Surah Al-Waqi'ah, Ayah 89

The Condition of People at the Time of Their Death

These are the three types of conditions that people face upon their death. Either they are among the near believers or those below their rank on the right, or those who denied the truth, were led astray from the guidance and were ignorant about Allah. Allah said,

فَأَمَّآ إِن كَانَ

(Then if he), in reference to the dying person,

مِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ

(be of the Muqarrabun) who fulfilled the obligations and the recommended acts of worship and avoided the forbidden and disliked matters and even some of the allowed,

فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ وَجَنَّـتُ نَعِيمٍ

(then for him Rawh, Rayhan and a Garden of Delights.) Theirs will be Rawh and Rayhan; and the glad tidings of these traits will be conveyed to them by the angels at the time of death. We mentioned before the Prophet's Hadith narrated from Al-Bara' in which the angels of mercy say (to a dying, believing person),

فَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الْمُقَرَّ‌بِينَ (So, in case he [ the dying person ] is from among those blessed with nearness...56:88). In the foregoing verses, it was made clear that one day the present world will come to an end. It was also testified that at the time of death the near and dear ones, friends and relatives, and doctors all stand helplessly around the dying person. Likewise, resurrection, reckoning, and reward and punishment, after account of deeds, are all a reality and certainty of the highest degree. At the commencement of the Surah, it was mentioned that there will be three categories of the people in regard to their reward or punishment. The gist of this subject is again summarized here. If the dying person is among the Foremost believers, he will experience comfort, fragrance of happiness and a Garden of bliss. If he is not from the Foremost, but from the People of the Right hand, i.e. from the general body of believers, he will also experience the bounties and pleasures of Paradise. But if he is one of the People of the Left hand, the deniers and the deviant ones, then he will be in the blazing fire of Hell where he will be served with boiling water to drink.

This is a happening so great as to be owesome. A person who gives serious consideration to this system functioning in space, will be compelled to admit that the Creator of this universe is unimaginably Mighty. Then the Book coming from such a Creator should also be certainly great, and the Qur’an is undoubtedly such a great Book. The Quran reached the Prophet through the angels in exactly the same condition as it was in the preserved tablet (lawh mahfudh) and it is still intact in that same condition today. There is no other book of ancient times which has been so perfectly preserved. This in itself is proof of the Book’s (the Quran’s) greatness. The misfortune of one who does not obtain guidance from such a book is incalculable.