English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 69: Al-Haqqah — The Sure Truth (Revealed at Makkah: 2 sections, 52 verses)
Section 1 (Verses 69:1–69:37): The Doom
Translation:
بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
اَلۡحَآقَّۃُ ۙ﴿۱﴾
مَا الۡحَآقَّۃُ ۚ﴿۲﴾
69:2 What is the sure Truth?
وَ مَاۤ اَدۡرٰىکَ مَا الۡحَآقَّۃُ ؕ﴿۳﴾
69:3 And what would make you realize what the sure Truth is?1
کَذَّبَتۡ ثَمُوۡدُ وَ عَادٌۢ بِالۡقَارِعَۃِ ﴿۴﴾
69:4 Thamūd and Ād called the calamity a lie.
فَاَمَّا ثَمُوۡدُ فَاُہۡلِکُوۡا بِالطَّاغِیَۃِ ﴿۵﴾
69:5 Then as for Thamūd, they were destroyed by the severe punishment.2
وَ اَمَّا عَادٌ فَاُہۡلِکُوۡا بِرِیۡحٍ صَرۡصَرٍ عَاتِیَۃٍ ۙ﴿۶﴾
69:6 And as for Ād, they were destroyed by a roaring, violent wind,
سَخَّرَہَا عَلَیۡہِمۡ سَبۡعَ لَیَالٍ وَّ ثَمٰنِیَۃَ اَیَّامٍ ۙ حُسُوۡمًا ۙ فَتَرَی الۡقَوۡمَ فِیۡہَا صَرۡعٰی ۙ کَاَنَّہُمۡ اَعۡجَازُ نَخۡلٍ خَاوِیَۃٍ ۚ﴿۷﴾
69:7 which He made to prevail against them for seven nights and eight days continuously, so that you could have seen the people in it prostrate as if they were trunks of hollow palm-trees.
فَہَلۡ تَرٰی لَہُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَاقِیَۃٍ ﴿۸﴾
69:8 So can you see a remnant of them?
وَ جَآءَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ وَ مَنۡ قَبۡلَہٗ وَ الۡمُؤۡتَفِکٰتُ بِالۡخَاطِئَۃِ ۚ﴿۹﴾
69:9 And Pharaoh and those before him and the overthrown cities3 committed evil.
فَعَصَوۡا رَسُوۡلَ رَبِّہِمۡ فَاَخَذَہُمۡ اَخۡذَۃً رَّابِیَۃً ﴿۱۰﴾
69:10 And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He punished them with a vehement punishment.
اِنَّا لَمَّا طَغَا الۡمَآءُ حَمَلۡنٰکُمۡ فِی الۡجَارِیَۃِ ﴿ۙ۱۱﴾
69:11 Surely We carried you in the ship, when the water rose high,
لِنَجۡعَلَہَا لَکُمۡ تَذۡکِرَۃً وَّ تَعِیَہَاۤ اُذُنٌ وَّاعِیَۃٌ ﴿۱۲﴾
69:12 that We might make it a reminder for you, and that the retaining ear might retain it.4
فَاِذَا نُفِخَ فِی الصُّوۡرِ نَفۡخَۃٌ وَّاحِدَۃٌ ﴿ۙ۱۳﴾
69:13 So when the trumpet is blown with a single blast,
وَّ حُمِلَتِ الۡاَرۡضُ وَ الۡجِبَالُ فَدُکَّتَا دَکَّۃً وَّاحِدَۃً ﴿ۙ۱۴﴾
69:14 and the earth and the mountains are borne away and crushed with one crash —
فَیَوۡمَئِذٍ وَّقَعَتِ الۡوَاقِعَۃُ ﴿ۙ۱۵﴾
69:15 on that day will the Event come to pass,5
وَ انۡشَقَّتِ السَّمَآءُ فَہِیَ یَوۡمَئِذٍ وَّاہِیَۃٌ ﴿ۙ۱۶﴾
69:16 and the heaven will be split apart; so that day it will be frail,
وَّ الۡمَلَکُ عَلٰۤی اَرۡجَآئِہَا ؕ وَ یَحۡمِلُ عَرۡشَ رَبِّکَ فَوۡقَہُمۡ یَوۡمَئِذٍ ثَمٰنِیَۃٌ ﴿ؕ۱۷﴾
69:17 and the angels will be on its sides. And above them eight will bear that day your Lord’s Throne of Power.6
یَوۡمَئِذٍ تُعۡرَضُوۡنَ لَا تَخۡفٰی مِنۡکُمۡ خَافِیَۃٌ ﴿۱۸﴾
69:18 On that day you will be exposed to view — no secret of yours will remain hidden.7
فَاَمَّا مَنۡ اُوۡتِیَ کِتٰبَہٗ بِیَمِیۡنِہٖ ۙ فَیَقُوۡلُ ہَآؤُمُ اقۡرَءُوۡا کِتٰبِیَہۡ ﴿ۚ۱۹﴾
69:19 Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand, he will say: Here, read my book.
اِنِّیۡ ظَنَنۡتُ اَنِّیۡ مُلٰقٍ حِسَابِیَہۡ ﴿ۚ۲۰﴾
69:20 Surely I knew that I should meet my account.
فَہُوَ فِیۡ عِیۡشَۃٍ رَّاضِیَۃٍ ﴿ۙ۲۱﴾
69:21 So he will be in a life of bliss,
فِیۡ جَنَّۃٍ عَالِیَۃٍ ﴿ۙ۲۲﴾
69:22 in a lofty Garden,
قُطُوۡفُہَا دَانِیَۃٌ ﴿۲۳﴾
69:23 its fruits are near.8
کُلُوۡا وَ اشۡرَبُوۡا ہَنِیۡٓـئًۢا بِمَاۤ اَسۡلَفۡتُمۡ فِی الۡاَیَّامِ الۡخَالِیَۃِ ﴿۲۴﴾
69:24 Eat and drink pleasantly for what you sent on ahead in bygone days.
وَ اَمَّا مَنۡ اُوۡتِیَ کِتٰبَہٗ بِشِمَالِہٖ ۬ۙ فَیَقُوۡلُ یٰلَیۡتَنِیۡ لَمۡ اُوۡتَ کِتٰبِیَہۡ ﴿ۚ۲۵﴾
69:25 And as for him who is given his book in his left hand — he will say: If only my book had not been given to me!
وَ لَمۡ اَدۡرِ مَا حِسَابِیَہۡ ﴿ۚ۲۶﴾
69:26 And I had not known what my account was!
یٰلَیۡتَہَا کَانَتِ الۡقَاضِیَۃَ ﴿ۚ۲۷﴾
69:27 If only (death) had made an end (of me)!
مَاۤ اَغۡنٰی عَنِّیۡ مَالِیَہۡ ﴿ۚ۲۸﴾
69:28 My wealth has not availed me.
ہَلَکَ عَنِّیۡ سُلۡطٰنِیَہۡ ﴿ۚ۲۹﴾
69:29 My authority has gone from me.
خُذُوۡہُ فَغُلُّوۡہُ ﴿ۙ۳۰﴾
69:30 Seize him, then fetter him,
ثُمَّ الۡجَحِیۡمَ صَلُّوۡہُ ﴿ۙ۳۱﴾
69:31 then cast him into the burning Fire,
ثُمَّ فِیۡ سِلۡسِلَۃٍ ذَرۡعُہَا سَبۡعُوۡنَ ذِرَاعًا فَاسۡلُکُوۡہُ ﴿ؕ۳۲﴾
69:32 then insert him in a chain seventy lengths long.9
اِنَّہٗ کَانَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُ بِاللّٰہِ الۡعَظِیۡمِ ﴿ۙ۳۳﴾
69:33 Surely he did not believe in Allah, the Great,
وَ لَا یَحُضُّ عَلٰی طَعَامِ الۡمِسۡکِیۡنِ ﴿ؕ۳۴﴾
69:34 nor did he urge the feeding of the poor.
فَلَیۡسَ لَہُ الۡیَوۡمَ ہٰہُنَا حَمِیۡمٌ ﴿ۙ۳۵﴾
69:35 Therefore he does not have here this day a true friend,
وَّ لَا طَعَامٌ اِلَّا مِنۡ غِسۡلِیۡنٍ ﴿ۙ۳۶﴾
69:36 nor any food except filth,
لَّا یَاۡکُلُہٗۤ اِلَّا الۡخَاطِـُٔوۡنَ ﴿٪۳۷﴾
69:37 which none but the wrongdoers eat.
Commentary:
- The instances given about Ād and Thamūd and Pharaoh and the Sodomites, in verses 4–10, show that the real significance of al-ḥāqqah, “the sure Truth”, is the hour in which the truth will be triumphant. There is no doubt that a fuller manifestation of the Truth, and of the requital of those who reject it, will take place in the Hereafter, and thus it also means the Resurrection. ↩
- See 7:78. The severe punishment was an earthquake. ↩
- The overthrown cities are the cities of Lot; see 11:82. ↩
- The reference in verses 11–12 is to Noah. ↩
- The consequences of this Event are described in 56:3; see 56:1 footnote, where it is shown that the Event, al-Wāqi‘ah, signifies the doom of the opponents in this life, with a full manifestation in the life after death. The passing away of the earth and the mountains and their being crushed, signifies the fall of the small and great men in connection with that doom. ↩
- The eight bearers of the Throne of Power (or ‘arsh) either represent something above the angels, or particular angels above the ordinary angels. However, it should be borne in mind that God Himself is al-Qayyūm, or the Self-Subsisting by Whom all things subsist (2:255), and other things are not a support for the Divine Being. There is a saying of the Holy Prophet, reported by all commentators, that at present such bearers are four. Now there are four attributes of the Divine Being specially connected with the maintenance of the world, and these are mentioned in the opening chapter of the Quran in the Divine names: Rabb, Raḥmān, Raḥīm, and Mālik. These represent providence, beneficence, mercy and requital, which bring the creation to perfection and from which all other attributes may be inferred. Hence these are the four bearers of the Throne of Power, so far as this world is concerned. Why are they eight on the day of Resurrection? The other world is a complete, but at the same time a new, manifestation of the spiritual realities of this life. Hence, there is a new manifestation of the four attributes of the Divine Being by which the world subsists, and thus these four attributes become eight on the day of Resurrection. Note that, as Divine attributes are brought into action through the agency of angels, the four or eight attributes would also be manifested through angels, and in this sense we may look upon the bearers of the Throne of Power as being four or eight angels. ↩
- This verse speaks clearly of the manifestation of the hidden realities on the day of Resurrection. ↩
- These fruits are the manifestation of the fruits of righteous deeds. They are here spoken of as being near so that they are available in this life too. ↩
- In these verses the spiritual torture of this world is represented as a physical punishment in the next. The chain represents the desires and entanglements of this world, and it is these desires that will assume the shape of a chain. The heart-burnings of this world will likewise be clearly seen as flames of burning fire. The wicked one has in this very world within himself a hell of the passions and inextinguishable desires of this world, and feels the burning of that hell in the failures he encounters. When, therefore, he is cast farther off from his temporal desires and sees an everlasting despair before him, his heart-burnings and bitter sighs for his dear desires assume the shape of burning Fire. The casting into a chain seventy lengths long is significant. Man’s limit of age may as a general rule be fixed at seventy, and he may sometimes even enjoy seventy years excluding the periods of childhood and decrepitude. These seventy years during which he could work with honesty, wisdom and zeal are wasted away by the wicked one only in the entanglements of the world, and in following sensual passions. He does not try to free himself from the chain of desires, and therefore in the next world the desires which he indulged in for seventy years will be embodied into a chain seventy lengths long, every length representing, as it were, a year. (Editor’s Note: The word dhirā‘, used here meaning one length, indicates a distance equal to about the length of the lower arm of a man.) ↩