وَتَرَى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِيَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ صُنْعَ اللَّهِ الَّذِي أَتْقَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ إِنَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَفْعَلُونَ ﴿۸۸﴾ مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْهَا وَهُمْ مِنْ فَزَعٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ آمِنُونَ ﴿۸۹﴾ وَمَنْ جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَكُبَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿۹۰﴾

﴾88﴿ Wa taral jibaala tahsabuhaa jaamidatanw wa hiya tamurru marras sahaab; sun'al laahil lazeee atqana kulla shai'; innahoo khabeerun bimaa taf'aloon
﴾89﴿ Man jaaa'a bil hasanati falahoo khairun minhaa wa hum min faza'iny Yawma'izin aaminoon
﴾90﴿ Wa man jaaa'a bissai yi'ati fakubbat wujoohuhum fin Naari hal tujzawna illaa maa kuntum ta'maloon

﴾88﴿ And you see the mountains, thinking them firmly fixed, while they pass like the passing of clouds. This is the work of Allah, who perfected all things. Indeed, Allah is fully aware of what you do
﴾89﴿ Whoever comes with a good deed will have a better reward because of it, and they will be safe from the terror of that Day
﴾90﴿ And whoever comes with an evil deed, their faces will be thrown into the Fire. You are not rewarded except for what you used to do

[88] This verse describes the fourth awe-inspiring state of the Day of Judgment.
“Taḥsabuhā jāmidah” (تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً) means: —Right now you think these mountains are firm and unshakable, but in reality, they will move like clouds. Or: at that moment (on the Day of Judgment), you may think the mountains are standing still in their places, while in fact, they are drifting—because when large objects move, it may not be immediately apparent to the observer.
Imam Qurtubī has listed the stages of the mountains' condition during the Final Hour in sequence:
1. Dakk (اندکاک) – “So they will be crushed with a single crushing” (فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةً وَاحِدَةً)
2. Ka-al-‘ihn al-manfūsh – like scattered wool
3. Habā’an manthūrā – scattered dust
4. Nassf – uprooted and blown away
5. Marra as-sahāb – drifting like clouds (mentioned in this verse)
6. Sarāb – becoming like a mirage
“Ṣun‘ Allāh” (صُنْعَ اللَّهِ) is a verbal noun (maf‘ūl muṭlaq) related to a hidden verb, possibly: “Unẓurū ṣun‘a Allāh” – “Look at the workmanship of Allah.” It refers to what Allah Most High does with the mountains and other creations.
“Kulla shay’in” (كُلَّ شَيْءٍ) may refer specifically to the mountains and their fragments, or to all things in general. The word “itqān” (إِتْقَان) means perfection, precision, and wise construction—i.e., Allah creates everything with purpose, balance, and exact design.
[89] This verse describes the fifth state from the conditions of resurrection after death (ba‘th ba‘d al-mawt), and it is a glad tiding for the people of tawḥīd (those who affirm the Oneness of Allah).
“Bi’l-ḥasanah” (بِالْحَسَنَةِ) refers to the statement “Lā ilāha illa Allāh”—the declaration of monotheism.
“Khayrun minhā” (خَيْرٌ مِنْهَا) means: their reward will be better in return for this word of tawḥīd. The “min” is for ajliyyah (indicating cause)—i.e., because of it.
“Min faza‘in yawma’idhin” (مِنْ فَزَعٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ) refers to a particular terror before the actual Day of Resurrection, because on that Day there are many overwhelming events—one of which is the slaughtering of Death (Ḍabḥ al-Mawt), a major symbolic act that marks the end of mortality.
Here, ṣa‘q (striking unconscious) is not intended, because that ṣa‘q (and the subsequent revival) will affect even the believers.
[90] This verse is an otherworldly warning (takhwīf ukhrawī) and describes the sixth state of the Day of Resurrection.
The term “as-sayyi’ah” (السَّيِّئَةِ) refers to shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief).
The phrase “Hal tujzawna illā mā kuntum ta‘malūn” (هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ) indicates that their punishment is a direct consequence of their deeds.
They had inverted the religion of Allah—therefore, they too will be thrown down headfirst, as a form of just and matching recompense.
A similar idea is mentioned in verse 94 of Surah Ash-Shu‘arā: “Then they will be overturned into it (Hellfire), they and the deviators.”