Tazkirul Quran, Qur’an 56:1–7
The Inevitable Event (Al-Waqi‘ah)
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
English text; the translator is not named in the archive’s data.
Translation
(1) When the inevitable event takes place, (2) and there can be no denying its happening, (3) some shall be abased and others exalted. (4) When the earth is shaken violently, (5) and the mountains are totally shattered and crumble to pieces (6) and become like scattered dust particles, (7) [on that Day] you shall be divided into three groups.a
Commentary
(a) In the present world, man observes that he is free to do whatever he likes. So the question of retribution in the Hereafter makes no impact on his mind. But the formation of the ‘other world’ is just as possible as the formation of the present world. When that time comes, the whole system will be reversed. Those who were higher in position will go down and those who were lower in position will be elevated. At that time human beings will be divided into three groups, the forward group (as-sabiqun), the people of the Right (ashab al-yamin) and the people of the Left (ashab ash-shimal).