056- AL-WAQIʿAH
THE EVENT
All commentators consider al-Wāqiʿah to be a Makkan sūrah, although some maintain that vv. 81–82 are from the Madinan period, and others say that v. 83 is Madinan. A minority consider vv. 39–40 to have been revealed during the Prophet’s emigration from Makkah to Madinah. The sūrah takes its name from the mention of the Event in v. 1, a reference to the Day of Judgment.
The central theme of this sūrah is the nature of the Hereafter for three different classes of people, the foremost, the companions of the right, and the companions of the left. Since the previous sūrah, al-Raḥmān, also mentions the states of the Hereafter, this sūrah can be seen as a continuation and completion of it. Although al-Raḥmān deals mostly with the different blessings attained in different levels of Paradise, al-Wāqiʿah contrasts the blessings of Paradise, which are enjoyed by the foremost and the companions of the right, with the punishments of Hell, which are suffered by the companions of the left. The sūrah comprises five overlapping sections: the first (vv. 1–7) discusses the signs of the Day of Judgment; the second and longest (vv. 7–56) compares the ends of the three groups mentioned above; the third (vv. 57–74) presents reminders of God’s Power and Generosity as proofs or signs of God’s ability to resurrect; the fourth (vv. 75–82) speaks of the nature of the revelation, chastising those who scorn it; and the fifth (vv. 83–96) discusses the nature of death and the Afterlife, returning to the threefold classification that had been discussed at length in the second section, and concludes with an exhortation to glorify God.
According to a well-known hadith, “Whosoever recites Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah every night shall never be afflicted by need”. Ibn ʿAjībah states that this is because whoever understands the things mentioned in this sūrah regarding the Hereafter will set about preparing for it. The attribution of such qualities to this sūrah has led to its being one of the most often recited sūrahs of the Quran, especially in moments of great significance and portent, including for the dying or recently dead
(source: “The Study Quran” a new translation and commentary by Seyyed Hossein Nasr)
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