بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ ﴿۱﴾ لَيْسَ لِوَقْعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ ﴿۲﴾ خَافِضَةٌ رَافِعَةٌ ﴿۳﴾ إِذَا رُجَّتِ الْأَرْضُ رَجًّا ﴿۴﴾

﴾1﴿ Izaa waqa'atil waaqi'ah
﴾2﴿ Laisa liwaq'atihaa kaazibah
﴾3﴿ Khafidatur raafi'ah
﴾4﴿ Izaa rujjatil ardu rajjaa

﴾1﴿ When the inevitable event occurs
﴾2﴿ There is no denial in its occurrence
﴾3﴿ It will humble some and exalt others
﴾4﴿ When the earth is shaken with a severe shaking

Surah Al Waqiah

The Event

Relevancy: This surah has several connections with Surah Ar-Rahman. The first aspect is that in Surah Ar-Rahman, Allah’s mercy and blessings were affirmed, while in this surah, the rejection of associating partners with Allah in His blessings is addressed through glorification (tasbih). The second aspect is that Surah Ar-Rahman mentioned warnings and glad tidings about the Hereafter, whereas this surah specifies the people associated with them. The third aspect is that Surah Ar-Rahman described two types of gardens, while this surah mentions two types of dwellers of Paradise: As-Sabiqoon (the foremost) and Ashab Al-Yamin (the companions of the right).
Claim of this surah: The glorification (tasbih) of Allah the Exalted is mentioned twice in this surah (in verses 74 and 96), similar to how two attributes were mentioned in Surah Ar-Rahman: Ar-Rahman and Tabarak. This glorification is affirmed by mentioning the blessings (ni‘mat) of nurturing humankind and through the revelation of the Quran.
Summary of the surah: This Surah is divided into two sections. The first section extends up to verse (57). In this section, eight states of the Day of Judgment are mentioned. Up to verse (7), the division of the people of resurrection into three groups is discussed (verses 8, 9, 10). Then, ten glad tidings for the first group, the foremost ones, are mentioned up to verse (26). After that, six punishments of the third group, the companions of the left, are mentioned (as a warning), and in between, three reasons for their punishment are provided.

interpretation

[1] (Al-Waqi'ah) is one of the names of the Day of Judgment. It is called "Waqi'ah" because its occurrence is certain, or because many severe events will take place on that day. Some scholars have said that "Al-Waqi'ah" refers to the second blowing of the trumpet.
[2] In this, there is an emphasis on the occurrence of the event.
[3] The meaning is that it brings some nations to an end in Hell and elevates others to Paradise—Hell is the end, and Paradise is elevation. Or, it means that it humbles the enemies of Allah (i.e., by disgrace) and elevates the friends of Allah (i.e., with honor).
[4] (Rajjā) refers to a severe shaking accompanied by a sound, and it signifies the great earthquake that will encompass the entire earth, as mentioned in Surah Al-Zalzalah and the first verse of Surah Al-Hajj.