56. Al-Waqiah (That Which Must Come To Pass)

Mecca Period



The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:


فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَاقِعِ النُّجُومِ ﴿٧٥﴾

56:75.  Furthermore I call to witness the setting of the Stars --

C5258. The setting of the Stars; a number of mystic meanings are attached. Here are three.

وَإِنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ ﴿٧٦﴾

56:76.  And that is indeed a mighty adjuration if ye but knew --

C5259. The glory of the firmament as it exists, and the wonder of its passing away, are both evidence, to the discerning mind, of the Future which Allah has prepared, but this evidence can only be effective if men but knew, i.e.., turned their earnest attention to it.

إِنَّهُ لَقُرْآنٌ كَرِيمٌ ﴿٧٧﴾

56:77.  That this is indeed a Qur'án most honorable,

C5260. Your attention is drawn to the momentous issues of the Future by the Quran . It is a Revelation described by four characteristics.

فِي كِتَابٍ مَّكْنُونٍ ﴿٧٨﴾

56:78.  In a Book well-guarded,

لَّا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ ﴿٧٩﴾

56:79.  Which none shall touch but those who are clean:

تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٨٠﴾

56: 80.  A Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.

أَفَبِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَنتُم مُّدْهِنُونَ ﴿٨١﴾

56: 81.  Is it such a Message that ye would hold in light esteem?

C5261. The Message being such as is described in the last note, how can any one ignore it or treat it with contempt or refuse to allow it to improve his life?


Asad’s Version:


56:75 NAY, I call to witness the coming-down in parts [of this Qur'an] 26 –

(56:76) and, behold, this is indeed a most solemn affirmation, if you but knew it!

(56:77) Behold, it is a truly noble discourse,

(56:78) [conveyed unto man] in a well-guarded divine writ

(56:79) which none but the pure [of heart] can touch: 27

(56:80) a revelation from the Sustainer of all the worlds!

(56:81) Would you, now, look down with disdain on a tiding like this, 28



Yuksel’s version


Quran Accessible Only by the Pure

56:75 I do swear by the positions of the stars.*

56:76 This is an oath, if you only knew, that is great.

56:77 It is an honorable Quran.*

56:78 In a protected record.

56:79 None can grasp it except those pure.

56:80 A revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

56:81 Are you disregarding this hadith?*

[[ Yukse’s notes - 056:075-76 Our universe consists of billions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars. Each of these heavenly bodies that we are even unable to count, move in orbits determined by the same explosion and by the same universal laws of gravity. The more our knowledge of astronomy and cosmology increases, the more we appreciate the meaning of this oath. Can the expression "the place of stars" refer to black holes? For the function of oaths in the Quran see 89:5.

056:077-79 You will find on the cover of almost all published Quranic manuscripts a few verses. If you check, you will probably find 56:77-79 written in Arabic calligraphy. Why among hundreds of verses describing the Quran, has the convention decided on these verses? Out of more than 50 descriptive noun-adjectives used for the Quran, why would they pick "Karym" (Honorable)? Al-Quran il-Karym? Why not more frequently used words such as Zikr (Message), Hakym (Wise), Mubyn (Clear), Nur (Light), instead of Karym? Why is this verse highlighted in connection to the Quran? Why not, for instance, the verses repeatedly reminding us of the easy-to-understand language of the Quran (54:17,22,32,40)? Or, why not one of these verses: 12:111; 15:1; 17:9; 17:88; 17:89; 30:58; 41:3; 55:2 . . .?

We have all the reason to be suspicious of the intention of those who dedicated Chapter 36 (Ya Sin) to be recited in funerals for the DEAD, the chapter that contains the only verse declaring that the Quran is sent to remind the LIVING beings (36:70)! We have all the reason to be suspicious of the intention of those who picked the name hadith, a negative word when used for hearsay narrations and teachings other than the Quran, to depict another source besides the Quran! So, why did they pick the word "Karym" as the most common adjective for the Quran and verses 56:77-79 as the most common subtitle for the covers of manuscripts?

Those who appreciate the Quran know the answer to the question very well: The polytheistic clergymen and scholars who betrayed the Quran, reached a consensus in not understanding or misunderstanding 56:77-79, and they thought they could repel others from the Quran according to their misunderstanding. They distorted the meaning of these verses by claiming that those who do not have ablution, including the women who they considered "dirty" because of menstruation, should not touch the Quran. Now we may infer why the verse whose meaning has been distorted by consensus is picked for the cover of the Quran manuscripts. Now we may infer why the adjective mentioned in that verse was made the most popular adjective of the Quran. We believe that this is a part of a diabolic conspiracy to prevent the Quran from becoming a pocket book, a book of quick reference; they keep the Quran on high shelves or nail it on high walls far away from people’s reach… Unfortunately, this plan has worked successfully. The Quran has been transformed from being a guide, a reference book, a map, a compass, into a dangerous object, like a train, like a high-voltage transformer station! When the Quran becomes a book too-difficult-to-understand, making it impossible to reach its "high" meanings, and dangerous to touch, then rush in volumes of hadiths, loads of sunna, barrels of hearsay, mishmash heaps of sectarian teachings, piles of nonsense, tons of superstitions, hordes of holy men, and troops of holy merchants. This explains the misery, backwardness, oppression, repression, division, and corruption rampant in the so-called "Muslim countries."

The unappreciative people who deem the Quran insufficient, because of their prejudice, are not permitted to understand the Quran (6:110; 17:45; 18:57). It is interesting that those who do not accept the Quran as the sole authority do not understand the very verses about understanding the Quran. Thus, 7:3; 17:46; 41:44; 56:79 are delicious art work that function both as the "thesis and the evidence."

056:081 For the meaning and prophetic implication of the word hadith, see 7:185; 12:111; 31:6; 33:38; 35:43; 45:6; 52;34; 77:50.]]

[[Asad’s notes - 26 Or: "the setting [or "orbiting"] of the stars". The term mawqi' (of which mawaqi is the plural) denotes the "time [or "place" or "manner"] at which something comes down". Although many of the commentators think that the phrase mawaqi an-nujum relates to the break-up of the stars at the Last Hour, Ibn 'Abbas, 'Ikrimah and As-Suddi were definitely of the opinion, strongly supported by the subsequent verses, that this phrase refers to the step-by-step revelation or "coming-down in parts (nujum)" - of the Qur'an (cf Tabari and Ibn Kathir, see also note 1 on 53:1). By "calling to witness"

the gradual manner of its revelation, the Qur'an points implicitly to the astounding fact that it has remained free of all inconsistencies and inner contradictions (cf. 4:82 and the corresponding note 97) despite all the dramatic changes in the Prophet's life during the twenty-three years of the "unfolding" of the divine writ: and this explains, too, the subsequent parenthetic clause (verse 76).


27 I.e., which only the pure of heart can truly understand and derive benefit from. As for the preceding reference to "a well-guarded [i.e., incorruptible] divine writ" (kitab maknun), see 85:21-22 and the corresponding note 1 1 .


28 I.e., the message of resurrection and judgment. ]]