Surah 69

Al-Haqqah (The Reality)

This Surah consist of 52 verses & 256 sentences.

It takes its name from the word al-Haqqah with which it opens.

One of the earliest surahs to be revealed in Makkah. Its subject matter shows that it was sent down at the
time when opposition to the Holy Prophet had started but not yet become tyrannical. Musnad Ahmad
contains a tradition from Hadrat Umar, “Before embracing Islam one day I came out of my house with a
view to causing trouble to the Holy Prophet, but he had entered the Masjid al-Haram before me. When I
arrived I found that he was reciting surah Al-Haqqah in the Prayer. I stood behind him and listened. As he
recited the Quran I wondered at its literary charm and beauty. Then suddenly an idea came to my mind that
he must be a poet as the Quraish alleged. Just at that moment he recited the words: "This is the Word of an
honourable Messenger: it is not the word of a poet."

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 and Sustainer of the worlds. On
hearing this Islam entered deep into my heart." This tradition of Hadrat Umar shows that this surah had
been sent down long before his acceptance of Islam, for even after this event he did not believe for a long
time, and he continued to be influenced in favour of Islam by different incidents from time to time, till at
last in the house of his own sister he came by the experience that made him surrender and submit to the
Faith completely.

69:7

He forced it upon them for seven nights and eight days the first of which was the morning of Wednesday
eight days before the end of the month of Shawwāl and this was at the height of winter successively one
after the next husūman it the action of the wind is likened to the repeated actions of a hāsim ‘one cauterizing
a wound’ time and again until it the blood has been cut off inhsama so that you might have seen the people
therein lying prostrate lying dead on the ground as if they were the hollow collapsed trunks of palm-trees.
(Tanwir Al-Miqbas Min Tafsir Ibn ‘Abbas)
These blessed Verses make another depiction of the destructive gale, saying that God Almighty made it
predominant over such people for seven nights and eight days consecutively. The Arabic adverb of manner
husuman denotes destroying the remnants of something and at times it connotes cauterizing the wound.

The contextual meaning of the blessed Verse 7 reflects that the raging gale shattered eradicated the
prosperous habitation of such great people in seven nights and eight days consecutively in the manner of a
rotten and hollow trunk of a palm tree.

The similitude is of interest since it implies their high stature as well as their being eradicated and the
hollowness and vulnerability against Divine torments, such that the harsh gales could easily move them.
The Arabic adjectival form khawiya originally denotes empty and it is employed in the sense of hungry
people, the stars devoid of rain (according to pre-Islamic Arabs), and empty walnuts.

There is no trace of the people of ‘Àd and the ruins of their prosperous habitations, majestic edifices, and
fertile farms.
69:10

(And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord) Moses, (therefore did He grip them with a tightening
grip) therefore He punished them with a severe punishment.

(Tanwir Al-Miqbas Min Tafsir Ibn ‘Abbas)

The blessed Verse 10 is saying that they rose against their Lord’s Messenger as a consequence of which
God Almighty inflicted them with a severe torment. The people of Pharaoh rose against Prophet Moses and
Aaron.

The inhabitants of Sodom rose against Prophet Lot. Likewise, other peoples disobeyed their Prophets and
each of them were inflicted with a different kind of severe torment: the people of Pharaoh were drowned in
the Nile which was the source of life, blessing, and prosperity in their land; the people of Lot with a strong
earthquake followed by a downpour of rocks leading to their perdition.

The Arabic word rabiya, cognate with riba’ ("usury money, interest"), denotes increase and surplus and it
herein connotes a very strong and severe torment.
69:17

(And the angels will be on the sides thereof) on its extremities, sides, different directions and parts (and
eight) He says: eight different angels, each one of them has four different faces: a human face, a face of an
eagle, a face of a lion, and a face of a bull; and it is also said: eight rows; and it is also said: eight parts of
the Cherubim, who dwell on the seventh heaven (will uphold the Throne of their Lord that day) the Day of
Judgement, (above them) on their necks.

(Tanwir Al-Miqbas Min Tafsir Ibn ‘Abbas)

"And the angels shall be on the sides of the heaven."

The Arabic nominal form arja’ is the plural form of raja’ denoting "side." The singular nominal form malak
("angel") connotes plurality, as if on that Day, the angels shall be prepared like agents surrounding a field
to receive orders to fulfill some assignment. They seemingly stand in lines surrounding the heavens
expecting the Commands of the Truth.

The blessed Verse proceeds to say that,

"Eight angels shall, on that Day, bear the Throne of your Lord above them."

Such bearers of the Divine Throne are not explicitly specified to be angels or otherwise, but the contextual
meaning of the blessed Verse reflects that they are angels, though it is not specified whether they are eight
angels or eight small or large groups of them.

According to Islamic traditions, the bearers of the Divine Throne are four angels or four groups of them,
but the number shall be twofold on the Day of Resurrection. In this vein, it is narrated from the Noble
Prophet of the Islamic faith (S) that now they are four in number, though they shall be reinforced by a
twofold increase thus making eight of them.

What is the Divine Throne and who are these angels?

The Arabic word ‘arsh ("throne")

This does not herein denote a royal and hence material throne, but as it was mentioned above on the
explanation of the word, it connotes the constituents of the world of existence as the Throne of Divine
Sovereignty whose affairs are being fulfilled by the angels.

It would be of interest to make mention of a tradition as per which the eight bearers of Divine Throne on
the Day of Resurrection will be four angels from the first ones and four from the last ones. The first four
consist of Prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus and the last ones are Muhammad, ‘Ali, Hasan, and
Husayn.

The expression may reflect their exalted rank of intercession with God Almighty for the first and the last
time, though interceding with God Almighty shall be on the behalf of those deserving the same; however,
such interpretation reflects the semantically broad scope of the word

"Throne."

Now, if the eight bearers of the Divine Throne be eight groups, it may be the case that groups of angels and
those of the Prophets and Friends of God Almighty be vested to fulfill the task. Thus, the affairs of the Day
of Resurrection shall be vested with the angels and the Prophets, though they shall all rest on Divine
Command.

It is needless to say, however, that the events to befall on the Day of Resurrection may not be precisely
known to us let alone the affairs of the bearers of the Divine Throne on that Day to us, the inhabitants of
this limited and shadowy world. It would suffice to say that we merely behold the reflections from afar in
the light of Divine Signs and Verses, though the Truth about such affairs shall be perceived on that Day.
 SHARIAH LAW 1

SURAH 69
Al-Haqqah (The Reality)

SUBMITTED BY:

Alleson Karl M. Daroy

MSU College of Law
Iligan Extension
1st Year – Teehankee