1-3
[Read out to them, O Prophet,] In the name of Allah, Mercy abundant, Mercy eternal. The inevitable! What is the Inevitable? What do you understand the Inevitable is?
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَاقَّةُ(1)مَا الْحَاقَّةُ(2)وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحَاقَّةُ(3)
4-7
[It is the Sudden Calamity]. The `Ad and the Thamud denied this Sudden Calamity[1] [and so were faced with the consequences of their denial]. As for the Thamud, they were destroyed by that [catastrophe] which crossed all limits; while the `aad were annihilated by a fierce howling wind, let loose. For seven nights and eight days, He set this [wind] upon them to completely uproot them. So [encompassing was the destruction] that, in the town, you could see those people scattered dead, as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees[2].
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ وَعَادٌ بِالْقَارِعَةِ(4)فَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَأُهْلِكُوا بِالطَّاغِيَةِ(5)وَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَأُهْلِكُوا بِرِيحٍ صَرْصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍ(6)سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًا فَتَرَى الْقَوْمَ فِيهَا صَرْعَىٰ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ(7)
9-10
And the Pharaoh, those before him and the [inhabitants of the] ruined cities[4] committed the same crime. They all disobeyed the messenger of their Lord and, as a consequence, He grasped them – an intensifying grasping.
وَجَاءَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَمَن قَبْلَهُ وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَاتُ بِالْخَاطِئَةِ(9)فَعَصَوْا رَسُولَ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَخَذَهُمْ أَخْذَةً رَّابِيَةً(10)
11-12
And [similarly, in retribution of the rejection of the people of Noah] when the water rose and crossed all limits, We carried you in the sailing [vessel][5]. We did this to make this incident a reminder for you[6] and [so that] the ears that hear would retain it.
إِنَّا لَمَّا طَغَى الْمَاءُ حَمَلْنَاكُمْ فِي الْجَارِيَةِ(11)لِنَجْعَلَهَا لَكُمْ تَذْكِرَةً وَتَعِيَهَا أُذُنٌ وَاعِيَةٌ(12)
13-17
Similarly[7], when the trumpet is blown – a single blowing[8] – and the earth with its mountains is lifted and crushed [to dust], in a single crushing: On that day will the [Great] Incident[9] take place. And the sky will rent asunder; [you shall see that] it would be extremely frail, on that day; and [you shall see that] the angels shall be [taking shield] at its borders[10]; and eight [of them], on that Day, will be carrying the throne of your Lord above them.
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ نَفْخَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ(13)وَحُمِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ وَالْجِبَالُ فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةً وَاحِدَةً(14)فَيَوْمَئِذٍ وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ(15)وَانشَقَّتِ السَّمَاءُ فَهِيَ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاهِيَةٌ(16)وَالْمَلَكُ عَلَىٰ أَرْجَائِهَا ۚ وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمَانِيَةٌ(17)
18-37
[This would be the Day of Judgment.] On that day will you be presented [before your Lord,] in a state that not even a single secret [of your heart] shall remain hidden. Then [on that day,] whoever is given his record in his right hand, shall cry out [with joy]: ‘Here, read my record! [While I lived my life,] I was conscious that [one day] I will have to face my account.’ Thus, he shall enjoy a blissful life; in a lofty garden; the fruits of which shall be [hanging low] within reach [inviting him by their very existence:] ‘Eat and drink, as would please your heart – a reward for what you did during the days gone by.’ [In contrast,] whoever is given his record in his left hand, he shall cry out [in despair]: ‘If only that my record was never given to me; and that I had never known what my account was. If only that death had ended everything. What has my wealth availed me? [Today] I am bereft of all my power and authority.’ [It shall be said:] ‘Seize him and collar his neck[11]; then burn him in Hell; then fetter him in a chain the length of which is seventy cubits.’ He neither believed in the Great God, nor even urged[12] others to feed the needy. So, today he neither has any friend here [to sympathize with him] nor any food [to eat], except the filth from the washing of wounds; only these sinners shall eat it.
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَىٰ مِنكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ(18)فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَيَقُولُ هَاؤُمُ اقْرَءُوا كِتَابِيَهْ(19)إِنِّي ظَنَنتُ أَنِّي مُلَاقٍ حِسَابِيَهْ(20)فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ(21)فِي جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ(22)قُطُوفُهَا دَانِيَةٌ(23)كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئًا بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ(24)وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِشِمَالِهِ فَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَابِيَهْ(25)وَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا حِسَابِيَهْ(26)يَا لَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ الْقَاضِيَةَ(27)مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنِّي مَالِيَهْ ۜ(28)هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلْطَانِيَهْ(29)خُذُوهُ فَغُلُّوهُ(30)ثُمَّ الْجَحِيمَ صَلُّوهُ(31)ثُمَّ فِي سِلْسِلَةٍ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًا فَاسْلُكُوهُ(32)إِنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ(33)وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ(34)فَلَيْسَ لَهُ الْيَوْمَ هَاهُنَا حَمِيمٌ(35)وَلَا طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنْ غِسْلِينٍ(36)لَّا يَأْكُلُهُ إِلَّا الْخَاطِئُونَ(37)
38-47
But [they persist in their rejection and say that this Qur’an is mere poetry or an inspiration of Jinn.] ‘No. I present the witness of that, which you can observe [in history, of the fate of the rejecters of God’s messengers][13] and also that, which you cannot observe [of the Divine arrangements made in the universe to safeguard any adulterations by Jinn in this revelation][14] that it is indeed a word brought by a noble messenger[15] [of God]. It is not a word of a [mere] poet – but little do you believe[16]. Nor is it a [worthless] divination of a soothsayer – but little do you reflect[17]. It is a revelation of the Lord of the whole wide world [which is presented without any alterations, by the Prophet.] And had he forged and falsely ascribed something to Us, We would then have seized him with Our strong hand and then have severed his life-vein and none of you would have been able to deter us from doing so.
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِمَا تُبْصِرُونَ(38)وَمَا لَا تُبْصِرُونَ(39)إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ(40)وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ(41)وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ(42)تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ(43)وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ(44)لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ(45)ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ(46)فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَاجِزِينَ(47)
48-51
And it is a reminder [of this Inevitable Day] for the God-fearing. And We are well aware of the fact that some of you are bent upon denying it and [they must not forget that they will only hurt themselves with their denial, for soon, on the Day of Judgment,] it shall be a source of great remorse for these rejecters, [because] it[18] is the reality that shall most definitely come to pass.
وَإِنَّهُ لَتَذْكِرَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ(48)وَإِنَّا لَنَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مِنكُم مُّكَذِّبِينَ(49)وَإِنَّهُ لَحَسْرَةٌ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ(50)وَإِنَّهُ لَحَقُّ الْيَقِينِ(51)
52-52
So, [O Prophet, ignore their rejection and patiently] glorify the name of your Great Lord[19].
فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ(52)
i.e. the Day of Judgment, which, by its very nature, would be a ‘calamity’ for the rejecters and the wrong doers. The Arabic word used over here is “القارعة”, which means “the one who suddenly knocks in the night”. Just as, in the silent hours of the night a visitor’s knock at one’s doors comes without any prior warning or indication, so would man be suddenly faced with this inevitable reality.
The `Ad were known to be extremely tall people.
i.e. they were so completely destroyed that not a trace of life remained.
Reference is to those Ruined Cities, which were destroyed in retribution of rejecting a messenger of God.
i.e. We destroyed the rejecters and saved your ancestors, who had accepted faith.
i.e. a reminder of the ultimate Day of Judgment. Every incident of the advent of a messenger (Rasul) of God, in general, is a reminder of the Day of Judgment, when the good and the evil shall meet their separate respective ends. Nevertheless, the story of Noah (pbuh), being a part of the history of the Arabs, was even a bigger reminder as they could personally associate with it. It should be kept in mind that a messenger of God is not merely a deliverer of God’s laws and admonitions. On the contrary, a messenger of God is a sign and a reminder of the ultimate Day of Judgment, insofar as the good and the evil among his addressees are separated from each other and are led to meet their respective ends, just as would be the case for the whole of the humankind on the Day of Judgment. Thus, seen from this perspective, the advent of a messenger of God in a people is, in effect, the advent of the Day of Judgment for that particular people.
Just as the Almighty did not have to make an elaborate arrangement to subject the rejecters among the addressees of His messengers to punishment, similarly the organization and arrangement of the judgment for the whole world would not be cumbersome upon the All Powerful.
It would only take one blowing in the trumpet to initiate the overwhelming destruction.
i.e. the Day of Judgment, against which the Prophet (pbuh) is warning you.
It should be kept in mind that the addressees of the Qur’an considered the angels to be their protectors, not only during the life of this world but also held them to be their saviors from God’s punishment, if, at all, there were to be a hereafter. In this verse, the Qur’an has very eloquently commented on their unfounded claims, by mentioning the position of the angels on that day and the state they would be in at that time.
Collaring of the neck signified that the person was a slave, not a free man.
i.e., he neither fed the needy himself nor would even encourage others to do so.
The Prophet (pbuh) was giving the same message of God’s justice for the whole of the humankind, in general, in the hereafter and for his direct addressees, in particular, during the life of this world, which was given by and then implemented during the lives of the previous messengers of God. This aspect of the history of God’s messengers is presented as a witness of the truthfulness of the Prophet (pbuh), as he was warning his addressees of the same consequences as were faced by the rejecters of the previous messengers of God. An example of this historical witness is presented in Surah Nooh.
This witness has been further explained in Surah Al-Jinn.
i.e., Gabriel.
i.e., even though you fully realize this fact, yet are not willing to accept it.
Had you reflected upon the message of the Qur’an, you would have known this to be a fact.
i.e., the Day of Judgment.
Even in these difficult times, you must not forget that your Lord is clear of all fault. Soon, He shall pass His judgment about the good and the evil, with complete justice.