘As for Thamud, they were destroyed by a terrifying sound (and earthquake).’ The people of Thamud were destroyed by "taghiyah," an overwhelming disaster that exceeds all bounds. This disaster was a "terrible cry" (cf. Hud 11/94) followed by a "terrifying earthquake" (cf. A'raf 7/78). (O. CELIK, 5/221)

(6, 7) ‘As for 'Ad, they were destroyed by a violent storm.’ ‘(Allah) imposed it upon them for seven nights and eight days, one after the other. (Had you been there then) you would have seen that people fallen like hollow trunks of palm trees.’ The people of 'Ad were destroyed by a freezing hurricane that blew incessantly for seven nights and eight days—ominous, rebellious, severe, roaring, twisting and tossing what it encountered, and turning it into ashes. They were laid out on the ground like palm trunks that had been uprooted and emptied inside. (O. CELIK, 5/221)

Hadith: "I was helped with the saba (east) wind, and the people of 'Ad were destroyed by the dabur (west) wind." (From Bukhari; S. HAWWA 15/312)

(8) ‘Now, do you see anything remaining of them?’ Do you see a surviving soul or any permanence? Ibn Kathir says: "Do you know them or anyone belonging to them? On the contrary, all of them were destroyed to the last individual; Allah did not leave a single person remaining from them." (S. HAWWA, 15/303)

69/9-18 THAT DAY YOU WILL BE BROUGHT FORTH FOR ACCOUNT

Translation

9- And Pharaoh, and those before him, and the overturned cities (the people of Lot) all committed that sin.

10- And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a seizure exceeding [in severity].

11- Indeed, when the water overflowed (in the flood), We carried you (your ancestors) in the sailing ship,

12- That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it.

13- Then when the Horn is blown with a single blast,

14- And the earth and the mountains are lifted and leveled with a single blow,

15- Then on that Day, the Occurrence (Resurrection) will occur,

16- And the heaven will split [open], for that Day it is infirm (pitiable),

17- And the angels are at its edges. And there will bear the Throne of your Lord above them, that Day, eight [of them].

18- That Day, you will be exhibited (before Allah), not [even] a secret among you will be hidden.

Commentary

(9, 10) ‘Pharaoh, and those before him, and the overturned cities (the people of Lot) all committed that sin.’ By "overturned cities," the settlements of the people of Lot (Sodom and Gomorrah) are meant. Furthermore, regarding this, it is stated in Surah Hud verse 82 and Surah al-Hijr verse 74: "We turned them upside down." (MAWDUDI, 6/407)

(11, 12) ‘(Know that) when the water (rose and) overflowed (with the flood), We carried you (your descendants) in the sailing (ship).’ Even though those who boarded Prophet Noah’s ark lived thousands of years ago, all subsequent human generations are the descendants of those who survived that flood. For this reason, it is said, "We carried you in the ship." (O. CELIK, 5/222)

‘That We might make it for you a reminder (and a lesson), and that conscious ear(s) would be conscious of it.’ We did this work—that is, the work of saving the believers and drowning the disbelievers—as a lesson and a reminder, so that ears that understand this blessing may understand and remember it. In other words, We did it so that everyone who possesses a sound ear and a superior mind may understand this blessing and not forget it. (S. HAWWA, 15/303, 304)

(13, 14) ‘Then when the Horn is blown with a single blast,’ (...) Israfil, one of the four archangels, will blow the trumpet named Sur twice; at the first blast, all living beings in the universe will die, and at the second blast, living beings will be resurrected. These verses, which depict scenes of the Resurrection, are connected to verses 1-3, explaining them and describing how the event called the Resurrection will occur and how worldly life will thus end. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/444)

‘And the earth and the mountains are lifted and leveled with a single blow,’ That is, when the earth and mountains are struck against each other in such a way that they become a pile of soft sand and dust. Ibn Kathir says: "When the earth takes another shape, being stretched like tanned leather." (S. HAWWA, 15/304)

(15) ‘Then on that Day,’ when that second blast occurs, causing a single strike and demolition, ‘the Occurrence will have occurred.’ That is, the Resurrection, which is the greatest calamity, has broken out. The secret of "There is no denier of its occurrence. It is an abaser and an exalter" (al-Waqi'ah 56/2, 3) has been revealed, and everyone in the heavens and the earth, except those Allah wills, has been leveled in a faint. (ELMALILI, 8/306)

(16, 17) ‘And the heaven will split open, for that Day it is infirm and sagging.’ Allah knows best, but the secret of "The Day the heaven is split open with clouds, and the angels are sent down, rank upon rank" (al-Furqan 25/25) has appeared; the sun and moon are eclipsed, the stars have disappeared from sight, and the sky—not yet folded—has split and its edges hang down with the appearance of a mournful, sorrowful, misty face and a cloud that brings sadness. (ELMALILI, 8/307)

‘The angels are at its edges,’ fearing the splitting of the heaven and moving from the split parts toward the edges, the directions that have not split; or they are lined up rank upon rank on the edges opened by the split part, or they are lined up at the edges of the earth. (ELMALILI, 8/307)

‘And that Day, eight (angels) will bear the Throne of your Lord above them.’ That is, on the Day of Resurrection, eight angels above the angels at the edges of the heaven will carry the Throne of your Lord. The "eight" here may mean eight angels, eight classes, or eight rows of angels. The strongest view is that it refers to eight angels who carry the Throne. (S. HAWWA, 15/304, 305)

(...) "The angels who carry the Throne" can also be understood as the angels whom Allah has tasked with the functioning of the universe. While the material world, one of the many worlds Allah created, dissolves, His order and sovereignty (the Throne) in other worlds will continue. Nonetheless, scholars such as Imam Abu Hanifa, Ash'ari, and Maturidi, considering the verse to be among the mutashabihat (allegorical), thought that the most correct attitude is to accept the expression as it is and confess that we cannot know what it means. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/445)

This verse is from the mutashabihat. It is difficult for us to know its exact meaning. We do not know the nature of the Throne or how eight angels will carry it on the Day of Resurrection. Whatever the case may be, it cannot be thought that Allah will sit upon the Throne and that the other eight angels will carry Him. There is no such expression in the verse stating that Allah will be sitting on the Throne. Since Allah is transcendent beyond body, place, and direction, the Holy Quran prevents us from thinking in this way. (MAWDUDI, 6/407)

(18) ‘That Day, you will be exhibited (before Allah), not even a secret among you will be hidden.’ After the earth and mountains are violently shaken and become pieces of dust and smoke, and after the sky splits and angels descend, all people are resurrected, stand up, and are presented before Allah to be called to account. None of their deeds, not even their slightest state, remains hidden from Allah. The secret of "The Day when all secrets are laid bare" (at-Tariq 86/9) will manifest. (O. CELIK, 5/223)

‘That Day (in the hereafter) you are presented to Allah.’ In the hereafter, all people, including prophets, are questioned about whether they believed in the world and whether they fulfilled their duties of servitude. Believers are drawn into an easy account. (I. KARAGOZ,8/211).

Hadith: According to what Ahmad b. Hanbel narrated from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "People are presented three times on the Day of Resurrection. Two of these presentations are arguments and objections, but at the third, the scrolls fly in the hands. Some take it from their right, and some from their left." (S. HAWWA, 15/314)

69/19-24 THOSE WHOSE BOOK (RECORD) IS GIVEN IN THEIR RIGHT HAND

Translation

19- Then as for him who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, "Here, read my record!

20- Indeed, I was certain that I would meet my account."

21- So he will be in a pleasant life—

22- In an elevated garden,

23- Its [clusters of] fruits hanging low.

24- [They will be told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you sent before you in the days past."

Commentary

(19, 20) ‘Then (on that day) he whose record is given in his right hand says: 'Here, read my record! Indeed, I was certain that I would meet my account.'‘ What is meant by "record" is the register of deeds; the fact that a person's register of deeds is given from the right side at the place of gathering indicates that he lived a life in accordance with Allah's command, honest and virtuous, and therefore his record is clean. A person in this situation understands that he is among those who have attained salvation through Allah's grace and wants to share his happiness with others by saying, "Here, read my record." (QUR’AN WAY from Râzi, 5/447)

Hadith: When Ibn Umar was asked what "najwa" (secret conversation) was, he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say: "Allah brings the servant close (to Himself) on the Day of Resurrection. Then the servant confesses all his sins to Him. When he realizes that he is finally doomed, Allah the Almighty says to him: 'Indeed, I concealed your sins in the world, and today I forgive them.' Then the book in which his good deeds are written is given from his right. As for the disbeliever and the hypocrite, the witnesses say, 'These are the ones who lied about their Lord. Know that the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers.' (Hud 11/18)." (S. HAWWA, 15/314)

(21, 22, 23) ‘So he will be in a pleasant life. In an elevated garden’ in a paradise where palaces are high, houris are very beautiful, mansions are established, and blessings are continuous. Nesefi says: "In a paradise whose location is high, or its degrees are high, or its buildings and palaces are high. 'Its fruits hang low.'" Its fruits are close to those who desire them. Those standing, sitting, or reclining can reach them easily. (S. HAWWA, 15/305)

Hadith: Regarding the verse "In an elevated garden," Ibn Kathir says: According to what Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Abu Salam al-Aswad, he said: I heard Abu Umama say: A man asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh): "Do the people of Paradise visit each other?" He replied: "Yes, those in higher degrees descend to those in lower degrees and give them greetings. Those in lower degrees cannot ascend to the higher ones. Their deeds hold them back." (S. HAWWA, 15/314, 315)

(24) ‘(It is said to them) 'Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you previously performed in days past.'‘ Eat and drink with appetite in return for the righteous deeds you performed in advance during the days in the world, without there being anything unpleasant or disturbing in eating and drinking them. (S. HAWWA, 15/305)

Hadith: "Perform deeds and follow the middle path in your deeds (if you cannot perform them perfectly), do what is close to it. Know that the deeds of none of you can put you into Paradise." The companions asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Not even you?" He said: "Not even me. Unless Allah encloses me with mercy and grace from His presence." (Muslim Munafiqun 76; Bukhari Riqaq 18; Ibn Majah Zuhd 20; There is a Sahih hadith explanation from Ibn Kathir, S. HAWWA 15/315)

69/25-37 AS FOR THE ONE GIVEN HIS RECORD FROM HIS LEFT SIDE

Translation

25- But as for him who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, "Oh, I wish that I had not been given my record

26- And had not known what is my account.

27- I wish that it (death) had been the end!

28- My wealth has not availed me;

29- Gone from me is my authority."

30- [Allah will say], "Seize him and shackle him.

31- Then into Hellfire burn him.

32- Then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits thrust him."

33- Indeed, he was not believing in Allah, the Most Great,

34- Nor did he encourage the feeding of the poor.

35- So there is not for him here this Day any close friend,

36- Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds;

37- None will eat it except the sinners.

Commentary

(25) ‘But as for him who is given his record from his left, he will say: 'I wish I had not been given my record!'‘ These are the sinful, wretched disbelievers. He says this because of the ignominy he will see in his record. (S. HAWWA, 15/306)

(27) ‘I wish that (death) had been the end (of everything)!’ I wish the death I tasted in the world had put an end to my life so that I would not be resurrected and see what I am seeing now. (S. HAWWA, 15/306)

(28) ‘My wealth has not availed me.’ That is, "What use was my wealth to me?" It was of no use. If it was useful, it was useful to others. For me, only its longing and punishment remained. (ELMALILI, 8/317)

(29) ‘Gone from me is my (entire) authority.’ My property, sovereignty, wealth, and riches in which I took pride, with which I acted arrogantly, and on which I relied, or all the evidence and supports I held onto (have vanished). I have remained poor, powerless, and helpless amidst calamities. Such a word of regret and longing clearly belongs to those owners of wealth and authority who relied on worldly power, kept their accounts wrong, and committed injustice and tyranny by denying that they would be punished even though they punished others. (ELMALILI, 8/317)

(30, 32) ‘Thrust him into a chain whose length is seventy cubits (throw him into hell)!’ Since the afterlife is from the realm of the unseen (ghayb), Allah describes the information about it to His servants in the world through allegories (tamthili). Razi, in the interpretation of another similar verse (cf. Ibrahim 14/49), put forward that such expressions are a metaphor expressing the sinners' own actions and tendencies, and consequently the general despair they will collectively fall into in the next world. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/448)

‘...throw him into hell’ The wisdom of this command is explained with these two sentences: First, ‘Because that person did not believe in Allah the Most Great.’ Second: ‘He did not encourage the feeding of the destitute.’ He did not look after the poor of the people, did not care what they ate, did not understand their situation, did not seek ways to care for them, did not provide help, and just as he did not care himself, he did not encourage others either; furthermore, he could not be humble enough to be present at a meal for the poor himself, oppressed the people just to maintain his sovereignty, and did not think of protecting them. (ELMALILI, 8/319)

(33, 34) The fact that insensitivity regarding looking after the poor is mentioned immediately after the lack of belief in Allah as one of the main reasons for a person being shackled shows the importance Islam gives to sharing and social justice. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/448)

(35, 36, 37) ‘There is no food (and drink) except from the discharge of wounds.’ (...) For the word "ghislin" in the 36th verse, commentators have given the meanings "a plant eaten by the people of hell, the worst food, the discharge flowing from the burning bodies of the people of hell." (From Shawkani, QUR’AN WAY, 5/448)

In the 36th and 37th verses, it is reported that the disbelievers will eat pus in hell. Just as in heaven, there is no death in hell. In contrast to all kinds of beautiful, pure, and delicious food and drinks in heaven, there are many painful punishments in hell such as zaqqum, thorns, and pus as food, and boiling water as a drink, and pouring boiling water over them. (74/38, 39; 52/21, 56/51-54, 78/25, 88/4-8; I. KARAGOZ,8/215)

69/38-52 IT IS REVEALED BY THE LORD OF THE WORLDS

Translation

38- So I swear by what you see

39- And what you do not see

40- [That] indeed, it is the word of a noble Messenger.

41- And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.

42- Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember.

43- [It is] a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

44- And if he (the Prophet) had made up about Us some [false] sayings,

45- We would have seized him by the right hand;

46- Then We would have cut from him the aorta.

47- And there is no one of you who could prevent [Us] from him.

48- And indeed, it is a reminder for the righteous.

49- And indeed, We know that among you are deniers.

50- And indeed, it will be a [cause of] regret upon the disbelievers.

51- And indeed, it is the truth of certainty.

52- So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great.

Commentary

(38-40) ‘So I swear by what you see and what you do not see;’ This includes everything that can and cannot be seen, observed or unobserved, secret or open, and all matters that have happened or will happen. (ELMALILI, 8/321) "What is seen" are those observed in the world, and "what is not seen" are those that are ghayb (unseen). Therefore, these two concepts include the world, the hereafter, bodies, souls, humans, jinn, creatures, creations, outward and inward blessings, and everything else worthy of being sworn upon. (I. H. BURSEVI, 22/225) ‘Indeed, the Quran is surely the word of a most noble messenger (brought from Allah).’ The "most noble messenger in the sight of Allah" mentioned in the verse refers to our Prophet (pbuh). The evidence that it refers to him is that the word "messenger" is followed by the rejection of the terms "poet" and "soothsayer" in the subsequent verses. For the verse was sent down to demonstrate and prove that the Prophet is neither a poet nor a soothsayer. Since the pagans did not call Gabriel a poet or a soothsayer, the "messenger" here must be our Prophet. (I. H. BURSEVI, 22/227)

(41, 42) ‘The Quran is not the word of a poet.’ The Quran is not the word of a poet as you claim. ‘How little you believe!’ Here, the "littleness" of faith is intended to express the total absence of faith in them. ‘Nor is it the word of a soothsayer. How little you reflect!’ The "littleness" of reflection also means having no reflection at all. (S. HAWWA, 15/309)

(44-47) ‘If (the Prophet) had fabricated some sayings on Our behalf, We would have seized him with power / taken his 'strength and power,' then We would have cut his life-vein (aorta). None of you could have prevented this.’ (...) Although these verses address the Prophet (pbuh), they were actually revealed to demonstrate that the pagans' value judgments regarding the Quran are absolutely incorrect. For it is impossible for the Prophet to engage in such behavior, nor is it possible for Allah to allow him to do such a thing due to the attribute of ismah (sinlessness). Does Almighty Allah then threaten the Prophet for something impossible? Of course, it is impossible to think so. For (...) these verses were not revealed to correct a—God forbid—wrong opinion of the Prophet (pbuh), but rather to correct the beliefs of the pagans regarding the Holy Quran. Such being the case, it can be said that the purpose of revealing these verses is both to show that the Quran is a divine book revealed from the presence of Allah and to confirm the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh). (M. DEMIRCI, 3/419)

(48) ‘Indeed, it is a reminder for the righteous.’ Undoubtedly, the Quran is a reminder for the believers who carry the quality of taqwa. This is a feature that shows the Quran is from the presence of Allah. Being a reminder, it reminds the people of taqwa about Allah, the Day of Judgment, and the things that must be done as obedience to Allah. (S. HAWWA, 15/310) But the situation is not like that. Therefore, Almighty Allah says: "We certainly know that there are those among you who deny." That is, despite this clear declaration, there will be those among you who deny the Quran. (S. HAWWA, 15/310)

(50) ‘And because that Quran’ is ‘a true regret upon the disbelievers’ who do not know its value and act ungratefully. When they see the reward that the people of taqwa receive on the Day of Resurrection, they will remain in an eternal longing and sigh. (ELMALILI, 8/328)

(51) ‘Indeed, the Quran is the absolute truth.’ Far from being of the nature of poetry, soothsaying, suspicion, or guesswork, it is even higher than ilm al-yaqin (certainly acquired knowledge) and ayn al-yaqin (knowing the essence of something by seeing it with one's own eye); it is haqq al-yaqin (that in whose reality there is no doubt). (ELMALILI, 8/328) Undoubtedly, the things found in this Quran are truths completely distant from falsehood. Since the things the Quran contains are true, one of its characteristics is giving advice, and Muhammad (pbuh) is a prophet whose word and essence are true, there remains no room for doubt that the Quran comes from the presence of Allah and that what it says is true. Since what the Quran says informs about the Resurrection, the Resurrection is also right and true. (S. HAWWA, 15/311)

(52) ‘Exalt (and hallow) the name of your Great Lord.’ Tasbih (exaltation) includes the meanings of expressing that Allah is far from deficiencies and expressing His greatness; confessing the truth of His words; confirmation, servitude, and submission. (S. KUTUB, 10/170)

Hadith: "Recite this last verse in your ruku (bowing)." (Abu Dawud Salat 147, Ibn Majah Iqamah 20, Ahmad b. Hanbel 4/155; I. H. BURSEVI, 22/238)