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Teachings of the Qur`aan
Al-Haaqqah
Soorah 69:1-12
Ayub A. Hamid
Name and Background
The first word of the Soorah, Al-Haaqqah, has been adopted as
its identifier. Al-Haaqqah means something that is inevitable and
indispensable, its occurrence is beyond doubt and unstoppable. This refers to
the end of this world and the occurrence of the Day of Judgment.
This was revealed in the early Makkan period when the Makkans
were refusing to believe in the Day of Judgment and the life Hereafter. At this
stage, they were opposing the mission of the Prophet by discounting the
Qur-aanic revelations as fancies of a poet or speculations of a soothsayer.
This Soorah warns them by citing examples of previous nations
that were punished for rejecting the prophet or messenger sent to them. It then
presents some of the scenes that will be seen on the Last Day. Towards the end,
the Soorah explains that the Qur-aan is not the product of a poet or a
soothsayer, as they speculate, but it is a revelation from Allaah Subhaanahu wa
Ta`aala. The Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam is presenting it exactly
as he is receiving it. Were he to add or subtract anything at all from what was
revealed to him, he would be severely punished right away.
'Umar Faarooq radhiallaahu 'anhu reported that before he
became Muslim, one day he heard the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam
recite this Soorah while performing Allaah's worship (Salaah) in the Holy
Ka'abah. While he was listening to the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam's recitation and being impressed by the quality of the language and the
beauty of its composition, he thought that the Prophet must be a poet as some
people claimed. Soon the verse of the Qur-aan itself negated it. Then he
thought that the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam must be a soothsayer,
but the very next verse negated that notion as well. It rather claimed to be
from the Lord of the universe. At this he felt drawn to Islam, but he continued
to resist.
Teachings and Commentary
In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Soorah starts with an attention grabbing style.
1 The Inevitable! 2 What is the Inevitable? 3 And what would
make you realize what the Inevitable is?
It asks questions to make people think and pay attention. The
occurrence of the end of the world has been called "the Inevitable" to give
people a clear message that they should not speculate on it being merely a
hollow, baseless claim. Their disbelief or doubts about it are not going to
make it go away. It is inevitable and they better be ready for it.
The Makkans were not the first people to reject the reality
of the Day of Judgment and the life Hereafter. The next section cites some
familiar historical examples to warn them that any people who rejected the call
of a messenger and the belief in the Hereafter were destroyed by Allaah. Thus
they should not take the call of the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam
lightly. It is an extremely serious matter. If they reject it, they will be
doing so at their own peril.
4 Thamood and 'Aad called the loudly knocking calamity a lie.
5 So, as for Thamood, they were destroyed by an excessively severe incident. 6
And as for 'Aad, they were destroyed by a fierce, violent wind, 7 which Allaah
imposed on them continuously for seven nights and eight days, so you could have
seen the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees. 8
Do you then see any survivors from them?
In verse 4, the Last Day has been called "Al-Qaari'ah" which
means something that knocks, pounds, pulverizes or hammers with a loud sound.
The destruction of the people of Thamood and 'Aad was known
among Arabs. The calamity which struck Thamood has been described differently
at different places in the Qur-aan, emphasizing its different aspects. In
Soorah Al-A'raaf 7:78 it was called a violent shaking, in Soorah Hood 11:67, it
was described as explosive sound and in Fussilat 41:17 it was termed as
thunder. Here only its excessive severity has been mentioned. 'Aad were
destroyed by a cold, dry and fierce winter wind.
9 The same mistake was made by Fir'own (Pharaoh) and those
before him, and the overturned townships. 10 They disobeyed the messenger of
their Lord, so He seized them with a tightening grip.
"Overturned townships" refers to the townships of homosexuals
in the Dead Sea area (Sodom and Gomorrah) that sank into the Dead Sea and into
the ground and were buried underneath stones and soil dumped over them by
violent winds.
11 It was indeed Us Who carried you upon the floating Ark
when the water overflowed beyond limits, 12 so that We make it a reminder for
you and that the remembering ears would hear and remember it.
Although the people who survived in Nooh's (Noah's) Ark had
been many, many generations ago, "carried you" has been used to make people
realize that they exist only because Nooh 'alayhissalaam and his followers were
saved. Being their descendents, they must remember the incident and learn
lessons from it.
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Copyright © 2009 Ayub A. Hamid
All rights reserved
This document may be used, only with this copyright notice
included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and
groups, to post on internet forums, and include in not-for-profit publications
subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced
faithfully in full, without alteration or omission; (2) The author's subject
title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be
attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all
other rights, which are reserved.
Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur'aan,
not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives
interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details.
Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur'aan is in fact only an
expression of the translator's understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur'aan itself. Only the
original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur'aan.
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Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic
thinker residing in Canada for the last 34 years. His recently published books
are:
1. Islam - Does It Make Sense?
2. Unveiling the Commands-The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar
and Jilbaab.
3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth.
4. A Book Unlike Any Other.
5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms.
6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs.
http://soundvisioncanada.com/shop/pbrowse.asp?Pg=3&Cat=10004
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The following soowar 'Teachings of the Qur'aan' series by
Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid, are available on request:-
Al Faatihah
Al Baqarah
Aali 'Imraan
A Nisaa'
Al Maaidah
Al An'aam
Al A'raaf
Al Anfaal
At Teen
Al`Alaq
Al Qadr
Al Bayyinah
Al Zilzaal
Al Aadiyatt
Al Qaari`ah
At Takaathur
Al`Asr
Al Humazah
Al Feel
Al Quraish
Al Maa`oon
Al-Kowthar
Al Kaafiroon
Al Nasr
Al Lahab
Al Ikhlaas
Al Falaq
An Naas
Al Mulk
Al Qalam
K a r i m a
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