Sūrat al-Zalzalah

Classification: Medinan, though it is said to be Meccan. It consists of 8 verses and was revealed after Sūrat al-Nisāʾ.

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1. When the earth is shaken with its [final] earthquake.

2. And the earth brings forth its burdens.

3. And man says, "What is [wrong] with it?"

4. That Day, it will report its news.

5. Because your Lord has commanded it.

6. That Day, the people will depart in scattered groups to be shown their deeds.

7. So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it.

8. And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.

(Zilzalaha): It is recited with both a kasra (i) and a fatha (a) on the zay. The kasra form is a verbal noun (masdar), while the fatha form is a noun (ism). There is no pattern of fi‘lal with a fatha except in doubled roots (mudha‘af).

If you ask: What is the meaning of the genitive construction (idafa) in zilzalaha? I say: It means the shaking that is necessitated by divine wisdom and the will of Allah—the violent shaking after which there is no other. Similar to your saying, "Honor the pious with his honor" (akrim al-taqi ikramahu), meaning the honor he deserves. Or, it means its entire shaking, all that is possible of it.

Al-Athqal (The Burdens): The plural of thiql. It refers to household goods. "And the earth brings forth its burdens" refers to the treasures in its depths, making them its burdens.

{And man says, "What is the matter with it?"} It has been shaken this violent shaking and has cast out what is in its belly. This occurs at the second blast of the Trumpet, when it shakes and casts out its dead alive. They say this because of the terrifying event that overwhelms them, just as they say: "Who has raised us from our sleeping place?" (36:52). It is said: This is the speech of the disbeliever, for he did not believe in the Resurrection. As for the believer, he says: "This is what the Most Merciful promised, and the messengers spoke the truth" (36:52).

If you ask: What is the meaning of the earth "speaking" (tahdith) and the "revelation" (iha') to it? I say: It is a metaphor for Allah creating within it conditions that serve the purpose of speech, so that whoever asks "What is the matter with it?" looks at those conditions and knows why it shook and why it cast out the dead, and that this is what the prophets warned against. It is also said: Allah makes it speak literally, and it reports the good and evil done upon it. It is narrated from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "It will testify against everyone regarding what they did upon its surface."

If you ask: What is the grammatical governor (nasib) for "when" (idha) and "that day" (yawma'idhin)? I say: Yawma'idhin is a substitute (badal) for idha, and both are governed by the verb tuhaddith (it will report). It is also permissible for idha to be governed by an implied verb, and yawma'idhin by tuhaddith.

If you ask: Where are the two objects of tuhaddith? I say: The first is omitted, and the second is akhbaraha (its news). The original structure is "it reports to the creation its news," but the intent is to emphasize the reporting of the news, not the creation, to magnify the Day.

If you ask: To what does the ba in bi-anna rabbaka (that your Lord) attach? I say: To tuhaddith. The meaning is: It reports its news because of your Lord’s revelation to it and His command to report. It is also possible the meaning is: "On that day it will report, by way of reporting, that your Lord revealed to it its news."

{And revealed to it} means "revealed to it" (ila-ha). It is a metaphor, like His saying: "That We say to it, 'Be,' and it is" (16:40). A poet said: "He revealed to it the decision, so it became settled." Ibn Mas‘ud recited: tunbi'u akhbaraha (it will announce its news).

{They will depart} from their exits—the graves—to the place of gathering. {In groups}—some with white faces, secure; others with black faces, terrified. Or, they depart from the gathering place in groups, their paths diverging toward Paradise or Hell, to see the recompense for their deeds.

{To see their deeds} (li-yuraw): In the Prophet’s (ﷺ) recitation, it is with a fatha (yuraw - to be shown). Ibn Abbas and Zayd bin Ali recited it with a damma (yuraw - to see). It is told that a Bedouin reversed the order of "good" and "evil" in the verse, and when told he had reversed them, he replied with a poem about the paths of Mount Harshā.

{An atom's weight} (dharra): A small ant. It is also said to be the dust motes seen in a sunbeam.

If you ask: The good deeds of a disbeliever are nullified by disbelief, and the sins of a believer are pardoned by avoiding major sins; what then is the meaning of recompense for an atom's weight of good and evil? I say: The meaning is: Whoever does an atom's weight of good is from the party of the blessed, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil is from the party of the wretched. This follows the statement: {The people will depart in groups}.

From the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Whoever reads Surah 'When the earth is shaken' four times is like one who has read the entire Quran."