Surat Al-Qāri`ah (The Calamity) - سورة القارعة
This sura descended at Mecca and it has 11 aayat
The contents and virtues of Surat Al-Qāri`ah
This
sura totally speaks about the judgment day and it begins with the
thrashing terms and shocking details with clear and specific warning and
finally divides the human beings in two groups.
A
group whose deeds are heavy in the measure of divine justice and their
reward is a life entirely blissful near the heavenly blessings and
another group whose acts are light and weightless and their fate is the
burning flames of hell fire.
The name of this sura is taken from its first ayat.
About
its virtues it is enough to say that in a hadis by imam Baqir alaihis
salam we read: One who recites the sura e Qari’ah, the Sovereign God
protects him from bringing faith upon Dajjal ‘the Islamic Antichrist’
and his rebellious provocations and keeps him away from the dirt and pus
of the hell.
بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Al-Qari'ah (The Striking Hour)
!الْقَارِعَةُ
(101:1)
OH, the sudden calamity!
!مَا الْقَارِعَةُ
(101:2)
How awesome the sudden calamity!
!وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ
(101:3)
And what could make you conceive what that sudden calamity will be?
!يَوْمَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ كَالْفَرَاشِ الْمَبْثُوثِ
(101:4)
[It will occur] on the Day when men will be like moths swarming in confusion,
!وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنفُوشِ
(101:5)
And the mountains will be like fluffy tufts of wool.
!فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ
(101:6)
And then, he whose weight [of good deeds] is heavy in the weighing scales.
!فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ
(101:7)
shall find himself in a happy' state of life;
!وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ
(101:8)
Whereas he whose weight is light in the balance.
!فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ
(101:9)
Shall be engulfed by a deep hole.
!وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ
(101:10)
And what could make you imagine what that [deep hole ‘abyss’] will be?
!نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ
(101:11)
A fire hotly burning!
The definition:
The smashing happening
In these ayaat which is defining about the judgment day, first it is said: That destroying occurrence.
Al-Qari'ah (The Striking Hour)
!الْقَارِعَةُ
(101:1)
OH, the sudden calamity!
!مَا الْقَارِعَةُ
(101:2)
How awesome the sudden calamity is!
!وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ
(101:3)
And what could make you imagine what that sudden calamity will be?
قَارِعَةُ
The
above term means to beat something upon anything in such a way that
generates extremely loud sound whereas to every hard incident it is told
Qari’a.
In
the second and third ayat even addressed the messenger and said: what
do you know what the shattering incident is? Here it proves that
incident is so much great that no one can imagine its dimensions.
Any
way many of the interpreters said: Qari’a is one of the names of the
judgement day. But they did not make it clear that whether these signs
belong to the start of the resurrection day, when the universe collapse,
the sun and the moon get extinguished, the oceans catch ablaze. If it
happens like that then the reason for the selection of name ‘Alqari’a’
for that occurrence is obvious and clear.
Or
do they mean it by the second event that it is the stage when the dead
bodies come to life for the portrayal of the new life pattern for
existence. The term smashing and shattering is used for the reason that
the day when the fear, scare and shock pounds the hearts heavily.
The
ayat that mentioned after that are suited appropriately with the
happening of the destruction of the universe and some verses seem
suitable to getting life of the dead bodies, however the first guess is
acceptable. Though these two happening are mentioned one after another
like other verses of the honourable Quran.
Then
in the definition of that strange day it said: the day when the people
are scattered, amazed and lost everywhere like the dispersed
butterflies.
!يَوْمَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ كَالْفَرَاشِ الْمَبْثُوثِ
(101:4)
فَرَاشِ
The above term is the plural of farashah
فراشه
Some said that means butterfly and quite a few said it is locust.
Apparently this meaning is taken from the ayat 7 of the Sura e Qamar in which compared the people to the scattered locusts.
Al-Qamar (The Moon)
!كَأَنَّهُمْ جَرَادٌ مُّنتَشِرٌ
(54:7)
They will come forth from their graves, with their eyes downcast, [swarming about] like locusts scattered [by the wind],
Otherwise its literary meaning is butterfly.
Any
way the comparison of the butterfly is for reason that the butterflies
generally throw themselves in fire and burn their own selves, same way
the evil doers too throw themselves in the hell fire.
May
be this is for the reason that the comparison to the butterfly is
indicating a specific amazement and perplexity that dominates each and
every body.
If
it means the locusts, it is for the reason that most of the birds and
insects while flying move in the groups in same particular direction,
together except the locusts while moving in the groups they do not have
any particular route and each and every one proceeds wherever they wish.
Again
there is a question under consideration here that this amazement,
perplexity and state of getting scattered, Fearfulness and anxiety is
caused by the dreadful incidents regarding the end of the universe or
the start of the judgment day.
Then it pursues another feature of that day and added: And the mountains are like colourful beaten and blown wool.
!وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنفُوشِ
(101:5)
عِهْنِ
The above term means the colourful woollen.
مَنفُوشِ
To spread the wool, this is usually done by a specific beating and blowing tool.
As
it is told previously, according to the ayaat, the mountains in the
start of the judgment day first began to move and then they will knock
down and get crushed, finally turn down as the dust in the air. In the
ayat under discussion these mountains are compared to the blown and
beaten wool and stirring in the whirlwind where only their colour is
evident. This is the last stage of the dispersion of the mountains.
This term of the colours may be indicating towards the various paints of the mountains as they are of different in colours.
Any
way this ayat give witness about the initial stage of the resurrection
day. That speaks about the stage of the destruction and the end of the
world.
Then
about the stage of assembling, release and getting to life of the dead
bodies and their division in two groups, thus said: Except the person
whose scale of deeds is heavy.
!فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ
(101:6)
He will live in the life full of satisfaction and appreciation.
!فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ
(101:7)
It is excluding the person whose scale of acts is light.
!وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ
(101:8)
His place and abode is hell.
!فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ
(101:9)
What do you know how the hell ‘Havia’ is?
!وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ
(101:10)
It is burning fire.
!نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ
(101:11)
مَوَازِينُ
The above term is the plural of meezan
ميزان
That
means a weighing scale. First it is used in weighing the materialistic
weights then it is used in the spiritual balance and standards.
Some
believe that the deeds of human beings take the form of the physical
creatures and they can be evaluated or really they are weighed by the
scales which can count the amount of human deeds.
There
is a possibility that the deed file itself that day will be weighed
upon the scale if they are good deeds written in it, the deed file is
heavy else it is light or weight less.
However
these explanations are evidently not needed for the weighing scale with
two specific plates although it can be applied to any means of
measurement. Hence in a hadis we read by Amiral mominin Ali alaihis
salam: the spiritual leaders ‘imaman’ and their family are the standards
of measuring the deeds.
In
a hadis from imam Sadiq alaihis salam when he was asked about the
Meezan ‘scale’ in his reply the imam said: the measuring scale is the
same justice.
Like
this way the existence of the awlia allah ‘the chosen friends of Allah’
and the laws of justice are the scales upon which the deeds of the man
is presented. Their weight is according to their deeds.
In
this matter the detail definition is mentioned below in the ayat 8-9 of
Sura e A’raf and same way in the ayat 105 of Sura e Kahaf and ayat 102
of the Sura e Mominun.
عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ
The
above term means the happy and joyful life; it has very interesting and
attractive interpretation of the blissful, wonderful and absolute
peaceful life of the heavenly people on the judgment day. That life is
so much pleasurable that the person is quite satisfied.
This
grand and significant place specifically belongs to the life of
hereafter. While the life of this world whenever gets much lavish, full
of delights, peace, blessings and satisfaction but it is not free from
all the factors of unhappiness. Only the life hereafter is totally
delightful and full of contentment, tranquillity and calm, cause the
peace of the mind.
ام
The meaning of above term in the ayat below:
فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ
It
is for the reason that the term ‘um’ means mother. We know that the
mother is the refuge for the children at the time of difficulty, they
approach her. Here it indicates the sinners with light weight of deeds
do not have any place of refuge except the hell. Woe to the person whose
place of refuge is the hell.
Some
said: here the meaning of ‘um’ is brain, since the Arab pronounce brain
as Um ur ra’s. Therefore the meaning of the ayat is such that they are
thrown in hell upon their heads.
هَاوِيَةٌ
The
above term means to fall and tumble down. It is one of the names of
hell too. Because the sinners fall down in it and it points towards the
depth of hell fire too.
حَامِيَةٌ
The above term means the extreme temperature; here this term is representing the extra ordinary heat of the hell fire.
The points:
The means for the weightiness in the deeds scale
Certainly
the value of all the virtues and good deeds is not the same. They have a
lot of difference, for that reason the various Islamic narrations
stressed upon some of the good deeds and they are the cause of the
heaviness of scale and balance of deeds on the day of judgment.
Such as in a hadis by prophet Muhammad peace be upon him we read who define the verse mentioned below said:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ
It
points towards the oneness of the God and no act is accepted without
that faith and this is the verse of piety which made heavy the scale of
measuring the deeds on the resurrection day.
In
another hadis by Ali alaihis salam about the witness to the oneness of
Allah and the prophecy of the great messenger of Merciful Allah Muhammad
peace be upon him stated: The scale from which the verse of witness
‘shahadatein’ is deducted, it is very light. And the scale upon which
the ‘shahadatein’ is placed it is quite heavy.
In
another hadis from imam Baqir alaihis salam or imam Sadiq alaihis salam
we read: in the scale of the deeds nothing is more heavy than sending
the blessing for the prophet Muhammad peace be upon and his family which
make it weighty.
Interestingly
in a hadis by imam Baqir alaihis salam we read: the person whose
outward show is better than his inner self, his deeds will be light on
the day of judgment.
Ending
this discussion with the words of Salman Farsi as it the essence of
divine revelation and customs, in this hadis we read: A person for
insulting Salman asked him: Who are you? What are you? And you have no
value.
Salman
in his reply said: Our and your beginning is the polluted sperm and
your and our end is, we are dead bodies. When the judgment day arrives
and the scales of weighing the deeds are installed, the one whose deeds
scale is heavy he is noble and dignified. The one whose deeds scale is
light he is of low status and worthless.
O God! The Majestic Creator, Make our deeds scale heavy with the love of Muhammad and his family.
O
God! The Source of Peace, the one who bestows plenty of mercy upon the
believers, to reach the status of ultimate delight Eeshatur razia is
possible with your sympathy, kindly help us in this approach.
O
the most Glorious and Generous God! The hell fire is extremely blazing
and we do not have the strength to tolerate it. You extinguish it with
your kindness and benevolence.
Ameen! O Lord of universe
_______________________________________________
A Parent's Prayer
--Written by the late Dr. Gary C. Myers, the founder of "Highlights for Children".
Oh, God, make me a better parent.
Help
me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to
say, and to answer all their questions kindly. Keep me from interrupting
them, talking back to them and contradicting them. Make me as courteous
to them as I would have them be to me. Give me the courage to confess
my sins against my children and to ask them forgiveness, when I know
that I have done them wrong.
May
I not vainly hurt the feelings of my children. Forbid that I should
laugh at their mistakes or resort to shame and ridicule as punnishment.
Let me not tempt a child to lie and steal. So guide me hour by hour that
I may demonstrate by all I say and do that honesty produces happiness.
Reduce, I pray, the meaness in me. May I cease to nag; and when I am out of sorts, help me, O Lord, to hold my tongue.
Blind
me to the little errors of my children and help me to see the good
things that they do. Give me a ready word for honest praise.
Help
me to treat my children as those of their own age, but let me not exact
of them the judgements and conventions of adults. Allow me not to rob
them of the opportunity to wait upon themselves, to think, to choose,
and to make decisions.
Forbid
that I should ever punish them for my selfish satisfaction. May I grant
them all of their wishes that are reasonable and have the courage
always to withhold a privilege which I know will do them harm.
Make
me so fair and just, so considerate and companionable to my children
that they will have a genuine esteem for me, fit to be loved and
imitated by my children.
With all thy gifts, O God, do give me calm and poise and self-control.