Surah Al-Qari'ah
القارعة
Surah Al-Qari'ah is an 11-verse Meccan surah about the Striking Calamity of the Last Day and the weighing of each person's deeds.
- Meaning
- The Calamity
- Surah
- 101 of 114
- Verses
- 11
- Revealed in
- Mecca
- Found in
- Juz 30
What Surah Al-Qari'ah is about
Surah Al-Qari'ah, "The Calamity", opens with a single word, the Striker, repeated three times in verses 1 to 3 as the surah asks what it is and what will make you understand it. The name refers to the Day of Judgment as a blow that strikes hearts with fear.
Verses 4 and 5 give two images of that Day: people like scattered moths, and mountains like tufts of carded wool. Both suggest fragility and confusion, with the strongest things on earth becoming light and loose.
Verses 6 to 11 turn to the scales. The person whose scales are heavy will live a pleasant life. The person whose scales are light will have the Abyss as their home, and the surah ends by explaining that the Abyss is a raging fire.
Main themes
A Day that strikes
The triple repetition in the opening verses builds tension and gives the Day of Judgment a name that conveys its force.
Verses 1–3Moths and wool
Human beings scatter like moths and mountains become like fluffed wool. The images reverse ordinary ideas of strength and order.
Verses 4–5Heavy and light scales
Each person's deeds are weighed, and the weight decides their outcome. The surah keeps this to a few plain verses.
Verses 6–11
Verses to know
يَوۡمَ يَكُونُ ٱلنَّاسُ كَٱلۡفَرَاشِ ٱلۡمَبۡثُوثِ ﴿٤﴾ وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ ٱلۡمَنفُوشِ ﴿٥﴾
4The Day when the people will be like scattered moths. 5And the mountains will be like tufted wool.
Two memorable images of the Last Day: people like scattered moths and mountains like tufted wool.
فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتۡ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ ﴿٦﴾ فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٖ رَّاضِيَةٖ ﴿٧﴾
6As for him whose scales are heavy. 7He will be in a pleasant life.
The heavy scales leading to a pleasant life. It encourages adding good deeds, since their weight is what counts.
Surah Al-Qari'ah in Arabic and English
All 11 verses, with the Arabic, a transliteration to help you read it aloud, and the English translation by Talal Itani.
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
- 1
ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ
AlqariAAatu
The Shocker.
- 2
مَا ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ
Ma alqariAAatu
What is the Shocker?
- 3
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ
Wama adraka ma alqariAAatu
What will explain to you what the Shocker is?
- 4
يَوۡمَ يَكُونُ ٱلنَّاسُ كَٱلۡفَرَاشِ ٱلۡمَبۡثُوثِ
Yawma yakoonu alnnasu kaalfarashi almabthoothi
The Day when the people will be like scattered moths.
- 5
وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ ٱلۡمَنفُوشِ
Watakoonu aljibalu kaalAAihni almanfooshi
And the mountains will be like tufted wool.
- 6
فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتۡ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ
Faamma man thaqulat mawazeenuhu
As for him whose scales are heavy.
- 7
فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٖ رَّاضِيَةٖ
Fahuwa fee AAeeshatin radiyatin
He will be in a pleasant life.
- 8
وَأَمَّا مَنۡ خَفَّتۡ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ
Waamma man khaffat mawazeenuhu
But as for him whose scales are light.
- 9
فَأُمُّهُۥ هَاوِيَةࣱ
Faommuhu hawiyatun
His home is the Abyss.
- 10
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا هِيَهۡ
Wama adraka ma hiyah
Do you know what it is?
- 11
نَارٌ حَامِيَةُۢ
Narun hamiyatun
A Raging Fire.
Surah Al-Qari'ah PDF
The whole surah on printable pages: Arabic, transliteration and English side by side. Free to download, print and share.
Questions about Surah Al-Qari'ah
What does Al-Qari'ah mean?
Al-Qari'ah means the one that strikes or knocks, sometimes translated as the Calamity or the Shocker. It is one of the Quran's names for the Day of Judgment.
How many verses are in Surah Al-Qari'ah?
Surah Al-Qari'ah has 11 verses. It is the 101st surah and a Meccan surah.
What does Surah Al-Qari'ah say about the scales?
Verses 6 to 9 say that those whose scales are heavy with good deeds will have a pleasant life, while those whose scales are light will have the Abyss, a raging fire, as their home.