Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah is primarily dedicated to the certainty of the Resurrection and Judgment. It divides humanity into three groups based on their deeds and establishes the possibility of the second creation by providing proofs of Allah’s power found in nature, birth, and death. The surah concludes with a strong affirmation of the divine source of the Quran.

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan according to the authoritative commentators.

Context: The surah was revealed during the Makkan period when the polytheists vehemently denied the Resurrection. Its severity is evidenced by the Prophet’s statement that it was one of the surahs that contributed to his graying hair.

Chronology: It is counted as the 46th surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat Ṭā-Hā and before al-Shuʿarā’.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: The surah’s established name is "Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah" (The Inevitable Event), a name based on its opening and attested to by the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Companions.

Virtue: A weak ḥadīth states that whoever recites it every night will never be afflicted with poverty.

Ayah Count: 99 ayahs (Madīnah/Makkah/Shām), 97 (Baṣrah), or 96 (Kūfah).

Surah Overview:

• The necessity of reflecting on the Day of Judgment and confirming its inevitability. [1-2]
• Describing the cosmic upheaval that occurs at the beginning of the Hour (e.g., the leveling of the mountains and the shaking of the earth). [4-6]
• The classification of humankind into three groups and the description of the resulting reward or punishment for each. [7-56]
• Establishing the possibility and certainty of the second creation through proofs of Allah's power in creation. [57-74]
• The proof of Allah's power by demonstrating that He can remove the soul from the body despite the efforts of human beings to hold onto it. [83-87]
• Affirming that the Quran is a divine revelation that the polytheists have denied. [75-82]
• Concluding with a command to glorify Allah and praise His name. [96]