بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا
When the earth is shaken with its final, mighty quake,
Pickthall (1930): When Earth is shaken with her (final) earthquake
Quran · Surah 99 · 8 ayat
Surah Az-Zalzalah
The Earthquake
ٱلزَّلْزَلَة
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About this surah
Surah Az-Zalzalah ('The Earthquake') has 8 ayat and is listed as Medinan in the standard mushaf. It describes the great shaking of the earth at the end of time, when the earth will report what happened upon it and people will come forward to be shown their deeds. Its last two ayat teach that even an atom's weight of good or of evil will be seen. A hadith in Bukhari reports that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described these two ayat as unique and all-embracing.
The end of the worldEvery deed countsThe earth as a witness
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.
وَأَخْرَجَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا
and the earth throws out its burdens (all that lies within it),
Pickthall (1930): And Earth yieldeth up her burdens,
وَقَالَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مَا لَهَا
and a person cries: 'What is happening to it?'
Pickthall (1930): And man saith: What aileth her?
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا
on that Day it will tell all its news,
Pickthall (1930): That day she will relate her chronicles,
بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَىٰ لَهَا
because your Lord will have commanded it to do so.
Pickthall (1930): Because thy Lord inspireth her.
يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ ٱلنَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا۟ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ
On that Day people will come forward in separate groups to be shown their deeds.
Pickthall (1930): That day mankind will issue forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds.
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُۥ
So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it,
Pickthall (1930): And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then,
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُۥ
and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
Pickthall (1930): And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then.
Quick quiz
According to ayah 4, what will the earth do on that Day?
What is the smallest amount of good or evil that ayat 7 and 8 say will be seen?
According to ayah 5, why will the earth speak?
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: .