Surah Al-Haqqah

Introduction

It is Meccan, and its verses are fifty-one, with no disagreement regarding these two points. Evidence for the former is what Imam Ahmad narrated from Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him, who said: "I went out looking for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah the Exalted bless him and grant him peace, before I embraced Islam. I found that he had preceded me to the mosque, so I stood behind him. He began reciting Surah Al-Haqqah, and I began to marvel at the composition of the Quran. I said to myself, 'By Allah, this is a poet.' He then said, 'It is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.' I said, 'A soothsayer.' He replied, 'Nor is it the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember. A revelation...' until the end of the surah. Islam then took hold of my heart in its entirety."

Having mentioned the Day of Resurrection in a summary fashion, He, Glorified be He, detailed in this noble surah the news of that day and its momentous state. He, the Almighty and Majestic, included within it the mention of the circumstances of nations who denied the messengers, peace be upon them, and what befell them, so that the deniers contemporary to him—may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him—might be restrained. Thus, the Almighty, the most eloquent of speakers, said:

"The Inevitable Reality" (Al-Haqqah) refers to the Hour, or the state that is destined to occur and must happen. It is that in which true matters—such as reckoning, reward, and punishment—are confirmed and established. Alternatively, it is that in which matters are made known for their true reality; derived from the expression "I have known its truth" (haqqa-hu), meaning to know the true nature of a thing. This has been narrated from Ibn Abbas.

Attributing the verb to it in the latter two interpretations is metaphorical; it is literal regarding the matters contained within it, or regarding those who possess knowledge within it. In al-Kashf, it is stated that the attribution being metaphorical applies only to the final interpretation. As for the second interpretation, a metaphorical attribution is also possible, as the establishment and necessity belong to what is contained within it. It is also possible that "the possessor of the Haqqah" is intended, following the custom of naming a thing after that which accompanies it. This is more probable, because the Hour and what it contains are equal in the necessity of their establishment, which weakens the indicator of metaphorical attribution; thus, the metaphor serves as a conceptualization and hyperbole. This concludes the point, though al-Jalabi has discussed it with some contention, so refer to it and contemplate.

Al-Azhari stated: "The Haqqah is the Resurrection, derived from haqqa-hu (he contended with him), meaning he vied with him and overcame him. Thus, it is the Haqqah because it overcomes everyone who contends regarding the religion of Allah Almighty with falsehood—meaning every disputant—and defeats them."

The apparent implication of their words is that it is an adjective with an omitted noun, intended to signal the perfection of its manifestation through this attribute, causing it to function as a proper noun. It is also said that, based on what is narrated from Ibn Abbas regarding it being one of the names of the Day of Resurrection, it is a rigid noun (ism jamid) where no omitted noun is considered. It is further said that it is an infinitive (masdar), like al-‘aqibah (the end) and al-‘afiyah (well-being). Regardless of which it is, it is the subject (mubtada') whose predicate is the sentence that follows.