INTRODUCTION TO SURAH AL-QARI’AH
Surah Al-Qari’ah was revealed in Mecca in the 30th chapter. It consists of eleven verses and is named after the word “Al-Qari’ah” in verse 1.
In the surah, two different apocalyptic scenes are portrayed like a movie. In the first scene, people are shocked by a terrible impact and behave uncontrollably, and the mountains [the earth] have lost their former characteristics and changed their shape, becoming like discarded lumps of colored wool; in the second scene, the ‘happy ones’ whose scales are heavy and the ‘unhappy ones’ whose scales are light, are the ones who give an account to Allah.
Surah Al-Qari’ah, which warns people of the Judgment Day, was revealed after Surah Quraysh, so it contains a subtle threat targeting those who are spoiled by their wealth, especially the ungrateful Meccans, and those who do not pay gratitude for the favors they have.
30/ SURAH AL-QARI’AH
Meaning of the Verses
1Qariah!
2What is the qariah?
3What has made you know what the qariah is?
4That day, the people will be like moths, scattered. 5And the mountains will be like colorful carded wool.
6And for one whose scales are heavy, 7then he will be in a pleasant way of living. 8But as for one whose scales are light 9then a bottomless pit/deep abyss is his mother. 10What has made you know what it is?
11A fire, intensely hot!
Analysis of Verses
Verse 1:
1 Qariah!
The first [vaz’] meaning of the word “القارعة Al-Qari’ah”, which is the “ismi fail” of the word “القرع Kar’ı”, which means “the loss of hair and baldness of the head as one grows old”, is “that which makes the hair fall out and makes the head bald”.[1] But over time, it has come to mean “something that strikes with great force, something that is loaded with great force, a serious calamity that shocks people”.
This shift in meaning was also the case with the word “kar’ı” from which the word “Al-Qari’ah” is derived. The Arabs expressed beating disobedient slaves with a staff with the word “kar’ı” and said “العبد يقرع بالعصى al-abdu yuqrau bil asa [the slave is beaten with a stick and brought to order]”. The traces of this sick logic have survived to the present day in the trite saying that “beating is not from heaven”, despite the fact that being beaten with a stick means one’s undoing.
In this Surah, the word “القارعة Al-Qari’ah” is not used in its original sense, but in the sense of the greatest catastrophe, the “Judgment Day”. There are other names for the “Al-Qiyamat” expressed by the word “القارعة al-Qariah” in the Surah, such as “Al-Haqqahh”, “al-Sahhah”, “al-Ghashiyyah”, which have subtle meanings, and these names will be explained in the future, Insha’Allah, when the time comes.
The word “القارعة Al-Qari’ah” occurs in the same sense in two other places in the Qur’an besides this Surah:
27-29,31And the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb say: “Why has not an evidence/a sign been sent down to him from his Rabb, if there was a Qur’an with which mountains would be moved, the earth would be broken apart or the deads would be made to speak…”. Say: “Surely, Allah leads astray whom He wills and guides to Himself those who cling sincerely; those who believe and whose hearts are assured by eliminating all question marks in their minds by remembering Allah”. Open your eyes! Hearts will only and only be assured by remembering Allah; eliminating all the questions in the minds. Those who have believed and have done amendatory deeds; only for them are all the good, good tidings and a beautiful return. In fact, all command belongs to Allah entirely. Have the believers still not understood that if Allah had willed, He would certainly have guided all people. As for those who deny, until the promise of Allah comes, a calamity will hit them or it will descend close to their lands for what they do, they will not be able to get away. Indeed, Allah does not break His promise.
(Ar-Ra’d/27- 31)
4Thamud and Ad denied what shocked.
(Hakkah/4)
The details about Thamud and Ad were given in the previous surahs. The calamities that befell these tribes because of their denial of the Judgment Day can be studied there.
According to our Lord’s declaration in the Qur’an, the Judgment Day will begin with a “sayhah [terrible noise, howling]”:
68And the Sur will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens/universe and whoever is on the earth will be struck and will fall except whom Allah wills. Then the Sur will be blown again and then they will stand and will be looking on.
(Az-Zumar/68)
49,50And while they are disputing between one another, they will come up against a single scream which will seize them. Then they will not be able to give even their wills. And they will not be able to return to their families, to the people close to them.
(Ya Sin/ 49-50)
53And there will be only a single scream. And then they will be “ready” before Us. 54So no one will be treated unjustly by any means today. And you will be recompensed only for what you did.
(Ya Sin/ 53)
15And these wait for nothing but a single scream which has no delay, not even as long as the blink of an eye.
(Sad/1-16)
41And heed to the day when a caller will call from a place which is close; 42that day, they will hear that scream in truth. This is the day of emergence, the day of resurrection.
(Qaf/ 41, 42)
With this “الصّيحة sayha,” the infidels will realize that the greatest catastrophe is at their doorstep, and they will go into shock and wander about, not knowing what to do, as the heavens will crack, the sun and moon will be extinguished, the stars will be blurred, the mountains will be moved, the seas will be boiled, in short, everything will be thrown into confusion. All beings in the universe will collide with each other uncontrollably and create each other’s catastrophes. On that Day there will be no possibility of return or escape for anyone.
This is why the Judgment Day has been named “القارعة Al-Qari’ah”, which means “the greatest calamity knocking at the gates”.
Sentence Structure of the Verse
Verse 1 is a sentence with no apparent subject, predicate, or complement, and consists only of the word “al-qariah”, and this structure requires some consideration. The word “القارعة Al-Qari’ah” is either a predicate with a hidden subject, a subject with a hidden predicate, or a complement in a tahzir [warning] sentence. In this last hypothesis, it can be assumed that there is an invisible warning “اتّق itteki [beware!]” at the beginning of the verse. In this case, the word “Al-Qari’ah!” would mean “protect yourselves if you can from the one, who is violently knocking at the door of disaster!”. However, it is very difficult to explain in words what “he who is violently knocking at the door of disaster” means. In fact It would be best to explain it not through words, but by experiencing it, by showing it, by announcing it, by using effects appropriate to the message, so that it can be understood: So a bomb will fall and… “Boom!”
Verse 1: The word “القارعة Al-Qari’ah” evokes both the horrible sound of the bomb’s explosion and the catastrophes it will leave behind, and warns that there is no escape from it, no salvation from it, and that there is no other option but to seek Allah’s protection.
Verse 2:
2 What is the qari’ah?
This form of question draws attention to the “Al-Qari’ah”, the Judgment Day, and emphasizes its importance.
Verse 3:
3 What has made you know what the qariah is?
In other words, “Since there is no concrete evidence and witnesses of it, no matter how much you think about it, you cannot comprehend or imagine the full scale of its catastrophe. Your knowledge and understanding are insufficient to comprehend it. Therefore, listen to Allah, to Him who will teach it to you, and to His explanations!”
Verses 4-5:
4, 5 That day, the people will be like moths, scattered. And the mountains will be like colorful carded wool.
In these verses, Since the nature of the Day of Resurrection is beyond human comprehension, we are told what will happen on that day.
However, before we go into the details of what will happen on that day, it is worth mentioning one point: The Judgment Day is a single day with two stages. The first stage involves the destruction of the universe and the second stage involves resurrection, judgment and reckoning. Since Allah is the only One who is free from time, all human beings who have ever lived will be dead and resurrected on that day, according to Allah. In other words, it does not matter on that day whether you lived in the past, are alive today or will live in the future. This being the case, it is clear that there is no such thing as “life in the grave”. This is easily understood from verse 87 of Surah al-Naml and verse 68 of Surah al-Az-Zumar, which we have presented in this chapter.
Verses 4 and 5 describe the scenes of the first stage of the Resurrection. However, some commentators have argued that these two scenes will take place in the Afterlife, i.e. they belong to the second stage of the Resurrection, and that these verses have the same meaning as verse 7 of Surah al-Qamar. However, these two verses refer to the transformation and destruction of the present universe, i.e. the first stage of the Apocalypse, whereas verse 7 of Surah al-Qamar refers to the appearance before Allah in an orderly manner in an environment free from chaos, and thus foretells the second stage of the Apocalypse:
6-8So, turn away from them. The day when the Caller will call them to an unknown/odd thing, on that day they will emerge from their graves running fast to that inviter with their eyes humbled. As if they are locusts spreading. Those infidels; who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will say: “This is a difficult day”.
(Qamar/6- 8)
Moreover, the mountains mentioned in verse 5 are transformed in the first stage of the Judgment Day and are not mentioned as “mountains” in the second stage of the Judgment Day:
18On that day, the Sur will be blown; and you will come in groups right away.
(Naba/ 18)
4-6Do they not know that they will be resurrected for a great day; the day when mankind will stand before Rabb of all universes?
(Mutaffifin/6)
71And infidels; those who consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will absolutely be sent to Jahannah [Hell] in groups. And when they arrive there, its gates will be opened. And its guards will say to them: “Did there not come to you messengers from yourselves who recited you the Ayat of your Rabb and warned you that you would meet this day of yours?. They will say: “Yes they did”. –But the word of punishment has been justified upon the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.-
72It will be said, “Enter the gates of Jahannah [Hell] to abide therein eternally”. –How evil is the residence of the arrogant!-
73And those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah will definitely be sent to Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] in groups. And when they arrive there, its gates will be opened and its guards will say to them: “Salam [health, peace, happiness…] be upon you! You have come pure!”, it will be said to them, “Enter it to abide therein eternally!”.
(Az-Zumar/ 71- 73)
People Are Like Actias
The word “الفراش al-ferash” in the original verse is the plural of “فراشة ferashat” which means “actias”. A “ferashah” is a small butterfly that flies around a light or fire, usually at night. Also known as “night butterflies”, actias, as they are known, circulate around light or fire in irregular flights and eventually burn up from the heat of the light source. The state of people on the Judgment Day is likened to these actias. On that day, when calamity knocks at the door, those intelligent, rational, orderly people will lose their consciousness and turn into actias, disoriented, running to the right and left, up and down. Finally, like the burning of the actias, they will perish in the vortex of fire of the exploded world. Considering the billions of people who will witness that day, the overall scene is indeed hair-raising.
This scene is also depicted in other verses of the Qur’an with different accounts:
1,2O people! Enter under the guardianship of your Rabb, indeed the tremor of the moment of Qiyamat [Resurrection] is a great thing. On the day that you will see it, every nursing woman will forget that she is nursing. And every pregnant woman will deliver what she carries or miscarry. And you will see people intoxicated while they are not. Yet, the punishment of Allah is severe.
(Hajj/1, 2)
99And on the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection], We will leave those who associate others with Allah surging over each other like waves. And the Sur will be blown. Thus We will gather all of those who associate others with Allah together.
(Al-Kahf/ 99)
33-36Then, when there comes the horrifying blast of what clashes hard; it is such a day that, man will flee from his brother, his mother, his father, his spouse and his sons.
37That day, there will be a matter which will keep everyone of them occupied.
(Abasa/33-37)
87And on the day when the Sur will be blown178, whoever in the heavens/universe and on the earth will be terrified, except for those whom Allah wills. And they all will come to Him, having lost their values.
88And you see the mountains; you think that they are rigid, still. But they pass as the passing of clouds as the work of Allah Who perfected all things. Indeed, He is all aware of what you do.
(Najl/ 87-89)
68And the Sur will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens/universe and whoever is on the earth will be struck and will fall except whom Allah wills. Then the Sur will be blown again and then they will stand and will be looking on.
( Az-Zumar/ 68)
20-21Certainly not as you think! Truly, you love the world and leave Akhirat [Afterlife].
22There will be faces which will be radiant on that day; at that moment; 23looking at their Rabb; expecting favor from their Rabb.
(Qiyamat/ 22, 23)
Mountains are like discarded colored wool
The mountains [figuratively speaking, the whole earth] will lose their density and swell up as if they were wool that has been thrown away, and their known material properties will change and transform into something else. Naturally, life as we know it, organized according to the known order, will come to an end.
The color of the mountains that will become like discarded wool is due to the different colors of the elements in the structure of the mountains. This detail is clearly stated in the Qur’an:
27Have you not seen/thought about that truly Allah has sent down a water from the sky? With that water, We caused fruits/crops in different colors to grow. And on the mountains are the tracks; in white, red, in various colors/in different shades of colors. And there are pitch black tracks as well.
(Fatir/ 27)
In verse 5, the mountains are likened to discarded wool, and in other verses describing the Judgment Day, they are described in the following ways:
13-17And when the Sur is blown with a single blow, and the earth and the mountains are lifted, clashed together with a strong hit and scattered, on that day, “that event” will have occurred. And the heavens/universe will be split open, it will be infirm on that day. All powers will be around the heavens/universe. On that day, better and newer creatures which will be created in place of the removed previous creatures will reflect the great throne of your Rabb; His existence, oneness, exaltedness, the fact that He is the owner of the highest position.
(Al-Haqqahh/ 13-17)
20And the mountains will be moved, become mirages.
(An-Nabah/20)
105-107They ask you about the mountains, say: “My Rabb will blow them away. Thus, He will leave them leveled flat, empty. You will not see a hole and an elevation therein”.
(Ta Ha/ 105-107)
14On that day; the earth and the mountains will convulse; the mountains will melt down and become a heap of sand flowing.
(Al-Muzzammil/14)
1-7when that event occurs – and no one denies the occurrence of that event. That event is what brings down, raises – when the earth is shaken with shaking and mountains are broken down,crumbling and turn to dust and when you become three equivalent classes, you will know.
(Vakıa/1-7)
Verses 6-7:
6, 7 And for one whose scales are heavy, then he will be in a pleasant way of living.
From these verses onwards, the second stage of the resurrection, judgment and reckoning is mentioned.
The word “موازين mawazin” in the verse can be the plural of both “ميزان mizan” and “موزون mawzun [measured]”.
“Mizan” means “a measuring instrument used in measuring and weighing”. Although specialized as “scales”, “mizzan” is not only an instrument for measuring weight, but also instruments for measuring properties such as temperature and speed are included in “mizzan”. The word “mizan [balance]” is also used figuratively in law and in the measurement of good and evil. The scale, which has become the symbol of “justice” in the legal system, represents concepts that have the same meaning in all languages with expressions such as “the scales of right”, “the scales of goodness”, and “the scales of reason”.
If the word “mawazin” in the verse is taken as the plural of the word “mizan”, the verse can be translated as “whose scales weigh heavily”.
If the word “mawazin” is taken as the plural of the word “mawzun”, the verse can be translated as “whose scales are heavy”.
These are the first verses in the Qur’an in which the words weighing and scales appear. These words will appear in other surahs in the future, and the concepts of weighing and scales, which are briefly touched upon here, will be elaborated upon there.
However, we think it would be useful to remind here all the Qur’anic verses in which the words “weighing” and “balance” appear, in terms of the information to be learned and the messages to be received:
8And that day, the weighing will be the truth. Those whose weights are heavier, will be saved.
9And those whose scale/weights are lighter, then they are those who will lose as they were violent against our Ayat.
(Al-A’raf/ 8, 9)
105They were the ones who consciously denied/disbelieved in the Ayat of their Rabb and meeting Him so, all deeds that they did have become worthless. On the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection], We will not take them into account/give them any importance.
(Al-Kahf/ 105)
47And We will place “the scales of justice and equity” for the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection]; no one will be treated unjustly at all. Even if it is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And We are sufficient as accountant.
(Al-Anbiya/ 47)
101And when the Sur is blown, there will not be a relationship among them on that day, and no one will ask one another for anything.
102Thus, those whose scale are heavy, it is they who will reach the salvation.
103And those whose scale are light, they are the ones who have ruined themselves; they will abide in Jahannah [Hell] eternally.
104The fire will sear their faces while they grin.
105Were My Ayat not recited to you? And you denied them?
106,107They will say: “Our Rabb! Our transgression defeated us and we became a people who were in astray. Our Rabb! Take us out of here. If we do the same again, then we will truly be the ones who do wrong; act against their own good”.
108Allah will say: “Remain despised therein! And do not speak to me.
(Al-Mu’minun/ 101-108)
25Surely, We sent our messengers with clear evidences and We sent down with them the book and the balance so people may maintain justice and equity and Allah may determine/mark and show those who help His religion and messengers where noone sees them and knows them. And We sent down iron as well in which is a great power and many benefits for the people. Indeed, Allah is very powerful, almighty.
(Al-Hadid/25)
17Allah is the One Who has sent down this book and the scale/balance with the truth. And what makes you know, perhaps the moment of Qiyamat [Resurrection] is very close!
(Ash-Shura/17)
7-9And He formed the heavens/universe and raised it and placed the scale/measurement/balance so you may not transgress in scale/measurement/balance. Establish the measure with justice and equity, do not damage the scale/measurement /balance.
(Rahman/7- 9)
The issue of weighing and scales is a subject that has caused the “Ahl al-Sunnah” and “Mutazila” schools to develop different understandings in the past. Some of them understood this scale as a market scale with two pans and used many stories to support their view that in the Afterlife Gabriel will weigh people’s good deeds and evil deeds with this scale. Others have argued that “justice” is meant figuratively by weighing and scales, and that there is no logic in weighing with real scales in the Afterlife, since Allah knows everything that happens. The details of these views are available in the books of Kalam.
Our view is that “justice” is meant by weighing and scales. When we pay attention to verses 7 and 8 of Surah Rahman, 17 of Surah Ash-Shu’ara and 25 of Surah Al-Hadid, it is clear that our Lord has set up a “balance” [weighing and scales] for this world as well. Since there is no such thing physically, i.e., a scale sent down by Allah, what is meant by weighing and balancing in the verses is “justice”, not scales with scales, grams and octaves. Therefore, “justice” is also meant by the scales and balances in the Afterlife. The Qur’an states that no one will be wronged; those whose scales weigh heavily [i.e. believers] will be in a happy life, while those whose scales weigh light [i.e. infidels] will be in a fiery pit of fire. It will be recalled that this is also stated in a different way in Surah Tin.
Weighing heavier and weighing lighter is generally understood as the weighing of good and evil together and the weighing of good or evil more heavily or lighter than each other. However, this understanding is not in accordance with the Qur’an. According to the Qur’an, believers, even if they have sins [bad behavior], will not see hell and will enter paradise because Allah will cover those evils. The infidels, on the other hand, will enter hell even if they have good deeds. In this case, it is understood that good deeds and bad deeds will have an impact on the life in heaven and hell. For example: If an infidel has done good deeds, his punishment in Hell will be lighter, and if a believer has done evil deeds, his blessings and pleasures in Paradise will be less. Thus, everyone will be rewarded for his good deeds and evil deeds. In conclusion, it can be said that it is faith that weighs heavily and disbelief and shirk that weighs lightly.
Verses 8-10:
8But as for one whose scales are light 9then a bottomless pit/deep abyss is his mother. 10What has made you know what it is?11A fire, intensely hot.
The word “هاوية Hawiyah” is a word that means “a deep pit, an abyss”. The phrase in verse 9, “And his mother is Hawiyah” comes from the Arabic idiom “hewa ummuhu [his mother lost him and made him fall into the abyss, into a deep pit]”. This idiom, which expresses sorrow and death when someone perishes, has also entered Turkish as “his mother cried”.
In the verse, “Hawiya” is described as “mother” and a warning is given with literary art. In this way, the message is given that hell, which is called “Haviyeh”, will embrace the inmates of hell in the Afterlife like a mother protecting her own child, and that there will be no one to embrace these inmates of hell except “Haviyeh”.
From the statement in verse 10, it is understood that this abyss or deep pit called “Haviya” is of a dimension and horror that cannot be comprehended by the human mind, no matter how much it is described. The fact that “Haviya” is beyond human comprehension is confirmed in verse 11, where it is described as a “fiery fire”. By emphasizing “fiery” to the fire that is already known to be fiery, it is indicated that this fire is different from the fire that people know, and it is as if the following meaning is given: “The fire you know is cold compared to it!”
Allah is the one who knows best
[1] (Lisan al Arab, article “gra” )