SURAH AZ-ZILZAL (THE EARTHQUAKE)

Introduction

NAME: In the first verse a mention is made of the earth being shaken on the Doomsday, which gives the Surah its name.

TIME OF REVELATION: It was revealed in Makkah, during the early stages of the Mission, as is clear from the subject-matter.

CENTRAL THEME: is the rising up of man on the Doomsday so that the entire record of his deeds may be placed before him.

ORDER OF THE VERSES: In Verses Nos. 1 to 3 is mentioned the condition which the earth will present on the Doomsday and by seeing which man will be completely taken aback. In Verses Nos. 4 and 5 it is stated that the earth will speak up and will relate its story so that whatever man has done on its back may be presented as a historical evidence. Verses Nos. 6 to 8 show that on that Day people will proceed in different groups for the, presentation of their records of deeds and there will not be the slightest good or evil whose record will be held back from man.

SURAH AZ-ZILZAL (THE EARTHQUAKE Ayah: 8 Parah 30 S. 99

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

1. When the earth will be shaken with utmost force.¹

2. And the earth will throw up her burden, ²

3. And man will say: ‘What has happened to her’. ³

4. On that Day she will relate her chronicles, ⁴

5. Because your Lord will have given her the command. ⁵

6. On that Day people will proceed in different groups to be shown the deeds that they had done. ⁶

7. Then whosoever has done an atom’s weight of good will see it,

8. And whosoever has done an atom’s weight of evil, will see it. ⁷

1. This is the description of the second stage of the Doomsday when all the dead people will be revived and they will proceed, as is clear from the verses that follow.

On that day the whole globe of earth will be shaken with such a force that its shaking cannot be even imagined. The earthquake that will shake the world on the Doomsday will be the biggest ever and the biggest earthquake that had rocked the earth previously will be most insignificant taking into consideration the intensity of this earthquake.

2. Means the dead bodies, which the earth will throw out, as If the dead bodies are a burden on the earth, of which the earth wants to unburden herself. The idea is to explain that after death man’s. body is not destroyed when it mixes up with dust, but that it remains as a trust with the earth, although chemically it might have taken any other form, and this trust earth will return on the Doomsday, that is the parts of a man’s body, after undergoing chemical changes, will again appear in their original form.

In the sense of throwing out the burden is also included those evidences which are buried in the earth. (For detailed explanation, please see Surah Inshiqaq, Note No.4)

3. That is: Man, after coming out of the grave, will shout in panic as to what has happened to the earth that she is being convulsively shaken and is confronted with a great calamity. In the beginning man will be at a loss to know what has happened to the earth, but later on he will realize that it is the Doomsday, However, those who are sincere in their faith, for them the Doomsday will not pose any problem and they will not be frightened.

4. That is: The earth will relate its full story as to how man who was sent as a vice-regent on the earth had misbehaved on the earth; that who prostrated before his Creator and who performed the Bhoomi Pooja; that who constructed a mosque on the earth and who built a cinema house; that who organized religious meetings and who arranged singing and dancing programmes; that who was striving for peace for mankind and who was showering bombs for destroying cities; that who was working for the reform of the society and who instigated rioting; that who fought the wars, when and where and for what purpose; in short the earth will relate all the chronicles about the events that had taken place on this earth in such a way as if a tape recording of them had been taken; and on the Day of Judgment the whole recording will be played for the people, so that proof may be provided of whatever they where doing on the earth and the demands of justice may be met. It is mentioned in the hadith that the Prophet recited this verse and asked: “Do you know what chronicles the earth will relate?” The people replied: “ Allah and His Messenger know better”. He said: “She will give evidence about every man and woman that he or she did this and this work on such and such day on her back.” (Tirmizi- Abwab Tafseerul Quran).

5. The question arises how a non-living body like earth can speak and relate what man has done in this world. The answer is given in this verse, that is it will speak up by the command of the Almighty. At another place in the Quran it is stated that the skins of the sinners will give evidence against them on the Day of Judgment, and when in amazement they will ask as to why they gave evidence against them, the skins will reply that the God who has given speech to every thing has also given them speech.- (Ha Meem Sajda - 21).

In other words the things which in our experience are non-speaking will be seen by us to be speaking on the Day of Judgment. The Being who can create man from dust, what difficulty is there for Him to give speech to the dust? When we hear our echoes in the big domes then why is it impossible for us to hear echoes on the Day of Judgment, when there will be altogether a new system? And in the age of television, tape recorder and photography, it does not need any special effort to prove that every act and movement of man is being imprinted on every particle of dust.

6. On the Doomsday from various corners of the earth, people in different conditions will proceed in order to gather in the ground of Hashr. There they will be shown the records of their deeds. All the men that were born till the Doomsday and died, whether they might have been buried in the earth or might have been drowned in the seas, whether their dead bodies were burnt or were dissolved in the atmosphere, all these ‘bodies will come out from the earth on the Doomsday, so that they may see the result of whatever they have been doing. ‘To be shown the deed that they have done’ shows that the scenes of the practical life lived by men will be shown to them.

7. That is: On the Day of Judgment, every man woman who will be shown the scenes of his oral and practical life, will see the slightest of the slight good or evil deed that he/she had done. As regards the matter of reward and punishment, it will be decided, with a view to meeting the demands of justice and according to those rules which have been explained by Quran at other places, e.g. whose scale will be weightier, tilting the balance in his favour, will be successful, or that the deeds of the infidels will be declared weightless, or that polytheism is an unforgivable sin, and for the infidels there is eternal punishment of hell fire, etc.