Colorful Surah Waqiah with English Translation

Surat Al-Waqi'ah (Arabic: سورة الواقعة‎; Sūrat al-Wāqiʻah; "The Inevitable" or "The Event") is the 56th surah (chapter) of the Quran. Muslims believe it was revealed in Mecca (see Meccan surah), specifically around 7 years before the Hegira / Hijrat (622), the migration of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) to Madina or Madinah. The total number of verses in this surah are 96. It mainly discusses the afterlife according to Islam, and the different fates people will face in it.

Revelation history:

According to Quranic commentators, the chapter is a Meccan / Makki sura, that is, it was revealed during the Meccan period of Muhammad's (PBUH) prophethood. Some commentators, although not in the majority, argue that part of it was revealed during the Madani or Madni period. Some of such commentators maintain that verses 39–40 are the verses that was from the Medinan period, while some say 81–82, and others say 83.

The traditional Egyptian chronology puts the chapter as the 41st chapter by the order of revelation (after Al-Tur), while the Nöldeke Chronology (by the orientalist Theodor Nöldeke) puts it as the 46th. The chapter's position in the Quran, which is not determined by the revelation order, is as the 56th chapter, right after Ar-Rahman which discusses partly related topic. Some commentators, such as Ahmad ibn Ajiba consider Al-Waqi'a a continuation of Ar-Rehman.

Content:

The Afterlife (akhirah) is the main topic discussed in the chapter. Picking up from the preceding chapter, Ar Rahman, which discusses the rewards of Paradise (jannah), this chapter also mentions them and then contrasts them with the punishment of hell. The chapter also distinguishes the three classes of people in the afterlife, "the foremost", "the companions of the right" and "the companions of the left".

Exegesis:

According to Ibn Kathir, in paradise there will be,

"Houri / hoor (fair females) with wide lovely eyes, like preserved pearls. Therefore, Allah's statement, (Verily, We have created them), meaning, in the other life, after they became old in this life, they were brought back while virgin, youthful, being delightfully passionate with their husbands, beautiful, kind and cheerful".

In The Message of The Qur'an, Muhammad Asad asserts that the "noun hur - rendered as 'companions pure' - is a plural of both ahwar (masculine) and hawra' (female), either of which describes a person distinguished by hawar', which latter term primarily denotes 'intense whiteness of the eyeballs and lustrous black of the iris'. Asad as well as Yusuf Ali & Pickthall translate this verse as:

The Benefits of Surat Waqiah

By reading this surah waqiah, one will never fall into poverty, and all the needs of the person will be fulfilled.

Every Surah in the Qur’an has many healing benefits. Surah Al-Waqiah is one that has this amazing benefit of reading it. There are hadith that pertain to reading Surat Al-Waqiya.

Our Prophet (SAW), said in a hadith, “Whoever recites Surah Waqiah at night will never encounter poverty” (Ibn Sunni 620).

Another hadith from our Prophet (SAW) says, “Surah Waqiah is the Surah of Wealth, so recite it and teach it to your children” (Ibn Asakir).

Many of the Islamic Scholars and Shaikh Ul Hadith discuss this and state that we should all make it a habit to read Surat Waqiah every night after Isha. Some say to read after Maghreb, but after Isha is the best.

Inshallah, if you are going through a time of financial need, please start reading Surah AlWaqiah. Make sure that you read Durood / Salawat Ibrahimi before reading Surah Waqiah, and then after you finish, and make dua, read Durood/Salawat Ibrahimi again (3 times or 11 times). Reading Salawat will make it easy for you to read, and will bring your dua straight to the throne of Allah SWT.

Surah Al-Waqiah adalah surah ke 56 dalam Al-Quran. Surah ini tergolong surah Makkiyah (diturunkan di Mekkah). Surah Al-Waqiah terdiri daripada 96 ayat.