568 Page Notes

69 Surah Al-Haqqah (continued)

Page 568 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

70 Surah Al-Maarij

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 568 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah Al-Haqqah

Page 568 hosts the powerful conclusion of Surah Al-Haqqah (Verses 36 through 52).

While the previous page left the listener with the terrifying imagery of a sinner bound in a seventy-cubit chain, page 568 begins by exposing the food of the damned. It then shifts entirely into a magnificent divine defense of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the cosmic integrity of the Quran, refuting Meccan claims that the revelation was merely human poetry or sorcery.

The Sunnah and canonical Hadith provide visceral descriptions of the punishments mentioned, as well as the historical context surrounding the Prophet's defense.

1. Verses 36–37: The Nature of Ghislin (The Food of Hell)

"Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds (Ghislin); none will eat it except the sinners." (Quran 69:36-37)

Explaining the Corrosive Fluids of Jahannam

The Quran introduces a chilling dietary punishment for those who denied the afterlife: Ghislin. The Prophet ﷺ used the Sunnah to unpack the linguistic and physical reality of this word—defining it as the boiling, foul-smelling combination of pus, sweat, and blood washed from the skin of the inmates of Hellfire.

The Prophet ﷺ also linked this specific fluid punishment to those who consumed intoxicants and ignored the boundaries of Allah in the worldly life:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Allah has made a covenant regarding those who drink intoxicants that He will provide them with Tinat al-Khabal to drink." The companions asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what is Tinat al-Khabal?" He replied: "It is the sweat of the inhabitants of Hell, or the discharge flowing from their wounds (Ghislin)." Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 2002).

2. Verses 40–42: Exposing the True Nature of Prophecy

"That indeed, the Quran is the word of a noble Messenger. And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe. Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember." (Quran 69:40-42)

Umar ibn al-Khattab's Midnight Epiphany

Because the Quraysh could not explain the breathtaking rhythm and miraculous linguistic authority of the Quran, they publicly labeled the Prophet ﷺ a crazy poet (Sha'ir) or a dark fortune-teller/soothsayer (Kahin).

The historical context of these exact verses captures the moment the Meccan leadership's psychological war crumbled—witnessed directly by Umar ibn al-Khattab before he accepted Islam.

Umar ibn al-Khattab narrated: "I went out one night to track the Messenger of Allah ﷺ before I became a Muslim, and found him already at the Masjid al-Haram. I stood directly behind him, and he began reciting Surah Al-Haqqah. As I listened, I was completely overwhelmed by its poetic structure. I thought to myself: 'By Allah, this man must be a poet, just like the Quraysh say.'

Right then, the Prophet ﷺ recited the verse: 'And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.'

Stunned, I thought to myself: 'Then he must be a soothsayer, reading my mind!'

Immediately, the Prophet ﷺ recited the next verse: 'Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember. It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.' Islam entered my heart at that very moment." Source: Recorded by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad (Hadith 107); authenticated by Ibn Kathir.

3. Verses 44–46: The Divine Ultimatum on Forgery

"And if he [Muhammad] had forged any sayings concerning Us, We would have grabbed him by the right hand; then We would have cut from him the aorta." (Quran 69:44-46)

Protection Against False Prophets

These verses contain an incredibly fierce warning. Allah states that if Muhammad ﷺ had fabricated even a single sentence of the Quran for personal gain, divine justice would have physically destroyed him instantly by severing his Al-Wateen (the primary life-giving aorta).

The Sunnah employs this verse as a theological litmus test to identify true prophecy from historical impostors. False prophets often seek immediate political power, wealth, or safety, whereas the true Prophet ﷺ was completely bound by absolute obedience to the text, matching the gravity of this verse.

The Prophet's Final Illness Correlation

In a deeply emotional Hadith from his deathbed, the Prophet ﷺ used a matching linguistic phrase to describe the sheer agony of the residual poison he had ingested years prior at the battle of Khaybar, showing how he physically felt the end of his mortal life approaching.

Aisha (ra) narrated that during his fatal illness, the Prophet ﷺ said: "O Aisha! I still feel the pain of the food I ate at Khaybar, and right now, I feel as if my aorta (Wateen) is being severed from that poison." Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 4428).

4. Verse 52: The Command to Establish Tasbih

"So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great (Fasabbih bismi Rabbikal 'Atheem)." (Quran 69:52)

The Direct Transition into Daily Prayer Rituals

The final verse of page 568 and Surah Al-Haqqah ends with a direct imperative command: Exalt/Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most Great.

The Sunnah did not leave this command as an abstract idea; the Prophet ﷺ immediately structured this verse into the physical movements of the daily Islamic prayers (Salah), creating a perpetual ritual implementation of page 568.

Uqbah ibn 'Amir narrated: "When the verse 'So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great' (69:52) was revealed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ looked at us and commanded: 'Place this statement into your Ruku' (bowing posture of prayer).'"

(He instructed them to say: "Subhana Rabbiyal 'Atheem" — Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great).

Source: Sunan Abu Dawud (Hadith 869) and Sunan Ibn Majah; graded Sahih.

Surah Al-Maarij

Moving directly into Page 568 of the Quran, we find the ending of Surah Al-Haqqah and the immediate visual and thematic transition into the opening of Surah Al-Ma'arij (Chapter 70), Verses 1 through 10.

Surah Al-Ma'arij, meaning "The Ways of Ascent," is a Meccan surah revealed during a high point of psychological conflict between the Prophet ﷺ and the pagan leadership of the Quraysh. The first ten verses shift between the arrogant, sarcastic demands of the deniers for immediate punishment, and the terrifying cosmic description of the Day of Judgment—a day that stretches for tens of thousands of human years.

The Sunnah and canonical Hadith traditions provide deep context regarding the specific individuals who provoked these verses, the literal timeline of the Day of Judgment, and the devastating cosmic imagery described.

1. Verses 1–3: The Arrogant Demand for Punishment

"A questioner asked for a punishment bound to happen—To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer. [It is] from Allah, the Owner of the ways of ascent." (Quran 70:1-3)

The Context of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)

The opening verse uses the phrase Sa'ala Sa'ilun ("A questioner asked"). The Sunnah documents that this was not an intellectual inquiry; it was a sarcastic, daredevil challenge thrown at the Prophet ﷺ by prominent Meccan mockers like An-Nadr ibn al-Harith, who dared God to strike him dead with a meteor if Islam was actually true.

Ibn Abbas (ra) explained the background of this verse: "The one who asked for the punishment to fall was An-Nadr ibn al-Harith. He said mockingly, 'O Allah, if this [Quran] is indeed the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky or bring us a painful punishment!' (Quran 8:32). So Allah revealed: 'A questioner asked for a punishment bound to happen...'"

Source: Documented by Al-Nasai in Al-Sunan al-Kubra, and highlighted by Ibn Kathir and Al-Wahidi in their books on the historic causes of revelation.

2. Verse 4: The 50,000-Year Day of Judgment

"The angels and the Spirit [Gabriel] ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years." (Quran 70:4)

The Crushing Punishment for Withholding Charity (Zakat)

This verse introduces a jaw-dropping metric: a singular day that lasts 50,000 years ($50,000\text{ years}$). The Sunnah integrates this timeline into a foundational warning about economic justice. The Prophet ﷺ explained that those who accumulate massive fortunes in this world but refuse to give the poor their institutional due (Zakat) will have their wealth physically torture them for the entire duration of this cosmic timeline.

Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "There is no owner of gold or silver who does not pay its due Zakat, except that on the Day of Resurrection, plates of fire will be smoothed out for him. They will be heated in the Fire of Hell, and his side, his forehead, and his back will be branded with them. Whenever they cool down, the process will be repeated for him—during a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years—until judgment is passed among the creation, and he sees his path leading either to Paradise or to Hell."

The Prophet ﷺ then went on to list how un-un-shared livestock (camels, cows, and sheep) will turn into massive stampedes, trampling their greedy owners over a flat plain, non-stop, for that same 50,000-year Day.

Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 987) and Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 1402).

The Relativity of Time for the Believer

Faced with the terrifying concept of a 50,000-year day filled with psychological panic, the companions asked if anyone could survive it. The Sunnah reveals that time will dynamically warp depending on a person's faith; for a righteous believer, the entire 50,000-year period will pass as quickly as a brief daily prayer.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (ra) narrated: "It was said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: 'How long is this Day whose measure is fifty thousand years?'

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied: 'By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, it will be made light and easy for the believer, until it becomes lighter for him than the duration of an obligatory prayer that he used to pray in the worldly life.'"

Source: Recorded by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad (Hadith 11723) and Al-Bayhaqi; graded Hasan (sound).

3. Verses 5–7: Command for Beautiful Patience

"So be patient with beautiful patience (Sabran Jameela). Indeed, they see it as distant, but We see it as near." (Quran 70:5-7)

Defining "Beautiful Patience" in the Sunnah

When the pagans mocked the Prophet ﷺ, Allah commanded him to practice Sabran Jameela ("Beautiful Patience"). The companions and early scholars deeply studied how the Prophet ﷺ physically practiced this concept in his daily life to survive continuous psychological warfare without breaking down.

Earthly Practice: [ Sabran Jameela ] ──► Patience completely devoid of complaints to people.

 Cosmic Perspective: [ They see it far ] ──► Disbelievers view the Day as an impossibility.

 Divine Perspective: [ We see it near ]   ──► Allah views the Day as impending and imminent.

When the companion-scholars like Ibn Abbas or Mujahid were asked about the Prophetic application of this verse, they defined it directly from the Prophet’s behavior: "Beautiful patience is a state of endurance and patience in which there is no complaining to creation, no resentment, and no public display of grievance—directing all grief solely to Allah."

Source: Collected by Ibn Abi Hatim in his Tafsir of Surah Al-Ma'arij.

4. Verses 8–10: The Physical Liquefaction of the Skies

"The Day that the sky will be like murky oil (Muhl), and the mountains will be like wool, and no intimate friend will ask about an intimate friend." (Quran 70:8-10)

Unpacking Al-Muhl (Melted Metal / Murky Oil)

The verse states that the heavy blue atmosphere will melt down into Muhl (translated as boiling oil, dregs of oil, or molten copper). The Sunnah provides a terrifying sensory parallel to Muhl, using it to describe the absolute physical breakdown of cosmic boundaries.

The Prophet ﷺ explained the intense, volatile heat of this substance by illustrating its effect on the human body: "Muhl is like boiling oil; when it is brought near a person's face, the skin of their face drops off right into it."

Source: Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 2592) and Musnad Ahmad; authenticated as a supporting description of the Day's intense heat.

The Severing of Social Ties (Verse 10)

Verse 10 states: "And no intimate friend will ask about an intimate friend." The absolute shock of seeing the sky melt down like molten metal and mountains dissolve into fluffy carded wool will completely freeze human empathy. People will be so profoundly consumed by their own accountability that even the closest earthly friendships will feel entirely irrelevant.

The Prophet ﷺ detailed this exact psychological isolation in the canonical Hadith:

Aisha (ra) reported: "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: 'The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised.'

I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Will men and women look at each other?'

He ﷺ replied: 'O Aisha, the matter will be far too severe and intense for them to even notice or look at one another.'"

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 6527) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith 2859).