Qur'an and Tafsir, Surah 99
الزلزلة
The Earthquake
The ground people walk on has been keeping notes. One day it reads them out.
8 ayat, Madinan, Draft written with AI help: awaiting scholar review
The story behind it
An old man asked the Prophet ﷺ for something to recite. Every suggestion was too much for him.
He asked for one thing that held it all. He was given these eight ayat.
He swore never to add to them.
Journey map
Az-Zalzalah 99:1-2The surah starts with the thing everybody trusts: the ground.
إِذَا زُلۡزِلَتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ زِلۡزَالَهَا ١ وَأَخۡرَجَتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ أَثۡقَالَهَا ٢
1 When the earth is shaken with its [final] earthquake
2 And the earth discharges its burdens
A closer look
The earth throws up its dead. In a hadith, its gold and silver too, in columns. A murderer looks at it and says: I killed for this? Everyone walks away. Nobody takes any.
Az-Zalzalah 99:3Then the only human line in the surah.
وَقَالَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ مَا لَهَا ٣
3 And man says, "What is [wrong] with it?" -
Az-Zalzalah 99:4The human being's question gets an answer, from the earth itself.
يَوۡمَئِذࣲ تُحَدِّثُ أَخۡبَارَهَا ٤
4 That Day, it will report its news
The story behind it
The Prophet ﷺ asked his Companions that, then told them. The earth will testify about every person: this one did this, on this day, on my surface.
A modern reading
Wahiduddin Khan, a modern Indian commentator, points to film and records: lifeless things already play back what happened. He calls the world one big studio, recording every moment.
Az-Zalzalah 99:7-8People are led off to be shown what they did. The measure:
فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيۡرࣱا يَرَهُۥ ٧ وَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةࣲ شَرࣱّا يَرَهُۥ ٨
7 So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it,
8 And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
The word
The Arabic is dharrah: the smallest thing a person could see. A dust mote, or a tiny ant. It is reported that 'A'ishah gave one grape in charity, and asked how many specks it weighed.
The story behind it
The Prophet ﷺ was asked what a man earns by keeping donkeys. Nothing was revealed about them, he said, except this one ayah that covers everything. And he recited the lines about the speck.
Reflect, just for you
Seen by lamplight. It gives more each time.
The ground people walk on has been keeping notes. One day it reads them out.