بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Importance of Studying the Qur’an
Before we delve into the meanings of Surah al-Ḥāqqah, I wanted to first talk about the importance of studying the Holy Qur’an. As Muslims, we all know that the Qur’an is the most important source of guidance for us, and we have to treat it in this way. There are so many campaigns which aim to destroy all the values which make up a healthy society and an Islamic society, and in order for us to maintain the perfect system Allah (swt) has put in place for us we have to internalise the Qur’an. Ask the Qur’an and it will give you the answers to any question you have about any topic in life.

In one of his lectures, Sayyed Fadlallah described our current reality as being a ‘state of emergency’, and he could not have been more right. We are currently in a state of emergency, where religious values, including family values, ʾakhlāq (manners) and the true purpose of our lives is being hijacked, and this is a huge threat to us both in this dunya (material world) and in the hereafter. Being in a state of emergency obliges us to act with urgency, we have to work day and night to promote Islam and protect our values. It is a much more significant threat to us than any virus and we have to take all the appropriate measures to protect ourselves and those around us from this threat. Our destiny as well as that of our children and grandchildren are at stake.

Our biggest issue is that we have abandoned the Qur’an. We may read it in Ramadan, we may have it in every room of the house, we might do khatma (reading the entire Qur’an) all the time, we may even memorise the Qur’an but we have still abandoned it, because we just read, rather than looking into the meaning and applying it to our lives. The Qur’an gives us our purpose and we should hold onto it.

And crucially, thoughtfully reading the Qur’an instils confidence in our religious identity. The more we read the Qur’an, the more we learn about Islam and in turn, the more we understand that Islam is the perfect religion to follow. This conviction gives us confidence in our religion and we are able to defend it in the face of misconceptions that are launched against our religion and our beliefs. Understanding the Qur’an will lead us to thanking Allah (swt) for guiding us to His religion and say: Alhamdulillah for the blessing of Islam (الحمدلله على نعمة الإسلام).

Surah 69 of the Qur’an: al-Ḥāqqah

Now I am going to go through the meanings of Surah al-Ḥāqqah. Of course I am not a scholar so I have used a couple of tafasīr (interpretations) when preparing this: Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, Tafsīr by Nouman Ali Khan  and Tafsīr Shubbar.

The word al-Ḥāqqah means the inevitable reality, here referring to the Day of Judgement. It is derived from the word ‘ḥaq’ (truth), since the Day of Judgement is a reality that cannot be denied, and its occurrence is unquestionably truthful. This is the ultimate reality. Its use in here in the Qur’an is designed to shake the human conscience; human kind is always divided between those who deny the Day of Judgement and those who believe in it. But the powerful word ‘al-Ḥāqqah’ or ‘the undeniable reality’ sends a strong message that this day will indeed occur no matter how much someone wants to deny it. Another meaning of al-Ḥāqqah is everyone gets what they deserve (since ḥaq also means ‘right’) on that day.

This Surah can be divided into three sections:

Section 1: The fate of previous nations|Ayahs 1-12

ٱلْحَآقَّةُ ١ مَا ٱلْحَآقَّةُ ٢ وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْحَآقَّةُ ١
The Inevitable Reality – (1) What is the Inevitable Reality? (2) And what can make you know what is the Inevitable Reality? (3)

To open the Surah, Allah (swt) uses the first three verses to capture our attention. He says ‘al-Ḥāqqah’ and then rhetorical question in the next two ayahs. It makes us curious, what is this inevitable reality? The repeated questioning also implies that it is a reality that we cannot fully comprehend as it will be like nothing we have ever seen before. This is so we can understand the weight of this day and pushes us to be serious in our religion and hold responsibility for our actions and what happens around us.

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ وَعَادٌۢ بِٱلْقَارِعَةِ ٤
˹Both˺ Thamûd and ’Ȃd denied the Striking Disaster. (4)

After grabbing our attention, the Surah then reminds us of the stories of nations that have come before us – but they aren’t just any nations. These nations are ones which have denied the day of judgement despite being reminded of it, starting with the tribes of Thamûd and ’Ȃd.

al-qāriʿah is another name for the Day of Judgement and connotes a loud striking sound, or something that causes shock. These past nations didn’t want to believe in the Day of Judgement, and the reality that they will be held accountable for their actions. They wanted to live their lives without responsibility, and they didn’t want to tire themselves analysing and studying the world to find where truth lies and where falsehood lies. And its interesting that He used the word al-qāriʿah, because it makes you think: a loud sound imposes itself on people, so how could anyone deny a deafening strike? But Allah (swt) didn’t let them be, he destroyed them so that they would not be a cause of deviation to others, and also to send a message to those who come across their story.

فَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَأُهْلِكُوا۟ بِٱلطَّاغِيَةِ ٥
As for Thamûd, they were destroyed by an overwhelming blast. (5)

Thamûd – this is the tribe of Prophet Saleh, who denied the message and the reality of the Day of Judgement. In this surah we can see that they were destroyed by means of the ‘ṭāġiyah’. Ṭāġiyah comes from the Arabic word ‘ṭuġyān’ (طغيان) which means transgression or rebellion. This means not only were they punished for their rebellion, but the punishment itself was so severe it transgressed all punishments – in the form of a terrifying storm that obliterated them from existence. The earth, winds and skies all rebelled against them just as they rebelled against the message of Allah (swt).

وَأَمَّا عَادٌۭ فَأُهْلِكُوا۟ بِرِيحٍۢ صَرْصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍۢ ٦
And as for ’Ȃd, they were destroyed by a furious, bitter wind (6)

As for the people of ’Ȃd, whose Prophet was Hud, they were destroyed by means of a fierce storm. Rīḥ = wind, ṣarṣar = bitterly cold and violent wind which repeatedly strikes the person, and ʿātiyah = dominates the entire environment, there is no shelter from it.

سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍۢ وَثَمَـٰنِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًۭا فَتَرَى ٱلْقَوْمَ فِيهَا صَرْعَىٰ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍۢ ٧ فَهَلْ تَرَىٰ لَهُم مِّنۢ بَاقِيَةٍۢ ٨
which Allah subdued on them non-stop for seven nights and eight days, so that you would have seen its people lying dead like trunks of uprooted palm trees. (7) Then do you see of them any remains? (8)

And this storm was for seven nights and eight days non-stop, which would have been immensely damaging. We sometimes witness hurricanes or other storms which last just a few minutes to a few hours and they cause unfathomable destruction, let alone if it went on for a whole week. So, this fierce storm was subdued on them non-stop, or ‘ḥusūman’ which means to erase all traces so there was nothing left of them, if you were to look at their remains they would seem like hollow lifeless pieces of wood. Nothing is left of them.

وَجَآءَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَمَن قَبْلَهُۥ وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتُ بِٱلْخَاطِئَةِ ٩
Also, Pharaoh and those before him, and ˹the people of˺ the overturned cities ˹of Lot˺ indulged in sin, (9)

Then Allah (swt) mentions the Pharoah, and the people of Lot (al-moʾtafikāt), as other tribes which treaded the wrong path (khāṭiʾah). They were distant from the worship of Allah (swt) and obedience to Him, even after they were sent proofs and clear signs by means of the Messengers.
Some may say, why does Allah punish these people if He is merciful? Asking this question means we do not understand the true meaning of Allah’s mercy. Mercy does not equate to unconditional kindness, but rather treating people fairly and giving each what they deserve. Allah (swt) did not just punish them without reason, He sent messengers and gave them signs, some of these messengers preached for hundreds of years to their people but they chose to ignore and insisted on ignoring what was being presented to them. So it is only fair that they be destroyed, as they acted from a place of pure rebellion. If we were to see a policeman treat a criminal kindly rather than punishing them, we would be appalled and we would say that this isn’t fair, since he deserves punishment. In the same way, anyone who transgresses the limits Allah (swt) has put in place, certainly deserves a great punishment. We want to believe there is no punishment because we don’t want to be held accountable for our actions. Whereas the reality is we will all get what we deserve, no matter who we are. And this is the justice of Allah (swt). That is why Allah says:

وَمَا يَسْتَوِى ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ وَٱلْبَصِيرُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَلَا ٱلْمُسِىٓءُ .
Those blind ˹to the truth˺ and those who can see are not equal, nor are those who believe and do good ˹equal˺ to those who do evil. (Qur’an 40:58)

It would be purely unjust to reward the one who works tirelessly to please Allah (swt) in their life and the one who does nothing or rebels against Him. Simply, the one who does good and the one who does bad are not equal. That is the manifestation of Allah (swt)’s mercy. And He is so merciful that He is even revealing these stories to us so that we can take heed. After Allah (swt) has given us this book full of reminders, and He shows us this is the fate of those who oppress, who treat people badly, who deny people their rights and disobey Allah (swt); if we then insist on disobedience would we deserve jannah?

فَعَصَوْا۟ رَسُولَ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَخَذَهُمْ أَخْذَةًۭ رَّابِيَةً ١٠
each disobeying the messenger of their Lord; so He punished them with an abundant Penalty. (10)

This ayah further highlights this concept of Divine justice. These people disobeyed the Messenger of their Lord and they received a great punishment in return. They weren’t punished for no reason, but as a consequence of their denial of the message of their Lord. The word ‘rābiyah’ means severe, so their punishment was severe due to their severe wrongdoing.

إِنَّا لَمَّا طَغَا ٱلْمَآءُ حَمَلْنَـٰكُمْ فِى ٱلْجَارِيَةِ ١١
Indeed, when the floodwater had overflowed, We carried you in the floating Ark ˹with Noah˺, (11)

And finally, the last example is the people of Noah. Note the use of the word ‘ṭaġā’, which like we said can mean transgression, that’s why the flood is described in this way because the water overflowed and transgressed its usual limits. Allah (swt) says ‘ḥamalnākum’, we carried/saved you in the ark, because we are descendants of the survivors, so we are of those who were saved from the great flood. Allah (swt) saved the believers so that the world could be – temporarily – restored to a state of faith, worship, belief in the messengers and in the hereafter.

لِنَجْعَلَهَا لَكُمْ تَذْكِرَةًۭ وَتَعِيَهَآ أُذُنٌۭ وَٰعِيَةٌ١٢
so that We may make this a reminder to you, and that conscious/attentive ears may grasp it. (12)

What is the purpose of mentioning all of these stories? ‘Linajʿalahā lakum taḏkirah’ – as a reminder/warning for you. Allah (swt) reminds us of these stories to tell us that this is the fate of those who choose to rebel and cause chaos on the earth and steer themselves and others away from the path of Allah (swt). Just like Allah destroys these people, he saves those who stand firm in their faith no matter what, and the greater the challenges they face the greater their determination to remain obedient to Allah (swt). These stories are here for us to comprehend this, so that we know the reality of things and we do not submit to ignorance and paths that will lead us astray.

This message however will not be heeded by all, only by those with ‘ʾuḏunun wāʿiyah’, or ‘aware ears’. These are the people who won’t run past these ayahs as if they’re just stories, but will stop and think about them, what they mean and what they should take from it. These aren’t just distant stories which have no relation to us, but we should take them as a warning so we do not end up like they did. Allah (swt) wants us to be those who do not just process sounds by means of our sense of hearing and our ears, but allow it to reach our minds where we can make use of what we have heard, so that our ears and our minds work together to reach the goal of knowledge and practical implementation, so that we can lead our lives in the way we are supposed to. We take from this that the believer must not limit his senses just to the physical, material sphere, but allow them to reach his mind where things will actually have a deeper impact.

Section 2: The Day of Judgement|Ayahs 13-37

فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِى ٱلصُّورِ نَفْخَةٌۭ وَٰحِدَةٌۭ ١٣
At last, when the Trumpet will be blown with one blast, (13)

So we have talked about examples of those who in the past have denied the ‘Ḥāqqah’, the inevitable reality. Now, to further answer the questions posed at the start, we find a description of the Day of Resurrection. This is the day that there will be a loud call, and all of those in the graves will we resurrected by the will of Allah (swt).

وَحُمِلَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَٱلْجِبَالُ فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ ١٤
and the earth and mountains will be lifted up and crushed with one blow, (14)

The mountains and the earth will be crushed into a fine powder, losing their structure to become a completely new environment to suit the hereafter.

فَيَوْمَئِذٍۢ وَقَعَتِ ٱلْوَاقِعَةُ ١٥
on that Day the Inevitable Event will befall. (15)

Now, the ‘wāqiʿah’ that those people have denied is occurring. This word further emphasises that the occurrence of the Day of Judgement is a definite reality.

وَٱنشَقَّتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَهِىَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ وَاهِيَةٌۭ ١٦
The sky will then be so torn that it will be frail, (16)

The sky is torn and can no longer hold itself together, and it becomes weak and collapses. ‘Wāhiyah’ means frail and weak.

وَٱلْمَلَكُ عَلَىٰٓ أَرْجَآئِهَا ۚ وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ ثَمَـٰنِيَةٌۭ ١٧
with the angels on its sides. On that Day eight ˹mighty angels˺ will bear the Throne of your Lord above them. (17)

And the angels are at the perimeters of the sky, preparing for this next event. And it is said that this ayah refers to eight angels who carry the throne of their Lord; of course this is not physical, it is symbolic because Allah (swt) is not limited by time and space and does not have a physical form or a physical throne. The throne refers to Allah’s sovereignty and control over all things.

يَوْمَئِذٍۢ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَىٰ مِنكُمْ خَافِيَةٌۭ ١٨
You will then be presented ˹before Him for judgment˺, and none of your secrets will stay hidden. (18)

And it is the day that all secrets will be revealed, nothing of what we thought is just between ourselves will not be exposed. Our limbs will bear witness for all that we did, and angels bear witness also. This is the fact that should make us only do that which we will not be ashamed of when it is exposed on the Day of Judgement, and our actions should be those of which we are not afraid of their consequences.

فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ فَيَقُولُ هَآؤُمُ ٱقْرَءُوا۟ كِتَـٰبِيَهْ ١٩
As for those given their records in their right hand, they will cry ˹happily˺, “Here ˹everyone˺! Read my record! (19)

Now comes the description of the two groups of people on the Day of Judgement. The first is those who are given their book of deeds in their right hand. Being handed the book in the right hand is a sign of faith and success. This group of people is like the top students who are proud of their results, they don’t want to hide it, they want everyone to know how well they did. They will say: ‘read my book!’, because they are not afraid or ashamed of their actions and the consequences of them. This is ultimate results day. We see in our day to day lives many smaller scale examples of this. For example, the day that Year Twelve students receive their final result there is such heightened tension. Then after the results are released, there are those who feel a huge relief that they have done well, or those who respond with disappointment and dread. Similarly, in some television programmes such as cooking competitions, the contestants serve their dishes and then wait anxiously to find out if they have passed or not. And again, those who pass are filled with joy and relief, whereas those who find out that they will be eliminated become miserable. The Day of Judgement is the ultimate results day of the ultimate test, so we pray that on that day we are of those who jump with joy and relief that our hard work in the dunya has paid off.

إِنِّى ظَنَنتُ أَنِّى مُلَـٰقٍ حِسَابِيَهْ ٢٠
I surely knew I would face my reckoning.” (20)

This ayah is what made me want to go into this Surah in the first place. They will say: “I was certain that this day would come.” This verse stood out to me so much. You would expect this successful person to say I gave charity, I prayed, or mention any other good deed, but they will just say this one line – that I was so convinced about this Day of Judgement, and I knew that everything I do in my life will be accounted for. And it is so powerful because this one line embodies all of the good actions and good deeds one can spend their life doing. Why? Because you do good things when you believe that you will be held accountable, and you want to be rewarded. The belief in the hereafter is the motive behind working hard to be a good person in this life. If there was no accountability, why would we work so hard to be good and follow the truth? Similarly, in Surah al-Māʿūn Allah (swt) says:

أَرَءَيْتَ ٱلَّذِى يُكَذِّبُ بِٱلدِّينِ ١ فَذَٰلِكَ ٱلَّذِى يَدُعُّ ٱلْيَتِيمَ ٢ وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ ٣
Have you seen the one who denies the ˹final˺ Judgment? For that is the one who drives away the orphan and does not encourage the feeding of the poor. (Qur’an 107:1-3)

This means that the ones who deny the hereafter are the ones who abandon orphans and do not feed the hungry. Therefore, a direct correlation exists between believing in the Day of Resurrection and doing good deeds. This person on that day is saying: I am prepared for this day, I was aware of it and I knew all the responsibilities I had to carry and the acts that Allah (swt) wanted me to perform. I was fully convinced that the fruits of the dunya are harvested in the akhira, the one who plants ḥasanāt (good deeds) and seeds of good will obtain the eternal pleasure of Allah (swt) in the hereafter. And I was also certain that those who plant bad deeds will be faced with punishment by Allah (swt). And this person has fully comprehended that every human being will stand to face accountability on this day where every small and big deed is accounted for. And all these realisations are what lead this person to be successful on the Day of Judgement, which is the day that matters most.

فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍۢ رَّاضِيَةٍۢ ٢١
Then he shall find himself in a life of bliss; (21)

This person, is the one who was been rewarded with the most extraordinary, pleasurable life to enjoy, with spiritual and internal satisfaction. Nothing would ever upset him, no stress. There will be no disruption of that bliss.

فِى جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍۢ ٢٢ قُطُوفُهَا دَانِيَةٌۭ ٢٣
in an elevated Garden, (22) whose fruit will hang within reach. (23)

The description of this new abode is an elevated garden or paradise – because height gives the best views. And there are fully ripe fruits that are within reach, you can eat them whenever you crave some without exerting any effort.

كُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ هَنِيٓـًٔۢا بِمَآ أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَيَّامِ ٱلْخَالِيَةِ ٢٤
˹They will be told,˺ “Eat and drink joyfully as a reward for what you did in the days gone by.” (24)

And then comes the call to every one who has made it to Jannah (paradise), in pure happiness and bliss which no eye has ever seen and no mind has ever comprehended, which reassures them of what Allah (swt) has rewarded them in return for doing what pleases Allah (swt) in the dunya: “eat and drink, without worry, for what you have done in the days that have passed and disappeared.” You have worked hard, been so patient and strived for the sake of Allah (swt) so much and you deserve a great reward in return. Food and drink is just one of the many pleasures and symbolises the comfort and happiness of the next life, the greatest of which being spiritual happiness that Allah (swt) is pleased with them, loves them. That is the true happiness that is represented here through the physical delight of food and drink. Here it is important to emphasise that Jannah does not come for free, we cannot expect that. Just because you are Muslim, or associate yourselves with a particular group, doesn’t mean you are guaranteed Jannah. Jannah comes at the price of hard work. We have to be patient and push ourselves. The more effort we put in this world, the greater the reward on that day. Being in constant control of your temper, treating your parents and all those around you with respect, promoting Islam and the message of Allah, praying on time, teaching our children the values of Islam even if it means that you will make so many sacrifices along the way, these may all be difficult at times, but this is the price of Jannah. It’s not easy for anyone, we have to force yourself sometimes to do what is difficult because we know what the reward is. Once we hear the call mentioned in the ayah, it will all be worth it, and it is only a tiny price to pay for a priceless reward.

That’s why of course the best example and the ultimate sacrifice is to give your life for the sake of Allah (swt), and those martyrs who fight to protect the truth and protect Islam do not wish to die, but they know the reward is so great. Just like we strive to have successful careers and lavish lives and we are prepared to give all of our effort in our youth and all of our energy to our jobs, we have to do more than that for the ultimate prize of paradise. This ayah is saying that Jannah must be earned, and you can only earn it by working hard. We don’t like to hear it; we would rather believe that we can do whatever we want. We want to hear that no one can judge us, we can go with the flow and there will be no consequences. But that is the opposite of what we believe. Islam does not allow us to go with the flow. We stand with the truth even if it means everyone else stands against us. We have to be proud of our faith and our beliefs and our Muslim identity because that is what will make us proud on the day of judgement. If we don’t struggle, we wont deserve Jannah.

وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِشِمَالِهِۦ فَيَقُولُ يَـٰلَيْتَنِى لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَـٰبِيَهْ ٢٥
And as for those given their record in their left hand, they will cry ˹bitterly˺, “I wish I had not been given my record, (25)

Then comes the second group of people. These are the ones who receive their book in their left hands – the ones who rebelled against Allah (swt). As soon as they receive their book they hold it behind their backs in shame and say: “I wish I was not handed this book.” Note that this is before any punishment – just being handed in the left hand gives them instant dread because they know now that they have failed, they know very well of their rebellion and kufr and igniting war against Allah (swt) and His messenger. They cannot stand to even look at this book because it represents the dreadful fate that awaits them and Allah’s punishment that they cannot run away from – it is the crushing realisation that it is too late.

وَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا حِسَابِيَهْ ٢٦
nor known anything of my reckoning! (26)

He will say I wish I never learnt of my fate! Because he knows of the horrible things he did against the message of Islam and the Messenger.

يَـٰلَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ ٱلْقَاضِيَةَ ٢٧
I wish death was the end! (27)

He also wishes that his first death (from the world) was the last one, and he was never resurrected – that means for him this resurrection is a punishment in itself, whereas the those who receive the book in the right hand said with satisfaction and peace that I knew this day was coming. In contrast, this person would rather stay in their graves rather than start this new life of eternal, tormenting punishment. This serves as a powerful warning and deterrent for us against doing bad deeds. On the other hand, it also reassures that there will justice and all the oppressors will be punished as they deserve. Those who do the right thing are not afraid of accountability.

مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنِّى مَالِيَهْ ۜ ٢٨ هَلَكَ عَنِّى سُلْطَـٰنِيَهْ ٢٩
My wealth has not benefited me! (28) My authority has been stripped from me.” (29)

Then he moves onto the realisation – my wealth has done nothing for me, that money that I have spent all my years accumulating. This wealth that I obtained through means that do not please Allah (swt) and I didn’t use to obey Allah (swt), but to satisfy my own temporary needs, rather than feeling a sense of responsibility in front of Him. And all my authority has completely evaporated, which I worked so hard to achieve, and I compromised on my values in order to get there, so I can please the people of high status. Now I have been stripped away from all of this and he feels humiliated and helpless.

خُذُوهُ فَغُلُّوهُ ٣٠

ثُمَّ ٱلْجَحِيمَ صَلُّوهُ ٣١ ثُمَّ فِى سِلْسِلَةٍۢ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًۭا فَٱسْلُكُوهُ ٣٢

إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ ٣٣
˹It will be said,˺ “Seize and shackle them, (30) then cast him in the Fire, (31) then tie them up with chains seventy arms long. (32) For they never had faith in Allah, the Greatest, (33)

In response to all these agonising regrets, the Divine command is announced: take him and chain him, then throw him into the hellfire, and tie him with a chain of seventy links. Why? Because he didn’t believe in his great Lord. He rebelled and denied all the clear signs and proofs on His existence, not because he had an opposing belief, but out of pure stubbornness and heedlessness. He deserves this punishment because he was given proofs but denied them.

وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ ٣٤
nor encouraged the feeding of the poor.

He also did not encourage the feeding of the poor, he had no heart or human compassion, and doesn’t feel for the pain of anyone who is struggling. He feels no responsibility towards these people, although he was wealthy and had authority, and he doesn’t want other people helping them either. Again this is another outcome of denial in Allah (swt) and the Day of Judgement – because they don’t believe in accountability.

فَلَيْسَ لَهُ ٱلْيَوْمَ هَـٰهُنَا حَمِيمٌۭ ٣٥
So this Day they will have no close friend here, (35)

So he has no one to help him now, no one sympathises for him since he cared about no one in his life and built his relationships on his own interests rather than out of love and taqwa.

وَلَا طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنْ غِسْلِينٍۢ ٣٦ لَّا يَأْكُلُهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلْخَـٰطِـُٔونَ ٣٧
Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds; (36) which none will eat except the evildoers.” (37)

His food will be of a disgusting kind, such as pus or the dirty water after washing. This is the food of the wrong-doers, because they lived their entire lives on the wrong path and Allah (swt) is now punishing them for that.

 

Section 3: The Holy Qur’an and the Messenger|Ayahs 38-52

فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِمَا تُبْصِرُونَ ٣٨ وَمَا لَا تُبْصِرُونَ ٣٩
Now, I do swear by whatever you see, (38) And what you do not see (39)

In the next ayah Allah (swt) is swearing by that which we see and that which we do not see, which could be creatures that are visible with the naked eye and those which are not. Another interpretation of these ayahs is that which we do see refers to the punishment of the past nations and that which we don’t see is the Day of Judgement, which is what the Surah has already spoken about.

إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍۢ كَرِيمٍۢ ٤٠
Indeed, this ˹Quran˺ is the recitation of a noble Messenger. (40)

Note here that the word ‘qowl’ is used, not ‘kalām’. The difference is that kalām means original speech, so one’s own words, whereas ‘qowl’ is what you say, but may be someone else’s speech and you are just verbalising it. And that of course is the case with the Qur’an as it is not the Prophets’ own words but he is relaying the revelation of Allah (swt).

وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍۢ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ ٤١
It is not the prose of a poet ˹as you claim˺, ˹yet˺ you hardly have any faith. (41)

And then Allah (swt) emphasises that it not the words of a poet like they claim, because the Qur’anic style is unlike any poetic style. And then He says, only few of you believe in the Book since if they are calling it poetry rather than Divine Revelation, and poetry is often not rooted in reality.

وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍۢ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ ٤٢
Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember. (42)

The Qur’an is also not the words of a kāhin – which is someone similar to a fortune-teller but of the past not of the future. Off course these things are false and associated with kufr so Allah (swt) is condemning them for accusing the Prophet of being a kāhin when reciting the Qur’an to them.

تَنزِيلٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٤٣
˹It is˺ a revelation from the Lord of all worlds. (43)

This ayah confirms the truth is that it is a revelation from Allah (swt), He is the only originator of the Qur’an and its author, and it is a source of guidance for every aspect in our lives.

وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ ٱلْأَقَاوِيلِ ٤٤ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِٱلْيَمِينِ ٤٥ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ ٱلْوَتِينَ ٤٦ فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَـٰجِزِينَ ٤٧
Had the Messenger made up something in Our Name, (44) We would have certainly seized him by his right hand, (45) And then severed his life-artery (46) and none of you could have shielded him ˹from Us˺! (47)

And if the Prophet has added any words of his own and attributed it to Allah (swt), We would have punished him greatly and cut off his jugular vein, and no one could save him from that! So these ayahs tell us that this is a pure revelation from Allah (swt), despite any claims that it is from the Prophet, and that if the Prophet were to alter any of it even he would be severely punished. Of course this is only the hypothetical situation because the Prophet Muhammad was al-ʾamīn, the trustworthy, and he conveyed the message to the people exactly as Allah (swt) had revealed it to him, without any addition or change.

وَإِنَّهُۥ لَتَذْكِرَةٌۭ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ٤٨
Indeed, this ˹Quran˺ is a reminder to those mindful ˹of Allah˺. (48)

For the Qur’an is a reminder to those who have taqwa, who make every effort to do only what pleases Allah (swt), and avoid what displeases Him. These people read the holy book, and take guidance in it to protect them from any deviation or ignorance so that they can stay on the straight path, and this is what exalts them to the level of knowing Allah (swt) and being true to His religion and investing and struggling in jihad for His sake. As for those who do not have taqwa, Allah (swt) has presented to them the book to give them the chance to have taqwa but they refused that, as they have deviated and do not want to live their lives on the path of accountability and pleasure of Allah (swt).

وَإِنَّا لَنَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مِنكُم مُّكَذِّبِينَ ٤٩
And We certainly know that some of you will persist in denial, (49)

We know there are some among you who say this is false, but that doesn’t impact the message of Islam, and doesn’t stop the Qur’an from having its impact on people.

وَإِنَّهُۥ لَحَسْرَةٌ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ٥٠
and it will surely be a source of regret for the disbelievers. (50)

On the Day of Judgement these are the people who will feel they have missed out, and they will be so remorseful and regretful when they see the believers being distinguished and treated well by Allah (swt) and entered into paradise, while they are being thrown into the hellfire for their rebellion.

وَإِنَّهُۥ لَحَقُّ ٱلْيَقِينِ ٥١
And indeed, this ˹Quran˺ is the absolute truth. (51)

In spite of what they claim, the Qur’an is the absolute truth which gives certainty to those who stick to it and instils in them a sense of serenity and purpose. Just like the Day of Judgement is an undeniable truth, so too is the Qur’an and all the messages within it.

فَسَبِّحْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلْعَظِيمِ ٥٢
So glorify the Name of your Lord, the Greatest. (52)

And the final ayah instructs us to glorify our Great Lord, Allah (swt), Who revealed to us this truthful book, in order that people live their lives on the path of truth, so that they can meet their Lord on the Day of Judgement with relief and peace. Tasbīḥ (praise of Allah) is a way of constantly remembering Allah, glorifying Him and praising Him because it means that we acknowledge that all we have is from Him and He is our source of guidance.

Final words

Fate of the deniers in dunya → fate of deniers in hereafter → remedies; all under umbrella of inevitable truth.

This is the beautiful progression of Surah al-Haqqah, it ends with mention of the Qur’an and tasbīḥ, and this indicates that these are the two remedies for the illness of denial in the hereafter and the book of Allah (swt). If we hold on the book of Allah, read it, understand it, and we constantly glorify Him through tasbīḥ, we will inshaAllah be of those winners and successful ones on the Day of Judgement who will be in the beautiful, high gardens, and with peaceful hearts that we have passed the test of life and Allah (swt) is pleased with us.