عَمَُّْ ْ 1551 اَلزِّلْزَال
إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا ﴿۱﴾ وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا ﴿۲﴾ وَقَالَ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا لَهَا ﴿۳﴾ يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا ﴿۴﴾
﴾1﴿ Izaa zul zilatil ardu zil zaalaha
﴾2﴿ Wa akh rajatil ardu athqaalaha
﴾3﴿ Wa qaalal insaanu ma laha
﴾4﴿ Yawmaa izin tuhaddithu akhbaaraha
﴾1﴿ When the earth is shaken with its ultimate shaking
﴾2﴿ And the earth brings forth its burdens
﴾3﴿ And man will say, What has happened to it
﴾4﴿ On that day, the earth will declare its news
And this surah is also called Surah Al-Zalzalah and Surah Idha Zulzilat.
Relevancy:
This surah has several connections with the previous surah. The first connection is that in the previous surahs (before Surah Ad-Duha), three fundamental principles of faith were mentioned: Prophethood, Tawhid, and the Quran. In this surah, the fourth fundamental principle is mentioned, which is the affirmation of resurrection after death. The second connection is that in the previous surah, there was a reproach for the deniers, while in this surah, there is a warning of the Hereafter for them.
Claim of this surah:
The affirmation of the Resurrection is through the mention of its conditions, which are five, along with the mention of one name of Allah, "Rabb."
Summary of the surah:
In these five conditions, the states of the Resurrection are mentioned:
1. The earthquake.
2. The bringing forth of burdens.
3. The narration of events and conditions.
4. The scattering of people and their presentation for the display of deeds.
5. The meeting of every person with their deeds.
And in between, the bewilderment of humankind is also mentioned.
[1] This is the first condition. Regarding this earthquake, the commentators have two opinions. The first opinion is that it occurs at the time of the world's destruction, before the Day of Resurrection, and is therefore one of the signs of the Last Day, as mentioned in a verse of Surah Al-Hajj. The second opinion is that it occurs at the time of resurrection after death, and this view aligns with the repeated mention of "Yawma'idhin" (on that day) later in the surah, which undoubtedly refers to the Day of Resurrection.
[2] This is the second condition. The attribution of bringing forth (اخراج) to the earth is metaphorical, as the true doer is, of course, Allah. If the first opinion regarding the earthquake is taken, then the meaning of "athqal" (burdens) refers to the treasures of the earth, as mentioned in a hadith of Muslim, where it is stated that before the Day of Judgment, the earth will cast out large pieces of gold and silver like pillars. However, people, either due to fear or because of the abundance of wealth, will be indifferent to it. But if the second opinion is taken, then "athqal" refers to the dead, who will be resurrected from the earth on the Day of Judgment.
[3] In this, the bewilderment and amazement of humans are mentioned, indicating that the terror of the earthquake and the emergence of burdens will be immense for them.
[4,5] This describes the third condition, where "Yawma'idhin" refers to the Day of Judgment. In a hadith from Tirmidhi, it is mentioned that this refers to the testimony of the earth regarding the deeds that people performed upon it. "Bi'anna Rabbaka Awha Laha" means that Allah will make the earth speak, similar to what is mentioned in Surah Fussilat (21). Alternatively, "Wahy" here may refer to a divine command.