Al-Haqqah الحاقة “The Reality” “The Inevitable Truth”

Holy Quran

Al-Ḥāqqah الحاقة is the 69th chapter of the Qur'an with 52 verses. There are several English names under which the surah is known. These include “The Inevitable Hour”, “The Indubitable”, “The Inevitable Truth”, and “The Reality”. These titles are derived from alternate translations of al-Ḥāqqa, the word that appears in the first three ayat of the sura, each alluding to the main theme of the sura – the Day of Judgment.

Summary

• 1-3 The judgment of God will infallibly come
• 4-10 ʿĀd, Thamud, and Pharaoh destroyed for rejecting their prophets
• 11-16 As the flood came, so shall the judgment certainly come
• 17 On the judgment-day God's throne shall be borne by eight mighty angels
• 18-29 The good and bad shall receive their account-books and be judged according to their deeds
• 30-37 Infidels shall be bound with chains seventy cubits in length and be cast into hell-fire
• 38-39 With terrible oaths Muhammad asserts the truth of his prophetic claims [3]

1-3 The day of resurrection

The first passage of the surah contains three ayaat. These 3 ayaat portray the day of resurrection and the day of judgement[5] and emphasize that The judgment of God will infallibly come.[6] "Haaqqa", referring to the Quranic view of the end time and eschatology. "Haaqqa" has been translated to Reality,[7] Inevitable Hour,[8] laying-bare of the truth,[5] etc. According to Ibn Kathir, a traditionalistic exegete, Al-Haaqqa is one of the names of the Day of Judgement, like Al-Qaria, At-Tammah, As-Sakhkhah and others.[9]

Rhetorically Al-Haaqqa has 2 similarities with Al-Qaria(101). Firstly the opening of the surah resembles Al-Qaria (101) which opens with the wordings
69:1 الْحَاقَّةُ
69:2 مَا الْحَاقَّةُ
69:3 وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحَاقَّةُ

Notice that Al-Qaria opens in exactly same style [10]
101:1 الْقَارِعَةُ
101:2 مَا الْقَارِعَةُ
101:3 وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ

Secondly, the word Al-Qaria appears as a total of five times in the Quran, of which three occasions are in Al-Qaria(101) while once it appears in Al-Haaqqa as well.[11]

Hadith about Al-Haaqqa

Salah is one of the prior most practice in Islam, according to hadith, Muhammad used to recite this surah in salah as follows :

• Muhammed used to recite 2 equal surahs in one Rakat;[N 3] he would recite (for instance) surahs an-Najm (53) and ar-Rahman (55) in one rak'ah, surahs Al-Qamar (54) and Al-Haaqqa (69) in one rak'ah, surahs at-Tur (52) and adh-Dhariyat (51) in one rak'ah, surahs Al-Waqi'a (56) and Nun (68) in one rak'ah, surahs Al-Maarij (70) and An-Naziat (79) in one rak'ah, surahs al-Mutaffifin (83) and Abasa (80) in one rak'ah, surahs Al-Muddaththir (74) and al-Muzzammil (73) in one rak'ah, surahs al-Insan (76) and Al-Qiyama (75) in one rak'ah, surahs an-Naba' (78) and Al-Mursalat (77) in one rak'ah, and surahs ad-Dukhan (44) and at-Takwir (81) in one rak'ah.[N 4]