Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
الواقعة
Al-Waqi'ah
The Inevitable · Meccan · 96 ayahs
56:1–7Page 534
إِذَا وَقَعَتِ ٱلۡوَاقِعَةُ ١
When the Occurrence occurs,
لَيۡسَ لِوَقۡعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ ٢
There is, at its occurrence, no denial.
خَافِضَةٞ رَّافِعَةٌ ٣
It will bring down [some] and raise up [others].1
إِذَا رُجَّتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ رَجّٗا ٤
When the earth is shaken with convulsion
وَبُسَّتِ ٱلۡجِبَالُ بَسّٗا ٥
And the mountains are broken down, crumbling
فَكَانَتۡ هَبَآءٗ مُّنۢبَثّٗا ٦
And become dust dispersing,
وَكُنتُمۡ أَزۡوَٰجٗا ثَلَٰثَةٗ ٧
And you become [of] three kinds:
In the present world, man observes that he is free to do whatever he likes. So the question of retribution in the Hereafter makes no impact on his mind. But the formation of the ‘other world’ is just as possible as the formation of the present world. When that time comes, the whole system will be reversed. Those who were higher in position will go down and those who were lower in position will be elevated. At that time human beings will be divided into three groups, the forward group (as-sabiqun), the people of the Right (ashab al-yamin) and the people of the Left (ashab ash-shimal).
56:8–26Page 534
فَأَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَيۡمَنَةِ مَآ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَيۡمَنَةِ ٨
Then the companions of the right - what are the companions of the right?1
وَأَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَشۡـَٔمَةِ مَآ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡمَشۡـَٔمَةِ ٩
And the companions of the left - what are companions of the left?1
وَٱلسَّٰبِقُونَ ٱلسَّٰبِقُونَ ١٠
And the forerunners, the forerunners1 -
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ ٱلۡمُقَرَّبُونَ ١١
Those are the ones brought near [to Allāh]
فِي جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ ١٢
In the Gardens of Pleasure,
ثُلَّةٞ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ١٣
A [large] company of the former peoples
وَقَلِيلٞ مِّنَ ٱلۡأٓخِرِينَ ١٤
And a few of the later peoples,
عَلَىٰ سُرُرٖ مَّوۡضُونَةٖ ١٥
On thrones woven [with ornament],
مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَيۡهَا مُتَقَٰبِلِينَ ١٦
Reclining on them, facing each other.
يَطُوفُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وِلۡدَٰنٞ مُّخَلَّدُونَ ١٧
There will circulate among them young boys made eternal
بِأَكۡوَابٖ وَأَبَارِيقَ وَكَأۡسٖ مِّن مَّعِينٖ ١٨
With vessels, pitchers and a cup [of wine] from a flowing spring -
لَّا يُصَدَّعُونَ عَنۡهَا وَلَا يُنزِفُونَ ١٩
No headache will they have therefrom, nor will they be intoxicated -
وَفَٰكِهَةٖ مِّمَّا يَتَخَيَّرُونَ ٢٠
And fruit of what they select
وَلَحۡمِ طَيۡرٖ مِّمَّا يَشۡتَهُونَ ٢١
And the meat of fowl, from whatever they desire.
وَحُورٌ عِينٞ ٢٢
And [for them are] fair women with large, [beautiful] eyes,
كَأَمۡثَٰلِ ٱللُّؤۡلُوِٕ ٱلۡمَكۡنُونِ ٢٣
The likenesses of pearls well-protected,
جَزَآءَۢ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ ٢٤
As reward for what they used to do.
لَا يَسۡمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغۡوٗا وَلَا تَأۡثِيمًا ٢٥
They will not hear therein ill speech or commission of sin -
إِلَّا قِيلٗا سَلَٰمٗا سَلَٰمٗا ٢٦
Only a saying [of] peace, peace.
The group at the forefront (as-sabiqun) will comprise of those who, immediately accept the Truth when it appears before them, and surrender themselves to it without hesitation. According to the Prophet’s wife, ‘A’ishah, the Prophet said, ‘Do you know, on the Day of Judgement, who will be the first to find a place in the protective shade of God?’ People said that God and His Prophet knew best. Then he said, ‘It will be those to whom Truth was presented and they accepted it. When Truth was demanded of them, they gave it. They gave the same decision with regard to others as they did with regard to themselves.’ (Tafsir ibn Kathir). In the early period of the call for Truth, for those who came forward and embraced Islam, it was a discovery. The generation coming after them, regarded Islam as a legacy. It is this difference between discovery and legacy which raises the status of first group over that of the second group. Naturally, the second group is larger in number than the first group. In the Hereafter, there will be ordinary rewards for the second group while, for the first group, there will be royal rewards.
56:27–40Page 535
وَأَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡيَمِينِ مَآ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡيَمِينِ ٢٧
The companions of the right - what are the companions of the right?
فِي سِدۡرٖ مَّخۡضُودٖ ٢٨
[They will be] among lote trees with thorns removed
وَطَلۡحٖ مَّنضُودٖ ٢٩
And [banana] trees layered [with fruit]
وَظِلّٖ مَّمۡدُودٖ ٣٠
And shade extended
وَمَآءٖ مَّسۡكُوبٖ ٣١
And water poured out
وَفَٰكِهَةٖ كَثِيرَةٖ ٣٢
And fruit, abundant [and varied],
لَّا مَقۡطُوعَةٖ وَلَا مَمۡنُوعَةٖ ٣٣
Neither limited [to season] nor forbidden,
وَفُرُشٖ مَّرۡفُوعَةٍ ٣٤
And [upon] beds raised high.
إِنَّآ أَنشَأۡنَٰهُنَّ إِنشَآءٗ ٣٥
Indeed, We have produced them [i.e., the women of Paradise] in a [new] creation
فَجَعَلۡنَٰهُنَّ أَبۡكَارًا ٣٦
And made them virgins,
عُرُبًا أَتۡرَابٗا ٣٧
Devoted [to their husbands] and of equal age,
لِّأَصۡحَٰبِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ ٣٨
For the companions of the right [who are]
ثُلَّةٞ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ٣٩
A company of the former peoples
وَثُلَّةٞ مِّنَ ٱلۡأٓخِرِينَ ٤٠
And a company of the later peoples.
‘Those on the Right’ (ashab al-yamin) means the ordinary people of paradise. This category includes all those people who, according to their belief and character, were pious. As regards faith, they were not in possession of a high degree of consciousness. However, they were sincere about God and His Prophet, and they maintained themselves on the path of justice and went in fear of God throughout their lives. In this category there will be a fair number of persons from the earlier period and a considerable number from the later period.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences