Surah 69. Al-Haqqah

and the sky will be rent asunder⁹ for, frail will it have become on that Day -;

  - Mohammad Asad

The term as-sama' may denote here "the sky" or "skies", i.e., the visible firmament, or "heaven" in its allegorical sense, or the aggregate of cosmic systems comprised in the concept of "the universe" (cf. surah {2},note [20]).Its being "rent asunder" is perhaps a metaphor for a total breakdown of the cosmic order.

heaven shall split asunder, and the day shall seem flimsy.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The sky will then be so torn that it will be frail,

  - Mustafa Khattab

And the heaven will split asunder, for that day it will be frail.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And the sky will be rent asunder for it will that Day be flimsy

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

and the angels [will appear] at its ends,¹⁰ and, above them, eight will bear aloft on that Day the throne of thy Sustainer's almightiness....¹¹

  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "at its sides".

Since God is infinite in space as well as in time, it is obvious that His "throne" ('arsh) has a purely metaphorical connotation, circumscribing His absolute, unfathomable sway over all that exists or possibly could exist (cf. note [43] on 7:54 ). Hence, too, the "bearing aloft" of the throne of His almightiness cannot be anything but a metaphor - namely, an allusion to the full manifestation of that almightiness on the Day of Judgment. The Qur'an is silent as to who or what the "eight" are on whom this manifestation rests. Some of the earliest commentators assume that they are eight angels; others, that they are eight ranks of angels; while still others frankly admit that it is impossible to say whether "eight" or "eight thousand" are meant (Al-Hasan al-Basri, as quoted by Zamakhshari). Possibly, we have here an allusion to eight (unspecified) attributes of God or aspects of His creation; but, as the Qur'an states elsewhere, "none save God knows its final meaning" (see 3:7 and the corresponding note [8]).

The angels will stand all around and eight of them will be carrying the Throne of your Rabb above them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

with the angels on its sides. On that Day eight 'mighty angels' will bear the Throne of your Lord above them.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And the angels will be on the sides thereof, and eight will uphold the Throne of their Lord that day, above them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And the angels will be on its sides and eight will that Day bear the Throne of thy Lord above them. ^{5650 5651}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The whole picture is painted in graphic poetical images, to indicate that which cannot be adequately described in words, and which indeed OUT human faculties with their present limited powers are not ready to comprehend. The angels will be on all sides, arrayed in ranks upon ranks, and the Throne of the Lord on high will be borne by eight angels (or eight rows of angels). That will be the Day when Justice will be fully established and man be mustered to his Lord for reckoning.

The number eight has perhaps no special significance, unless it be with reference to the shape of the Throne or the number of the angels. The Oriental Throne is often octagonal, and its bearers would be one at each corner.

On that Day you shall be brought to judgment: not [even] the most hidden of your deeds will remain hidden.

  - Mohammad Asad

That shall be the day when you will be brought before your Rabb, and none of your secrets shall remain hidden.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

You will then be presented 'before Him for judgment', and none of your secrets will stay hidden.

  - Mustafa Khattab

On that day ye will be exposed; not a secret of you will be hidden.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

That Day shall ye be brought to Judgment: not an act of yours that ye hide will be hidden.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Now as for him whose record shall be placed in his right hand,¹² he will exclaim: "Come you all! Read this my record!

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., whose record shows that he was righteous in his life on earth: cf. 17:71 , as well as the symbolic expression "those on the right hand" in 74:39 . The linguistic origin of the symbolism of "right" and "left" as "righteous" and "unrighteous" is explained in note [3] on {56:8-9}.

Then he, who will be given his Book of Deeds in his right hand, will say: "Here it is, read my Book of deeds!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

As for those given their records in their right hand, they will cry 'happily', 'Here 'everyone'! Read my record!

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then, as for him who is given his record in his right hand, he will say: Take, read my book!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then he that will be given his Record in his right hand will say: "Ah here! read ye my Record! ⁵⁶⁵²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xvii. 71, where the righteous are described as those who are given their record in their right hand at Judgment. In lvi. 27, 38, and other passages, the righteous are called "Companions of the Right Hand".

Behold, I did know that [one day] I would have to face my account!"¹³

  - Mohammad Asad

Implying that he had always been conscious of resurrection and judgment, and had tried to behave accordingly.

I knew that I would certainly face my reckoning."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

I surely knew I would face my reckoning.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Surely I knew that I should have to meet my reckoning.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"I did really understand that my Account would (one Day) reach me!" ⁵⁶⁵³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The righteous one rejoices that the faith he had during this world's life was fully justified, and is now actually realised before him. He quite understood and believed that good and evil must meet with their due consequences in the Hereafter, however much appearances may have been against it in the life in the lower world, "in the days that are gone".

And so he will find himself in a happy state of life,

  - Mohammad Asad

So he will have a life of pleasure,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They will be in a life of bliss,

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then he will be in blissful state

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And he will be in a life of Bliss

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

in a lofty paradise,

  - Mohammad Asad

in a lofty garden,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

in an elevated Garden,

  - Mustafa Khattab

In a high Garden

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

In a Garden on high

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

with its fruits within easy reach.

  - Mohammad Asad

with clusters of fruit within his reach.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

whose fruit will hang within reach.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Whereof the clusters are in easy reach.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The Fruits whereof (will hang in bunches) low and near. ⁵⁶⁵⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The description is that of ripe, luscious grapes, hanging low in heavy bunches, so near that they could be gathered and enjoyed in dignified ease. Cf. also lv. 54; lxxvi. 14.

[And all who are thus blest will be told:] "Eat and drink with good cheer in return for all [the good deeds] that you have sent ahead in days gone by!"

  - Mohammad Asad

We shall say to him: "Eat and drink to your hearts content; this is a reward for what you did in the days gone by."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'They will be told,' 'Eat and drink joyfully for what you did in the days gone by.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

(And it will be said unto those therein): Eat and drink at ease for that which ye sent on before you in past days.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Eat ye and drink ye with full satisfaction; because of the (good) that ye sent before you in the days that are gone!" ^{5655 5656}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. ii. 110: "Whatever good ye send forth for your souls before you, ye shall find it with Allah: for Allah sees well all that ye do."

It will be a wholly new world, a new earth and a new heaven, when the blessed might well think with calm relief of "the days that are gone". Cf- xiv. 48, and n. 1925. Even Time and Space will be no more, so that any ideas that we may form here will be found to have become wholly obsolete by then.

But as for him whose record shall be placed in his left hand,¹⁴ he will exclaim: "Oh, would that I had never been shown this my record,

  - Mohammad Asad

Thus signifying that he had been unrighteous in his earthly life, in contrast with those "whose record will be placed in their right hand" (see verse {19} and note [12] above).

While he, who will be given his Book of Deeds in his left hand, will say: "Woe to me, would that I had not been given my Book of Deeds

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And as for those given their record in their left hand, they will cry 'bitterly', 'I wish I had not been given my record,

  - Mustafa Khattab

But as for him who is given his record in his left hand, he will say: Oh, would that I had not been given my book

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And he that will be given his Record in his left hand will say: "Ah! would that my record had not been given to me! ⁵⁶⁵⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This is in contrast to the righteous ones who will receive their record in their right hand. Cf. lxix. 19, n. 5652. The righteous are glad when they remember their past: their memory is itself a precious possession. The unjust are in agony when they remember their past. Their memory is itself a grievous punishment.

and neither known this my account!

  - Mohammad Asad

nor known what my account was!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

nor known anything of my reckoning!

  - Mustafa Khattab

And knew not what my reckoning!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"And that I had never realized how my account (stood)!

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Oh, would that this [death of mine] had been the end of me!

  - Mohammad Asad

Would that my death had ended all!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

I wish death was the end!

  - Mustafa Khattab

Oh, would that it had been death!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Ah! would that (Death) had made an end of me! ⁵⁶⁵⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The death as from this life was but a transition into a new world. They would wish that that death had been the end of all things, but it will not be.

Of no avail to me is all that I have [ever] possessed,

  - Mohammad Asad

My wealth had availed me nothing,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

My wealth has not benefited me!

  - Mustafa Khattab

My wealth hath not availed me,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Of no profit to me has been my wealth!

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

[and] all my power of argument has died away from me!"¹⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

The term sultan, which primarily signifies "power" or "authority", has here - as in many other places in the Qur'an - evidently the meaning of "argument", synonymous with hujjah (Ibn 'Abbas, 'Ikrimah, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, all of them quoted by Tabari): in this case, an argument or arguments against the idea of life after death and, hence, of divine judgment.

and my authority has gone away from me."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

My authority has been stripped from me.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

My power hath gone from me.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"My power has perished from me!"... ⁵⁶⁵⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The intensest agony is when the soul loses power over itself, when the personality tries to realise itself in new conditions and cannot: this is life in death.

[Thereupon the command will go forth:] "Lay hold of him, and shackle him,¹⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

For an explanation of the allegory of "shackles", see note [13] on 13:5 , note [44] on the last but one sentence of 34:33 , and notes [6] and [7] on 36:8 .

We shall say: "Seize him and put a chain around his neck,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'It will be said,' 'Seize and shackle them,

  - Mustafa Khattab

(It will be said): Take him and fetter him

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(The stern command will say): "Seize ye him and bind ye him ⁵⁶⁶⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Perhaps the word for 'bind' should be construed: 'bind his hands round his neck, to remind him that his hands when they were free were closed to all acts of charity and mercy': Cf. xvii. 29.