الواقعة
Al Waqiah
Verses
96
Revelation
Makki
Period
Middle Makkan
Surah No.
56 / 114
Al-Waqiah (The Inevitable Event) presents one of the most detailed Quranic accounts of the hereafter. It divides humanity into three categories on the Day of Judgement: the Foremost (As-Sabiqun) who will have the highest station, the Companions of the Right (As-hab al-Yamin), and the Companions of the Left (As-hab ash-Shimal). The surah describes the pleasures awaiting each righteous group in vivid detail and the punishments of Hell awaiting the wrongdoers. It closes with a powerful reflection on the moment of death and the reality of the Quran as a noble, protected scripture.
أسباب النزول
Revealed in the middle Makkan period. The Prophet said: "Whoever recites Al-Waqiah every night will never be afflicted by poverty." (Reported by Ibn as-Sunni) The surah addresses the Quraysh's denial of resurrection and final judgement by presenting the most comprehensive Quranic description of what will occur. The threefold division of humanity into the Foremost, the Right, and the Left became one of the most discussed frameworks in Islamic eschatology.
“And the forerunners, the forerunners – ”
The arresting introduction of the highest category of people in the hereafter, repeated for emphasis. The "forerunners" are understood as those who hastened to faith, good deeds, and closeness to Allah.
“Indeed, it is a noble Quran.”
The declaration of the Quran's nobility and honour, part of a closing section (56:77-80) that identifies the Quran as a protected and preserved scripture that cannot be touched except by the purified.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever recites Surah Al-Waqiah every night will never be afflicted by poverty." (Reported by Ibn as-Sunni)