Ma'arif al-Qur'an · Tafsir · in English
Al-Waqi'ah 56:37–56
56:37–38Page 535
عُرُبًا أَتۡرَابٗا ٣٧
Devoted [to their husbands] and of equal age,
لِّأَصۡحَٰبِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ ٣٨
For the companions of the right [who are]
عُرُبًا (...amorous to their husbands,...56:37). The word ` urub, is the plural of ` arubah. This refers to a woman who loves her husband passionately and is his beloved.
أَتْرَابً (...matching them in age...56:37) The word atrab is the plural of tirb, meaning 'a person of equal age who played together with his mate in dust'. The verse means that men and women will be made of equal ages in Paradise. Some narrations report that they will be about thirty-three years old. [ Mazhari ]
56:39–56Page 535
ثُلَّةٞ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ٣٩
A company of the former peoples
وَثُلَّةٞ مِّنَ ٱلۡأٓخِرِينَ ٤٠
And a company of the later peoples.
وَأَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلشِّمَالِ مَآ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلشِّمَالِ ٤١
And the companions of the left - what are the companions of the left?
فِي سَمُومٖ وَحَمِيمٖ ٤٢
[They will be] in scorching fire and scalding water
وَظِلّٖ مِّن يَحۡمُومٖ ٤٣
And a shade of black smoke,
لَّا بَارِدٖ وَلَا كَرِيمٍ ٤٤
Neither cool nor beneficial.
إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ قَبۡلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُتۡرَفِينَ ٤٥
Indeed they were, before that, indulging in affluence,
وَكَانُواْ يُصِرُّونَ عَلَى ٱلۡحِنثِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ ٤٦
And they used to persist in the great violation,1
وَكَانُواْ يَقُولُونَ أَئِذَا مِتۡنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابٗا وَعِظَٰمًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبۡعُوثُونَ ٤٧
And they used to say, "When we die and become dust and bones, are we indeed to be resurrected?
أَوَءَابَآؤُنَا ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ ٤٨
And our forefathers [as well]?"
قُلۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ وَٱلۡأٓخِرِينَ ٤٩
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Indeed, the former and later peoples
لَمَجۡمُوعُونَ إِلَىٰ مِيقَٰتِ يَوۡمٖ مَّعۡلُومٖ ٥٠
Are to be gathered together for the appointment of a known Day."
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمۡ أَيُّهَا ٱلضَّآلُّونَ ٱلۡمُكَذِّبُونَ ٥١
Then indeed you, O those astray [who are] deniers,
لَأٓكِلُونَ مِن شَجَرٖ مِّن زَقُّومٖ ٥٢
Will be eating from trees of zaqqūm
فَمَالِـُٔونَ مِنۡهَا ٱلۡبُطُونَ ٥٣
And filling with it your bellies
فَشَٰرِبُونَ عَلَيۡهِ مِنَ ٱلۡحَمِيمِ ٥٤
And drinking on top of it from scalding water
فَشَٰرِبُونَ شُرۡبَ ٱلۡهِيمِ ٥٥
And will drink as the drinking of thirsty camels.
هَٰذَا نُزُلُهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلدِّينِ ٥٦
That is their accommodation on the Day of Recompense.
ثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ وَثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ الْآخِرِينَ (many from the earlier generations, and many from the later ones....56:39-40) In connection with sabiqun, (the Foremost) two views of the commentators were quoted earlier as to the identity of 'the earlier' and the 'later' generations. If 'the earlier' refers to the generations from 'Adam (علیہ السلام) to the period just prior to the advent of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and 'the later generations' refers to the 'Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ till the Day of Judgment, as some of the commentators have opined, then the verses would mean: 'the People of the Right' will constitute a 'large party' of believers and the righteous from all the previous communities combined together, while there will be a 'large party' from the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ alone. In this case, it is a great honor for the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that, despite the short period they lived in this world, they could be compared to all the previous communities who were headed by hundreds of thousands of Prophets (علیہم السلام) . Besides, the words 'many from the later generations' has the scope of being larger in number than the 'many from the earlier generations'.
If we go by the second view of the commentators, who say that both 'earlier' and 'later' generations are from the ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، then even the later generations of this ummah will not be totally deprived of 'the Foremost', though their number in later generations will be less. As for the People of the Right, their number will be large in both 'earlier' and 'later' generations. This fact is proved by a Hadith reported by Bukhari and Muslim from Sayyidna Mu` awiyah ؓ in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said, 'A group of my 'Ummah will always remain on the truth and dominant, unharmed by those who fail to support them and those who defy them, until the Last Hour begins.'.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences