What is Inevitable - explained in one of the most philosophically powerful verses in the Qur’an

The wealth, position and status of man has much too often a blinding effect on the intellect and wisdom of the man. When elevated to an elitist class, man in his own arrogance of being at a position much above the others, loses sight of the realities and the temporary nature of one's status, wealth and even life. To such people, are also included the atheists who do not believe in the existence of any gods or deities and the life of the hereafter. This position is characterized by a lack of belief in supernatural beings rather than necessarily a claim of absolute knowledge. Thus Atheists actively deny the existence of God or simply lack a belief in Him. 

This was also the mindset of the polytheists of Makkah who in the formatting days of Islam out rightly rejected the existence of One God and the concept of the Resurrection - the act of rising from the dead or returning to life. In order to refute their misconception, the very two verses of Surah 56. Al-Wāqi‘ah were revealed which are considered as one of the most philosophically powerful verses in the Qur’an. In just a few words, they collapse denial, shatter complacency, and answer the deepest objections to God and the Hereafter — not by scientific argument, but by existential certainty.

The Verses

إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ ۝ لَيْسَ لِوَقْعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ

Idhā waqa‘ati al-wāqi‘ah — laysa li-waq‘atihā kādhibah

“When the Inevitable Event occurs — there will be no denying its occurrence.”

Opening the discourse with this sentence "and then there will be no one to deny its occurrence" by itself signifies that this is an answer to the objections that were being raised in the disbelievers’ conferences against Resurrection. This was the time when the people of Makkah had just begun to hear the invitation to Islam from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In it what seemed most astonishing and remote from reason to them was that the entire system of the earth and heavens would one day be overturned and then another world would be set up in which all the dead, of the former and the latter generations, would be resurrected. Bewildered they would ask: This is just impossible! Where will this earth, these oceans, these mountains, this moon and sun go? How will the centuries-old dead bodies rise up to life? How can one in his senses believe that there will be another life after death and there will be gardens of Paradise and the fire of Hell? Such were the misgivings that were being expressed at that time everywhere in Makkah. It was against this background that it was said: When the inevitable event happens, there shall be no one to belie it.

Let’s unpack how these two verses directly confront polytheistic, atheistic and materialist objections.

Meaning of the Two Verses

• Verse 1 — “When the Inevitable Event occurs” الْوَاقِعَة (al-Wāqi‘ah)
• In this verse the word Wāqi‘ahh (event) has been used for Resurrection, which nearly means the same thing as the English word inevitable, signifying thereby that it is something that must come to pass. Then, its happening has been described by the word Wāqi‘ah, which is used for the sudden occurrence of a disaster. 
• This verse just not foretell of “an event” — but an event that is Certain to happen and already decided. This event is thus inescapable.
• The Qur’an names the Day of Judgment as if it has already happened.
• This is Qur’ānic language of certainty.
• Philosophical point: The Hereafter is not hypothetical — it is part of reality’s structure.
• Verse 2 — “There will be no denying its occurrence” لَيْسَ لِوَقْعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ
• Laisa li-waqati-ha kadhibat-un can have two meanings:
• That it will not be possible that its occurrence be averted, or stopped, or turned back; or, in other words, there will be no power to make it appear as an unreal event.
• That there will be no living being to tell the lie that the event has not taken place.
• This can mean that no one will be able to deny it or able to lie about it. There will thus be no excuse, no reinterpretation, no escape.
• That is no ideology will explain it away, no skepticism will survive it or no intellectualization will protect against it.
• Reality itself will silence denial.

How This Answers Atheist Objections (At a Deep Level)

• The Qur’an does NOT argue here with physics, probability or laboratory evidence. Instead, Qur'an attacks the psychology of denial.
• Atheistic objection: “There is no proof of the Hereafter.”
• Qur’ānic response: Your denial is not because it is false — Your denial exists because it has not yet confronted you.
• These verses say: Denial is temporary. Reality is permanent.

The Qur’ān’s Existential Argument (Not Just Logical)

• The Qur’an’s method is Not “Prove God with equations” - But expose human illusion of control and permanence.
• These verses imply: Every atheist certainty is built on: (1) Still being alive, (2) Still having time, and (3) Still not having faced death and of course the reality of resurrection
• So Qur’an says: Your philosophy depends on delay — not on truth.

The Collapse of Denial at Death & Resurrection

• These verses connect directly with later verses in the same surah: “Why then, when the soul reaches the throat… if you are not to be judged, bring it back.” (56:83–87)
• This is devastating logic: If no God, no Hereafter, no accountability (1) Why can’t you reverse death? (2) Why can’t science save the soul? (3) Why can’t ideology stop finality?

So 56:1–2 are an opening hammer: They announce a future reality that will invalidate all denial retroactively.

Answering “There is No God”

• These verses don’t say “God exists” directly.
• They say something deeper: There is a final reality that no human system controls.
• This itself implies: (1) Authority beyond human(2) Judgment beyond human (3) Reality beyond material
• Atheism claims: Human reason is final and that Matter is ultimate and Death is the end. There is nothing beyond.
• Qur'an says in 56:1–2: You are not final, Matter is not ultimate and Death is not the end

So they strike at the foundation of atheism: Human autonomy as ultimate authority.

Why This Is So Powerful (Psychologically & Philosophically)

1. The Qur’an does not beg disbelief to accept. It declares: Whether you believe or not — this will happen.
2. This shifts the burden: Not “Prove it to me.” - But “You will be proven wrong by reality itself.”
3. This is why the Qur’an often uses: (1) Shock (2) Certainty (3) Oaths (4) Direct confrontation - Because denial is often moral and psychological — not purely intellectual.

The Hidden Message to the Modern Mind

These verses draw a comparison with the people of the time, who trust the Systems, Technology, Medicine, Progress and Control.

While the Qur'an 56:1–2 say: There is an event that will render all of that irrelevant.

That is a direct challenge to: Secular confidence, Materialist security, and Technological arrogance.

One-line Qur’ānic answer to atheism in 56:1–2:

The Qur’an does not argue that the Hereafter is possible — it declares that it is inevitable, and that denial is only sustained by delay, not by truth. Reality itself will end the debate. This is why these verses are so short yet so terrifying — they turn the atheist position from “confident” into temporarily deferred.

Se beware of the day when every human who ever lived will be brought back to life and his dossier will be presented to him and will be rewarded or awarded accordingly. Ten it will be too late to repent for not having paid heed to the Divine warnings when there was still time to acknowledge what was being said was true.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

You may refer to more Selected Verses from Sürah 56 Al-Wāqiʻa  الواقعة "The Inevitable" already published. You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.

For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. 

You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

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An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

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Blessed is He Who created death and life that He might try you as to which of you is better in deed

Today in the series of posts on the Selected Verses from Qur'an, we share the two opening verses of Sural 67. Al Mulk in which Allah first tells His servants that it is He alone, the Blessed One, in Whose Hand is the dominion of the Universe, and Who has power over everything; And since it is He Who has created this universes, it is not done without a purpose: And the purpose of creation of life and death. It is the reality of death which has been created to test the mankind so He might try them as to which of the whole are better in deed, so that it becomes easy for  Him on the Day of Resurrection to reward those who adopted and followed the path He prescribed from them and punish those who digressed from His path and followed the evil forces of Satan. 

But in the end Allah also reassures His servants that while He is the Most Mighty Whose verdict will be final, He is also the Most Forgiving and He may overlook many of the wrong doings of His servants except those who associated others with Him and worshipped others than He.

تَبٰرَكَ الَّذِىۡ بِيَدِهِ الۡمُلۡكُ وَهُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ قَدِيۡرُۙ‏  

(67:1) Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion of the Universe, and Who has power over everything;

Tabaraka " تَبٰرَكَ " is a superlative from barkat. Barkat comprehends the meanings of exaltation and greatness, abundance and plentiful, permanence and multiplicity of virtues and excellences. When the superlative tabaraka is formed from it, it gives the meaning that Allah is infinitely noble and great. He is superior to everything beside Himself in His essence and attributes and works. His beneficence is infinite, and His excellences are permanent and everlasting. (For further information, see explanation of verses ( 54 of Surah 7. Al-Aaraf); (1-3 of Surah 23. Al-Muminoon); (1 and 10 of Surah 25. Al-Furqan).

As the word al-Mulk has been used, it cannot be taken in any limited meaning. Inevitably, it would imply sovereignty over everything that exists in the universe. In Whose hand is the dominion does not mean that He has physical hands, but that He is possessor of all power and authority and no one else has any share in it.

Since it is He in Whose Hand is the dominion of the Universe, He can do whatever He wills, nothing can frustrate or hinder Him from doing what He pleases.

Yusuf Ali Explanation:

What do we mean when we bless the name of Allah, or proclaim (in the optative mood) that the whole Creation should bless the name of the Lord? We mean that we recognise and proclaim His beneficence to us; for all increase and happiness is through Him, "in His hands',-in the hands of Him Who also holds Dominion or Power. In our human affairs we sometimes see the separation of Dominion or Power from Goodness or Beneficence: in the divine nature we recognise that there is no separation or antithesis.

Mulk: Dominion, Lordship, Sovereignty, the Right to carry out His Will, or to do all that He wills. Power (in the clause following) is the Capacity to carry out His Will, so that nothing can resist or neutralise it. Here is beneficence completely identified with Lordship and Power; and it is exemplified in the verses following. Note that "Mulk" here has a different shade of meaning from Malakut in xxxvi. 83. Both words are from the same root, and I have translated both by the word "Dominion". But Malakut refers to Lordship in the invisible World, while Mulk to Lordship in the visible World. Allah is Lord of both.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir:

Glorification of Allah and mentioning the Creation of Death, Life, the Heavens and the Stars - Allah the Exalted glorifies His Noble Self and informs that the dominion is in His Hand. This means that He deals with all of His creatures however He wishes and there is none who can reverse His decree. He is not questioned concerning what He does because of His force, His wisdom and His justice. 

For this reason Allah says, " وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ " and He is Able to do all things.) Then Allah says:

اۨلَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ الۡمَوۡتَ وَالۡحَيٰوةَ لِيَبۡلُوَكُمۡ اَيُّكُمۡ اَحۡسَنُ عَمَلًا ؕ وَهُوَ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الۡغَفُوۡرُۙ‏ 

(67:2) Who created death and life that He might try you as to which of you is better in deed. He is the Most Mighty, the Most Forgiving;

That is, the object of giving life to man in the world and causing his death is to test him to see which of them is best in deeds. Allusion has been made in this brief sentence to a number of truths:

(1) That life and death are given by Allah, no one else can grant life nor cause death.

(2) That neither the life nor the death of a creation like man, which has been given the power to do both good and evil, is purposeless. The Creator has created him in the world for the test. Life is for him the period of the test and death means that the time allotted for the test has come to an end.

(3) That for the sake of this very test the Creator has given every man an opportunity for action, so that he may do good or evil in the world and practically show what kind of a man he is.

(4) That the Creator alone will decide who has done good or evil. It is not for us to propose a criterion for the good and the evil deeds but for Almighty Allah. Therefore, whoever desires to get through the test, will have to find out what is the criterion of a good deed in His sight. Every person will be recompensed according to his deeds, for if there was no reward or punishment the test would be meaningless.

" He is the Most Mighty, the Most Forgiving " This has two meanings and both are implied here:

(1) That He is Almighty, in spite of being dominant over all His creatures, He is Merciful and Forgiving for them, not tyrannous and cruel.

(2) That He has full power to punish the evildoers. No one can escape His punishment. But He is forgiving for him who feels penitent, refrains from evil and asks for His forgiveness.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir:

(" الَّذِى خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَوةَ " Who has created death and life) Those who say that death is an existing creation use this Ayah as a proof because it is something that has been created. This Ayah means that He brought creation into existence from nothing in order to test the creatures. He examines them to see which of them will be best in deeds. 

This is similar to Allah's statement: (How can you disbelieve in Allah Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life.) (2:28) In this Ayah Allah named the first stage, which is non-existence, "death.'' Then he named the origin or beginning of existence, "life.'' 

This is why Allah says: (Then He will give death, then again will bring you to life ( on the Day of Resurrection)) (2:28). 

Concerning Allah's statement: (" لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً " He may test you which of you is best in deed.) it means best in deeds. This is as Muhammad bin `Ajlan said. It should be noted that Allah did not say "which of you does the most deeds.'' 

Allah then says: (" وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ " And He is the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving.) This means that He is the Almighty, the Most Great, the Most Powerful and the Most Honorable. However, along with this He is Most Forgiving to whoever turns to Him in repentance and seeks His pardon after having disobeyed Him and opposed His commandment. Even though Allah is Almighty, He also forgives, shows mercy, pardons and excuses.

Yusuf Ali Explanation:

"Created Death and Life." Death is here put before Life, and it is created. Death is therefore not merely a negative state. In ii. 28 we read: "Seeing that ye were without life (literally, dead), and He gave you life: then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye retum." In liii. 44, again, Death is put before Life. Death, then, is (1) the state before life began, which may be non-existence or existence in some other form: (2) the state in which Life as we know it ceases, but existence does not cease; a state of Barzakh (xxiii. 100), or Barrier or Partition, after our visible Death and before Judgment; after that will be the new Life, which we conceive of under the term Eternity.

Creation, therefore, is not in mere sport, or without a purpose with reference to man. The state before our present life, or the state after, we can scarcely understand. But our present Life is clearly given to enable us to strive by good deeds to reach a nobler state.

All this is possible, because Allah is so Exalted in Might that He can perfectly carry out His Will and Purpose, and that Purpose is Love, Mercy, and Goodness to His creatures.

We learn a few things from these ayahs: [5]

1. That life and death are given by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala no one else can grant life nor cause death; That man’s creation has not been without purpose. Allah

2. That man’s creation has not been without purpose. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala created man to test him. This test will end with the end of his life in this world;

3. That for the sake of this test Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has given every man an opportunity for action. It is his choice to pursue good or the evil path;

4. That Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala alone will decide who has done good or evil. It is not for us to judge. Every person will be recompensed according to his deeds, for if there was no reward or punishment the test would be meaningless.

What is a beautiful action? Only that which is beautiful in the Sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. The intention for that deed is correct (sincerely done for the sake of Allah) and it is done according to the Sunnah of the Prophet salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. For he was the beloved of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala sent for our guidance with the best character. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala loved his actions. Therefore, we need to study his seerah and learn how is eating, drinking, sleeping, and other day-to-day matters were like.

Everyone has found their own way of worshipping. Imagine a student being given a particular curriculum and he goes on to learn something else. Will he clear his exams? Definitely, not. Similarly, if we are to enter Jannah then we must follow the curriculum that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Everything around us is performing its purpose. It is only man who is going on varying ways. Some have found their purpose in life while for others this life is still a place of play and entertainment. We see that the other living beings are performing their purpose. The sun rises and sets at its defined time. If it doesn’t there will be a chaos. So because we are not living according to the purpose of our creation our lives are in a mess.

Another thing note here is that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala does not want quantity rather quality. He wants to see who among us is better. Everything that we do in our life is a deed. For example, what do we do while we are waiting for our commute to come? Do we curse because it’s late or do we make use of the time and do dhikr? What do we do while our computer is booting-up? What does one talk about and how much does he talk? Does he waste his own and other’s time or keep his conversation to the point? Does he turn away upon seeing someone or is he the first one to greet them? Let’s all make the most of our time and watch our speech.

“And He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving,” (67: 2) meaning even though Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is Almighty, He also forgives, shows mercy, pardons and excuses. He is not tyrannous and cruel. He has the full power to punish the evildoers and none can escape His punishment, however, along with this He is Most Forgiving to whoever turns to Him in repentance and seeks His pardon after having disobeyed Him and opposed His commandment.

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

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Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:

• The plain translation has been taken from the Qur'ān officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [1]
• The exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. [2]  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided by [2], additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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