CHAPTER 101: AL-QARI'AH (THE CALAMITY)

It was revealed in the Mecca period. It consists of 11 verses. It takes its name from the same word mentioned in the first verse. (H. T. FEYIZLI 1/600)

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

101/1-11 WHAT IS THAT STRIKING CALAMITY?

Translation

1- 2- The Striking Calamity! 2- What is the Striking Calamity?

3- [O my Prophet!] And what can make you know what the Striking Calamity is? [You cannot know.]

4- 5- It is the Day when people will be like moths scattered about [around a fire at night]. 5- And the mountains will be like tufts of carded wool.

6- 7- Then as for him whose balance [of good deeds] is heavy, he will be in a pleasant life [in Paradise].

8- 9- But as for him whose balance [of good deeds] is light, his home will be Hawiyah [the Pit].

10- [O my Prophet!] And what can make you know what that is?

11- It is a Fire, intensely hot [the abyss of Hell].

Commentary

(1, 2) ‘The Striking Calamity." "What is the Striking Calamity?’

One name of the Resurrection is "Al-Qari'ah." Qari'ah means a terrifying event that strikes violently, bursts the ears with its impact, and shakes the hearts. Great disasters and calamities that come suddenly and strike the heads are also called qari'ah (cf. Ra’d 13/31). The Resurrection is called by this name because it bursts the ears with its terrifying states, instills a tremendous fear into the hearts, and because criminals are punished on that day. (O. CELIK, 5/570)

By saying, "What can make you know what is the Qari'ah (Resurrection)?"... that warning has been emphasized and strengthened by reminding that its reality is outside the sphere of human knowledge; that is, no one, not even the Prophet, can know the magnitude of its intensity and horror through sagacity until it is actually seen. (ELMALILI, 9/386)

(4) ‘It is the Day when people will be like moths scattered about.’

The departure of people from their graves to the place of gathering (mahshar) on the Day of Resurrection is depicted. Since people will be in a scattered state within fear and horror at 그 moment, Almighty Allah has likened them to butterflies/moths scattered to the right and left. Because the people rising from their graves will form great crowds, in another verse (Qamar 54/7), they are likened to scattered locusts. On that day, people will move as if trampling one another and gather at the place of gathering. (cf. Kahf 18/99; QUR’AN WAY, 5/675)

(5) ‘And the mountains will be like tufts of carded wool.’

One of the stages of the disappearance of mountains on the Day of Resurrection is mentioned. As described in other verses, on that day the mountains will be crushed into pieces (Fajr 89/21), become a heap of shifting sand (Muzzammil 73/14), and turn into carded colored wool. Then they will become a mirage (cf. Naba’ 78/20). All these depictions show the degree of intensity of the shaking that will occur on the Day of Resurrection. (QUR’AN WAY 5/676)

(6, 7) ‘Then as for him whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy, he will be in a pleasant life (in Paradise).’

"The weighing of deeds being heavy" describes the abundance of rewards and good deeds and shows that Allah's pleasure will be gained in this way. Verses 6-7 express that those whose good deeds are more than their evil deeds will lead an eternally happy and prosperous life in paradises equipped with blessings. (QUR’AN WAY 5/676)

(8, 9) ‘But as for him whose balance is light,’

That is, the person who has no reward or whose sins outweigh his rewards and falls into the category of those whose rewards are light, ‘his home will be Hawiyah (the Pit).’ That is, his destination, his bed, the motherland in whose lap he will take refuge is Hawiyah. He will have no place to shelter and will be thrown into the lap of the abyss of Hell called Hawiyah. (ELMALILI 9/394)

In conclusion, just as there is the questioning and accounting of the person whose good and evil, sins and rewards are weighed, there is no such accounting for the disbelievers. Because the disbelievers have no rewards or good deeds (hasanat). However, their deeds and sins are counted and brought to light. What will happen if a believer's sins outweigh his rewards? When we look at the verses and hadiths related to the subject, we understand that the situation of this person is left to Allah. Almighty Allah, if He wills, forgives the believer—except for the rights of other humans—or pardons him through intercession and puts him in His Paradise. If He wills, He does not forgive (2/284) and punishes him in Hell in proportion to his sin, then brings him out of Hell as a reward for his faith and puts him in His Paradise. (I. KARAGOZ,8/608, 609)

(10, 11) ‘And what can make you know what that is?" "It is a Fire, intensely hot.’

That is, a violent, scorching fire. The fire of Hell, which will be mentioned as "Jahim" in the next surah, is the "Fire of Allah" which will later be described in Surah al-Humazah. (ELMALILI, 9/394)

Hadith: One day the Noble Messenger (pbuh) said: "This fire of yours that you light in this world is one of seventy parts of the fire of Hell." The noble companions said: "O Messenger of Allah! The fire of this world is surely sufficient for punishment." Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "The fire of Hell was made sixty-nine times more intense than the fires of the world. The heat of each of these is like the heat of all the fires in the world." (From Bukhari, Bad'ul-Khalq 10; Muslim, Jannah 30; O. CELIK 5/572)