Pars Today

Welcome to our latest episode of “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).

For the past few weeks we have been explaining “Surah Haaqqah” – the number 69 in the serial order of compilation of the holy Qur’an – and today we complete explanation of its last few Ayahs. Revealed in Mecca, it has 52 Ayahs and opens by proclaiming one of the names of the Day of Resurrection, that is, al-Haaqqah or The Inevitable Reality, so named because the matter of truth in every affair shall forever be decided on Judgement Day. It describes punishment in the transient life of the mortal world for disbelievers as well as the more terrible fate that awaits them in the Hereafter. The bliss of Paradise to be enjoyed by the believers is eloquently contrasted with the torments of Hell for the disbelievers. The truth of the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet of Islam is also confirmed. The Surah is also known as The Concrete Reality, The Catastrophe, The Indubitable, The Inevitable Hour, The Sure Occurrence, and The Undeniable.

It is narrated from the Prophet that recitation of Surah Haaqqah lessens the burden of sins. It is narrated from Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS), the Prophet’s 5^th Infallible Heir, that it is incumbent to recite this Surah many a time, since its recitation in the ritual obligatory and supererogatory prayers serves as a token of belief in God Almighty and His Messenger; and whoever recites it, his/her faith shall remain intact until Resurrection provided that religious obligations are fulfilled.

We continue from where we left you last week and here are Ayahs 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, and 43:

“I swear by what you see;

“And what you do not see:

“It is indeed the speech of a noble Prophet,

“And it is not the speech of a poet; little is the faith that you have!

Nor is it the speech of a soothsayer; little is the admonition that you take!

“(It has been) sent down gradually from the Lord of all the worlds.”

If you might recall, in our explanation of the previous Ayahs of this Surah last Friday, we dwelt on the fate of the disbelievers and the unrepentant sinners on the Day of Judgement. The Ayahs that we recited to you now emphasize on the universal message of the Holy Qur’an, the Final Heavenly Scripture, which God Almighty revealed to His Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

With focus on the world of intuitive perception which is visible to the physical eye, and the unseen or the invisible realm of angels, spirits, celestial bodies and the innumerable microscopic organisms all around us, even in a single drop of water that human eyes cannot perceive, the Ayahs mean to say that the speech of the noble Prophet is flawless God-given wisdom, since what he speaks are not the words of a poet or a soothsayer, but the disbelievers fail to comprehend. The dynamic contents of the holy Qur’an were gradually revealed by God to the Prophet during his 23-year mission. It is thus the absolute truth or “haqq al- yaqeen”, which can never be disproved.

From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. Creation is not limited to the material world and its perception by the human eye, while the vast metaphysical realm is beyond our five senses.
2. The holy Qur’an is the Revealed Word of the Almighty Creator through the Prophet of Islam, who as the most honest and trustworthy person, conveyed it to humanity without the least alteration.
3. The works of poets and whatever the soothsayers have said are in abundance but none of these can match the flawless words and timeless wisdom of the holy Qur’an.

Now let us listen to Ayahs 44, 45, 46, and 47 of the same Surah:

“Had he faked any sayings in Our Name,

“We would have surely seized him by the right hand;

“And then cut off his artery;

 “And none of you could have held Us off from him.”

These Ayahs lay further emphasis on the truthfulness and trustworthiness of the Prophet, saying that had he written something from himself and ascribed it to God, Divine Wrath would have instantly afflicted him and severed his life artery while no one would have been able to save him.

These Ayahs teach us that:

1. The holy Qur’an is neither forgery nor the work of the Prophet, but is the Revealed Word of God to the Prophet for guidance of the human race.
2. The Qur’an enjoys absolute immunity because Allah has safeguarded its contents from any addition, omission or distortion.
3. No one, not even the Greatest Prophet, can withstand Divine Wrath.

In conclusion of this week’s episode of ‘Path towards Enlightenment’, we listen to the last five Ayahs of Surah Haqqaah, that is, 48, 49, 50, 51, and 52:

“And it (the Qur’an) is a Reminder for the Godwary.

“And indeed We know that there are some among you who deny [it].

“And indeed it will be a [matter of] regret for the faithless.

“And it is indeed certain truth.

“So celebrate the Name of your Lord, the All-Supreme.”

The contents of the holy Qur’an are a constant reminder for the Godwary to mold their life according to its timeless teachings, even if the faithless were to deny it and deprive themselves of Divine Bounties – a matter which will be of deep regret for them on Judgement Day. The faithful always glorify Allah.

From these Ayahs we learn the following points:

1. Acceptance of truth requires a clean heart, a clear mind, and a pure spirit.
2. Unlike the faithless, the true believers are always cognizant of Allah.

That marks the end of Surah Ḥaaqqah. Next episode, we will start surah Maʽarej.     

RM/AS/SS