Tafseer of Surah Zilzaal

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا ‎﴿١﴾‏ وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا ‎﴿٢﴾‏ وَقَالَ الْإِنسَانُ مَا لَهَا ‎﴿٣﴾‏ يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا ‎﴿٤﴾‏ بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَىٰ لَهَا ‎﴿٥﴾‏ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ النَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا أَعْمَالَهُمْ ‎﴿٦﴾‏ فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ ‎﴿٧﴾‏ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ ‎﴿٨﴾‏

When the earth will be shaken with its convulsions. And the earth will throw up all its burdens. And mankind will say, “What has happened to it?” On that day, it will relate all its happenings, because your Rabb will have so commanded it. On that day, the people will return (from the place of reckoning) in different groups, so that they may be shown (the fruits of) their deeds. So, whoever does any good deed (even) to the weight of an atom, he will see it. And whoever does evil (even) to the weight of an atom, he will see it.

إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا ‎﴿١﴾‏ وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا ‎﴿٢﴾‏ وَقَالَ الْإِنسَانُ مَا لَهَا ‎﴿٣﴾

When the earth will be shaken with its convulsions. And the earth will throw up all its burdens. And mankind will say, “What has happened to it?”

On the day of Qiyaamah, the earth will begin to tremble and shake with convulsions.  It will throw out all its burdens and reveal whatever it has contained within its belly.

The burdens thrown out by the earth refers to the people buried in graves and the treasures, be it gold, silver, rubies, diamonds, and other substances that were concealed in the earth. These treasures will be lying scattered on the ground, unattended, to demonstrate their worthlessness before the creation on that day.

According to an authentic Hadith narrated by Imaam Muslim (rahimahullah), “A murderer will come and say, ‘Is it for this that I had killed a person?’ The one who had broken ties of kinship on account of wealth will come and say, ‘Is it for this that I had severed ties of kinship?’”

Similarly, the earth will reveal all its information regarding the happenings and occurrences that took place on it. It will reveal the good deeds and the bad deeds that people had carried out on it. On that day, man will witness the earth throwing out its burdens and giving information, and in amazement, he will ask, “What has happened to the earth?”

يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا ‎﴿٤﴾

On that day, it will relate all its happenings

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) explained this verse by saying, “The earth will testify regarding all the deeds carried out on it by people, whether men or women.”

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ النَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا أَعْمَالَهُمْ ‎﴿٦﴾

On that day, the people will return (from the place of reckoning) in different groups, so that they may be shown (the fruits of) their deeds.

In this world, we find that all people, good and bad, are seen together without any separation. However, on that day, Allah Ta‘ala will divide the people into various groups in accordance to their actions. The good people will be a separate group and the evil people will be a separate group. In this manner, the outcome of people’s actions will be exposed before people.

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ ‎﴿٧﴾‏ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ ‎﴿٨﴾

So, whoever does any good deed (even) to the weight of an atom, he will see it. And whoever does evil (even) to the weight of an atom, he will see it.

A person’s deed, even equivalent to the weight of an atom, will be seen. Hence, man should never consider any action to be trivial or insignificant. A person should value every small deed and fear every evil deed, despite how small it may seem. It is possible that the small deed which is considered insignificant may be the means of his salvation and success in the hereafter. Likewise, it is possible that the small evil deed may be the means of his doom and destruction.