Surah Al-Qari'ah (The Calamity)

1 (Surah Al-Qari'ah) 1

It consists of eleven verses, revealed in Mecca.

{Surah Al-Qari'ah: Eleven Verses}

Know that when the Almighty and Exalted One concluded the preceding Surah with His statement: {Indeed, your Lord is, that Day, fully aware of them} (Al-Adiyat 11), it is as if one asked: "And what is that Day?" The answer is: Al-Qari'ah (The Striking Calamity).

! 7 < { Al-Qari'ah * What is Al-Qari'ah * And what will make you know what Al-Qari'ah is? } . > 7 !

{ Al-Qari'ah * What is Al-Qari'ah * And what will make you know what Al-Qari'ah is? }

Al-Qāri‘ah (The Striking Calamity): (1) Al-Qāri‘ah

Issue 1: The Meaning of Al-Qāri‘ah

The word Qar‘ (قرع) means striking with intensity and force. A great event among the calamities of time is named Qāri‘ah (Striking Calamity). Allah says: {And those who disbelieve will not cease to be afflicted by what they have done with a striking calamity} (Qur'an 13:31). From this root is the saying: "The slave strikes with a stick" (yaqra‘u bi-l-‘aṣā), and also al-muqra‘ah (a striking instrument), the striking verses of the Qur'an (qawāri‘ al-Qur’ān), and knocking on the door (qar‘ al-bāb). Taqāra‘ū means they struck each other with swords.

There is consensus that Al-Qāri‘ah is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection. They differed regarding the reason for this naming in several ways:

1. The Shout/Blast: It is named so because of the terrifying blast that causes creatures to perish. In the first blast, minds are taken away, as Allah says: {And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and on earth will swoon away} (Qur'an 39:68). In the second blast, all creatures die except Isrāfīl, whom Allah then causes to die, and then revives him. The third blast causes them to rise. It is narrated that the Trumpet has a hole corresponding to the number of the dead, each with a specific opening. Allah revives every body with the breath reaching it from that specific hole. This view is supported by Allah’s saying: {They await but one blast, and behold! they shall be instantly awake} (Qur'an 79:27).
2. The Collision of Bodies: The celestial and terrestrial bodies will violently collide with each other during the world's destruction. Because of this striking (qur‘ah), the Day of Resurrection is named Al-Qāri‘ah.
3. Striking with Terrors: Al-Qāri‘ah is that which strikes people with horrors and frights. This occurs in the heavens by splitting and tearing apart, in the sun and moon by being rolled up, in the stars by scattering, in the mountains by being leveled and blown away, and in the earth by being folded and changed. This is the view of Al-Kalbī.
4. Striking the Enemies: It strikes the enemies of Allah with torment, disgrace, and punishment. This is the view of Muqātil. Some verifiers consider this view superior to Al-Kalbī's because Allah says regarding the believers: {And they, that Day, will be secure from terror} (Qur'an 51:11).

Issue 2: The Grammatical Analysis of {Al-Qāri‘ah * Mā Al-Qāri‘ah}

There are several analyses for the grammatical structure of this phrase:

1. Warning (Taḥdhīr): It functions as a warning. Warnings can be given with the nominative case (raising) or the accusative case ( نصب), such as saying Al-asadu, al-asada (The lion! The lion!). Thus, both raising and accusative are permissible here.
2. Implied Verb: There is an implied verb, meaning: "The Striking Calamity will come to you," as mentioned in His saying: {When that which is in the graves is scattered} (Qur'an 100:9).
3. Subject and Predicate: The first Al-Qāri‘ah is the subject (mubtada’), and the second phrase, Mā Al-Qāri‘ah, is the predicate (khabar). According to Qutrub, the predicate is the entire second clause.

If someone asks: If a statement is made about something, it must convey additional knowledge. Yet, the phrase {And what will make you know what Al-Qāri‘ah is?} implies ignorance on the part of the addressee. How can this be a predicate?

We reply: Additional knowledge is indeed gained through this statement. We might have thought it was merely a striking calamity like other calamities. Through this rhetorical device of implying ignorance, we learn that it is a calamity that surpasses all others in horror and severity.

Issue 3: The Meaning of {And what will make you know what Al-Qāri‘ah is?}

There are several interpretations:

1. Incomprehensibility: It means you have no knowledge of its true nature (kunh), because its severity is such that no imagination or understanding can grasp it. Whatever you estimate it to be, it is greater than your estimation. It is as if Allah is saying: The calamities of this world, compared to that Calamity, are as if they are not calamities at all, just as the fire of this world, compared to the Fire of the Hereafter, is as if it is not fire. This is why He concludes the Surah with {a fiercely blazing Fire} (nāran ḥāmiyah), indicating that the fire of this world is not truly "blazing" in comparison. Thus, the beginning and end of the Surah correspond in this manner.

If someone asks: Here He says {And what will make you know...}, but at the end of the Surah, He says {its mother is Hāwiyah} and does not say {And what will make you know what Hāwiyah is}? What is the difference?

We reply: The difference is that being a Qāri‘ah (striking event) is something perceptible, whereas being Hāwiyah (the Abyss) is not. This clarifies the difference between the two places. 2. Reliance on Revelation: The details of this event are not accessible through human reasoning. One cannot know them except through the reports and explanations provided by Allah, because it concerns the occurrence of specific events, not the necessity of established principles (wājibāt). Therefore, the only path to knowing it is through transmitted revelation (sam‘).

Issue 4: Comparison with Al-Ḥāqqah

This verse is analogous to the verses in Surah Al-Ḥāqqah: {Al-Ḥāqqah * What is Al-Ḥāqqah * And what will make you know what Al-Ḥāqqah is?}

Scholars state that the phrasing {Al-Qāri‘ah * Mā Al-Qāri‘ah} is more intense than {Al-Ḥāqqah * Mā Al-Ḥāqqah}. This is because what comes later must be more emphatic to achieve the goal of increasing the warning, and this increase in emphasis is only achieved if the wording is stronger.

However, considering the meaning: Al-Ḥāqqah (The Inevitable Truth) is more severe in that it relates to the concept of Justice, whereas Al-Qāri‘ah (The Striking Calamity) is more severe because it violently assaults the hearts with an overwhelming, terrifying matter.

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