AL-QIYAMAH (Resurrection)Name
The Surahhasbeenso namedafterthewordal- Qiyamahinthefirstverse.Thisisnotonlythenamebutalsothetitleofthis Surah,foritisdevotedtoResurrectionitself.
Period
ofRevelationAlthoughthereisnotraditiontoindicateitsperiodofrevelation,yetthereisinthesubjectmatterofthis Surahaninternalevidence,which showsthatitisoneoftheearliest SurahstobesentdownatMecca.Afterverse 15thediscourseissuddenly interruptedandtheHolyProphet(uponwhombepeace)told:"DonotmoveyourtonguetorememberthisRevelationhastily.ItisOurresponsibilitytohaveit rememberedandread.Therefore,whenWeare recitingit,listentoitsrecitalcarefully.Again,itisOurresponsibilitytoexplainitsmeaning."Then,fromverse 2Oonwardthesamethemewhichwas interruptedatverse 15,is resumed.This parentheticalpassage,accordingtoboththecontextandthetraditions,hasbeen interposedhereforthereasonthatwhentheAngel Gabrielwas recitingthis SurahtotheHolyProphet,theHolyProphet,lestheshouldforgetitswordslater,was repeatingthematthesamemoment.Thisinfact happenedatthetimewhenthecomingdownandreceiptofRevelationwasyetanewexperienceforhimandhewasnotyetfullyusedtoreceivingitcalmly.Therearetwootherinstancesalsoofthisinthe Qur'an.First,in SurahTaHatheHolyProphet(uponwhombepeace)hasbeentold:"Andseethatyoudonothastentorecitethe Qur'anbeforeitsrevelationis completedtoyou." (v.114).Then,in Surah Al-A'la,ithasbeensaid:"Weshallenableyoutorecite:,thenyoushallneverforget. (v.6).Later,whentheHolyProphetbecamefullyusedtoreceivingtheRevelationwell,there remainednoneedtogivehimanysuchinstruction.Thatiswhyexceptforthese,three,thereisnootherinstanceofthisinthe Qur'an.
Theme
andSubjectMatterMost of the Surahs, from here till the end of the Qur'an, in view of their content and style, seem to have been sent down in the period when after the first seven verses of Surah Al-Muddaththir, revelation of the Qur'an began like a shower of rain: Thus, in the successively revealed Surahs Islam and its fundamental concepts and moral teachings were presented so forcefully and effectively in pithy, brief sentences and the people of Mecca warned so vehemently on their errors and deviations that the Quraish chiefs were utterly confounded. Therefore, before the next Hajj season came they held the conference for devising schemes to defeat the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) as has been mentioned in the Introduction to the Surah Al-Muddaththir above.
In this Surah, addressing thee deniers of the Hereafter, replies have been given to each of their doubts and objections, strong arguments have been given to prove the possibility, occurrence and necessity of the Resurrection and Hereafter, and also it has been pointed out clearly that the actual reason of the people's denying the Hereafter is not that they regard it as impossible rationally but because their selfish motives do not allow them to affirm it. At the same time, the people have been warned, as if to say: "The event, the occurrence of which you deny, will inevitably come: all your deeds will be brought and placed before you. As a matter of fact, even before any of you sees his record, he will be knowing fully well what he has done in the world, for no man is unaware of himself, no matter what excuses and pretenses he may offer to deceive the world and deceive himself in respect of his misdeeds."
