بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٱلْقَارِعَةُ
The Striking Calamity!
Pickthall (1930): The Calamity!
Quran · Surah 101 · 11 ayat
Surah Al-Qari'ah
The Calamity
ٱلْقَارِعَة
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About this surah
Surah Al-Qari'ah ('The Striking Calamity') has 11 ayat and is Meccan. Its title is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection, a day that strikes hearts with its force. It pictures people scattered like moths and mountains like fluffed-up wool, and then speaks of the weighing of deeds: those whose good deeds weigh heavy will have a pleasing life, and those whose good deeds weigh light will have a blazing fire as their home. Many Muslims recite it as a reminder of accountability.
The Day of ResurrectionThe weighing of deedsThe final outcome
Read the surah
Arabic exactly as in the Tanzil text, then a plain meaning in your language. The Arabic is never read by a machine voice; "Listen" reads only the meanings.
مَا ٱلْقَارِعَةُ
What is the Striking Calamity?
Pickthall (1930): What is the Calamity?
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْقَارِعَةُ
And what will make you understand what the Striking Calamity is?
Pickthall (1930): Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Calamity is!
يَوْمَ يَكُونُ ٱلنَّاسُ كَٱلْفَرَاشِ ٱلْمَبْثُوثِ
It is the Day when people will be like scattered moths,
Pickthall (1930): A day wherein mankind will be as thickly-scattered moths
وَتَكُونُ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَٱلْعِهْنِ ٱلْمَنفُوشِ
and the mountains will be like fluffed-up, coloured wool.
Pickthall (1930): And the mountains will become as carded wool.
فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ
Then the one whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy
Pickthall (1930): Then, as for him whose scales are heavy (with good works),
فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ
will be in a pleasing life.
Pickthall (1930): He will live a pleasant life.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ
But the one whose scales are light,
Pickthall (1930): But as for him whose scales are light,
فَأُمُّهُۥ هَاوِيَةٌ
his home will be the Abyss (Hawiyah).
Pickthall (1930): The Bereft and Hungry One will be his mother.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا هِيَهْ
And what will make you understand what that is?
Pickthall (1930): Ah, what will convey unto thee what she is!—
نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌۢ
It is a blazing fire.
Pickthall (1930): Raging fire.
Quick quiz
According to ayah 4, what will people be like on that Day?
According to ayah 5, what will the mountains be like?
What awaits the one whose scales of good deeds are heavy?
Your score: 0 / 3
Tanzil Quran Text (Uthmani, Version 1.1), tanzil.net, CC BY 3.0, verbatim: tanzil.net. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), public domain; text from English Wikisource. Al-Fatiha aligned to the Hafs count (basmala as verse 1, his verses 6 and 7 joined); Quraysh: his verses 4 and 5 joined.. Plain meanings, introductions and quiz: IndiaDigital, awaiting review by an Islamic scholar.
Corrections from members of every tradition are welcome at support@indiadigital.org. Last checked: .