َ وَإِذَا الْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ ﴿۵﴾ وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْ ﴿۶﴾ وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ ﴿۷﴾ وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ ﴿۸﴾ بِأَيِّ ذَنْبٍ قُتِلَتْ ﴿۹﴾ وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ ﴿۱۰﴾ وَإِذَا السَّمَاءُ كُشِطَتْ ﴿۱۱﴾ وَإِذَا الْجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتْ ﴿۱۲﴾

﴾5﴿ Wa izal wuhooshu hushirat
﴾6﴿ Wa izal bihaaru sujjirat
﴾7﴿ Wa izan nufoosu zuwwijat
﴾8﴿ Wa izal maw'oodatu su'ilat
﴾9﴿ Bi ayyi zambin qutilat
﴾10﴿ Wa izas suhufu nushirat
﴾11﴿ Wa izas samaaa'u kushitat
﴾12﴿ Wa izal jaheemu su'-'irat

﴾5﴿ And when the wild beasts are gathered together
﴾6﴿ And when the seas are filled
﴾7﴿ And when the souls are joined with their bodies
﴾8﴿ And when the buried alive is asked
﴾9﴿ For what sin was she killed
﴾10﴿ And when the records of deeds are laid open
﴾11﴿ And when the sky is stripped away
﴾12﴿ And when Hell is set ablaze

[5] This is the fifth scene. (وَإِذَا الْوُحُوشُ) — refers to wild animals that normally flee from humans, meaning desert and untamed creatures, but due to extreme terror, they will gather near humans.
(حُشِرَتْ) — ḥashr means to gather, as in “We gathered upon them everything” (Surah Al-An‘ām 6:111), and “the birds gathered” (Surah Ṣād), and likewise in Surah Al-An‘ām (6:38).
The meaning here is that these wild animals will be gathered before their death due to intense fear, and then they will die.
This is the meaning of the statement of Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the gathering (ḥashr) of wild beasts refers to their death.
[6] This is the sixth scene. (سُجِّرَتْ) — means the seas will be filled, so all waters will be joined together and the barrier (barzakh) between them will be removed, then the waters will overflow onto the earth.
Another meaning is that fire will be lit upon the seas, based on a hadith in Abu Dawud which states: “Indeed, beneath the sea there is fire.”
(Meaning: oil and petroleum are fire, and all of it will become fire).
This has also been mentioned in Surah At-Tur (52:6).
[7] From this point, the states that occur at the time of resurrection are mentioned. This is the first state. (زُوِّجَتْ) — has three interpretations: 1. The people will be divided into three groups: the foremost (السابقون), the people of the right hand (أصحاب اليمين), and the people of the left hand (أصحاب الشمال), as mentioned in Surah Al-Waqi‘ah (56:7).
2. People of similar traits and deeds will be gathered together — the righteous with the righteous, the wicked with the wicked, the Jews with the Jews, the Christians with the Christians, the Magians with the Magians, and the hypocrites with the hypocrites.
3. Souls will be joined with their bodies — and this is the meaning of ba‘th (resurrection). Ibn Kathir transmitted this view from many of the Salaf. This indicates that before this moment, in the Barzakh (intermediate state), the soul is not rejoined with the body in such a way that it becomes true, living life again. This has been discussed in detail in Surah Az-Zumar (39:42).
[8,9] This is the second state. (الْمَوْءُودَةُ) — refers to the practice among the people of ignorance (Jāhiliyyah) who, due to shame or poverty, would bury their daughters alive. Some did so at the time of birth, and others when the child reached around six years of age. This was a great injustice.
(سُئِلَتْ) — this means suilat ʿanhā (she was asked about), meaning the parents will be questioned regarding her: “For what sin did you kill this girl?”
Or it may mean that the buried girl (mawʾūdah) will be asked directly, but the purpose of the question is to rebuke the killers — similar to how ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) will be asked, “Did you say to the people...?” — which in essence is a rebuke to the Christian polytheists.
[10] This is the third state. (وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ) — refers to the scrolls of deeds written by the angels.
(نُشِرَتْ) — means they will be unfolded. When, at the time of death, a person's record is sealed, it will then be opened on the Day of Judgment.
The second meaning is that the books of deeds will be distributed — some will receive them in their right hands, and others in their left.
[11] This is the fourth state. (كُشِطَتْ) — kashṭ and qasṭ originally mean forcefully skinning something, like a camel.
The intended meaning here is that the current form of the sky will be stripped away — its appearance will change, even if its essence remains.
[12] This is the fifth state. (سُعِّرَتْ) — means that its flames, heat, and intensity will be increased.
Like the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Every time it subsides, We increase for them the blazing fire” — from Surah Al-Isrā’ (17:97).
That is, there will be no decrease in it at all.