(Revealed before Hijrah)
Date of Revelation and Context
This is the last of the group of seven Chapters which begin with Surah Qaf. These seven Chapters were revealed at Mecca, more or less at the same time, in the early years of the Holy Prophet's ministry. Naturally, therefore, they are very much similar in tone and tenor; but in no other case perhaps, is this similarity so marked as it is between this Surah and its predecessor, Surah Al-Rahman. The subject in Surah AI-Rahman is completed in this Surah and thus it forms a befitting sequel to Surah Al-Rahman. In Surah Al-Rahman, for instance, three groups of people-(a) those fortunate ones who are granted special nearness to God, (b) the general body of believers who have achieved Divine pleasure, and (c) the rejectors of Divine Messengers-were referred to only by implication.
In the present Surah, however, they have been expressly mentioned. The Surah dealing particularly with the important subjects of the Resurrection, Revelation and the repudiation of idolatry, was quite appropriately revealed early at Mecca where the preaching of the Quranic Message was directed exclusively to the idolatrous Quraish, who believed neither in resurrection nor in Revelation. The seven Chapters also contain certain prophecies about the great and glorious future of Islam, side by side with direct and emphatic mention of the inevitability of the Resurrection, thus drawing attention to the inescapable conclusion that the fulfillment of those prophecies about the progress of Islam would prove that the Resurrection was also an undeniable fact.
Subject-Matter
The Surah opens with a firm and emphatic declaration that the great and Inevitable Event, which was foretold in the preceding Surah, will most surely come to pass, and when it came to pass it will shake the earth to its depths, and the mountains shall be shattered, causing a new world to emerge from the ashes of the old. Further, as a result of this Great Event people will become sorted out into three groups: (a) The fortunate ones who will enjoy God's special nearness, (b) the true and righteous believers who will receive handsome rewards for their good deeds and (c) the unfortunate disbelievers who will be punished for their evil deeds.
The Surah then gives a graphic description of the Divine blessings and favors in store for the first two classes, following with a description of the punishment to be meted out to the deniers of the Divine Message. Next, it advances the usual argument of the creation of man and of his development from a seminal drop into a full-fledged human being, to prove his second birth after death. Towards its close the Surah reverts to the subject with which it had begun, and explains that the great reformation to which it refers in its opening verses will be brought about by the Qur'an which is indubitably the revealed Word of God; and which is protected and guarded like a precious treasure. The Surah closes with a beautiful homily that when the inevitable end of all life is death, from which there is no escape, then why should people be neglectful of this hard fact and consign God to oblivion?
 بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
[56:1] In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.[2955]
 إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ
[56:2] When the Event[2956] comes to pass —
 لَيْسَ لِوَقْعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ
[56:3] None can say that its coming to pass is a lie —
 خَافِضَةٌ رَافِعَةٌ
[56:4] Some it will bring low, others it will exalt.[2957]
 إِذَا رُجَّتِ الأَرْضُ رَجًّا
[56:5] When the earth will be shaken with a terrible shaking,[2958]
 وَبُسَّتِ الْجِبَالُ بَسًّا
[56:6] And the mountains will be shattered — a complete shattering.
 فَكَانَتْ هَبَاءً مُنْبَثًّا
[56:7] They shall all become like dust particles scattered about,
 وَكُنتُمْ أَزْوَاجًا ثَلاَثَةً
[56:8] And you shall be divided into three groups:
 فَأَصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ مَا أَصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ
[56:9] First, those on the right hand — how lucky are those on the right hand![2959] —
 وَأَصْحَابُ الْمَشْأَمَةِ مَا أَصْحَابُ الْمَشْأَمَةِ
[56:10] Second, those on the left hand — how unlucky are those on the left hand![2960] —
 وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ
[56:11] Third, the foremost[2961]; they are the foremost;
 أُوْلَئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ
[56:12] They will have achieved nearness to God.
 فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ
[56:13] They will be in the Gardens of Bliss —
 ثُلَّةٌ مِنَ الأَوَّلِينَ
[56:14] A large party from among the early Muslims,
 وَقَلِيلٌ مِنَ الآخِرِينَ
[56:15] And a few from the later ones,
 عَلَى سُرُرٍ مَوْضُونَةٍ
[56:16] Seated on couches inwrought with gold and jewels[2962],
 مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَيْهَا مُتَقَابِلِينَ
[56:17] Reclining thereon facing each other.
 يَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ وِلْدَانٌ مُخَلَّدُونَ
[56:18] There will wait on them youths, who will not age,[2963]
 بِأَكْوَابٍ وَأَبَارِيقَ وَكَأْسٍ مِنْ مَعِينٍ
[56:19] Carrying goblets and ewers and cups filled out of a flowing spring —
 لاَ يُصَدَّعُونَ عَنْهَا وَلاَ يُنزِفُونَ
[56:20] No headache will they get therefrom, nor will they be intoxicated —
 وَفَاكِهَةٍ مِمَّا يَتَخَيَّرُونَ
[56:21] And carrying such fruits as they choose,
 وَلَحْمِ طَيْرٍ مِمَّا يَشْتَهُونَ
[56:22] And flesh of birds as they may desire.
 وَحُورٌ عِينٌ
[56:23] And there will be fair maidens with wide, lovely eyes,
 كَأَمْثَالِ اللُّؤْلُؤِ الْمَكْنُونِ
[56:24] Like pearls, well preserved,
 جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
[56:25] As a reward for what they did.
 لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغْوًا وَلاَ تَأْثِيمًا
[56:26] They will not hear therein any vain or sinful talk,
 إِلاَّ قِيلاً سَلاَمًا سَلاَمًا
[56:27] Except only the word of salutation, ‘Peace, peace.’[2964]
 وَأَصْحَابُ الْيَمِينِ مَا أَصْحَابُ الْيَمِينِ
[56:28] And as for those on the right hand — how lucky are those on the right hand! —
 فِي سِدْرٍ مَخْضُودٍ
[56:29] They will be amidst thornless lote-trees,[2965]
 وَطَلْحٍ مَنْضُودٍ
[56:30] And clustered bananas,[2966]
 وَظِلٍّ مَمْدُودٍ
[56:31] And extended shade,
 وَمَاءٍ مَسْكُوبٍ
[56:32] And flowing water,
 وَفَاكِهَةٍ كَثِيرَةٍ
[56:33] And abundant fruit,
 لاَ مَقْطُوعَةٍ وَلاَ مَمْنُوعَةٍ
[56:34] Neither failing, nor forbidden,[2967]
 وَفُرُشٍ مَرْفُوعَةٍ
[56:35] And they will have noble spouses[2967A] —
 إِنَّا أَنشَأْنَاهُنَّ إِنشَاءً
[56:36] Verily, We have created them a good creation,
 فَجَعَلْنَاهُنَّ أَبْكَارًا
[56:37] And made them virgins,
 عُرُبًا أَتْرَابًا
[56:38] Loving, of equal age[2968]
 لأَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ
[56:39] With those on the right hand:
 ثُلَّةٌ مِنَ الأَوَّلِينَ
[56:40] A large party from among the early Muslims,
 وَثُلَّةٌ مِنَ الآخِرِينَ
[56:41] And a large party from the later ones.
 وَأَصْحَابُ الشِّمَالِ مَا أَصْحَابُ الشِّمَالِ
[56:42] But as for those on the left hand — how unlucky are those on the left hand! —
 فِي سَمُومٍ وَحَمِيمٍ
[56:43] They will be in the midst of scorching winds and scalding water,[2969]
 وَظِلٍّ مِنْ يَحْمُومٍ
[56:44] And under the shadow of black smoke,
 لاَ بَارِدٍ وَلاَ كَرِيمٍ
[56:45] Neither cool nor of any good.
 إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ مُتْرَفِينَ
[56:46] Before this they lived a life of ease and plenty
 وَكَانُوا يُصِرُّونَ عَلَى الْحِنثِ الْعَظِيمِ
[56:47] And used to persist in extreme sinfulness.
 وَكَانُوا يَقُولُونَ أَئِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَئِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ
[56:48] And they were wont to say, ‘What! when we are dead and have become dust and bones, shall we indeed be raised again,[2970]
 أَوَ آبَاؤُنَا الأَوَّلُونَ
[56:49] ‘And our fathers of yore too?’
 قُلْ إِنَّ الأَوَّلِينَ وَالآخِرِينَ
[56:50] Say, ‘Yes, the earlier ones and the later ones
 لَمَجْمُوعُونَ إِلَى مِيقَاتِ يَوْمٍ مَعْلُومٍ
[56:51] ‘Will all be gathered together unto the fixed time of an appointed day.
 ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ أَيُّهَا الضَّالُّونَ الْمُكَذِّبُونَ
[56:52] ‘Then, O ye that have gone astray and have rejected the truth,
 لَآكِلُونَ مِنْ شَجَرٍ مِنْ زَقُّومٍ
[56:53] ‘You will surely eat of the tree of Zaqqum,
 فَمَالِئُونَ مِنْهَا الْبُطُونَ
[56:54] ‘And will fill your bellies therewith,
 فَشَارِبُونَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْحَمِيمِ
[56:55] ‘And will drink thereon of boiling water,
 فَشَارِبُونَ شُرْبَ الْهِيمِ
[56:56] ‘Drinking like the drinking of the camels that suffer from an insatiable thirst.’[2971]
 هَذَا نُزُلُهُمْ يَوْمَ الدِّينِ
[56:57] This will be their entertainment on the Day of Judgment.
 نَحْنُ خَلَقْنَاكُمْ فَلَوْلاَ تُصَدِّقُونَ
[56:58] We have created you. Why, then, do you not accept the truth?
 أَفَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تُمْنُونَ
[56:59] What think ye of the sperm-drop that you emit?
 أَأَنْتُمْ تَخْلُقُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْخَالِقُونَ
[56:60] Is it you who have created it or are We the Creator?
 نَحْنُ قَدَّرْنَا بَيْنَكُمُ الْمَوْتَ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ
[56:61] We have ordained death for all of you; and We cannot be prevented
 عَلَى أَنْ نُبَدِّلَ أَمْثَالَكُمْ وَنُنْشِئَكُمْ فِي مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ
[56:62] From bringing in your place others like you, and from developing you into a form which at present you know not.[2972]
 وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ النَّشْأَةَ الأُولَى فَلَوْلاَ تَذكَّرُونَ
[56:63] And you have certainly known the first creation. Why, then, do you not reflect?
 أَفَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تَحْرُثُونَ
[56:64] Do you see what you sow?[2973]
 أَأَنْتُمْ تَزْرَعُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِعُونَ
[56:65] Is it you who grow it or are We the Grower?
 لَوْ نَشَاءُ لَجَعَلْنَاهُ حُطَامًا فَظَلَلْتُمْ تَتَفَكَّهُونَ
[56:66] If We so pleased, We could reduce it all to broken pieces, then you would keep lamenting:
 إِنَّا لَمُغْرَمُونَ
[56:67] ‘We are ruined!
 بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ
[56:68] ‘Nay, we are deprived of everything.’
 أَفَرَأَيْتُمْ الْمَاءَ الَّذِي تَشْرَبُونَ
[56:69] Do you see the water which you drink?
 أَأَنْتُمْ أَنزَلْتُمُوهُ مِنْ الْمُزْنِ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنزِلُونَ
[56:70] Is it you who send it down from the clouds, or are We the Sender?
 لَوْ نَشَاءُ جَعَلْنَاهُ أُجَاجًا فَلَوْلاَ تَشْكُرُونَ
[56:71] If We so pleased, We could make it bitter. Why, then, are you not grateful?
 أَفَرَأَيْتُمُ النَّارَ الَّتِي تُورُونَ
[56:72] Do you see the fire[2974] which you kindle?
 أَأَنْتُمْ أَنشَأْتُمْ شَجَرَتَهَا أَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنشِئُونَ
[56:73] Is it you who produce the tree for it, or are We the Producer?
 نَحْنُ جَعَلْنَاهَا تَذْكِرَةً وَمَتَاعًا لِلْمُقْوِينَ
[56:74] We have made it a reminder and a benefit for the wayfarers.[2975]
 فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ
[56:75] So glorify the name of thy Lord, the Great.
 فَلاَ أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَاقِعِ النُّجُومِ
[56:76] Nay[2976], I swear by the shooting of the stars[2977] —
 وَإِنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ
[56:77] And, indeed, that is a grand oath, if you only knew —
 إِنَّهُ لَقُرْآنٌ كَرِيمٌ
[56:78] That this is indeed a noble Qur’an,
 فِي كِتَابٍ مَكْنُونٍ
[56:79] In a well-preserved Book,[2979]
 لاَ يَمَسُّهُ إِلاَّ الْمُطَهَّرُونَ
[56:80] Which none shall touch except those who are purified.
 تَنزِيلٌ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
[56:81] It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
 أَفَبِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَنْتُمْ مُدْهِنُونَ
[56:82] Is it this Divine discourse that you would reject?
 وَتَجْعَلُونَ رِزْقَكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ تُكَذِّبُونَ
[56:83] And do you make the denial thereof your means of livelihood?[2980]
 فَلَوْلاَ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ
[56:84] Why, then, when the soul of the dying man reaches the throat,
 وَأَنْتُمْ حِينَئِذٍ تَنظُرُونَ
[56:85] And you are at that moment looking on —
 وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْكُمْ وَلَكِنْ لاَ تُبْصِرُونَ
[56:86] And We are nearer to him than you, but you see not —
 فَلَوْلاَ إِنْ كُنتُمْ غَيْرَ مَدِينِينَ
[56:87] Why, then, if you are not to be called to account,
 تَرْجِعُونَهَا إِنْ كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
[56:88] You cannot bring it back, if you are truthful?
 فَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ
[56:89] Now if he be of those who have attained nearness to God,
 فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ وَجَنَّةُ نَعِيمٍ
[56:90] Then for him is comfort and fragrance of happiness and a Garden of Bliss;
 وَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ
[56:91] And if he be of those who are on the right hand,
 فَسَلاَمٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ
[56:92] Then ‘Peace be on thee, who is from those on the right hand.’
 وَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ الضَّالِّينَ
[56:93] But if he be of those who reject the truth and are in error,
 فَنُزُلٌ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ
[56:94] Then for him will be an entertainment of boiling water,
 وَتَصْلِيَةُ جَحِيمٍ
[56:95] And burning in Hell.
 إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ حَقُّ الْيَقِينِ
[56:96] Verily, this is the certain truth.
 فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ
[56:97] So glorify the name of thy Lord, the Great.
2955. see 4.
2956. (a) The Final Resurrection; (b) total annihilation of idolatry from Arabia and complete defeat and discomfiture of the idolatrous Quraish; (c) appearance of a great religious Reformer-the Holy Prophet.
2957. The "Inevitable Event" will bring about a great revolution in the lives of men. A new world will come into being; the high and the mighty will be laid low and the oppressed and downtrodden will be exalted.
2958. The whole of Arabia will be shaken to its foundations. Old beliefs. ideas. moral values, customs; ways of life etc., will undergo a complete change. In fact, the old order will die, giving place to a completely new one. The verse along with the one preceding it and those that follow it may equally apply to the Resurrection after death.
2959. Elsewhere (75:3) the Qur'an applies the term "self-accusing soul" to this group of believers.
2960. The soul prone to evil (1254).
2961. The soul at rest (89:28).
2962. The blessings of Paradise to be bestowed upon al-Sabiqun (those lucky believers who will be favored with special Divine nearness, mentioned in vv. 11-27 of the present Surah), closely resemble those Divine gifts which have been mentioned in vv. 47-62 of Surah AI-Rahman. This shows that the believers referred to in vv. 47-62 of Surah Al-Rahman are of the class of AI-Sabiqun (those who have been granted special nearness to God) of this Surah.
2963. The verse points to the innocence and perpetual freshness of the servants who will wait upon believers.
2964. This and the preceding verse, like many other verses of the Qur'an, most effectively repudiate all those foolish notions about a sensual Paradise which ignorant and evil-minded carpers and critics of Islam pretend to find in it; and give an insight into its nature, essence and reality. The Heaven as conceived and promised to Muslims by the Qur'an would be a place of spiritual bliss where no sin. vain or idle talk or lying will find access (78:36). All its blessings would find their culmination and consummation in peace-complete peace of the mind and soul than which there could be no greater blessing. The Paradise promised to a Muslim has been designated as the "abode of peace" in the Qur'an (6:128): the highest stage of spiritual development to which a believer can rise is that of the "soul at peace" (89:28) and the greatest gift which the dwellers of Paradise will receive from God will be "peace" (36:59), because God Himself is the Author of peace (59:24). Such is the sublime Quranic conception of
Paradise.
2965. When the shade of lote-tree becomes dense and crowded, it is very pleasant, and in the hot and dry climate of Arabia the tired and fatigued travelers take shelter and find rest under it. The word Sidr having been qualified by Makhdud signifies that the trees of Paradise will not only give pleasant and plenteous shade but will also bend down on account of the abundance of their fruit, i.e., the blessings of Paradise will both be pleasant and plentiful.
2966. Whereas lote-tree mentioned in the preceding verse grows in dry climate, bananas require plenty of water for their growth. The mentioning together of these two fruits signifies that the fruits of Paradise will not only be plentiful and delightful but will also be found in all climatic conditions.
2967. The blessings promised to the dwellers of Paradise in this and other Surahs of the Qur'an possess the following qualities: (a) They will be abundant; (b) will be easily accessible and at the entire disposal of the believers; (c) will know no diminution or end; and (d) they will cause no discomfort or disease.
2967A. Furush (spouses) is the plural of Firash which means, a bed; a man's wife; a woman's husband (Lane). In order to complete their happiness and peace of mind, the believers will have for their companions pure, beautiful spouses of noble descent and high dignity.
2968. 'Urub is the plural of 'Arub which means, a woman who loves her husband passionately and is obedient to him (Lane). Atrab is the plural of Tirb, which means, one equal in age; a peer; one having similar tastes, habits, views, etc. (Lane). A beautiful, chaste and faithful wife, having views and tastes and outlook on life similar to that of her husband; is the greatest Divine blessing a person possibly can have. There will be good and virtuous women in Paradise, says the Qur'an, as there will be good and righteous men. It is good companionship that makes human life happy and complete.
2969. The disbelievers in the heat of their passions indulged in all sorts of evil activities. That heat of passions will take the form of hot water and scorching heat.
2970. Denial of Resurrection and the Hereafter, whether by word of mouth or conduct, is at the root of all sin and crime in the world. There can be no real and effective check on sin, or incentive to good works, without a true and real belief in the Life after Death.
2971. This and the preceding verses describe the punishment that will be meted out to the guilty in the afterlife in a language which suits the enormity of their sins in the present life. They devoured what other people had earned with the sweat of their brows and suffered from an insatiable lust for wealth, amassing it by fair means and foul and, being proud of it; rejected the Divine Message. As a punishment, they will be given the tree of Zaqqum to eat, which will burn their inside, and they will have scalding water to quench their thirst, and like sick thirsty camels their thirst will remain unsatisfied.
2972. The disintegration of man's physical tabernacle does not mean the end of his life. Death is only a change of state or form. After its flight from the physical habitat human soul is given another body, which grows and develops and takes forms which it is not possible for man to know or even to conceive of.
2973. Verses 64-72 give a brief account of things upon which man's life on earth depends. The three principal things are food, water and fire.
2974. Fire plays a most important part in the life of man. Much of his physical comfort depends upon it. It is a thing of very great utility, also of destruction if not used properly. In this mechanistic age life is inconceivable without the use of fire. No industry, trade or travel is possible without it.
2975. Needy and hungry people; wayfarers in a desert or those who alight at a desolate place (Aqrab).
2976. The particle la is generally used to impart emphasis to an oath, meaning that the thing which is going to be explained next is so self-evident that it does not need calling anything else to bear witness to its truth. When the refutation of a certain hypothesis is intended la is used to signify that which is said before is not correct and the right thing is that which follows.
2977. The verse swears by, and holds forth, Nujum which means, portions of the Qur'an (Lane), as evidence to support the claim that the Qur'an is eminently fitted to fulfill the grand object of man's creation, as well as to establish its own Divine origin. Taking the word Mawaqi' as meaning, the places and times of the falling of stars, the verse signifies that it is an unfailing Divine Law that, at the time of the appearance of a great Divine Reformer or Prophet, stars fall in unusually large numbers, and that this has happened in the time of the Holy Prophet also.
2978. That the Qur'an is a well preserved and well protected Divinely revealed Book is an open challenge to the whole world which has remained unaccepted during the past fourteen centuries. No effort has been spared by its hostile critics to find fault with the purity of its text. But all efforts in this direction have led to but one inevitable-albeit unpalatable for its enemies-result that the Book which the Holy Prophet Muhammad gave to the world fourteen hundred years ago has come down to us without the change of a single vowel (Muir). The Qur'an is also a well preserved Book in the sense that only those believers who are pure of heart can have access to its spiritual treasures as the next verse signifies. The verse may also signify that the ideals and principles embodied in the Qur'an are inscribed in the book of
nature, i.e., they are in complete harmony with natural laws. Like the laws of nature they are immutable and unalterable and cannot be defied with impunity. Or, the verse may mean that the Qur'an is preserved in 'the nature which God has bestowed upon man' (30:31). Human nature is based upon fundamental truths and has been endowed with the faculty to arrive at right judgment. A person who honestly calls human nature into action can easily recognize the truth of the Qur'an.
2979. Only those lucky ones who by leading righteous lives achieve purity of the heart are granted true understanding of, and insight into, the real meanings of the Qur'an, and are initiated into those spiritual mysteries of Divine knowledge to which the impure of heart are denied access. Incidentally, one should not touch or read the Qur'an while one is not physically clean.
2980. The disbelievers are afraid lest by accepting truth they might be deprived of their means of livelihood. So it is for the sake of filthy lucre that they reject the Divine Message; or; the verse may mean that disbelievers have made rejection of truth something on which, as it were, their very lives depend. They will not accept it at any cost.
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