Surah Al-Qariah is a Meccan Surah with eleven verses. The word Al-Qariah means The Great Disaster. It is one of the name of Resurrection day with respect to its characteristics. The Surah takes its name from its first word Al- Qari`ah. This is not only a name but also the title of its subject matter, for the Surah is devoted to Resurrection.
There is no dispute about its being a Makki Surah. Its contents show that this too is one of the earliest Surahs to be revealed at Makkah.
Its theme is Resurrection and the Hereafter. At the outset, the people have been aroused and alarmed, saying: “The Great Disaster! What is the Great Disaster? And what do you know what the Great Disaster is?”
Thus, after preparing the listeners for the news of the dreadful calamity, Resurrection has been depicted before them in two sentences, saying that on that Day people will be running about in confusion and bewilderment just like so many scattered moths around a light, and the mountains uprooted, will their cohesion and will fly about like carded wool.
Then, it has been said that when Allah’s Court is established in the Hereafter and the people are called upon to account for their deeds. The people whose good deeds are found to be heavier than their evil deeds, will be blessed with bliss and happiness, and the people whose good deeds are found to be lighter than their evil deeds, will be cast into the deep pit full of burning fire.
Qariah (From Qar) in Arabic means when two things hit each other and it creates a loud disturbing rattling voice, a sound which is very annoying to ears. Al-Qariah in Arabic also is used for very tough situations of life when it takes away your peace completely. There are many different descriptions of the Day Of Judgment, Al-Qariah is one of them. Allah says the Day Of Judgment will come like this, as if mankind is asleep, and a big disaster appears with a horrifying rattling sound and mankind ends up in confusion and extreme fear to what’s going on.
What is this Qariah referring to? From its meaning, at the Day Of Judgment, everything will be striking against each other, the sun striking against the moon, the earth being rattled, the mountains rattled, the stars crushing as if it’s the day of great crash! When the final trumpet will be blown, it will be ultimate terror.
Verse 1 indicates that for sure the great calamity is coming, its on it’s way. Allah just used one word Al-Qariah and no full sentence indicating the sense of urgency. For example if a building is on fire, people will shout Fire Fire..! and not the details highlighting the most terrifying thing. So Allah directly uses the word Al-Qariah as if this great thing is on it’s way already. Allah repeated the words three times in first three verses to make us aware how heavy this calamity is.
In verse 2 Allah asks are you wondering what Al-Qariah is? To make the listener more aware of the theme. This style of Quran creates the alarming effect on the listener.
In verse 3 Allah says how would u even know what Al-Qariah is? Let the Lord tell u what it is! It’s an incredible psychological journey that Allah takes us in these Ayaat.
Now Allah describes the chaos we are going to look like on the Day Of Judgment. This will be the first stage of Resurrection, when in consequence of the Great Disaster the whole of the present order of the world will be overthrown; the people then will be running about in confusion and bewilderment like so many scattered moths around a light. Allah shows the collective scene of all human beings that they will be dispersed around like moths, following no direction but getting into each other and scattered. In other words, when that rattling sound happens, you all people will be so shocked, so wrecked that this is how you people will going to act. This is the day when all generations of human beings come together yet this is the day when you will feel the lonliest, all by yourself.
And the mountains on that day will be weightless flying away like wool fibres around. The mountains will be flying about like carded wool of different colors. The mountains have been compared to wool of different colors because of the existence of a variety of colors in them. As if different mountains of different areas with it’s own colours and characteristics are merged into each other, hitting each other and all mixed up weightless!
Now Allah says this Day whoever comes up with heavy scales will find success. Hereafter is the Day when everything will change. The criteria will be changed. If we compare this verse to the last one, it’s a beautiful contrast that Allah mentions. In Dunia where big giant mountains were weighty, have now become like wool weightless. And the good deeds one used to do and people called it worthless, have now become so heavy and weighty with Allah. Only our good deeds & intentions done out of sincerity and Imaan will be accepted by Allah that Day. So whose scale will be heavy will surely be succesful. Everything will be measured, our beings, our Amaal-naama, our deeds even to the smaller word and slightest thought we had. One point to remember here is that only good deeds will have weight in Akhirat, light or heavy. Bad deeds will be rejected, totally weightless on the scale.
If one wants his good deeds to be heavy in Akhirah, make sure it’s based on sincere Imaan and Sunnah of Prophet pbuh. Do not come up with your own made-up good deeds.
Such a person will end up in عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ
عِيشَةٍ
Means a life in which you have no worry of food and shelter. The life free of concern!
رَّاضِيَةٍ
Means one who is pleased. The over-joyed life, where every moment is a joy and pleasure. No boredom and dissatisfaction at all!
Now Allah says a perosn will end up a looser if his scale of good deeds resulted lighter compared to his evil deeds. Means you have less amount of good deeds in your bag, not sufficient for your salvation. And such a person will end up in Hawaiyah.
Allah asks to drag our attention what makes you think what this Hawaiyah is? Hawiyah is from hawa, which means to fall from a height to a depth, and hawiyah is the deep pit into which something falls. Hell has been called Hawiyah because it will be very deep and the culprits will be thrown into it from the height. Just as the mother’s lap is the child’s abode, so Hell will be the culprits’ only abode in the Hereafter. It will not merely be a deep pit but will also be full of raging fire.
As the Quran says,
“On the Day of Resurrection, We will set up just and accurate balances so that no one will be wronged in the least in any way; even if it be an act equal in weight to a grain of mustard seed, We will bring it forth (to be weighed) and We suffice for reckoning”.
Surah Al-Anbiya (V:47)
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