Az-Zalzalah

See ayat 8 for tafseer.

See ayat 8 for tafseer.

See ayat 8 for tafseer.

See ayat 8 for tafseer.

See ayat 8 for tafseer.

See ayat 8 for tafseer.

As has already been indicated in the exposition of the sūrah’s themes, this sūrah begins by describing some of the terrifying and awe‑inspiring events that mark the end of the world and the beginning of the Resurrection. It first declares: “When the earth is shaken with its violent shaking” (إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا). (Explanatory note: idhā here is conditional. Regarding the answer to this condition, several possibilities have been mentioned by exegetes: some consider it to be يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا, others يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ النَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا, while some hold that the apodosis is omitted—indicating that when people asked “When will the Hour come?”, the response was: When that great earthquake occurs, meaning that this very event signals the Resurrection.) The verse continues by stating that the earth will be so overturned that “it will bring forth its burdens” (وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا). The expression زِلْزَالَهَا (“its shaking”) either indicates that the entire globe will quake on that day—unlike ordinary earthquakes that affect only particular regions—or refers specifically to the well‑known earthquake of the Resurrection. (Explanatory note: in the first interpretation, the genitive construction conveys a general sense; in the second, it conveys specificity or familiarity.) Regarding what is meant by أَثْقَالَهَا (“its heavy burdens”), exegetes have offered multiple interpretations. Some state that it refers to human beings who will be cast out of their graves by the convulsion of the Resurrection, as indicated in the verse وَأَلْقَتْ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ. Others explain that it means the earth will expel its hidden treasures, becoming a source of regret for heedless world‑seekers. A further possibility is that it refers to the heavy molten materials within the earth that are released during volcanic and seismic upheavals, but on a universal scale at the end of the world. The first interpretation appears most suitable, though reconciling these meanings is not far‑fetched. Witnessing this unprecedented scene, the human being will be seized with terror and exclaim: “What is the matter with it?” (وَقَالَ الْإِنسَانُ مَا لَهَا). Although some interpret al‑insān here as referring exclusively to disbelievers who denied the Resurrection, the broader meaning is more apparent, since astonishment at such events will not be confined to unbelievers alone. Whether this exclamation corresponds to the first blast of the Trumpet (marking the end of the world) or the second blast (marking resurrection) is debated. The more likely view is that it relates primarily to the first blast, since this earthquake signals the end of the present order, though the Qur’an frequently mentions the events of both blasts together. The sūrah then adds a striking statement: “On that Day, the earth will speak its reports” (يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا). Every good and evil act committed upon it will be disclosed. On that Day, the earth itself will be among the greatest witnesses against human deeds, for it has been the constant observer of human actions. In a hadith, the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny asked: “Do you know what is meant by the earth’s reports?” When the companions replied that God and His Messenger knew best, he explained: “Its reports are that it will testify for every man and woman about what they did upon it, saying: on such‑and‑such a day he did such‑and‑such an act.” Thus, this is the earth’s testimony. Other narrations emphasize the same reality: the earth bears witness to every good and evil deed. Even stones and inanimate objects will testify, by God’s command, to what they have witnessed. Whether this testimony entails the earth literally being given speech, or whether it refers to the manifestation of indelible آثار (traces) left by human actions, the result is the same: nothing is hidden. Just as modern technology today can record sounds, images, and movements invisibly and later present them as undeniable evidence, so too will the earth reveal all that occurred upon it. The verse explains the source of this testimony: “That is because your Lord inspired it” (بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَى لَهَا). The use of أَوْحَى indicates that such extraordinary disclosure is possible only through divine command. Some have interpreted this to mean that God will inspire the earth to expel its contents, but the former meaning—its testimony—is more fitting. The sūrah then describes the gathering: “On that Day people will come forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds” (يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ النَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا أَعْمَالَهُمْ). Ashtāt (scattered) may indicate separation by communities, regions, moral states, or leadership—believers with believers, disbelievers with disbelievers, joyful faces apart from grief‑stricken ones. All these meanings can coexist due to the breadth of the expression. The phrase لِيُرَوْا أَعْمَالَهُمْ most fittingly refers to the embodiment of deeds—that deeds themselves will appear in fitting forms, bringing joy or anguish depending on their nature. The sūrah concludes with two decisive statements: “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it” (فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ), “and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it” (وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ). Here too, the strongest implication is the direct vision of one’s deeds themselves, whether good or evil—no matter how minute. The term ذَرَّة has been explained variously as a tiny ant, a speck of dust, or the minute particles visible in a sunbeam—and in modern usage, even an atom. Regardless of definition, the meaning is clear: the smallest conceivable weight. These closing verses are among the most awe‑striking in the Qur’an, indicating that the reckoning of the Hereafter is incomparably precise and exacting, leaving nothing—however small—unaccounted for.

Not only from the final verses of this sūrah, but also from numerous other verses of the Qur’an, it becomes abundantly clear that the reckoning of deeds on the Day of Resurrection will be carried out with extraordinary precision and meticulous exactitude. In Sūrat Luqmān, verse 16, it is stated: يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّهَا إِن تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُن فِي صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ أَوْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ. “O my son, even if an act were the weight of a mustard seed, and it were hidden inside a rock, or anywhere in the heavens or the earth, God would bring it forth (for reckoning). Indeed, God is Subtle and All‑Aware.” Kh ard al (mustard seed) is extremely small and is used here as a proverbial expression for minuteness. Such expressions clearly indicate that even the smallest deeds will be subject to accountability. Implicitly, these verses warn that minor sins should not be regarded as insignificant, nor should small acts of goodness be underestimated, for nothing escapes divine reckoning, no matter how slight. For this reason, some exegetes have stated that these verses were revealed at a time when certain Companions of the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny showed indifference toward giving small amounts in charity. They would say that reward and recompense apply only to those things to which one feels attachment and affection, and that trivial items are not worthy of consideration. Similarly, they were also inattentive toward small sins. Consequently, these verses were revealed to encourage even modest acts of charity and to warn against committing even minor sins, emphasizing that all deeds—great or small—are accounted for before God.

A question arises here, namely: according to these verses, the human being will see all of his deeds on the Day of Resurrection—whether good or evil, small or great. How can this meaning be reconciled with the verses concerning ihbāṭ (the nullification of deeds) and takfīr (the expiation of sins), as well as the verses concerning divine pardon (ʿafw) and repentance (tawbah)? For the verses of ihbāṭ state that certain actions—such as disbelief—annul all good deeds: لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ (al‑Zumar 65). Conversely, the verses of takfīr state that good deeds sometimes erase evil deeds: إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ (Hūd 114). The verses of pardon and repentance likewise assert that sins are erased under the shade of divine forgiveness or through repentance. How, then, can all of these meanings coexist with the principle of seeing every good and evil deed? In response to this question, one should first pay attention to the following point: the two principles stated in the above verses—which affirm that a person will see every atom’s weight of good and evil—represent a general law, and it is well known that general laws may have exceptions. Thus, the verses of pardon and repentance, as well as those of ihbāṭ and takfīr, function in reality as exceptions to this general rule. A second response is that, in the matter of ihbāṭ and takfīr, what actually takes place is a process of balancing and offsetting, analogous to credits and debts that cancel each other out. When a person sees the outcome of this reckoning, he has in fact seen all of his good and evil deeds together. The same principle applies to divine pardon and repentance, since forgiveness does not occur without moral eligibility, and repentance itself constitutes a righteous deed. Some have offered a third answer, which does not appear sound—namely, that disbelievers will see the reward of their good deeds in this world, just as believers may receive punishment for their sins in this world. However, it is evident that the verses under discussion pertain to the Hereafter, not the world, and moreover, it is not a universal rule that every believer or disbeliever necessarily sees the full consequences of his deeds in this life.

It is related from ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd that the most decisive and fundamental verses of the Noble Qur’an are فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ • وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ, and he used to refer to them as al‑jāmiʿah (comprehensive verses). Indeed, deep and firm faith in the meanings of these verses is sufficient to direct a person upon the path of truth and restrain him from all forms of corruption and evil. For this reason, it is narrated that a man came to the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny and said, “علّمني ممّا علّمك الله”—teach me from what God has taught you. The Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny entrusted him to one of his Companions to teach him the Qur’an, and he was taught Sūrat إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ until its conclusion. The man then stood up and said, This is enough for me (and in another narration he said: “تكفيني هذه الآية”—this single verse suffices me). The Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny said: Leave him be, for he has become a man of understanding (and according to another narration: he returned as a jurist). The reason is evident: one who knows that every deed—whether the weight of an atom or of a mustard seed—will be accounted for, will immediately begin self‑reckoning, and nothing has a greater formative impact upon character than this awareness. (Reported in Tafsīr Rūḥ al‑Bayān, vol. 10, p. 495; the same meaning is also found in Nūr al‑Thaqalayn.) Nevertheless, Abū Saʿīd al‑Khudrī relates that when the verse فَمَن يَعْمَلْ... was revealed, he said: O Messenger of God, will I truly see all my deeds? The Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny replied: Yes. He asked: Even the great ones? He replied: Yes. He then asked: Even the small ones? He replied: Yes. Abū Saʿīd said: Woe to me—may my mother mourn me! The Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny said: Rejoice, O Abū Saʿīd, for good deeds are multiplied tenfold, and may reach seven hundredfold or even more, as God wills. But every evil deed is counted as only one, or else God forgives it. And know that no one is saved purely by his deeds—Abū Saʿīd asked: Even you, O Messenger of God?—He replied: Even me, unless God envelops me in His mercy. (Reported in al‑Durr al‑Manthūr, vol. 6, p. 381.) O God, when Your Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny, despite his immense rank and greatness, relies solely upon Your forgiveness and mercy, then our condition is clear indeed. Our Lord, if our deeds are the sole measure of salvation, then woe to our state; but if Your grace and generosity support us, then how fortunate we shall be. O God, on the day when all our small and great sins are made manifest before us, our gaze rests only upon Your kindness and mercy. Āmīn, O Lord of all the worlds.