Tafsir of Al-Qari`ah 101:4-5

Al-Qāri‘ah: Verses 4–5

Then the Almighty said:

{The Day when mankind will be like scattered moths, And the mountains will be like carded wool.}

The author of Al-Kashshāf states that the adverbial phrase (the Day) is in the accusative case due to an implied verb indicated by Al-Qāri‘ah (The Striking Calamity), meaning: The Striking Calamity will strike on the Day when mankind is like this.

Know that the Almighty described that Day with two matters:

The First: The state of mankind on that Day: {like scattered moths} (kalfarāsh al-mabthūth).

Al-Zajjāj said that al-farāsh (moths/insects) are the creatures that throw themselves into the fire. They are called farāsh because of their scattering and spreading. Here, the Almighty likened the creation at the time of Resurrection to scattered moths, and in another verse, to spreading locusts.

The reason for the simile with moths is that when moths are stirred up, they do not head in one direction; rather, each one goes in a direction different from the others. This indicates that when they are resurrected, they will be terrified and divided in their destinations, moving in various unknown directions. Al-Mabthūth means scattered; it is said, baththuhu (He scattered it) when he dispersed it.

As for the simile with locusts, it is regarding their multitude. Al-Farrā’ said: Like the swarm of locusts, some riding upon others. In summary, God, the Glorified and Exalted, likened mankind at the time of Resurrection to spreading locusts and scattered moths because, when resurrected, they will surge among one another like locusts and moths. This is confirmed by His saying: {and you will come in crowds} (78:18), and {The Day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the worlds} (83:6), and concerning the story of Gog and Magog: {and We will leave some of them surging among others} (18:99).

If it is asked: Locusts are larger than moths, so how can one thing be likened to both the small and the large simultaneously? We reply: He likened the one thing to the small and the large, but in two different descriptions. The simile with moths refers to each one going in a direction different from the others. The simile with locusts refers to the multitude and continuous succession.

It is also possible to say that they will first be large, like locusts, and then become small, like moths, due to being burned by the sun's heat.

They mentioned other reasons for the simile with moths:

1. What is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Mankind are of two types: the learned and the learners; and all the rest of the people are mere rabble." So God made them like that in the Hereafter: {a fitting recompense} (78:26).
2. The Almighty used the particle of simile, saying {like moths} (ka-l-farāsh), because on that Day they will be more abject than moths, since moths are not punished, whereas these people will be punished. This is similar to His saying: {like cattle; nay, they are more astray} (7:179).

The Second Attribute: Of the attributes of that Day is His saying: {And the mountains will be like carded wool} (wa-takūnu al-jibālu ka-l-‘ihni al-manfūsh).

Al-‘Ihn is colored wool, the explanation of which has already passed when discussing: {And the mountains will be like carded wool} (in Surah Al-Qāri‘ah, verse 6, which is being discussed here). Al-Nafsh is the fluffing of wool until some of it separates from the rest. In the recitation of Ibn Mas‘ūd, it is read as ka-ṣ-ṣūf al-manfūsh (like fluffed wool).

Know that God, the Almighty, informed us that the mountains have different colors, as He said: {And among the mountains are streaks, white and red, of various hues, and intensely black} (35:27). Then, the Almighty separates their parts and removes the structure and composition from them, so they resemble colored wool when it is fluffed, having various colors mixed together.

Here are some issues:

Issue One: He combined the state of mankind with the state of the mountains, as if the Almighty was indicating that the effect of that Striking Calamity on the mountains is that they become like carded wool. So, what must the state of a human being be upon hearing it? Woe, then, to the son of Adam if the mercy of his Lord does not reach him! It is also possible that the meaning is that the mountains of Hell will become like carded wool due to the intensity of their redness.

Issue Two: God, the Almighty, described the change in the state of the mountains in several ways:

1. That they become pulverized, as He said: {and the earth is shaken and leveled} (89:21).
2. That they become loose heaps of sand, as He said: {And you see the mountains, which you thought to be stationary, passing by like the passing of clouds} (27:88).
3. Then they become like carded wool, which are particles like dust entering through a hole in the house, untouched by hands.
4. Then He mentioned that they become a mirage, as He said: {and the mountains are made to pass away, so they become like a mirage} (78:20).

Issue Three: He did not say: The Day when mankind is like scattered moths and the mountains are like carded wool (using yakūnu for both), but rather He said: {And the mountains will be like carded wool} (using takūnu for the mountains). This is because the use of takwīn (becoming/coming into being) in such a context is more emphatic in warning.

And know...