AZ-ZALZALA (THE EARTHQUAKE)

Introduction


Name

It is derived from the word zilzal in the first verse.

Period of Revelation

Whether or not it was revealed, at Makkah or Madinah, is disputed.
Ibn Masud, Ata, Jabir, and Mjahid say that it is a Makki Surah and a
statement of Ibn Abbas also supports this view. On the contrary,
Qatadah and Muqatil say that it is Madani and another statement of Ibn
Abbas also has been cited in support of this view. That it is a Madani
Surah is reasoned from a tradition from Hadrat Abu Said Khudri, which
Ibn Abi Hatim has related from him. He says: "When the verse Fa-man ya
mal mithqala dharratin khairan yarah, wa man ya mal mithqala dharratin
sharran yarah, was revealed, I said: "O Messenger of Allah, shall I
really see my deeds? The Holy Messenger replied in the affirmative. I
submitted: And every major sin?He replied yes. I said: And the minor
sins too? He replied yes. Thereupon I exclaimed that I would then be
ruined. The Holy Prophet said: Rejoice, O Abu Sa'id, for each good act
will be equal to ten good acts like it." The basis of the argument for
this Surah's being Madani is that Hadrat Abu Sa'ld Khudri was an
inhabitant of Madinah and reached maturity after the Battle of Uhud.
Therefore, if this Surah was revealed in his presence, as is apparent
from his statement, it must be a Madani Surah. However, the practice
that the Companions and their immediate successors followed in respect
of the occasion of the revelation of the verses and Surahs, has already
been explained in the Introduction to Surah Ad-Dahr above. Therefore, a
Companion's saying that a verse was sent down on this or that
particular occasion is no proof that it was sent down on that very
occasion. It may well be that after coming of age when Hadrat Abu
Sa'id heard this Surah for the first time from the Holy Prophet,
terrified by its last portion he might have asked the Holy Prophet the
questions which we have cited above, and he might have narrated the
incident saying that when this verse was revealed he put this and this
question to the Holy Prophet. In the absence of this tradition every
reader who reads the Qur'an with understandings will feel that it is a
Makki Surah. More than that: from its theme and style he would feel
that it must have been sent down in the earliest stage at Makkah when
the fundamental principles and beliefs of Islam were being presented
before the people in a concise but highly effective way.

Theme and Subject Matter

Its theme is the second life after death and presentation in it before
man of the full record of the deeds done by him in the world. In the
first three sentences it has been told briefly how the second life
after death will take place and how confounding it will be for man. In
the next two sentences it has been said that this very earth on which
man has lived and performed all kinds of deeds thoughtlessly, and
about which he never could fancy that this lifeless thing would at
some time in the future bear witness to his deeds, will speak out on
that Day by Allah's command and will state in respect of each
individual person what act he had committed at a particular time and
place. Then, it has been said that men on that Day, rising from their
graves, will come out in their varied groups from all corners of the
earth, to be shown their deeds and works, and their presentation of
the deeds will be so complete and detailed that not an atom's weight
of any good or evil act will be left unnoticed or hidden from his eyes.