a commentary on surat al-waqi'a
TRANSCRIPT
7/23/2019 A Commentary on Surat Al-Waqi'A
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A Commentary on Surat Al-Waqia by Shaykh Dr. Abdalqadir as-Sufi
Given at Masjid al-Mahmud, Constantia, Cape Town, South Africa, !!"
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#ay $
Surat al-Mu%%ammil & The 'nwrapped
In the name of Allah, All Merciful, Most Merciful
(ou who are enwrapped in your clothin)*
stay up at ni)ht, e+cept a little,
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half of it, or a little less,
or a little more,
and recite the uran distinctly.
We will impose a wei)hty Word upon you.
Certainly risin) at ni)ht has a stron)er effect
and is more conducive to concentration.
/n the daytime much of your time
is ta0en up 1y 1usiness matters.
2emem1er the 3ame of your 4ord,
and devote yourself to 5im completely.
4ord of the 'ast and West &
there is no )od 1ut 5im &
so ta0e 5im as your Guardian.
6e steadfast in the face of what they say
and cut yourself off from them &
1ut courteously.
4eave the deniers, who live a life of ease, to Me,
and tolerate them a little lon)er.
With 7s there are shac0les and a 6la%in) 8ire
and food that cho0es and a painful punishment,
on the #ay the earth and mountains sha0e
and the mountains 1ecome li0e shiftin) dunes.
We have sent you a Messen)er
to 1ear witness a)ainst you
just as We sent 9haraoh a Messen)er.
6ut 9haraoh diso1eyed the Messen)er,
so We sei%ed him with terri1le severity.
5ow will you safe)uard yourselves, if you are 0afir,
a)ainst a #ay which will turn children )rey,
1y which heaven will split apart:
5is promise will 1e fulfilled.
This truly is a reminder, so let anyone who wills
ta0e the Way towards his 4ord.
(our 4ord 0nows that you stay up
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nearly two-thirds of the ni)ht &
or a half of it, or a third of it &
and a )roup of those with you.
Allah determines the ni)ht and day.
5e 0nows you will not 0eep count of it,
so 5e has turned towards you.
2ecite as much of the uran as is easy for you.
5e 0nows that some of you are ill
and that others are travellin) in the land
see0in) Allahs 1ounty,
and that others are fi)htin) in the Way of Allah.
So recite as much of it as is easy for you.
And esta1lish salat and pay %a0at
and lend a )enerous loan to Allah.
Whatever )ood you send ahead for yourselves
you will find it with Allah as somethin) 1etter
and as a )reater reward.
And see0 for)iveness from Allah.
Allah is 'ver-8or)ivin), Most Merciful.
Surat at-Ta0athur & Competition
In the name of Allah, All-Merciful, Most Merciful
8ierce competition for this world distracted you
until you went down to the )raves.
3o indeed, you will soon 0now*
A)ain no indeed, you will soon 0now*
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3o indeed, if you only 0new with the ;nowled)e of Certainty,
you will certainly see the 6la%in) 8ire*
Then you will certainly see it with the 'ye of Certainty.
Then will you 1e as0ed that #ay
a1out the pleasures you enjoyed.
* * * * *
To understand Surat al-Waqi‘a there is benefit in looking first at Surat al-Muzzammil and
Surat at-Takathur. Surat al-Muzzammil an be seen as a !refae" as it #ere" to the theme of
Surat al-Waqi‘a. Surat al-Muzzammil is the Surat of $hal#a. The affair of alling on the
%ord in isolation and in the night. &n it Allah says"
2emem1er the 3ame of your 4ord
and devote yourself to him completely.
'e then goes on to say"
6e steadfast in the face of what they say
and cut yourself off from them & 1ut courteously.
This indiates the adab of alling on Allah by 'is Su!reme (ame" #hih in)ol)es #hat in
the language of the Sufis is alled Turning from all that is masi#allah"+ all this deri)es
from these Ayats. That is #hy Allah grants in this Surat the unom!romising onfirmation
that 'e is a#are of #hat you are doing and that 'e is already the Ans#erer of your all.
Surat at-Takathur is im!ortant for its introdution of t#o of three ,urani terms" of #hih
the third is found in Surat al-Waqi‘a. &n this Surat Allah refers to t#o degrees of
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kno#ledge. 'e says" glory be to 'im"
3o indeed, if you only 0new with the 0nowled)e of Certainty.
And then 'e goes on to say"
Then you will certainly see it
with the 'ye of Certainty.
So the aqin has a tri!le reality. The Mulk faing the Malakut" the Malakut faing the
Malakut" and the third term is the Malakut faing the /abarut" the ‘Ayn al-aqin. And this
last term a!!ears at the end of our ommented Sura.
* * * * *
Surat al-Waqi‘a is the #ird of Shaykh al-‘Ala#i. This is )ery signifiant beause it starts
#ith #hat 'a00 Abdalhaqq has translated as ‘The 1reat 2)ent. 3ut if you look in the ,uran
it is4
&n the Arabi this is like the time of the time"+ it is like the famous moment #hen 5asul"
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sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" said" a Abu 3akr" a#m al-a#m.+ The day of The Day. And
by that he meant the %ast Day. So idha #aqa‘atil #aqi‘a+ is the 2)ent of the 2)ent. &t is
)ery im!ortant to understand this beause it is like saying that e)erything #hih is reation
is e)ent" and the reation is one e)ent. Allah only has to say to a thing" $un fa yakun+63e
7 it is.+ 3et#een the ‘3e and ‘it is there is no hiatus" no grammatial link. $un fa yakun+
means 3e 7 it is.+ We might use an oblique stroke to indiate it" beause there is no
grammatial 0oining. 3e"+ and then as a result of that it ha!!ens" beause the in-time and
the out-of-time are not se!arated by a hiatus. &n grammar an ‘and or an ‘or or a ‘but or a
‘then is a onnetion" but there is nothing onneted to the 8ommand of Allah. There
annot be any assoiation. %a ilaha illallah" #ahdahu la sharikalah.+ So the $un fa yakun+
is at the )ery heart of the nature of our understanding of Ta#hid" beause it is also ho# #e
understand e9istene to ome into being.
Allah" subhanahu #a ta‘ala" tells us that this ending of the reation" #hih is like the
undoing of the $un fa yakun+" is also like that4 it is the Waqi‘a of the Waqi‘a. So it is the
2)ent of #hat all e)ent is. &t is the equi)alent to the #hole reational $un+" it is the
anti-$un+ if you like. This !laes us in a different understanding of the reation from the
kuffar. What it means is that #e reognise that the reational e)ent has this other side"
#hih is its unseen reality. That is #hy Sufis ha)e used a )ariety of )oabularies #hih they
deri)e from the ,uran. They talk of Mulk" Malakut and /abarut.
The Mulk is the $ingdom. Mulk is e)erything under the ‘Arsh by the ‘$un. Malakut is that
in its unseen dimension. Malakut is the realm of the unseen realities" and Mulk is the
realm of the )isible realities. The Malakut has an earthly dimension and a hea)enly
dimension. :or e9am!le4 you yourself sitting here are a )isible reality" but it is not !ossible
for you to ontinue e9isting another seond in your atomi form as you are" #ithout your
unseen reality being along #ith you. At the moment the 5uh lea)es the body all this
olla!ses" does it not; &t all goes into disintegration. This form finishes" as 5a0a of
Mahmudabad used to say" The body is like something you ha)e rented from a #ealthy
o#ner. our 0ob #hile you are in it is to look after it" kee! it lean" see that it is taken are
of" that it is not destroyed in any #ay or orru!ted in any #ay" beause at the end of your
tenure of the house you ha)e to return the house to its o#ner.+ 'e #ould say" When you
return the house to the o#ner" the 5uh goes out of it and like a house #hih is not
ou!ied" it begins to rumble. Then the !hos!hates go bak to the !hos!hates" the
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sul!hur goes bak to the sul!hur" and the sodium goes bak to the sodium.+ The lo#er
!roesses of e9istene take !lae one the house is uninhabited. Do you follo#; Another
#hole set of the realm of the )isible takes o)er" but they are then mineral" lo#er forms of
matter beause the animal form and the 5uh lea)e #ith the ‘Aql.
:or instane" the madman" the man #ho does not kno# that he has ‘he-ness" ne)er gets ill.
The mad !erson ne)er gets ill beause he does not use the house. &t gathers dust but it does
not disintegrate beause he is still there. The ‘Aql and the 5uh ha)e a onnetion" and that
is understanding" #hih is also #hat gi)es reasonable s!eeh" understandable s!eeh and
ommuniation" it means that this higher reature" this one that Allah has set o)er all
reated forms" is !resent. When he lea)es it" #hat is ‘man has gone" and then you go do#n
to these lo#er forms. 3ut #hile this body is inhabited" has 5uh" has onsiousness" in that
ondition the #hole being of identity is !resent" and at that !oint there is someone there"
so to s!eak.
That is the first stage of understanding ho# the reational !roess ha!!ened" beause in
the Mulk you ha)e been !ut on the earth. A re!resentati)e of Allah" subhanahu #a ta‘ala"
has been !ut on the earth" and so you ha)e a !resene.
The first reognition" therefore" is that your true identity is a hidden reality. We annot see
it.
Allah also e9!lains that one of the gifts of Allah to us is that !eo!le annot see our serets.
They are in)isible" are they not; <ne of the meries of Allah is that e)eryone does not kno#
all about you #hen they meet you. Some !eo!le ha)e ertain insights and so on" but they
are insights from the =nseen. They ha)e little flashes about somebody" beause this )isible
#orld is sensory and e)erything that is hidden is meanings" and some !eo!le ha)e an
insight into meanings. 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" taught Abu 3akr as-Siddiq ho#
to inter!ret dreams" beause dreams are meanings #ith a sensory harater but not a
sensory reality. They take !lae in the hidden realm. 'e ga)e to another of the Sahaba the
siene of reading the fae" of :arasa" so he ould look at the fae and kno# from these
eyes" and if that is the nose" and if that is the t#ist of the mouth this !erson is dishonest" or
this !erson is a hy!orite" or this !erson is a o#ard. 'e ga)e to another 8om!anion the
kno#ledge of nifaq" so that they #ould kno# nifaq #hene)er they met it. 'e taught them
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ho# to identify the munafiq #hene)er they met him. 3ut these are hidden things that the
human beings ha)e glim!ses of" 0ust glim!ses" aording to their state and their ondition"
and the time in #hih it ha!!ens and the !lae in #hih it ha!!ens.
So there is an unseen reality of the Malakut #hih is earthly" and #hih is to do #ith this
hiddenness that you arry #ith you #here)er you go. This hiddenness is !resent in the
dhikr" and the dhikr raises it u! and illuminates and strengthens it" and good om!any
raises u! and strengthens it" and bad om!any darkens and o)ers it o)er.
This is the earthly dimension of the Malakut. The hea)enly dimension of Malakut an be
identified by the differene bet#een the true dream and the false dream. &n other #ords" if
you ha)e a dream beause you ha)e indigestion and you ha)e a nightmare" it is beause of
the disturbane of your stomah. The !eo!le #ho study this do not take it seriously" it #as
0ust indigestion. 3ut ‘ruya is a s!eifi term in Arabi for a true dream. 5asul" sallallahu
‘alayhi #a sallam" said" Anyone #ho has seen me in a true dream has truly seen me"
beause Shaytan annot take my form.+
So nobody e)er kno#s #hat is true and #hat is not e9e!t on the absolute truth of kno#ing
they ha)e seen 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam. 3ut e)en that has )erifiations. Someone
says" astaghfirullah" they sa# the 5asul and they ha)e deided for themsel)es that they sa#
him. Then if you question ertain things you an )erify #ith kno#ledge that they did
indeed see him.
The e9am!le of this #ith these unseen s!iritual realities" is #hen the 5asul" sallallahu
‘alayhi #a sallam" reei)ed his first announements from the angel /ibril. ou remember in
the Sirat that he #as terrified" that he thought the #orst thing in the #orld to him #ould be
that he should go mad" beause he #as a man of the truth. 'e s!oke to his #ife" and
beause she #as a )ery #ise #oman" she kne# #hat to do. 'e said" Well" maybe it is
Shaytan"+ and $hadi0a said" (e9t time he omes to you tell me.+ So he rushed to her" she
#as in her a!artment and she had a robe on. And he said" &t is here no#.+ She o!ened the
robe and #as naked" and it )anished. She said" &t is the truth" beause if it had been
Shaytan it #ould ha)e stayed.+
So these !eo!le had kno#ledges from the !ast" they kne# ho# to get )erifiation" ho# to
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get the truth. This means that all these things of this ele)ated nature annot mingle" they
annot o-mingle #ith the earthly. The hea)enly Malakut is to do #ith )isions" it is to do
#ith !laes #here these things are more !rone to ha!!en and so on and so forth. Then you
ha)e Mulk #hih arries #ith it an unseen dimension of Malakut in the earthly form. This
is also in all life fores.
There is one thing no sientifi desri!tion of e9istene has e)er been able to !ut into its
model" and this is #hy at the end of the day they do not ha)e the true !iture of e9istene.
The !hiloso!hers do it by asking a slightly false question4 Why is there something rather
than nothing;+ but that is not the interesting question. The interesting question is" What
is the !ulse of life; What is the dynami or mo)ement;+ This is something meditated
dee!ly" dee!ly by Muhiyuddin ibn al-‘Arabi" and it is referred to in the Di#an of Shaykh
Muhammad ibn al-'abib. 'e says in the 1reater ,asida" 'e #ould see the !lanets and
the serets of their onstellations" and the meaning of their tremendously ra!id
mo)ement"+ and in the Minor ,asida" To anyone #ho #ithdra#s into the lights of the
dhikr of the Truth" reation is no more than !artiles of dust in s!ae.+ &t is more s!ae
than !artiles. &t is #hat &bn al-‘Arabi alls the ‘gy!sum foundations of the uni)erse4 not
the lay" but the !laster of the forms.
All the li)ing forms ha)e a !ulse of life. ou ha)e seen these beautiful s!eeded-u! !itures
of !lants gro#ing. &t is an e9traordinary thing #hen the !lant omes shooting out of the
earth and ho# i)y limbs u! the #alls as if it had a onsiousness" #hih in a sense it does
at its o#n le)el. So the !ulse that makes the life" from the Malakut" is #hat #e understand
as the ati)ity of the angels. &n the Arabi language the #ord ‘angels omes from ‘flakes"
they are like flakes of light" like a flashing of light. This energy is #hat makes all the
reation mo)e6e)erything is in motion" e)erything in e9istene that is li)ing is in motion.
This is !art of ones understanding that the hea)enly o!eration of the Malakut is also in all
the reational !roesses" so that one is li)ing in e)ent.
What this e9traordinary Sura says is that the in-time e)ent is not the #hole thing. &t is all
in order that this other 2)ent should ha!!en. The unseen reality is one e)ent" in the #ay
that the ‘$un of ‘$un fa yakun is one e)ent" #hih is all the reation of the osmos and its
dusts and its gases. Again" it is ommotion #hih synthesizes into these reati)e forms of
life" and this is the reality in #hih #e li)e. Allah is telling the Muslims that #hat they are
li)ing is something #hose atual reality does not get unfolded until the thing is o)er
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any#ay. 3ut in fat it is e)erything that has ha!!ened in the in-time" in the Mulk" #hih is
that #hih bears the fruit" #hih realises itself" #hih manifests itself in this 2)ent.
:or e9am!le" Shaykh ibn ‘A0iba e9!lains4 This reality is sensory but it is e9!eriened as
meanings. We inter!ret e)erything by meanings. 3ut the ne9t #orld is meanings and #e
#ill e9!eriene them as sensory.+ The e9at o!!osite. &n it" the meanings #ill be
e9!eriened as sensory" that is #hy Allah" subhanahu #a ta‘ala" re)eals #hat it is" that
there #ill be these enormous sensory e9!erienes. They are meanings" but #e #ill kno#
them as sensory" #hereas all of this that is sensory #e kno# as meanings. <ther#ise #e
ha)e not got ‘Aql" #e ha)e not got the higher self of the human reature.
So #e are busy in all of this inter!reting meanings" but in this 2)ent #e #ill be sho#n the
meanings of all these things #e #ere and did" and #e #ill e9!eriene them as sensory.
They #ill be real for us" #hih is #hy the kuffar mok the Muslims beause of their belief in
the =nseen. 5ight at the beginning Allah says"
<Alif 4am Mim. That is the 6oo0, without any dou1t.
/t contains )uidance for those who have taqwa=
those who have iman in the 7nseen and esta1lish salat
and )ive of what We have provided for them.> ?=$-@
This 3ook is for the !eo!le #ho belie)e in the 1hayb" the =nseen. &f they do not belie)e in
the 1hayb it is a #aste of time. The kuffar laugh and think" <h" they are going to ha)e a
miserable time on earth beause they think they are going to ha)e a lo)ely time in the ne9t
#orld.+ That is the mokery of the kuffar. 3ut #hat they do not realise is that the ne9t stage
is an o!!osite of that. 3eause they failed #ith the meanings in this life" the sensory they
#ill taste is a terrible one" beause of a misunderstanding they ha)e from the beginning.
(o# Allah says4
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<When the Great 'vent occurs,
none will deny its occurrence.>
&t is really" When the 2)ent of e)ents ours none #ill deny its e)entness.+ That is really
the translation. Their denial of the e)entness of this #orld. The truth is that the kafir omes
into this #orld and thinks e)erything is a gi)en" #hile the Muslim is eduated to
understand that he omes into a #orld that is from the $un fa yakun"+ that he is already
under an im!erati)e" a Di)ine im!erati)e #hih in)ol)es the immediate and absolute
destiny of the indi)idual in order to fulfil his ma9imum !otential and a!aity and
e9!ansion #hile on this earth in a manner that is !leasing to his %ord" oming under three
ategories4 the 8om!anions of the 5ight" the 8om!anions of the %eft" and the :orerunners.
This is the e9istential outlook of the Muslim o)er and against the kafir #ho omes in and
thinks" There is this thing. &t has been going on. 2)erybody #as !rimiti)e" they ha)e
beome so!histiated. We kne# a little" no# #e kno# a lot. They li)ed in a)es" #e ha)e
got engineering and strutural buildings to sur!ass them. We an make #ea!ons of mass
destrution" #e an destroy the #orld in a seond and #e are the masters of the situation.
2)eryone before us #as ignorant and had su!erstition and #as !rimiti)e" but #e are
e)ol)ed" #e ha)e no su!erstition" and #e kno# the #orld for #hat it is.+ This is the
differene" and this is the darkness of the kuffar. And the reality of this beomes that they
are the 8om!anions of the %eft.
<1rin)in) low, raisin) hi)h.>
'e says that" This e)ent" none #ill deny its e)entness.+ And 'e immediately tells us #hat
it is4 &t brings lo# and it raises high.+ &t does not kee! high and lea)e lo#. &t means a
om!lete turno)er of the e)aluation that the !eo!le of the dunya ha)e held. 2)erything #ill
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return to its true nature" #hih is this di)ision of reatures into the 8om!anions of the
5ight" the 8om!anions of the %eft" and the :orerunners. This in)ol)es the bringing lo#
and the raising high. So it is also #hy the kha#f" the fear of Allah" is #here you stand in
that. 3ringing lo# means you #ere high and you #ere brought lo#" and raising high means
you #ere lo# and you are raised high. That is #hy Sayyidi ‘Ali al-/amal is ontinually
quoting one ayat of ,uran as rele)ant to the Sufis #hih is" We made you !oor" lo# in the
land" beause We #anted to raise you u! and make you imams in the land.+ &mams in the
sense of leaders of the land. So to do that Allah made them lo# in order that 'e ould raise
them u!.
This is the !roess that is going on all the time and #hih om!letes itself in this final
stage. All the time Allah is bringing lo# and 'e is raising u!. 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a
sallam" said" %ook for me among the miskeen.+ 'e did not say %ook for me among the
!rines.+ 'e #rote letters to the 8aesars but he did not s!end his time #ith them or go
after them. A!art from these letters that he sent" his ation #as #ith the !eo!le. 'e said"
%ook for me among the miskeen" beause & #as only sent on aount of the miskeen. & #as
only sent among you beause of them. They are the reason & ha)e been sent.+ So the
transformation that the Muslims ati)ate #hen they are on the Sirat al-Mustaqeem is that
by the fulfilling of the Deen" a body of !eo!le do get raised u! in the #orld and rule for a
time. This has ha!!ened again and again in the Deen of &slam.
When the earth is convulsed
and the mountains are crushed
and 1ecome scattered dust in the air.
And you will 1e classed into three=
A )ery e9traordinary re)elation you see. ou are going to be lassed into three.
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the Companions of the 2i)ht=
What of the Companions of the 2i)ht:
&t is )ery e9traordinary beause Allah s!eaks )ery o!enly.
The Companions of the 4eft=
What of the Companions of the 4eft:
And the 8orerunners, the 8orerunners.those are the nes 6rou)ht 3ear
in Gardens of #eli)ht.
The Sabiqun are the Muqarabun" the <nes 3rought (ear+. &n 1ardens of Delight+ is not a
!ro!er translation" beause /annah is not 0ust a garden. /annah is from the root
/eem-(un-(un" it is something hidden. We are dealing #ith the =nseen" and this 1arden
is a hidden garden" a seret garden. The /annah is a garden so rih in foliage that youannot see through it to the other side. &t is enlosed. &t loses itself in on itself" so that its
beauty is ontained #ithin the thing that is the 1arden. ou annot see beyond it or
through it. Ma0nun" mad" is the one #ho has a hidden sikness" that #hen you look you
annot see it. 'e looks alright" but his sikness is hidden" you annot see it. The hidden
sikness is the sikness of the ma0nun. So the Muqarabun are the ones in this /annah" in
this hidden 1arden of Delight. :i 0annatin naim+. ‘(aim is a )ery !reious #ord. &t is a
sensory #ord" it is something that is !leasing. &t is a )ery sensual #ord. The ‘0annati naim"then" is in a !lae of hidden beauty #hih has in it tasting. &t is ‘dha#q" it has diret
e9!eriene. This means that the Muqarabun are !eo!le of m‘arifat" of tasting" of estasies.
And then a )ery signifiant thing4
a lar)e )roup of the earlier people
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1ut few of the later ones.
(o# you ha)e an inter!retation of history. This is not the kafir history" this is not
dynasties" it is not trade figures" it is not a statisti. et it is statistis4 A large grou! of the
earlier !eo!le.+ &n other #ords the earlier !eo!le #ere loser in kno#ledge than the
!resent !eo!le. 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" said" There #ill not be a time from my
time until the end of time that #ill not be #orse than the time before it.+ This means that
the time is getting #orse. Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-'abib" rahimahullah" said" &n the old
days of tasa##uf"+ in the early years of tasa##uf" in 3alkh and Samarqand and all the
Abbasid #orld" The A#liya" like Moulay ‘Abdalqadir al-/ilani" set themsel)es enormously
harsh tasks in order to reah Allah. &t #as so diffiult for them beause the !eo!le already
had a high !osition" the Deen #as strong.+
&n its early days the Deen #as enormously !o#erful" and these !eo!le had to struggle to
sur!ass it to be Muqarabun. 'e said" They used to !ut themsel)es through a lot of
!hysial suffering and torture in order to break the nafs"+ beause again the breaking of the
nafs is the task of the Sufi" it is his business to see it is done. (ot other !eo!le. So they set
about it. 'e said" They used to tie themsel)es by the hair and ha)e themsel)es lo#ered
and hung by the hair into the #ell.+ &t #as to kee! them absolutely onsious" and not lose
onsiousness and sli! do#n into the #ell and dro#n. They used to do these sorts of things
to reah Allah. Shaykh ibn al-'abib e9!lained that the time got darker and more ignorant.
The &slam got #eaker" the Shariat and its a!!liation got #eaker. So Allah #as meriful
and 'e made it easier. The Shaykh said" ou ould mark the stages at #hih the A#liya
had the task eased for them.+ 'e #as of ourse ommenting on the #ell-kno#n hadith in
#hih the 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" indiated that #hile in his time the omission
of one out of ten ommanded things #ould send a man to the :ire" there #ould ome a
time #hen the !erformane of one out of ten ommanded things #ould gain him the
1arden.
'arith al-Muhasibi #as almost like a !olieman on himself" and is !erfetly named
al-Muhasibi beause #hat he did #as he took aount" on the beginning of the !ath" at the
end of e)ery day. 2)ery day he sat do#n and said" What did & do today; What an & take to
my %ord;+ And he #ould go through e)erything he did that day and he #ould ask" Was
that !leasing to Allah" or is that disa!!ro)ed of by Allah; Was that forbidden by Allah;+ 'e
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said" What ha)e & done;+ 'e made the bill" as it #ere" of the day. And as he ad)aned on
the !ath he then said" This is not enough.+ 'e made a rekoning of e)ery hour of the day.
So he #ent through the t#enty four hours" asking himself" What ha)e & done;+ Then he
made it by the minute" and then at a ertain !oint he said" & annot do it. & ha)e got to
aount for e)ery breath.+ So then he #as #athing e)ery breath that it #as in
remembrane of Allah" subhanahu #a ta‘ala.
Moulay ‘Abdalqadir al-/ilani #as a great ‘alim. Do not forget that Moulay ‘Abdalqadir
al-/ilani" #hile he is dismissed by these #ahhabis and shaytans like that" #as a )ery great
‘alim. 'e #rote an enormous body of sholarshi! in the 'anbali fiqh" #hih is )ery strit
and harsh. :irst of all he #as zahid" he did !unish himself. 3ut then in his final stage he
beame the instigator of 'adra. &n fat 'adra is not sim!ly from Moulay Abdalqadir
al-/ilani. 'adra is nothing less than #hat is referred to in the ,uran in an atual term
about !eo!le alling on Allah" #ith ‘hamsa. &n Surat Ta 'a" Allah" glory be to 'im" says4
n that day they will follow the Summoner
who has no croo0edness in him at all.
Boices will 1e hum1led 1efore the All-Merciful
and nothin) 1ut a whisper will 1e heard.
That is in the e9ellent translation of the 3e#leys. &t is again im!ortant as #e found #ith
the term Waqi‘a" to get the !ure Arabi meaning. &n the great Maghribi Tafsir ‘Al-3ahr
al-Madid fi al-Tafsir al-,uran al-Ma0id" Shaykh &bn ‘A0iba omments on the final !hraseof the Ayat"
'e says this means that all that an be heard is a gas!ing from the throat of 'a" ha" ha>+
&t is this state of kha#f in #hih all that is left is a gas!ing for breath #hih is the ore of
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the 'adra" or ‘&mara. Thus Moulay ‘Abdalqadir ga)e this !ratie of abasement to the
fuqara. Then at a )ery im!ortant stage Shaykh Shadhili #as gi)en !ermission by Allah to
use the name of Allah" subhanahu #a ta‘ala" and by that naming of the Su!reme (ame in a
ertain #ay it made a )ery quik and )ery easy !ath to m‘arifat. This is another stage of it
being made easy for the fuqura to reah m‘arifat. Then Moulay ad-Darqa#i also utilised the
)isualisation of the name of Allah" subhanahu #a ta‘ala" the Alif ? %am ? %am ? 'a"
beause the letters of the (ame ha)e serets. So the !utting the letters in front of one and
the alling on the (ame #as a further making-easy for the task of reahing kno#ledge of
Allah" subhanahu #a ta‘ala.
Allah says" A large grou! of the earlier !eo!le"+ beause they #ere nearer fitra" their &slam
#as strong" but fe# of the later ones" beause the !eo!le had lost the #ay and turned
against all the !ro!hets" and turned against 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam.
n sumptuous woven couches,
2eclinin) on them face to face.
:ae to fae"+ beause the fae is the as!et of the human reature that indiates the
essene" the identity of the !erson. &t is a realm of m‘arifat" it is a realm of ontem!lation.
There will circulate amon) them, a)eless youths,
carryin) )o1lets and decanters
and a cup from a flowin) sprin) &
it does not )ive them any headache
nor does it leave them stupefied.
2)ery term in these last si9 ayats an be found inside the Di#an of &bn al-:arid. &bn
al-:arid uses all of these terms to indiate as!ets of m‘arifat" into9iations" estasies"
un)eilings" serets" illuminations. 'e uses all this as a oded language but it is all from
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Surat al-Waqi‘a. The Sufis say" A drunkenness #ith memory is higher than a drunkenness
#ithout memory.+ &n the sensory #orld they say" ou had a good time last night@+ and he
re!lies" <h" & dont remember anything.+ So in fat he got no benefit from it. 3ut Allah
says that the s!iritual estasies do not gi)e them any headahe and do not lea)e them
stu!efied. &n other #ords" it is not something in their heads" it is a sensory reality. &t is a
m‘arifat #ith no loss of onsiousness. And as #e go into the language of the Sufis you #ill
see ho# they desribe a loss of onsiousness #hih beomes another onsiousness. They
talk about fana and then talk about the fana of the fana. &n the di#ans the shaykhs s!eak
about going aross deserts that do not ha)e any end" that do not finish.
And any fruit they specify
and any 1ird-meat they desire.
And dar0-eyed maidens li0e hidden pearls.
All this is the language of &bn al-:arid. 'e is dismissed e)en by )ery kno#ledgeable !eo!le
like &bn $haldun6#hom in many things #e take #ith great res!et and are6beause they
do not understand. (ot only that but #hat they do not reognise is that all of this is from
the ,uran. The #hole of the great song of &bn al-:arid is in these lines. And all this 'e"
subhanahu #a taala" has been desribing" As reom!ense for #hat they did.+
As recompense for what they did.
So the re#ard of this m‘arifat after death is the reom!ense for #hat they did. (ot the
reom!ense for #ho they #ere but the reom!ense for #hat they did. The human being isan ating animal" so #hat he does is #hat defines his !ost-mortal destiny. This is the
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im!ortant thing.
They will hear no prattlin) in it, nor any word of wron).
They #ill hear no !rattling in it" they #ill not hear su!erfiial talk" and not any #ord of
#rong. This means that they ha)e ome from a life that has liberated itself from the
!rattling" and liberated itself from #ords of #rong. So #hen !eo!le s!eak #rong #ords this
means a denial of this e9!eriene" #hih is #hy the Sufis #ant to lea)e behind them a leanreord. <n the material side they #ant to follo# 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" they
#ant to !ay the debt. <n the moral side they #ant to ha)e forgi)en the enemy" they #ant to
ha)e forgi)en the ones #ho ha)e done them #rong in order that they ha)e this loseness to
5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam.
All that is said is, 9eace* 9eace*
This is a most tremendous Sura. All that is said is Salam" Salam" !eae" !eae. This saying
of !eae is the &hsan of the &slam. This is #hy #e find it )ery offensi)e #hen the kuffar start
telling us &slam means !eae. &t does not mean !eae" it means submission" and in fat italso means #ar. 3ut for the muminun" in the 1hayb6and by the 1hayb #e mean the
hea)enly Malakut6it means ‘salam" salam.
Salam brings us to the fat that as & said there #as the Mulk and the Malakut" but the Mulk
and the Malakut are not on0oined" they are se!arate7together. %ike the $un fa yakun+
#hat se!arates the unseen #orld and the seen #orld is #hat in the ,uran is alled
barzakh" #hih is that bet#een the Mulk and the Malakut is /abarut. /abarut is not abo)e"/abarut is that #hih makes a se!aration" not in s!ae or time" but in realities" bet#een the
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Mulk and Malakut. /abarut is light" ‘/abr or the o#er of Allah" subhanahu #a ta‘ala" and
lights of Allah. Therefore the Muqarabun are the ones #ho !ass into /abarut" they )anish
into /abarut" into the lights of the 2ssene. They are disa!!earing" they are absorbed. And
that is #hat is inside this ayat. All that is said is salam" salam.+
All that is said is, 9eace* 9eace*
&n other #ords there is no Mulk" there is no Malakut" they are illuminated by /abarut.
&nshallah #e #ill ontinue tomorro#.
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#ay
And the Companions of the 2i)ht=
what of the Companions of the 2i)ht:
Amid thornless lote-trees and fruit-laden acacias
and wide-spreadin) shade and outpourin) water
and fruits in a1undance never failin), unrestricted.
And on elevated couches.
We have 1rou)ht maidens into 1ein)
and made them purest vir)ins,
devoted, passionate, of li0e a)e,
for the Companions of the 2i)ht.
A lar)e )roup of the earlier people
and a lar)e )roup of the later ones.
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And the Companions of the 4eft=
what of the Companions of the 4eft:
Amid searin) 1lasts and scaldin) water
and the mur0 of thic0 1lac0 smo0e,
providin) no coolness and no pleasure.
6efore that they were livin) in lu+ury,
persistin) in immense wron)doin)
and sayin), When we are dead
and turned to dust and 1ones,
shall we then 1e raised a)ain,
or our forefathers, the earlier peoples:
Say= The earlier and the later peoples
will certainly all 1e )athered
to the appointment of a specified #ay.
Then you, you mis)uided, you deniers
will eat from the tree of Daqqum,
fillin) your stomachs with it
and drin0 scaldin) water on top of it,
slurpin) li0e thirst-cra%ed camels.
This will 1e their hospitality on the #ay of Eud)ement*
We created you so why do you not confirm the truth:
F F F F F
Allah" subhanahu #a taala" has e9!lained about the first grou!. These are the ‘Arifin" the
Muqarabun" the ones #ho ha)e dra#n near. 5emember that one of the names of Allah"
subhanahu #a taala" is Al-,arib" 'e is the (ear <ne" so to be Muqarabun is to be under
this name of Allah" subhanahu #a taala" #hih is the ,arib. Also 'e e9!lains in the ,uran
that Allah" subhanahu #a taala" is nearer to you than your 0ugular )ein.+ That means it is
a nearness #hih is nearer than nearness. &t is not by distane" it does not ha)e any
distane in it" e)en minisule distane. &t is in fat !resene" 'adhrat al-5abbani6
resene of %ordshi!. (o# Allah" subhanahu #a taala" has e9!lained of the :orerunners"
the Muqarabun" A lot of the earlier !eo!le and a fe# of the later !eo!le.+
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Then 'e e9!lains about the 8om!anions of the 5ight" then 'e goes on to the 8om!anions
of the %eft. (o#" about the 8om!anions of the 5ight" Allah" subhanahu #a taala" says" A
large grou! of the earlier !eo!le and a large grou! of the later ones.+ With the 8om!anions
of the 5ight they are" A large grou! of the earlier !eo!le and a large grou! of the later
!eo!le.+ 3ut of the
8om!anions of the %eft" Allah" subhanahu #a taala" then says" The earlier and the later
!eo!les #ill ertainly all be gathered to the a!!ointment of a s!eified Day.+ The
distintion Allah" subhanahu #a taala" makes about the 8om!anions of the %eft is that
they ha)e denied Allah" subhanahu #a taala. 'e alls them the deniers+.
The e)idene Allah" subhanahu #a taala" !uts do#n before them is" We reated you so
#hy do you not onfirm the truth;+ &n other #ords the 2)ent of the reation" that is the
‘$un" is denied. &n fat the denial is the denial of 29istene itself. &t means therefore that
the onfirmation of the truth is not based on an idea" that therefore da#a is not alling
!eo!le to the rational argument of &slam. &t has a rational argument" but it is not the
rational argument but the e9!eriential denial that makes the deniers deny. They deny in
the fae of the e)ent of e9istene.
There is the famous meeting of Thomas 8arlyle" #ho #as )ery lose to &slam and the first
!erson in #estern soiety to #rite in honour of 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" and
some grand lady in %ondon. She said" Mr. 8arlyle" & ae!t the uni)erse.+ And 8arlyle is
re!orted to ha)e said" 3y 1od madam" you had better@+ That is really the )oie of
ertainty" beause there is in some #ay a re0etion of e9istene in)ol)ed in the at of kufr"
#hih is #hy it is alled kufr beause it is o)ering u! the e)identiary.
We are 0ust about to ome to the dimensions of ho# Allah" subhanahu #a taala" e9!liates
it.
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5ave you thou)ht a1out the sperm you ejaculate:
/s it you who create it
or are We the Creator:
We have decreed death for you
and We will not 1e forestalled
in replacin) you
with others the same as you
and re-formin) you
in a way you 0now nothin) a1out.
(ou have 0nown the first formation,
So will you not pay heed:
So no# this astonishing Sura has four questions that Allah" subhanahu #a taala" !uts to
the human reatures. The first one is about the s!erm. We touhed on this earlier" the
matter of the dynami of life. When Allah" subhanahu #a taala" asks about refletion about
the s!erm it is that !eo!le kne# that it #as this that reated life" and ati)ated life" this
fator" this element" this dimension has in it something that ati)ates a !roess from #hih
the hild emerges. So that is a reational e)ent" it is an e)ent in itself.
We an go bak and look in the ditionary of the ,uran #hih defines e)ery im!ortant root
in the ,uran and e9!lains it. The root of Wa#-,af-‘Ayn is gi)en three as!ets #hih are
then baked u! by ayats of ,uran. The three as!ets are )ery signifiant. The first one is
the !assing of intellet" the intellet of man #hih !asses" #hih dies. The seond as!et of
Waqi‘a is to#ards the hea)ens beause it refers to the Ayat #here Allah" subhanahu #a
taala" tells about the death of Sayyidina ‘&sa and ho# he #as raised u! to 'im. And the
third dimension of the Waqi‘a is the death of the Ar#ah" the time of the death #hen the
Ar#ah are released and freed from the body. To this it gi)es t#o referenes in Surat
an-(ahl" #hih s!eak of those #ho died #ith good angels" and then those #rongdoers #ho
died #ith other angels. &n other #ords there #ere s!eifi angels to take the !eo!le Allah
#as !leased #ith into the ne9t #orld" and another set of angels to take those 'e #as not
!leased #ith.
So this di)ision is an absolutely unom!romising di)ision. 3ut it !uts together t#o
om!letely distint" o!!osite as!ets of life" you ould say life7death" and makes them the
same from a !oint of )ie# of s!iritual un)eiling. That is that the s!erm ontains this !ulse"
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this dynami from #hih unfolds #hat #e no# all the D(A and so on" that one !art of this
unfolding reates a li)er and another !art reates a kidney. &t does not ross o)er" and if it
does it is like an aborted foetus that has gone #rong in the sense that all the other foetuses
ha)e gone right. They obey this ommand. (o# no-one nor any analysis an e9!lain the
!roess by #hih this ha!!ens. &t is not a mystery" and #e atually kno# the !hysial
!roess" but that there should be suh a !roess and the design of the !roess" and the
nature of the design" are !art of this astonishing reality" not in #hih #e li)e but of #hih
#e are the !rodut. And so Allah" subhanahu #a taala" is !laing the oming-into-being of
the reature together #ith the reality of the going-out-of-e9istene of the reature. &t is that
both of these t#o o!!osites are enounters #ith the Di)ine. So that Allah" subhanahu #a
taala" says" &s it you #ho reated or are We the 8reator;+
The illusion is that the !arents reated the hild" but that is not the ase" beause this
dynami #as in non-e9istene" ame into e9istene" and a !roess took !lae from #hih
this unfolding of the human reature ha!!ened. &s it you #ho reated or are We the
8reator;+ And then immediately ha)ing said that 'e says" We ha)e dereed death for
you"+6so 'e has dereed that this !roess should take !lae" and also this other !roess
#hih 'e has dereed" #hih is your death. The bringing-into-being of you is a Di)ine
e)ent and the taking-out-of-e9istene is the same Di)ine e)ent" beause there is <ne4 la
ilaha illallah" #ahdahu la sharikalah" nothing assoiated #ith 'im. &t is one Di)ine !o#er
in both these situations. And We #ill not be forestalled in re!laing you #ith others the
same as you and re-forming you in a #ay you kno# nothing about. ou ha)e kno#n the
first formation so #ill you not !ay heed;+ ou ha)e reognised the bringing into being of
yourself" no# are you not going to reognise that you are also going to be brought into
being a seond time; /ust to get the !ers!eti)e of this there is a )ery beautiful Sufi
narration #here a !oor #oman began to ry" and her husband said" What is the matter;+
And she said" <" it is so a#ful. We ha)e no food and & do not kno# ho# & am going to feed
the family.+ 'e re!lied" Do not say suh a thing" do not e)er say suh a thing@+ 'e said"
%ook here" #hen the hild #as in the #omb did Allah not feed it; Was there not blood
flo#ing to the hild and the hild #as fed by your blood;+ She said" es.+ When the hild
ame out did not milk start to flo# from your breast; And you fed the hild #ith the milk;+
She said" es.+ And he said" And #hen it reahed a ertain age" did not the teeth ome out
of its mouth and at that !oint you fed it solid food; Allah has been feeding the hild all the
time" is 'e going to sto! no#;+ This is one ontinuous !roess. So #hen the !easants say"
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ou eat till you die"+ or %i)e old horse and youll get orn"+ all of these sayings are
onfirming the reality that Allah is the !ro)ider" 'e is the 5azzaq" #ith no seondary ause.
The hild is not the hild of the !arents in the s!iritual sense. They are the instruments of
it" but the reati)e at is the Di)ine at of life oming into being and reating the ne#
reation.
3ut #hat #e are being told here is that this the death and the dereed death are one
!henomenon. This is the Waqi‘a al-Waqi‘a" it is the e)ent of the 2)ent" it is in fat
!ost-mortem" the s!iritual reality" in the sense that !ost-natal is the !roedure from #hih
the human reature ats #hat he ats in order that there is #ritten for him #hat is #ritten
for him" #hih defines #hat #ill be #aiting for him in the (e9t World. So the reality of this
#orld is in fat that it is a refleti)e reality of #hat omes after it. This de)astating o!!osite
set of realities of the 8om!anions of the 5ight and the 8om!anions of the %eft is the
indiation that that is #hat is being #orked out in the human situation. The human
situation has 8om!anions of the 5ight and it has 8om!anions of the %eft. That is #ho #e
are" the humans. We are of these t#o grou!s.
(o# #e ome to the seond question Allah" subhanahu #a taala" asks.
5ave you thou)ht a1out what you cultivate:
/s it you who ma0e it )erminate
or are We the Germinator:
/f We wished We could have made it 1ro0en stu11le.
(ou would then 1e left devoid of crops, distrau)ht=
We are ruined, in fact we are destitute*
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The first question is" 'a)e you thought of the s!erm;+ and the seond question is" 'a)e
you thought about #hat you ulti)ate;+ So the reality of the reature is the reality of the
reation" of the earth. The reality of the !erson is also the reality of the #orld. What you
ulti)ate" again you do not do it" Allah does it. &s it you #ho make it germinate;+ This
im!ulse" this !ulse of life6this seed that looks dried" a husk" in your hand it looks
absolutely dead6you !ut it in the earth" and the rain omes and the season omes. When
the season is right and #hen the earth is right and the rain omes" #hen all of these things
ome together" suddenly there mo)es u! this green shoot. This is the #orld in #hih #e are
standing" this is #hat Allah has !ut us on.
Allah says" Did you make it germinate or are We the 1erminator;+ <ne that is !osited"
that is the foundational reality u!on #hih you must 0udge your o#n e9istene6you ha)e
to measure yourself at this le)el by this om!rehension" #hih is #hy the eo!le of the
5ight ha)e a kno#ledge that the eo!le of the %eft do not ha)e" beause the latter ha)e
o)ered o)er the ans#er" and if they o)er o)er the ans#er it is a liene for them to
imagine that they are the masters of the uni)erse and they an do #hat they like. 3ut Allah
says" &f We #ished We ould ha)e made it broken stubble. ou #ould then be left de)oid
of ro!s" distraught4 ‘We are ruined" in fat #e are destitute@
5ave you thou)ht a1out the water that you drin0:
/s it you who sent it down from the clouds
or are We the Sender:
/f We wished We could have made it 1itter,
so will you not )ive than0s:
So then Allah" subhanahu #a taala" asks about your life and asks about the earth" and then
'e asks about the #ater. Again the same question" Are #e the Sender;+ This feundating"
life-gi)ing #ater" is it yours or has is ome from Allah" subhanahu #a taala; This is #hat
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has to be ans#ered.
Then 'e takes another dimension" #hih is #hy they are the 8om!anions of the %eft"
beause they are not gi)ing thanks. ou see" 'e then takes it a ste! further" 'e says that if
you think you ha)e reated the earth and then it does not yield" you say" We are destitute.+
So your first ondition is a om!laint. And about the #ater that brings it to life" 'e says"
We are the Sender"+ you ha)e not made this #ater ome. Then 'e says" So #ill you not
gi)e thanks;+ The thing that is demanded of the 8om!anions of the %eft that #ould allo#
them to !ass o)er to be 8om!anions of the 5ight is that they gi)e thanks. All through the
,uran there is a re!etition of t#o things" that the ‘hamd !reedes the ‘shukr. &n the #ords
of the ‘ulama" Alhamdulillahi #a shukrulillah.+ Why; 3eause hamd belongs to Allah.
Alhamdulillahi rabbil ‘alameen"+ raise belongs to the %ord of all the Worlds. Shukr
belongs to us to gi)e to Allah.
:irst you ha)e to reognise that you are a reated e)ent" and in a s!iritual sense you are
one reated e)ent" you are the reated e)ent of the ‘$un" and you ha)e been enthroned
#ith kno#ledge. So #ill you not gi)e thanks;+ After the ‘hamd omes thanks. (o# thanks
is from the sla)e to the %ord. 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" said" The ‘ibadah that
Allah lo)es most is the du‘a of the mumin.+ Why; 3eause it is a reognition of
hel!lessness and it is asking Allah for hel!" it is asking Allah to deal #ith" to sol)e" to take
on" to enom!ass. Whih is #hy these suiide !eo!le ha)e insulted Allah and slandered
Allah" beause it is an abnegation of 'is sol)ing the situation and thinking that there an
be mery. &t is as if Allah had #ithheld his mery to allo# them to kill themsel)es. Allah
says in the ,uran" Allah ne)er !uts on someone more than they an bear.+ Therefore
there annot be a reason to kill yourself" beause you ha)e to stay ali)e and ha)e your
)itory.
8onneted to shukr #e !ut the du‘a beause thanks is thanking Allah for #hat you ha)e
reei)ed and really the dua is asking for more. &t is saying" And this" and this"+ it is
reognising the ongoing" ontinuing 5ahma of Allah" subhanahu #a taala.
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5ave you thou)ht a1out the fire you li)ht:
/s it you who ma0e the trees that fuel it )row
or are We the Grower:
We have made it to 1e a reminder
and a comfort for travellers in the wild.
So there #e ha)e the dimensions of the question from the s!erm to #hat is ulti)ated to
the #ater that you drink and then the fire that you light. &n other #ords the elements of
e9istene4 air" earth" fire and #ater" the elements of e9istene are reognised as oming
from Allah" subhanahu #a taala. (ot only that" but there is another dimension here that
Allah has indiated about the fire that you light" that the fire is not something that" as it
#ere" 0ust s!arks into e9istene from nothing" rather it has a fuel. 2)erything !re!ared isthere before. The fuel for the fire is there before you ome to light the fire" or make the fire.
This is the same #ith !ro)ision. We ha)e made it to be a reminder and a omfort for
tra)ellers in the #ild"+ and that is that #hen you light the fire it has been !re!ared for you
by Allah" subhanahu #a taala" o)er years. The tree has gro#n and has been gro#ing for
years. And then at a ertain !oint you light that fire" but it has been #aiting for you from
#hen it #as a seed" and it gre# in the earth" and it beame a tree" in order that you ould
ome and break off the branh and gather it and set fire to it. The !ro)ision is a ontinuous!roess.
The same also #ith the food. As in the story & mentioned of the Sufi #ith his family" the
matter of !ro)ision is not that the meal is !ut in front of you and you say this is !ro)ision
from Allah" it is muh more e9traordinary. The food" as the Sufis say" has been oming to
you for years. The farmer has his flok of shee!" the shee! ha)e gi)en birth to the lambs"
the man has taken the lambs to the market" he has sold them in the market" and then thelamb has gone to the buther" and the buther has buthered it" and then you ha)e bought
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the meat. So there is the #hole !roess of the food" and then the food is taken to the
kithen and is !re!ared" and e)entually it omes in front of you. All the )egetables ha)e
ome from the garden" the shee! has ome from the hill" and again in it is the lighting of
the fire to ook it. All these !roesses ha)e gone on o)er years to ulminate in a moment of
e9istene #hen you !artake of all this that Allah has !ro)ided for you. So this gi)ing thanks
has not got any end.
So )lorify the name of your 4ord, the Ma)nificent*
3ismi-rabbika al-adheem"+ and again the reason this is the Wird of the Ala#iya Tariqa is
beause the &sm of Allah is the ‘Adheem" and the &sm al-‘Adhim as #e kno# is the door of
m‘arifat" it is" Allaaah.+ Shaykh al-Ala#i #ould say" And so you must reite the Su!reme
(ame.+ That is the message of the Sufis. And so you must reite the &sm al-‘Adhim beause
this kno#ledge is so tremendous that to gras! it is to set you abo)e all !eo!le.
And / swear 1y the fallin) of the stars &
and that is a mi)hty oath if you only 0new &
it truly is a 3o1le uran in a well protected 6oo0.
3o-one may touch it e+cept the purified.
Allah" subhanahu #a taala" says" And & s#ear by the falling of the stars6and that is a
mighty oath if you only kne#6and & s#ear by the falling of the stars it truly is a (oble
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,uran in a #ell !roteted 3ook.+ This is )ery signifiant beause Allah !uts ,uran and
3ook together. Allah says" :ala" uqsimu bi ma#aaqi‘il nu0um"+ so 'e uses the same #ord4
& s#ear by the Waqi‘a of the stars.+
Allah says" & s#ear by the Waqi‘a of the stars"+ beause the Waqi‘a as #e ha)e said is
death" death of the !erson" but" & s#ear by the Waqi‘a of the stars6and that is a mighty
oath if you only kne#6it truly is a noble ,uran"+ it is a noble reitation" in a #ell
!roteted 3ook.+ So it is a reitation in a #ell !roteted 3ook. And that means it is in itself
an e)ent" it is in itself a reality enased in the !henomenon of desending on the heart of
5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam. The #ell !roteted 3ook+ is 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a
sallam" and the ,uran is #hat is in the heart of 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" #hih
is #hy the %aylat al-,adr is the night in #hih it desended into his heart. The (ight of
,adr4 again" #e ha)e been talking about Mulk and Malakut" and 'e s#ears by the
blaking-out of e9istene that this is this noble e)ent of the re)elation of ,uran on 5asul"
sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" and that is ,adr" that is o#er" that is Ma0esty" that is neither
Mulk nor Malakut but the 3arzakh bet#een the Mulk and the Malakut" beause it omes
from the /abarut" and it emerges in the Malakut #ith /ibril and it desends from Malakut
into the Mulk" into the heart of 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam. That is #hy Allah says"
&t is a noble ,uran in a #ell !roteted 3ook"+ and it is by a s#earing" by an oath about the
abolition of the stars.
Then 'e says" (o-one may touh it e9e!t the !urified.+ <n the fae of it" it is telling us
that it is the adab that you do not touh the ,uran e9e!t #hen in #udu6no-one may
touh it e9e!t the !urified. 3ut #e an take t#o dimensions from this. That is that no-one
an really a!!roah 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" unless they are !urified" and if they
are not" they get burned u!. erish Abu %ahab@+ beause he did not reognise that this
man #as not the son of his father" but #as the 5asul of Allah. So he ould not a!!roah" he
ould not touh" he ould not get near to 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam.
2evelation sent down from the 4ord of all the worlds.
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So #hat #as sent do#n on 5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" is from the %ord of all the
Worlds. (o# the modern kuffar are saying" Well you kno#" you ha)e got your god and #e
ha)e got ours"+ as if the Muslim god is some other god from the hristian god" and so on
and so on. 3ut it is the re)elation from the %ord of all the Worlds. &t is the %ord" the
8reator of the uni)erse #ho is that <ne #ho has sent do#n the message on 5asul"
sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam.
#o you nonetheless re)ard this discourse with scorn
and thin0 your provision depends on your denial of the truth:
Again this is the addressing of the 8om!anions of the %eft" Do you" des!ite all this" look
on this disourse #ith sorn and think your !ro)ision de!ends on your denial of the
truth;+ An amazing un)eiling of the nature of the kafir. They deem it neessary to a)oid the
Di)ine !henomenon and the #orshi! of the Di)ine in order to get on #ith the business of
aquiring their stuff and their !ro)ision.
They annot do it unless they make this o)er-u!. And Allah" subhanahu #a taala" e9!oses
it and 'e says" ou look #ith sorn on this"+ in other #ords you are re0eting it. And then
ou think your !ro)ision de!ends on your denial of the truth"+ not your !ro)ision
de!ends on your sientifi analysis of ho# the earth yields and ho# you inrease the yield
by genetially modifying the ro!s. (o" no@ &t is de!endent on you denying the truth"
beause you ould not go through all of these !roedures unless they had as a foundation a
denial of the truth. The #hole tehnologial !ro0et" the #hole atheist !rogramme is based
on the denial of the truth. &t is not based on some ongoing surfing along the benefits of
tehnial ad)ane.
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Why then, when death reaches his throat
and you are at that moment loo0in) on &
and We are nearer him than you 1ut you cannot see &
why then, if you are not su1ject to ur command,
do you not send it 1ac0 if you are tellin) the truth:
&n other #ords it omes bak to this ertainty" this ‘aqin. Allah asks the question" When
death reahes the throat" and you are that moment looking on"+ #hen you are at the death
bed and Allah says" We"+ Allah" are nearer him than you but you annot see. Why then" if
you are not sub0et to <ur ommand" do you not send it bak if you are telling the truth;+
'o# is it that you then do not say" $ee! li)ing@ $ee! li)ing@+ ou annot do it.
At that moment" there is a !resene. There is the !resene of the dying man" there is the!resene of the kafir #athing him" and there is Allah #athing them" and #athing them
#ith a nearness to the dying man that is so near that the obser)er annot see it. And the
reality of that moment is hidden from them. Therefore" #hat Allah un)eils for us from this
is that death is not this terrible thing that is )eiled" or this meaningless thing that the
kuffar ha)e to say in the end that it is. 3ut it is the )ery seret of the Absolute Ma0esty of
Allah" subhanahu #a taala. The non-e9istene of #hat #e onsider real is !ut in its
non-!lae. 3eause #hat #e are really oming to is an understanding about the nature ofthe indi)idual death and the abolition of the stars" of the osmos.
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6ut the truth is that if he is one of the Those 6rou)ht 3ear,
there is solace and sweetness and a Garden of #eli)ht.
And if he is one of the Companions of the 2i)ht,
9eace 1e upon you* from the Companions of the 2i)ht
And if he is one of the mis)uided deniers,
there is hospitality of scaldin) water
and roastin) in the 6la%in) 8ire.
This is the ontrat offered to the human reature. &f he is one of the Muqarabun there is
solae and s#eetness and a 1arden of Delight. &n other #ords the ations on this earth that
ha)e brought that !erson near to Allah" subhanahu #a taala" transform into solae"
s#eetness and a 1arden of Delight in the =nseen. &f he is one of the 8om!anions of the
5ight4 !eae be u!on him" ‘Salam" from the 8om!anions of the 5ight. And if he is one of
the misguided deniers then there is the fire and the terrible salding #ater.
This is indeed the Truth of Certainty.
So )lorify the 3ame of your 4ord, the Ma)nificent*
So Allah" subhanahu #a taala" says" This is indeed the 'aqq al-aqin.+ (o# the ‘'aqq
al-aqin beomes lear to us" #hile those !eo!le #ho annot understand the a#m
al-,iyama annot e)en think about it" sine it has not got any kind of meaning for them"
suh !eo!le e)en think in terms of ho# millions of !eo!le are going to rise u! on the same
day" #hat it is going to be like and so on.
What is interesting you see" #hat #e no# diso)er is that the thing is already
!redetermined to ha)e meaning for us. And of ourse the !hysial reognition of it omes
in the 'a00. The 'a00 has not got any !artiular salat onneted to it" like the stoning" or the
Ta##af. The thing that makes the 'a00 is that" e)en if for an instant" you ha)e to stand on
‘Arafat. And #hen you stand on ‘Arafat" #hat is the reality of standing on ‘Arafat; &t is
#here)er you look you see t#o or three million !eo!le all standing in their shrouds" in their
burial robes. &t is like a dress rehearsal for the real thing. So you see the !ossibility" you see
the reality of it.
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What #e diso)er is beause of the nature of this e)ent that #e ha)e seen" the Waqi‘a"
#hih e)en in the definition of this term in the ditionary of the ,uran is identified #ith
Allahs" subhanahu #a taala" raising u! Sayyidina ‘&sa on his death" is that #hen the
human reature dies" he !asses from the in-time to the non-time. Therefore" in that sense
e)eryone dies at the same time" from the beginning" from Sayyidina Adam until the end of
the #orld. The dying of the !eo!le is at the same instant" beause it is beyond ‘instant. The
in-time of the Mulk sto!s before the non-time of the Malakut and the 3arzakh of the
/abarut. There is no timeness in it" so if you !ass from the in-time to the non-time then you
all are there at the same time" or rather non-time. So the a#m al-,iyama is The Day.
5asul" sallallahu ‘alayhi #a sallam" said" a Abu 3akr" a#m al-a#m@+ 'e meant that
Day of this day" that Day is the day there is no day. That is #hy Abu 3akr nearly olla!sed"
and this is the Waqi‘a" this is indeed the 'aqq al-aqin. So glorify the (ame of your %ord"
the Magnifient@+ So reite the &sm al-‘Adhim to stay in this kno#ledge" to li)e in this
kno#ledge and not to forget it in the business of the day" not to forget it in the enormous
s!lendour of the reation that Allah has offered to us. So you must reite the name of Allah"
the &sm al-‘Adhim.
:atiha.