Surah No. 99

Introduction

Merits of the Surah¹

1. According to Ibn `Abbas and Qatadah this chapter is Madinan. But Ibn Mas`ud, `Ata’ and Jabir have said that it is Makkan (Shawkani).

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا (1)

(99:1) When the earth will be rattled (with) its rattling,

وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا (2)

(99:2) And the earth² will throw out its burden,³

2. This repetition of the word “the earth” while a pronoun “it” could do is perhaps because after the rattling the new earth will be a different one as implied in the verse (14: 48):

“The day when the earth shall be changed to other than the earth..” (Au.).

3. By the term “burden” the allusion is to the dead - Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid (Ibn Jarir).

In addition, the earth will also throw out, as a hadith in Muslim says, its gold and silver in heaps so that a murderer will say, 'This is what I murdered for;’ a man who did not give his kin their rights will say, 'This is what I cut them asunder for,’ and a thief will say, 'This is what I had my hand amputated for.’ They will then be invited to pick up some of the gold and silver for themselves but they would decline (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

وَقَالَ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا لَهَا (3)

(99:3) And man will say: `What’s the matter with her?"

يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا (4)

(99:4) On that day it will give her news,⁴

4. She will give her news about the deeds committed on her surface: Mujahid, Sufyan, Ibn Zayd (Ibn Jarir).

There is a hadith in Tirmidhi reported by Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saws) recited this verse and said:

“Her news will be the deeds committed on its surface” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Hakim has declared the report trustworthy (Shawkani).

It is said of `Ali (ra) that when he emptied the treasury he would offer two cycles of Prayer in it and say, “You might bear witness that I filled you by right and emptied you by right” (Razi).

بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَىٰ لَهَا (5)

(99:5) For your Lord would have inspired her,⁵

5. That is, commanded her (Mujahid: Ibn Jarir).

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ النَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِيُرَوْا أَعْمَالَهُمْ (6)

(99:6) On that day mankind shall issue forth in bands⁶ to be shown their deeds.

6. People will either be divided into bands such as thieves, rapists, adulterers and so forth, or as inmates of Hell and of Paradise (Shabbir).

فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ (7)

(99:7) Then, whosoever did an atom’s⁷ weight of good shall see it.

7. The dharra of the original is for a tiny red ant-like insect that has no weight (Ibn Jarir). It is also employed for the specks of dust that are visible in a ray of light (Zamakhshari).

وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ (8)

(99:8) And whosoever did an atom’s weight of evil shall see it (also).⁸

8. Muhammad b. Ka`ab al-Qurazi has said that an unbeliever would be shown his evil deeds on the Day of Judgment and punished for them, while his good deeds would bear no fruit, since he would have already been rewarded for them during his life on earth. In contrast, the believers would have been punished for their evil deeds in their life itself, and the good deeds would be rewarded for in the Hereafter.

Rewards for Good Deeds

Anas, Abu Idris and Abu Qulabah have severally reported that when this verse was revealed Abu Bakr (ra) was eating. When he heard this verse, he paused and asked: “Am I going to be shown my evil deeds, O Apostle of Allah?” The Prophet told him: “As for the evil deeds of a believer, they are compensated for by way of misfortunes that happen to him. As for the good deeds, they are preserved for him for the Hereafter.”

The report is mursal [disconnected at the Companion level] - Faid al-Qadir: S. Ibrahim.

According to another report when Abu Bakr heard of these verses he wept. When asked by the Prophet why he was crying he said that this surah had made him cry. The Prophet said:

“If you were not to err or sin and He forgive you, surely Allah would create another set of people that would err and sin and He would forgive them” (Ibn Jarir).

The report is of hasan status Fath al-Qadir: S. Ibrahim.

According to another narration Salman b. `Amir went to the Prophet to enquire about the good deeds of his father. The Prophet asked him if he had died in the pre-Islamic days. Ibn `Amir said yes. The Prophet told him that they would be of no profit to him. After a while the Prophet ordered the man to be brought back. When he appeared he said:

“His good deeds will not profit him (in the Hereafter), rather will be of profit to his progeny who will not fail (in their ventures), will not be disgraced and, will never be struck by poverty.”

Ibn Jarir’s reports end here.

Minor Sins

Minor sins should not be dealt with casually. The Prophet has warned us:

“Be careful of minor sins. They can heap up and destroy a man.”

He illustrated with the example

A people encamped in a desert. They spread around. Someone brought back a twig, another, a piece of wood until it became a heap that they could cook their food with – Musnad of Ahmad.

Bukhari has recorded the Prophet as having said:

“Save yourself from the Fire, even if it is with a single date or a good word.”

He also advised women:

“Let not one of you neglect her neighbors, (give them their rights) even if it be with the lower shank of a sheep.”

It is also said that once `A’isha gave a single grape in charity and said: “How many atom’s weights (dharrat) are not there in it” (Ibn Kathir).