69:1. The inevitable Hour!

69:2. What is the inevitable Hour?

69:3. How could you know what the inevitable Hour is?

69:4. Thamood and ‘Ad denied the calamity of the Hour.

69:5. As for Thamood, they were destroyed by the overwhelming blast.

69:6. And as for ‘Ad, they were destroyed by a furious cold wind

69:7. which He unleashed against them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so that you would have seen the people lying lifeless as if they were the trunks of fallen palm trees.

69:8. Do you see any remnant of them?

﴾The inevitable Hour﴿ - this is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection, because it is bound to come and will inevitably befall people, and the realities of all things will be clearly made manifest, and what is hidden in people’s hearts will be brought out into the open.

Therefore Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) highlights its seriousness and significance, as He repeated this phrase: ﴾The inevitable Hour! What is the inevitable Hour? How could you know what the inevitable Hour is?﴿ For it is of immense significance and will be a momentous day. Because of its great significance, Allah destroyed previous nations who disbelieved in it, with an immediate punishment in this world.

Then Allah mentions examples of nations who were punished in this world, whose punishment was witnessed and is known. This refers to the extreme punishment that He sent upon these arrogant nations:

﴾Thamood and ‘Ad denied the calamity of the Hour﴿. Thamood were a well-known tribe who lived in al-Hijr, to whom Allah sent His Messenger Salih He told them to give up what they were following of polytheism and enjoined them to affirm the oneness of Allah, but they rejected his call and disbelieved in him, and they rejected what he told them about the Day of Resurrection, which is the calamity that will stun everyone with its horrors.

A similar case was that of the ancient tribe of ‘Ad, who lived in Hadramawt. When Allah sent to them his Messenger Hood to call them to the worship of Allah alone, they rejected him and rejected what he told them about the resurrection. Therefore Allah destroyed both groups in this world.

﴾fAs for Thamood, they were destroyed by the overwhelming blast﴿ which was the terrifying great cry that caused heart-stopping fear and lead to their demise. Thus they died, and nothing was to be seen except their dwellings and their corpses.

﴾And as for ‘Ad, they were destroyed by a furious cold wind﴿ that is, a wind with strong gusts that made a sound louder than thunder. It destroyed ‘Ad because it was extraordinarily powerful and strong.

qwhich He unleashed against them for seven nights and eight days in succession﴿ that is, inauspicious and evil days, that were terrible for them, and it destroyed them utterly.

﴾so that you would have seen the people lying lifeless﴿ that is, dead, t﴾as if they were the trunks of fallen palm trees﴿ that is, as if they were the trunks of palm trees whose tops had been cut off and they had fallen on top of one another.

﴾Do you see any remnant of them?﴿ This appears in the form of a question, but what is meant is an emphatic negation.

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69:9. Pharaoh and those who came before him, and the cities overthrown, committed grave sins.

69:10. They [each] disobeyed the Messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a severe punishment.

69:11. When the waters [of the Flood] rose high. We carried you [your forefathers] in the ark,

69:12. so that We might make it a reminder for you and so that attentive ears might pay heed.

That is, besides these two transgressing nations of ‘Ad and Thamood, there were arrogant tyrants such as the Pharaoh of Egypt,to whom Allah sent His slave and Messenger Moosa ibn ‘Imran (عليه السلام), who showed him clear signs on the basis of which they became certain of the truth, but they rejected it and disbelieved, wrongfully and arrogantly. And before Pharaoh there came other disbelievers: ﴾and the cities overthrown )? namely the cities of the people of Loot, who all ﴾committed grave sins﴿ namely disbelief, denial, wrongdoing, stubbornness, and all kinds of shameful and evil deeds.

﴾They [each] disobeyed the Messenger of their Lord﴿ that is, each of these nations rejected the Messenger whom Allah sent to them.

Therefore Allah seized all of them {[with a severe punishment﴿ that is, a punishment greater than that which was needed to destroy them.

Among them were the people of Nooh, whom Allah drowned in the sea when the water covered the earth and rose high enough to cover elevated places.

Allah reminded the people who came after them of this blessing by means of which Allah carried them (their forefathers) in the ark - namely the great ship - when they were still in the loins of their forebears whom Allah saved. So praise Allah and give thanks to Him Who saved you when He destroyed the transgressors, and leam from the signs that point to His oneness. Hence He says:

f(so that We might make it﴿ that is, the ark, but what is meant is ships in general,

?(a reminder for you﴿, to remind you of the first ship to be built, and the story behind it, and how Allah saved thereby those who believed in Him and followed His Messenger, and He destroyed all the people of the earth. So when you see a thing, it reminds you of its origin.

﴾and so that attentive ears might pay heed﴿ that is, so that people of understanding may understand it and know the purpose behind it, and the miraculous aspect thereof. This is in contrast to those who turn away and are heedless, and those who are lacking in intelligence, for they do not benefit from the signs of Allah, because they do notunderstand what Allah is telling them and they do not comprehend the signs of Allah.

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69:13. Then when a single blast is sounded on the Trumpet,

69:14. and the earth and the mountains are lifted up and dashed to bits at a single blow,

69:15. on that day the inevitable will come to pass,

69:16. and the heaven will be rent asunder, for on that day it will be flimsy,

69:17. and the angels will be standing throughout it, and on that day, eight will carry the Throne of your Lord above them.

69:18. On that day, you will be brought forth [for the reckoning], and no secret of yours will remain hidden.

As Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) mentioned above what He did to those who rejected His Messengers, and how He requited them and hastened the punishment for them in this world, and that Allah saved the Messengers and their followers, that served to introduce the idea of requital in the hereafter, for all deeds will be requited in full on the Day of Resurrection.

Here Allah mentions the momentous events that will occur ahead of the resurrection, the first of which will be when Israfeel blows on ﴾the Trumpet﴿, after all bodies have been fully restored. It will be s(asingle blast﴿, then the souls will emerge and each soul will enter its body, and all people will be standing before the Lord of the worlds.

﴾fand the earth and the mountains are lifted up and dashed to bits at a single blow﴿ that is, the mountains will be diminished and crumbled, and will be mixed with the earth and spread on it, and the entire mass will become a flat plain, in which you will see no depression or elevation. This is what will be done to the earth and all that is on it.

As for what will be done to the heaven, it will be convulsed and split asunder, its colour will change, and it will become flimsy after having been solid and strong, because of some tremendous development and great calamity that will disturb it and weaken it.

﴾and the angels will be standing throughout it﴿, submitting themselves to their Lord and humbling themselves before His might.

﴾and on that day, eight will carry the Throne of your Lord above them﴿ that is, it will be carried by eight immensely strong angels, when Allah comes to judge between His slaves with justice, fairness and grace.

Hence He says: ﴾On that day, you will be brought forth﴿ before Allah ﴾[for the reckoning], and no secret of yours will remain hidden)﴿. Nothing of your physical being, deeds or characteristics will be hidden, for Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is the Knower of the unseen and the seen.

People will be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised, on level ground, where the caller will make them hear and they will all be visible, and at that time Allah will requite them for their deeds. Hence He says:

69:19. As for the one who is given his record of deeds in his right hand, he will say: Here, read my record!

69:20. Indeed I knew that I would face my reckoning.

69:21. So he will have a well-pleasing life,

69:22. in a garden on high,

69:23. with fruits within easy reach.

69:24. [It w ill be said to them:] Eat and drink with enjoyment because of what you did [of righteous deeds] in days gone by.

These people are the blessed, who will be given their records, which list their righteous deeds, in their right hands, so as to make them distinct, highlight their renown and raise their status.

At that point, one of them will say, out of joy, happiness and the desire to show people how Allah has blessed and honoured him: ﴾Here, read my record!﴿ That is, here is my record; read it, for it speaks of glad tidings, all kinds of honour, forgiveness of sin and concealment of faults. What has brought me to this is what Allah blessed me with of belief in the resurrection and the reckoning, and preparation for that by doing whatever I could. Hence he will say:

﴾Indeed I knew that I would face my reckoning﴿ that is, I was certain of it.

﴾So he will have a well-pleasing life﴿ that includes all that souls could desire and that could delight the eyes. They will be pleased with it and would not choose anything else.

﴾in a garden on high﴿ with lofty dwellings and palaces.

﴾with fruits within easy reach﴿ that is, its harvest of all kinds of fruits will be near at hand, easy to pick whether they are standing, sitting or reclining.

It will be said to them by way of honour: ﴾Eat and drink﴿ all kinds of delicious fruit and palatable drinks﴾with enjoyment﴿ that is, with full enjoyment, with nothing to spoil it. That reward has been bestowed upon you ﴾because of what you did [of righteous deeds] in days gone by﴿ - and refraining from evil deeds; those righteous deeds included prayer, fasting, charity, Hajj, treating people kindly, and remembering Allah and turning to Him.

Allah has made deeds a means of attaining paradise, with all its joys and delights.

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69:25. As for the one who is given his record of deeds in his left hand, he will say: Would that I had not been given my book,

69:26. and knew nothing of my reckoning.

69:27. Would that [my death] had been the end of me!

69:28. My wealth has availed me nothing,

69:29. and my power is gone from me.

69:30. Take him and place an iron collar on his neck,

69:31. then admit him to the blazing fire,

69:32. then bind him in a chain the length of which is seventy cubits.

69:33. Verily he did not believe in Allah the Most Great

69:34. and he did not urge others to feed the needy.

69:35. So today he has no relative [or friend] here.

69:36. and no food except pus,

69:37. which no one will eat except the sinners.

These people are the doomed, who will be given the record of their bad deeds in their left hands, so as to make them distinct by way of humiliation, disgrace and exposure. One of them will say, in his anguish, distress and shame:

t-(Would that I had not been given my book﴿ because it gives him the tidings of admission to hell and eternal loss.

tfand knew nothing of my reckoning﴿ that is, would that I had been overlooked and forgotten, and had not been resurrected and brought to account. Hence he will say:

﴾Would that [my death] had been the end of me﴿ that is, would that my death had been a death after which there was no resurrection.

Then he will turn his attention to his wealth and power, and will realise that it turned out to be a calamity for him, because he did not use it to benefit himself in the hereafter or to ransom himself from the punishment of Allah. Hence he will say:

﴾My wealth has availed me nothing﴿ that is, it has not benefitted me, either in the previous world, for I did not send anything on ahead, or in the hereafter, for the time to benefit from it is over, c-fand my power is gone from mej? that is, it has disappeared and vanished, and numerous troops, heavy equipment and high status are of no avail, for they are gone with the wind, and because of them he missed out on real gains and is left instead with worries, distress and grief.

At that point the order will be given to punish him, and it will be said to the stern and harsh keepers of hell: ﴾Take him and place an iron collar on his neck﴿ that is, place a tight, choking iron collar on his neck﴾then admit him to the blazing fire﴿ so that he will feel its heat and suffer from its burning embers and flames.

﴾then bind him in a chain the length of which is seventy cubits﴿ this is one of the chains of hell that are exceedingly hot. He will continue to suffer this terrifying punishment, and how dreadful is that punishment and torment; how great is the regret of the one who is rebuked. The reason that brought him to this state is:

﴾Verily he did not believe in Allah the Most Great﴿ - he disbelieved in his Lord and stubbornly rejected His Messengers and the message of truth that they brought

﴾and he did not urge others to feed the needy﴿ that is, there was no compassion in his heart towards the poor and needy, so he did not feed them from his own wealth or urge others to feed them, because he had no motive in his heart to do so.

That is because the foundation and essence of attaining happiness is two things: sincerity towards Allah, which is rooted in faith in Allah, and kindness towards people, which takes many forms, one of the greatest of which is meeting the needs of the needy by feeding them what they need for nourishment. But these people have no sincerity and show no kindness, therefore they deserve that punishment.

﴾fSo today﴿ that is, on the Day of Resurrection ﴾he has no relative [or friend] here﴿ to intercede for him and save him from the punishment of Allah, or to help him attain the reward of Allah.

﴾No intercession will be of any avail before Him, except for those for whom He permits intercession...﴿ (Saba'34 23)

﴾f...The wrongdoers will have no close friend or intercessor whose word may be heeded.﴿ (Ghafn-40• 18)

And he will have no food ﴾except pus﴿ namely the pus of the people of hell, which is extremely hot and foul smelling, with a vile and bitter taste.No one will eat this dreadful food ﴾except the sinners﴿ who went astray from the straight path and followed the ways that lead to hell; therefore they will deserve that painful punishment.

69:38. Verily I swear by all that you can see

69:39. and by all that you cannot see

69:40. that verily it [the Qur’an] is a word conveyed by a noble Messenger.

69:41. and it is not the words of a poet. Little is it that you believe!

69:42. Nor is it the words of a soothsayer. Little is it that you pay heed!

69:43. It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

69:44. If he [Muhammad] had falsely attributed something to Us,

69:45. We would surely have seized him by the right hand.

69:46. then We would surely have severed his aorta,

69:47. and not one of you could have protected him.

69:48. Verily it [the Qur’an] is a reminder for the righteous.

69:49. Indeed We know full well that among you are some who reject

69:50. and indeed it will be a cause of regret for the disbelievers [in the hereafter, because of their rejection of it].

69:51. Indeed it is certain truth.

69:52. So glorify the name of your Lord, the Most Great.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) swears by all that people can see and all that they cannot see. This includes all of creation; it even includes His own divine essence, attesting to the truthfulness of what the Messenger (ﷺ) has brought of this noble Qur’an, and that the noble Messenger (ﷺ) has indeed conveyed it from Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

Allah declares His Messenger (ﷺ) to be above what his enemies accused him of, when they said that he was a poet or a soothsayer. What made them say that was their lack of faith and their failure to pay heed. If they had believed and paid heed, they would have known what would benefit them and what would harm them.

If they had looked at the situation of Muhammad (ﷺ) and reflected upon his attributes and attitude, they would have seen something that was as clear as day, that would have led them to the conclusion that he was indeed the Messenger of Allah, and that what he brought was revelation from the Lord of the worlds, and it was not appropriate to attribute it to any human being. For it is words that are indicative of the greatness of the One Who uttered them, and the majestic nature of His attributes, His perfect care for His slaves, and His sublime superiority over His slaves. Moreover, this thinking on their part was not befitting to Allah and His wisdom.

If he (Muhammad [3l§]) had falsely attributed it to Allah, and fabricated some false words, ﴾We would surely have seized him by the right hand, then We would surely have severed his aortap which is an artery that is connected to the heart; if it is severed, the individual will die.

Assuming - Allah forbid - that the Messenger (ﷺ) had fabricated something and falsely attributed it to Allah, Allah would have hastened to punish him and seize him with the vehement grip of One Who isAlmighty, Omnipotent, for He is Most Wise and has power over all things.

And His wisdom dictates that He should not delay the punishment of one who tells lies about Him, and claims that he and his followers are the saved and that those who disagree with him are doomed.

The fact that Allah supported His Messenger (ﷺ) with miracles and proved the truthfulness of the message he brought with clear signs, granted him victory over his enemies and caused him to prevail over them is the greatest testimony from Him in support of His message.

﴾and not one of you could have protected him﴿ that is, if Allah wanted to destroy him, he could not have protected himself and no one else could have protected him from the punishment of Allah.

﴾Verily it [the Qur’an] is a reminder for the righteous﴿ which shows them what is in their best interests in both spiritual and worldly terms, so that they may know it and act upon it. It reminds them of religious beliefs, good attitudes and shar'i rulings, so that they will be people of knowledge, worshippers who know their Lord, and leaders who can guide others.

﴾Indeed We know full well that among you are some who reject it﴿ - this is a warning and a threat to the disbelievers, that He will punish them severely for their disbelief.

﴾and indeed it will be a cause of regret for the disbelievers [in the hereafter, because of their rejection of it] ]﴿- because they disbelieved in it and they saw what Allah promised (of punishment) in it, they will regret not having been guided by it and not having submitted to its commands. Thus they will miss out on the reward and incur the most severe punishment, and they will lose all hope of salvation and become utterly helpless.

﴾Indeed it is certain truths﴿ that is, the highest level of knowledge, for the highest level of knowledge is certainty, which is proven knowledge that cannot be undermined and does not waver.

Certainty is of three levels, each of which is higher than the one before it.

The first is certain knowledge, which is knowledge that is learned from reports.

Then comes the certainty of sight, which is knowledge that is attained through vision and seeing.

Then comes absolute truth, which is knowledge that is attained through experience and direct interaction.

This is how this holy Qur’an is: all the knowledge that it contains is supported by definitive proof, and whoever experiences what it contains of facts and knowledge of beliefs will attain absolute truth.

﴾So glorify the name of your Lord, the Most Great﴿ that is, declare Him to be above all that is not befitting to His majesty, and sanctify Him by remembering the attributes of His majesty, beauty and perfection.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat al-llaqqah.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah he upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.