Surah Al-Haqqa

Name

The Surah takes its name from the word al-Haaqqah with which it opens.

Period of Revelation

This too is one of the earliest surahs to be revealed at Makkah. Itssubject matter shows that it was sent down at the time when oppositionto the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) had started but had not yetbecome tyrannical. Musnad Ahmad contains a tradition from Hadrat Umar,saying: "Before embracing Islam one day I came out of my house with aview to causing trouble to the Holy Prophet, but he had entered theMasjid al-Haram before me. When I arrived I found that he was recitingsurah Al-Haaqqah in the Prayer. I stood behind him and listened. As herecited the Qur'an I wondered at its literary charm and beauty. Thensuddenly an idea came to my mind that he must be a poet as theQuraish alleged. Just at that moment he recited the words: "This is theWord of an honorable Messenger: it is not the word of a poet." Isaid to myself: Then, he must be a soothsayer, if not a poet.Thereupon be recited the words:"Nor is it the word of a soothsayer:little it is that you reflect. It is a Revelation from the Lord andSustainer of the worlds. On hearing this Islam entered deep into myheart." This tradition of Hadrat Umar shows that this surah had beensent down long before his acceptance of Islam, for even after thisevent he did not believe for a long time, and he continued to beinfluenced in favor of Islam by different incidents from time to time,till at last in the house of his own sister he came by the experiencethat made him surrender?and submit to the Faith completely. (Fordetails, see introduction to surah Maryam and Introduction to surah Al-Waqiah).

Theme and Subject Matter

The first section (vv. 1-37) is about the Hereafter and the second (vv.38-52) about the Qur'an's being a revelation from Allah and the HolyProphet's being a true Messenger of Allah.

The first section openswith the assertion that the coming of the Resurrection and theoccurrence of the Hereafter is a truth which has to take placeinevitably. Then in vv. 4-12, it has been stated that the communitiesthat denied the Hereafter in the past became worthy of Allah's scourgeultimately. In vv. 13-17 the occurrence of Resurrection has beendepicted. In vv. 18-37 the real object for which Allah has destined asecond life for mankind after the present worldly life has beenenunciated. In it we are told that on that Day all men shall appear inthe Court of their Lord, where no secret of theirs shall remain hiddeneach man's record will be placed in his hand. Those who had spentlives in the world with the realization that one day they would haveto render an account of their deeds before their Lord, and who hadworked righteously in the world and provided beforehand for their wellbeing in the Hereafter, will rejoice when they see that they have beenacquitted and blessed with the eternal bliss of Paradise. On thecontrary, those who neither recognized the rights of Allah, nordischarged the rights of men, will have no one to save them from thepunishment of Allah, and they will be cast into Hell.

In the secondsection (vv. 38-52) the disbelievers of Makkah have been addressed andtold: "You think this Qur'an is the word of a poet or soothsayer,whereas it is a Revelation sent dawn by Allah, which is beingpresented by the noble Messengers. The Messenger by himself had nopower to increase or decrease a word in it. If he forges something ofhis own composition into it, We will cut off his neck-vein (or heart-vein). For this is the Truth absolute and pure: and those who give ita lie, will have ultimately to regret and repent.