Tazkirul Quran, Qur’an 56:8–26
The Inevitable Event (Al-Waqi‘ah)
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
English text; the translator is not named in the archive’s data.
Translation
(8) Those on the Right—how blessed are those on the Right! (9) Those on the Left—how unlucky are those on the Left! (10) The third to the fore shall be the foremost. (11) They shall be the nearest to God. (12) They will dwell in the Gardens of Bliss: (13) a large group of the early believers, (14) and a lesser number from the later generations. (15) Seated on couches wrought in gold and encrusted with precious stones, (16) reclining on them facing each other; (17) they will be waited on by ageless youths (18) carrying goblets and ewers and cups filled with the purest wine, (19) neither causing headaches, nor intoxication; (20) along with fruits of their choice; (21) and the meat of any bird that they may desire; (22) and fair maidens with large, lustrous eyes (23) like the pearls in their shells: (24) shall be their recompense for their deeds. (25) They will not hear therein any vain or sinful talk, (26) only the words of peace and tranquillity.
Commentary
(a) The group at the forefront (as-sabiqun) will comprise of those who, immediately accept the Truth when it appears before them, and surrender themselves to it without hesitation. According to the Prophet’s wife, ‘A’ishah, the Prophet said,
‘Do you know, on the Day of Judgement, who will be the first to find a place in the protective shade of God?’ People said that God and His Prophet knew best. Then he said, ‘It will be those to whom Truth was presented and they accepted it. When Truth was demanded of them, they gave it. They gave the same decision with regard to others as they did with regard to themselves.’ (Tafsir ibn Kathir).
In the early period of the call for Truth, for those who came forward and embraced Islam, it was a discovery. The generation coming after them, regarded Islam as a legacy. It is this difference between discovery and legacy which raises the status of first group over that of the second group. Naturally, the second group is larger in number than the first group. In the Hereafter, there will be ordinary rewards for the second group while, for the first group, there will be royal rewards.