Salaam and welcome to another episode of our weekly series titled “Path towards Enlightenment” which is an endeavour to make you and us familiar with an easy and fluent explanation of God’s Final Scripture to all mankind, the holy Qur’an that was revealed to the Last and Greatest of all Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

As you know, last week we completed explanation of “Surah Rahman” and from this Friday onwards we embark on explanation of the next Surah, that is, “Surah Waqe’ah”, which is number 56 in the serial order of compilation of the holy Qur’an.

It has 96 Ayahs and was revealed in Mecca. It takes its name from Ayah 1, which mentions “al-Waqe’ah” that is, the Imminent Hour or the Inevitable Event to occur at the end of time. It is the Day of Resurrection followed by the Final Judgement, which the disbelievers deny. When it occurs, all false notions entertained by the doubters about its happening shall vanish and its reality shall penetrate every soul, since there will be no question anymore of its denial. On the Day of Judgement there will be sorting out of good and evil. People will be divided into three classes. Those brought near to the Divine Threshold for having reached the highest degree of faith; those on the right or ordinary believers who made mistakes but turned in repentance to Allah and thereafter lived a pious life; and those on the left, that is, the disbelievers who denied God’s message and the Prophets, lived in sins, and died in the state of disbelief. Ample proof is given in this Surah of the infinite power of the Almighty Creator and consequently His ability to bring about the Resurrection.

As for the benefits of reciting this Surah, and, of course, through contemplation on the message of its Ayahs, a hadith from the Prophet says that such a person will neither be from among the absent-minded nor will be afflicted with poverty. Other hadith on the authority of the Prophet’s Infallible Successors, say the regular reciter of Surah Waqe’ah will be listed among the loyal companions of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS); will have a radiant face on the Day of Resurrection; will be able to resolve his/her problems during lifetime; and will be respected in society. It is also narrated that reciting this Surah on a dead believer results in the forgiveness of the deceased, while its recitation on a person on deathbed will make him/her die with ease.

Let us start with Ayahs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of Surah Waqeʻah:

“In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful – When the Imminent [Hour] befalls;

“There is no denying that it will befall

“[It will be] lowering, exalting.

“When the earth is shaken violently,

“And the mountains are shattered into bits;

“And become scattered dust.”

Resurrection is denied by the disbelievers as something improbable, as well as by some persons of weak faith because of different motives, even if they believe in the beginning of creation. These Ayahs thus focus on the inevitability of the Day of Resurrection preceded by shocking events whose manifestations shall be reflected in all elements of the world of nature. Thisl, however, will not benefit the disbelievers and deniers who happen to witness it, since their fate is already sealed.

Resurrection makes alterations in both the physical world and the status of mankind by lowering some and elevating some others. In other words, there will be a sorting out of good and evil, when the disbelievers, even if they were mighty and influential in the mortal world, rendered low; while the believers, irrespective of their social status during lifetime, exalted to high ranks and degrees.

Ayahs 5 and 6 mean to say that the earthquake shall be so enormous that it shall pulverize mountains into scattered dust particles.

These Ayahs are a warning to us to refrain from disbelief and sins by living a virtuous life in obedience to Divine commandments, so as to be safe from the horrible consequences and torments of that fateful day.

From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. Resurrection and the Final Judgement will definitely occur and denying these realities is detrimental to the faithless and the disbelievers.
2. The Day of Resurrection will usher in a different physical world where all will gather and judged according to their deeds, with the disbelievers and unrepentant sinners tasting the horrors of hell, and the believers rewarded the bliss of paradise.
3. Resurrection will be preceded by earthquakes whose intensity will shatter mighty mountains into pieces.

Now we invite you to listen to Ayahs 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the same Surah:

“You will be (divided into) three groups (on that Day):

“The People of the Right Hand - and what are the People of the Right Hand?

“And the People of the Left Hand - and what are the People of the Left Hand?

“And the Foremost Ones are the foremost ones:

“They are the ones brought nearest [to Allah];

“(To reside) in the gardens of bliss;

“A multitude from the former [generations, that is, from the communities of the prophets of the past];

“And a few from the latter ones;”

These Ayahs categorize people in three groups. The first are those whose record of deeds is given in their right hand to indicate their success in achieving the reward of Paradise, since they were righteous in belief, did good deeds, abstained from sins; and if any mistake had occurred, they repented of their misdeed, sought forgiveness and returned to Divine Grace.

The second group is made up of those whose record of deeds is given in their left hand to indicate their utmost misery and the punishment of Hell for having lived an unrepentant life of sins and disobedience of Divine commandments.

The third is the best of the three groups and is placed nearest to the Divine Threshold for being persons of firm and unflinching faith whose whole life was devoted to the cause of God and guidance of mankind for whom they served as role models, even if it meant offering themselves as sacrifice for promotion of faith and humanitarian values in society. They are thus referred here as “sabeqoun” or the “foremost” and “muqarraboun” or the nearest ones to God Almighty Who is far glorious to have any form or place. They will thus have the highest station in Paradise. The ranks of the “foremost” include the Prophets, their legatees, their loyal companions, and of course, the Infallible Imams and their confidants. Many of them will be from between the time of the Father of the human race, Adam, and the generation of the Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). A few of the “foremost” will be from the later generations.

From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. Resurrection will make manifest the truly prosperous persons and the really miserable ones, irrespective of the status they had in society while alive.
2. Paradise is for the persons of true belief, including those who had sincerely repented of their misdeeds and earned forgiveness from God, while Hell is for the disbelievers, the heretics, the tyrants, the misleaders of people, and the unrepentant sinners.
3. Pride of place in the highest echelons of Paradise is for the foremost in belief and deeds.

In conclusion of this week’s episode of Path towards Enlightenment, we present you Ayahs 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 of Surah Waqe’ah:

 “On brocaded couches;

“Reclining on them, face to face;

“They will be served by youths of perpetual freshness;

“With goblets and ewers and a cup of a pure drink;

“Which neither causes them headache nor stupefaction;”

These Ayahs depict some of the unimaginable blessings granted by God in the higher echelons of Paradise to the foremost of faith and deeds, such as reclining on couches of the finest brocade and conversing with each other without being the least bored, while being served by youthful boys of perpetual freshness with goblets and ewers filled with the most delicious drinks – flavoured with camphor and ginger – that neither cause any headache nor dizziness.

From these Ayahs we learn the following points:

1. The people in Paradise recline on the most splendid couches and enjoy each other’s company in pleasant settings without being the least bored.
2. The foods and drinks of Paradise, unlike those of our world, are pristinely pure without any side effects.

RM/AS/SS