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Al-Waqiah Section 1: The Three Kinds Of Groups Of Men

  • The Coming Of The Day Of Judgment

  • The Three Kinds Of Groups Of Men

Al-Waqiah Verses 1- 38

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful

إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ

“When happeneth the Event1“ (56:1)

لَيْسَ لِوَقْعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ

“There is not for its happening, any belying” (56:2)

خَافِضَةٌ رَافِعَةٌ

“(It shall be) Abasing (some and) Exalting (the others)” (56:3)

إِذَا رُجَّتِ الْأَرْضُ رَجًّا

“When the earth shall be shaken with a (tremendous) shaking2“ (56:4)

وَبُسَّتِ الْجِبَالُ بَسًّا

“And the mountains shall be crumbled a terrible crumbling” (56:5)

فَكَانَتْ هَبَاءً مُنْبَثًّا

“And they shall become scattered dust3“ (56:6)

وَكُنْتُمْ أَزْوَاجًا ثَلَاثَةً

“And ye shall be (sorted into) three kinds4“ (56:7)

فَأَصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ مَا أَصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ

“Then (will be) the people of the Right hand; Oh! What (a happy state shall) the people of the Right hand (be in)!5“ (56:8)

وَأَصْحَابُ الْمَشْأَمَةِ مَا أَصْحَابُ الْمَشْأَمَةِ

“And the people of the Left hand; Ah! What (a wretched state shall) the people of the Left hand be (in it)” (56:9)

وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ

“And the Foremost ones (in faith and virtue) shall be the Foremost ones (in receiving their reward)6“ (56:10)

أُولَٰئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ

“These are they who shall be brought nigh (unto God)7“ (56:11)

فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

“In the gardens of bliss” (56:12)

ثُلَّةٌ مِنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ

“(A group of the) numerous from among the first ones8“ (56:13)

وَقَلِيلٌ مِنَ الْآخِرِينَ

“A (group) few from among the later ones9“ (56:14)

عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مَوْضُونَةٍ

“On couches inwrought” (56:15)

مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَيْهَا مُتَقَابِلِينَ

“Reclining on them face to face” (56:16)

يَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ وِلْدَانٌ مُخَلَّدُونَ

“Around shall go about (serving) them youths of unchanging bloom10“ (56:17)

بِأَكْوَابٍ وَأَبَارِيقَ وَكَأْسٍ مِنْ مَعِينٍ

“With goblets and ewers and a cup of pure drink” (56:18)

لَا يُصَدَّعُونَ عَنْهَا وَلَا يُنْزِفُونَ

“Their brows ache not from it, nor faileth the sense11“ (56:19)

وَفَاكِهَةٍ مِمَّا يَتَخَيَّرُونَ

“And fruits, any that they choose12“ (56:20)

وَلَحْمِ طَيْرٍ مِمَّا يَشْتَهُونَ

“And the flesh of fowls, any that they like13“ (56:21)

وَحُورٌ عِينٌ

“And the Huries (maidens pure), with large (lovely) eyes14“ (56:22)

كَأَمْثَالِ اللُّؤْلُؤِ الْمَكْنُونِ

“Like unto pearls hidden (in their shells)15“ (56:23)

جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

“A recompense for what they used to do” (56:24)

لَا يَسْمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغْوًا وَلَا تَأْثِيمًا

“They shall hear not therein any frivolity, nor any taint of sin16“ (56:25)

إِلَّا قِيلًا سَلَامًا سَلَامًا

“Save (Naught) ‘Peace’ (and ever) ‘Peace!’ talked of17“ (56:26)

وَأَصْحَابُ الْيَمِينِ مَا أَصْحَابُ الْيَمِينِ

“And the people of Right hand! Oh! What (a happy state shall) the people of the Right hand (be in)!18“ (56:27)

فِي سِدْرٍ مَخْضُودٍ

“Amid thornless lote-trees” (56:28)

وَطَلْحٍ مَنْضُودٍ

“And banana-trees (with fruits) piled one above another” (56:29)

وَظِلٍّ مَمْدُودٍ

“And shade spread out” (56:30)

وَمَاءٍ مَسْكُوبٍ

“And water flowing” (56:31)

وَفَاكِهَةٍ كَثِيرَةٍ

“And fruit abundant” (56:32)

لَا مَقْطُوعَةٍ وَلَا مَمْنُوعَةٍ

“Neither failing (by season) nor (their free use) forbidden (by any)” (56:33)

وَفُرُشٍ مَرْفُوعَةٍ

“And on thrones exalted19“ (56:34)

إِنَّا أَنْشَأْنَاهُنَّ إِنْشَاءً

“Verily have We created them (The fair beautiful mates) as a (special) creation” (56:35)

فَجَعَلْنَاهُنَّ أَبْكَارًا

“And We have made them virgins pure” (56:36)

عُرُبًا أَتْرَابًا

“Lovable (by nature), equal in age” (56:37)

لِأَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ

“For the people of the Right hand” (56:38)

Commentary

Verse 1

The inevitable event is the resurrection for the final Judgement.

Verse 2

People may doubt about its taking place and when it comes, it will be a sudden occurring and will be such a reality that all the false notions against its happening, would vanish away20.

It will show the attitude of Qur’an towards the faith in the sure happening of the resurrection, asserting the fact that the whole process of creation bears the testimony to the designed end and this verse re-asserts that there is nothing in the process of creation to belie this (A.P.).

Verse 3

There will be a sorting out of good and evil. The disbelievers, even if they were high and mighty in this world, will be brought low; and the believers, irrespective of whether they occupied low or high position in this world, will be exalted to various ranks and degrees.

Verses 4- 5

The whole physical universe, the existing physical dimension will meet the destruction by its Creator, and a new creation in its place will come into existence21.

Verses 8 - 10

The Companions or the Fellows of the Right side - i.e., those who in the beginning of their lives were sinful but subsequently repented and got themselves amended and ended their lives in righteousness.

The Sides - ‘Right,’ (in verse 8) ‘Left’ in verse 9: and ‘Foremost’ in verse 10 - are relative terms which are used in Qur’an to indicate the sides inclined towards the Absolute One, the side inclined towards the material are, Many and the Foremost in the order of the beings in submission to the Absolute respectively22 (A.P.).

Verse 9

The companions or the fellows of the Left-side, i.e., those who from the beginning to the end of their lives were indulged in sinning and ended their lives in sins.

Verse 10

The Foremost - those who were foremost in faith, and its practice - were always in the forefront, whenever it was necessary for any service to God and goodness. Some say, that the reference is to those who were the foremost to belief in the Truth, viz. all the apostles of God and those who accepted the Truth, the Unity of God, when it was first declared by the Holy Prophet, those who were the foremost to offer the prayers along with the Holy Prophet like ‘Ali and Lady Khadija were with the Holy Prophet, in offering the prayers to God, those who were foremost in all the fights for God, those who from the beginning to the end of their lives were busy, serving God and none else.

The whole Muslim world would vouch the undeniable historic fact that all these qualities were only in ‘Ali and none else, for all the others had once been idol worshippers, which pollution never touched ‘Ali. It was ‘Ali who was the first to be with the Holy Prophet in faith and its practice.

It was ‘Ali who was the foremost in every battle that was fought for truth and stood to the last and was victorious in every occasion when the other companions had tied away deserting the Holy Prophet. It was ‘Ali who was the Foremost in faith and the Strongest one in it, when the other companions of the Holy Prophet doubted the bonafide of the Holy Prophet and even openly declared it at Hudaibiyya. The renowned Sunni Scholar Imam Ahmed Hambal in his famous work Musnad reports that ‘Siddiq’ the Truthful, i.e., those who were the foremost in believing the apostles of God were three men of God:

(1) The Mu’min (the Believer) of the people of Pharaoh

(2) The Mu’min (the Believer) of the people of Yaseen

(3) (‘Ali Ibn Abu Talib).

The well-known Sunni commentator Tha’labi reports of Ibn Abbas having said: that ‘Ali Ibn Abu Talib said: “I am the Servant of God, the Brother of the Holy Prophet and the ‘Siddiq-e-Akbar”, i.e., the greatest of the truthful ones - “and beside me any one who claims to be the ‘Siddiq al-Akbar’ is a liar” (M.S.).

Thus, from the above historic facts to the foremost one who deserves the title of ‘Saddiqonn’, i.e., the ‘Foremost One’ is ‘Ali, and no doubt the others also would be, but according to the degree or the extent to which they possess the above qualities. Under any circumstances, those who spent most of their lives in worshipping idols and lived the polluted pagan life and who maintained doubts about the Holy Prophet, and repeatedly deserted the faith, the ranks of the faithful and even the Holy Prophet at times of danger in the battle-fields and ran away from it, could never in any sense be brought under this category.

The First Holy Imam ‘Ali Ibn Abu Talib says: “The Holy Prophet told me, that Gabriel said to him that ‘Ali and his Shias, (i.e., devotees) are meant by the term ‘Sadiqun’, for they would be the foremost to enter heaven.” But to be a Shia or a devotee of ‘Ali is, the most difficult task. It is said that the Light of faith in God and His divine attributes would be manifested on the face of a true Shia of ‘Ali and the goodness of the divine personality of ‘Ali would be reflecting in his conduct and character. See the note on Shi’ism in the introduction. It must be remembered that Shi’ism is nothing but Islam-Original.

These are the ones referred to in verse 21:101, too far from the Hell and the other affliction - these are the same ones mentioned in 35:32, as the party First and Foremost in whatever is good - who are the inheritors of the Book.

Though these verses apply to all those who were topmost in submission and obedience to God, vet as a mark of distinction, it has been narrated from the Holy Prophet and the Imams of his house that ‘Sabiqun’ are four - among the children of Adam: -

1. Habeel (Abel) the son of Adam who was killed by his brother Qabeel (Cain).

2. Mu’min Aali-Firawn among the followers of Moses.

3. Habib Najjar - among the followers of Jesus.

4. ‘Ali Ibn Abu Talib of the followers of the Holy Prophet who is the Foremost of the Foremost. (A.P.).

Verses 11 - 12

Naturally the Foremost praised in the verse above would be the foremost towards the approach to God, i.e., the nearest to Him and naturally be in the Eternal Bliss.

Verse 13

The number of the Foremost ones, from Adam to the Holy Prophet, is great, i.e., those who believed in God and suffered the most for God and godliness.

Verses 13 - 14

The reason from the first (verse 13) group being many and from the later (verse 14) - is obvious as in term ‘Sabiqoon’ and ‘Muqurraboon’ all the prophets and their divinely commissioned successors (Ausiya) are included - and it is clear that the number of the prophets preceding the Hoy Prophet is greater than the number of ‘Sabiqoon’ and the ‘Muqarraboon’ the divinely ‘Ausiya’ or the successors who are limited to only Twelve as the Holy Prophet has declared ‘Al-Ainimato Ba’di Ithna-Ashar’ - The leaders or the guides after me are only Twelve and also said: ‘Man Maata ma lam ya’raf Imam Zamaneh faqad maata meetatal janiliya’ - He who died and did not recognise the Imam of his age; certainly died he the death of ignorance (S.B.) (A.P.).

Verse 14

Among the later generations the foremost ones will be few for among- the ancient ones there is the huge number of apostles of God and larger still is the number of their deputies and besides this huge number, are those of the believers who sacrificed themselves for the truth. Though, every sincere follower of the Holy Prophet, i.e., a True Muslim, is surely among those who would enter Paradise but the number of the ‘Sadiqoon in Islam could he of the holy Ahl Al-Bayt and the very few of their faithful devotees, who will be rarely found with the degree of the faith and wholehearted devotion to it.

This is the reason re: the people of right below the rank of the ‘Muqarraboon’ there is no question of the number being greater or lesser23 (A.P.).

Verse 28

Regarding the figurative description of the heavenly bliss given in verses 28-38 see our previous notes on it (A.P.).

Verse 34

‘Furash’ lit. means - Carpet or anything spread on ground. It has been applied to the earth itself24 , figuratively has been used for wives as the Holy Prophet has used ‘al-waladu li ‘l-Firaash’ - The child belongs to the bed (i.e., wife) and the wife belongs to husband. According to some commentators ‘Forush’ here means wives and the context of the next immediate verse also supports this. In which case it will mean exalted mates (A.P.).

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