Tafsir of Al-Hajj 22:2

{The Day you see it} The word "Day" is in the accusative case (manṣūb) governed by the verb "will be distracted" (tadh-hal). The pronoun refers to the earthquake (al-zalzalah). It has been recited as tudh-hal (passive voice), meaning: "Every nursing mother will be made to be distracted by the earthquake."

Distraction (al-dhuhūl) It is the abandonment of a matter accompanied by shock.

Why "Nursing Mother" (murḍiʿah)? If you ask: Why was murḍiʿah (nursing mother) used instead of murḍiʿ (a woman who is a wet-nurse)? I say: The murḍiʿah is the one currently in the act of nursing, having placed her breast in the infant's mouth. The murḍiʿ is one whose status is that of a wet-nurse, even if she is not actively nursing at the moment she is described as such. The term murḍiʿah was used to indicate that when this terror surprises her while she has the infant at her breast, she will pull it away due to the shock that overcomes her.

{From what she was nursing} Meaning: from her act of nursing, or from the one she was nursing, which is the child. Al-Hasan said: "The nursing mother will be distracted from her child without it being time for weaning, and the pregnant woman will cast what is in her womb without it being time for delivery."

{And you see} (wa-tarā) It has been recited with a ḍammah (as turā), from the phrase "I showed you standing" (araytuka qāʾiman), or "your being seen standing."

{The people} (al-nās) It can be read in the accusative or nominative case. The accusative is clear. As for the nominative, the one who reads it as such makes "the people" the subject of "you see," treating it as feminine based on the interpretation of "the group" (al-jamāʿah).

{Drunken} (sukārā) It has been recited as sukrā and bi-sukrā. This is analogous to jawʿā (hungry) and ʿaṭshā (thirsty) derived from jawʿān and ʿaṭshān. Sukārā and bi-sukārā are like kasālā (lazy) and ʿajālā (hasty). Al-Aʿmash recited sukrā and bi-sukrā with a ḍammah, which is rare.

The Meaning "And you see them as drunken" is a simile. They are not truly drunken, but the fear of God’s punishment that has overwhelmed them is what has stripped away their intellects, scattered their discernment, and reduced them to a state similar to one whose mind and discernment have been taken away by intoxication. It is also said: "You see them drunken from fear, though they are not drunken from drink."

Why the shift in address? If you ask: Why was it said first "you [plural] see" (tarawnahā), then "you [singular] see" (tarā)? I say: Because the first vision was linked to the earthquake, so all people were made to be observers of it. The final vision is linked to the state of the people being in a drunken condition, so it is necessary for each individual to be an observer of the others.

{And among the people is he who disputes about Allah without knowledge and follows every rebellious devil. It has been decreed for him that whoever turns to him [the devil], he will misguide him and lead him to the punishment of the Blaze.}