Tafseer of The Inevitable · Al-Waaqia · 56:1
When the Occurrence occurs,
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ (1) ("When the Event befalls")
The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, means by His saying: إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ ("When the Event befalls"): when the tremendous cry of the Resurrection descends, and that is when the trumpet is blown for the coming of the Hour.
As it was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd related to us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning his saying: إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ ("When the Event befalls"), he means: the cry.
ʿAlī related to us, he said: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning his saying: إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ ("When the Event befalls") — al-wāqiʿa (the Event), al-ṭāmma (the overwhelming calamity), al-ṣākhkha (the deafening cry), and the like are among the names of the Resurrection, which Allah has made tremendous and against which He has warned His servants.
