بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿۱﴾ يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّا أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَى وَمَا هُمْ بِسُكَارَى وَلَكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ ﴿۲﴾

﴾1﴿ Yaaa ayyuhan naasuttaqoo Rabbakum; inna zalzalatas Saa'ati shai'un 'azeem
﴾2﴿ Yawma tarawnahaa tazhalu kullu murdi'atin 'ammaaa arda'at wa tada'u kullu zaati hamlin hamlahaa wa tarannaasa sukaaraa wa maa hum bisukaaraa wa lakinna 'azaabal laahi shadeed

﴾1﴿ O mankind, fear your Lord. Indeed, the earthquake of the Hour is a tremendous thing
﴾2﴿ The Day you see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling, and every pregnant woman will drop her load. And you will see people appearing intoxicated, while they are not intoxicated, but the punishment of Allah is severe

Surah Al Hajj

The Pilgrimage

Some verses of this surah are Makki, while others are Madani. The commentator Qurtubi, quoting Ghaznawi, stated that this surah is remarkable due to its unique characteristics: some of its verses were revealed at night, while others during the day; some were revealed during travel, and others while settled. Additionally, it contains abrogating verses and abrogated ones, verses about peace and others about war, some that are clear and definitive (muhkam), and others that are allegorical (mutashabih).
Relevancy: This connects with the Prophets in the following ways: In the previous surah, the weakness and dependence of the Prophets (peace be upon them) on Allah, the Exalted, were mentioned. In this surah, there is a rebuttal against those who attribute dependency and weakness to entities other than Allah. The previous surah began with mentioning the nearness of the Hour, while this surah begins with the description of the earthquake of the Hour. In the previous surah, the unity of the religion was emphasized with the verse: "Indeed, this religion of yours is one religion." In this surah, the divisions and groups among people are mentioned.
Claim of this surah: The proof of monotheism (Tawhid) is established with ten arguments, simultaneously refuting all forms of polytheism. Additionally, the resurrection (Ba'ath) is affirmed through rational evidence, accompanied by warnings (to instill fear) and glad tidings (to encourage hope).
Summary of the surah: This surah is divided into four sections. The first section extends up to verse 25. In this section, both the claims and the warnings of the Hereafter are mentioned. In verses 1 and 2, there are seven warnings and three rational arguments, followed by detailed descriptions of the warnings related to the Hereafter and the glad tidings of the Hereafter.

interpretation

[1] This verse contains both the claim of monotheism and the affirmation of the Day of Judgment, along with a mention of a great sign of the Resurrection.
Note: In the sequence of the Qur’an, the fourth Surah (Surah al-Nisā’) begins with “O mankind” (يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ), and likewise, from the midpoint of the Qur’an, the fourth Surah thereafter also begins with “O mankind”—which is this Surah (al-Ḥajj).
In Surah al-Nisā’, the beginning of creation is mentioned, and in this Surah, the end (the Resurrection) is described.
Regarding “زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ” (the earthquake of the Hour), there are two interpretations:
1. It refers to the great earthquake that will strike the earth before the Resurrection, at the time when all creation is being destroyed. This is also the intended meaning in Surah al-Zalzalah.
2. It refers to the awe and terror of the Day of Gathering (Hashr), as described in an authentic hadith: Allah will command Adam (peace be upon him)—or in another narration, the angels, and both can be reconciled—to separate a group from his descendants destined for Hell. Adam will ask, “How many?” Allah will respond, “From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine for Hell, and one for Paradise.”
At that moment, great fear and terror will overtake the people.
Imam Bukhārī mentioned this hadith in the tafsir of this verse, and Ibn Jarīr also preferred this interpretation.
[2] This verse describes the terrifying nature of the earthquake. If the first interpretation of the earthquake is taken (i.e., the actual earthquake before the Resurrection), then the states mentioned in this verse are to be understood literally and as real events.
However, if the second interpretation is accepted (i.e., the awe and fear on the Day of Gathering), then these conditions are to be taken figuratively or hypothetically—meaning, if nursing and pregnant women were present on that day, this is how they would react, due to the overwhelming terror.
Note: Both “مُرْضِع” and “مُرْضِعَة” refer to women, but there is a difference: – “مُرْضِعَة” refers to a woman actively nursing, with the child at her breast at that moment. – “مُرْضِع” is used more generally for a woman who nurses. The point is: breastfeeding is a deeply emotional and nurturing moment, yet even then, in such terror, she will abandon her child—showing how overwhelming the fear will be.
Likewise, both “ذَاتُ حَمْل” and “حَامِل” refer to pregnant women, but: – “ذَاتُ حَمْل” refers specifically to a woman in the late stage of pregnancy, where the pregnancy is visibly apparent and near delivery. – “حَامِل” refers to a pregnant woman in a general sense.