In the Name of Almighty Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
52 آية
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Surah Al-Haqqah is the 69th chapter of the Quran, containing 52 verses. Revealed in Makkah, it takes its name from Al-Haqqah, the Sure Reality, one of the names of the Day of Judgement, opening by asking what it is and what will make the listener know what it is. The surah recounts the destruction of Thamud by a violent blast and ‘Aad by a raging, roaring wind, and the drowning of Pharaoh’s people and the overturned cities of Lot’s people for their disbelief, describes the blowing of the trumpet and the crumbling of the mountains on that Day, and contrasts receiving one’s record of deeds in the right hand with joy against receiving it in the left hand or from behind the back in despair. It closes by affirming that the Quran is truly the word conveyed by a noble Messenger, not the words of a poet or a soothsayer, and commands glorifying the name of the Mighty Lord. Below you can read the full Surah Al-Haqqah in Arabic with a clear English translation and a verse-by-verse tafsir (explanation of the meaning) from Aysar al-Tafaseer, with the option to jump to any specific verse.
7. Allah set the wind on ‘Ad for seven whole uninterrupted nights and eight consecutive days. It destroyed the people and killed them, then cast them on the surface of the earth as if they were the roots of hollow palm trees flung on the ground.
9. Also, Pharaoh and the nations before him underwent the same fate as those who denied their messengers and disbelieved in Allah, like ‘Ad and Thamud and other villages which were destroyed and turned upside down for their disbelief and sins.
10. Each people denied the messenger who was sent to them; so Allah destroyed them for their sins and punished them severely as a reward for their atrocities.
11. When the water rose drastically in the time of Noah (peace be upon him), We carried Noah and the believers among your ancestors in the arc to save them from drowning which We destined as a punishment for the unbelievers.
12. Thus we made the drowning of the unbelievers and the deliverance of the believers in the ship a lesson for those who take heed and an admonition to those who have ears to hear and understand what they hear.
13. When Israfiel blows the trumpet the first time, the whole universe will be destroyed. A second blow is not necessary; for Allah’s command is but one and is neither opposed nor repeated.
14. The earth and all the mountains on it will be lifted and crushed until their attachments are broken and they lose their cohesion and become like a fragile dune of sand after they had been solid and consistent.
17. The angels will approach from the sides of the sky to look down at the people on earth. Eight angels (or eight rows of angels) will carry Allah’s throne on that terrifying Day, above the heads of the creatures.
18. The creatures on that day, will appear before their Lord to be judged and recompensed. None of their affairs will be hidden from Allah Almighty Who knows all whether it is concealed or revealed.
19. The people will be given their record of deeds. He who receives his record in his right hand will say happily to those he meets: “This is my book of records. Take it and read it!” He knows that what it contains are all his good deeds, for Allah has replaced his evil deeds with good ones.
20. “In my life on earth I knew for sure that I would be judged before Allah on this Day; therefore, I tried my best to do good and hoped that Allah would grant me a fair and easy trial for my deeds. My beliefs and hopes were true, for my judgement was an easy one.”
24. They will be told: Eat from the fruits of this garden with good appetite, O you righteousness people, and drink from its wine and enjoy. No harm or discomfort will you encounter. This is a compensation from Allah to you for your good deeds on life on earth, and for your faith and obedience to Allah Almighty.”
25. But the wicked will be given their book of records in their left hands. When they see their evil deeds, they will repent deeply for what they had committed on earth and wish that they had been thrust in the fire before reading their shameful record of deeds.
28. (He will say:) “The money has not spared me; the wealth and gold that I amassed on earth have not in the least saved me from Allah’s punishment or wrath.
35. Therefore, he will not find on this day any close relative or loyal friend to save him from Almighty Allah’s punishment, for each is concerned with himself on that day.
39. and by what you do not see in the invisible world (the meaning of the two verses could be: I swear by all the signs of divine power which you see and by its traces that you do not see)
40. that the Quran is Allah’s words and His revelation to His servant and messenger Mohammad (peace be upon him). What Mohammad tells you, you denying unbelievers, are the words of a noble messenger which he communicates to you from his Lord.
41. And they are not the words of a poet because Mohammad is not a poet. Little do you unbelievers believe. (The meaning could be: they believe in their hearts then quickly go back on their faith.)
42. Nor are they the words of a soothsayer as you claim, for he cursed the devils and what he says could not therefore be a revelation from them. But when you could not understand them, you said that they were the words of a soothsayer. How little do you remember and contemplate.
43. The Quran is neither poetry nor the speech of a soothsayer. It is a revelation from Allah, Lord of the universe, to His servant and messenger Mohammad (peace be upon him) through the loyal spirit Gabriel.
44. If Mohammad had invented any falsehood and claimed it was from Us, either by adding to the message or omitting from it, or if he had said something that he himself had made up and attributed it to Us, We would hasten his punishment.
48. This Quran is a reminder and an admonition for those who fear their Lord in their most secret thoughts by obeying His commands and refraining from doing what He forbade.
50. This Quran causes great sorrow to the unbelievers when they see the success of the believers in life here below, and great remorse in the Hereafter when they see the satisfaction of Allah which the believers gain and the homage He pays them in His House of Honour.
52. So glorify the name of Allah Almighty and purify Him from any quality that is not befitting to His Majesty and Perfection. Persevere in praising the name of your generous Lord.
Tafsir by Dr. Assaad Homad (1917–2011), Syrian scholar and jurist, author of Aysar al-Tafaseer, an accessible interpretation of the Quran reviewed by Sheikh Muhammad Mutwally Al-Shaarawi and certified by the Ministries of Awqaf in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. English translation by the Homad family. Read more about the author and this tafsir →
Source: This series of Tafsir books has been made available online by the family of Dr. Assaad Homad (may Allah have mercy on him). These volumes were entirely digitized to provide an accessible and easy format for todays digital age. Please keep Dr. Assaad and his family in your sincere prayers.
تم إتاحة هذه السلسلة من كتب التفسير عبر الإنترنت من قبل عائلة الدكتور أسعد حومد (رحمه الله). لقد قمنا برقمنة هذه المجلدات بالكامل لتوفير تنسيق يسهل الوصول إليه واستخدامه في عصرنا الرقمي الحالي. نرجو منكم ألا تنسوا الدكتور أسعد وعائلته من صالح دعائكم.