Surah Al Qariah , 101

your highness,


on the day of al qariah,
will our scale be heavy or light?
....the quintessential question only boils down to that: will yours and mine be heavy or light?

ashhaduanllah  ila haillallah, wa ash haduanna muhammadan rasullallah, ........will all that matters!
the rest can go and fly kites!

many centuries back sultan ibrahim bin adham of balkh must have mulled long and hard over this question before he forsake his istana and the glittering lights and splendour that came with it.
that time there was no simplistic 'ali -baba' business arrangement, pengarang, kertih, tengku wong or tengku gan to talk about  yet; nor 1mdb or annual timber concessions, etc and etc  and etc.

life in balkh in those days was much simpler than all these.

even then sultan ibrahim bin adham, in his glass istana, did not take very long to decide..
despite what many present day intellectuals may say , this world is, to the 'serious practising' muslim,  is 'binary':
halal or haram;
riba or non riba....
muslim or kuffar
if muslim, just muslim or mukmin..
if just muslim, munafeek or plus minus bound for al 'araf....
jannah or  an nar....

to many considerations for ibrahim bin adham, not to mentions he had ladies from all around balkh and its hinterland just tugging at his trousers all the time!!

he " feared a day when he shall be returned to allah..".....
he gave up his 'istana' and became a wandering dervish, a  very famous one to this day.

the quitessential question is, will the rest of the  present day ibrahims, maktoums and petras and  bin abdul aziz , or for that matter bin  razak, onn, or mahathir,  etc and etc of the world..... would they do the same or at least give some serious thot to it ?

we all know that  at least one bin razak has already failed miserably, at least from the perspective of this 'duniya' that we can see only superficially.

allah may look at him differently, allahualam.

about the rest, the raayats cannot say one way or other.
we will all be judged on a scale of justice, and no one will be judged with injustice!

only allah knows!


nik howk
subang jaya,
31st, march, 2019


...............................................................................

سُوۡرَةُ القَارعَة
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ (١) مَا ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ (٢) وَمَآ أَدۡرَٮٰكَ مَا ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ (٣) يَوۡمَ يَكُونُ ٱلنَّاسُ ڪَٱلۡفَرَاشِ ٱلۡمَبۡثُوثِ (٤) وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ ڪَٱلۡعِهۡنِ ٱلۡمَنفُوشِ (٥) فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتۡ مَوَٲزِينُهُ ۥ (٦) فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍ۬ رَّاضِيَةٍ۬ (٧) وَأَمَّا مَنۡ خَفَّتۡ مَوَٲزِينُهُ ۥ (٨) فَأُمُّهُ ۥ هَاوِيَةٌ۬ (٩) وَمَآ أَدۡرَٮٰكَ مَا هِيَهۡ (١٠) نَارٌ حَامِيَةُۢ (١١)

Surah Al-Qaria
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

The Calamity! (1) What is the Calamity? (2) Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Calamity is! (3) A day wherein mankind will be as thickly-scattered moths (4) And the mountains will become as carded wool. (5) Then, as for him whose scales are heavy (with good works), (6) He will live a pleasant life. (7) But as for him whose scales are light, (8) The bereft and Hungry One will be his mother, (9) Ah, what will convey unto thee what she is! - (10) Raging Fire. (11)

Translation by Pickthal

Recitation by qari , the late Shaykh Abdul Basit,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byin2eypSys

  

Reflection and commentary by  Shaykh Riyadh Ul Haq,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKN9EyoBJMo



Sayyid Qutb's reflection on Surah Al Qariah, from 'Fi Zilalil Quran' ,

Surah 101
The Striker - al Qari'ah

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful!

The striker! What is the striker? Would that you knew what the striker is! The day when men shall be scaterred moths, and the mountains like carded wool. Then he whose scales are heavy, shall enjoy a life of satisfaction. But he whose scales are light, shall have the abyss for his home. Would that you knew what this is like. It is a raging fire.

Commentary:

"Al-Qaari'a' or the Striker is the resurrection named in other places in the Qur'an as the Overwhelming One, the Deafening Shout, the Stunning Blast and the Enveloper. The term al-Qaari'a also connotes hitting and knocking hard. It hits the hearts with its engulfing horrors.

The surah as a whole deals with the Striker, its essence, what takes place in it and what it leads to in the end. Thus the surah portrays one of the scenes of the resurrection.

The scene portrayed here is one of horror directly affecting man and mountains. In this scene men look dwarfish in spite of their great number. For they are "like scattered moths"; they fly here and there having no power or weight, experiencing the dilemma and perplexity of moths which rush to destruction, having no aim or purpose.

Besides, mountains which used to be firm and solidly based seem to be like carded wool carried away by winds, and even by a light breeze. Thus, it is in harmony with this image that the Day of Resurrection is described as the one that strikes or knocks out. The connotations of the expressions used and the rhythm are in consonance with the effects of the Striker on both men and mountains. The surah spreads an air of awe and expectation of the outcome of the reckoning.

"The Striker! What is the Striker! Would that you knew what the Striker is!" This surah starts with the single word "Al-Qaari'a" which stands for "the Striker". It is thrown alone like a shot without any further information or any predicate or adjective. As such it creates through its sound and connotations a feeling of resounding awe. The word is immediately followed by a question suggesting something alarming: "What is the Striker?" It is that dreadful and formidable thing which arouses curiosity and questioning. Then comes the answer in the form of a cryptic exclamation, giving no clear indication: "Would that you knew what the Striker is!!" It is too great to be comprehended or imagined. Then follows the answer which states what takes place in it but refrains from stating its exact nature: "The day when men shall be like scattered moths and the mountains like carded wool"

This is the first scene of the Striker, a scene that leaves the hearts in panic and makes the limbs tremble with fear. The listener feels that everything he clings to in this world is flying all around him like dust. Then comes the end of all mankind. "Then he whose scales are heavy shall enjoy a life of satisfaction. But he whose scales are light shall have the abyss for his home. Would that you knew what this is like! It is a raging fire". It is useful for us to consider the "scales" and their being heavy or light. This means that there are standards which Allah credits with being valuable and others that are valueless. This is the general meaning of the statement which Allah wants to convey. He, however, knows best the exact nature of these "scales". To indulge in a sophisticated, logical and linguistic dispute about the meaning of this term is in itself a departure from the Qur'anic spirit and indicates that the reader is not interested in the Qur'an and in Islam.

"He whose scales are heavy" according to Allah's measures and His evaluation, "shall enjoy a life of satisfaction". Allah makes this statement general without any detailed information. Thus, the statement imparts to man's feelings the connotations of content and satisfaction or, indeed, pure happiness. "But he whose scales are light", according to the same measures of Allah and His evaluation, "shall have the abyss for his home" The Arabic text uses the term "mother" for what is rendered here as "home". It is to his mother that a child turns for help and protection as he seeks shelter and security at home. But such people with light scales can turn and resort only to the abyss! The expression is a fine one, beautifully ordered. It has also a shade of obscurity preparing the way for subsequent clarification which adds to the depth of the intended effect: " Would that you knew what this is like!" It is again the cryptic exclamation used often in the Qur'an which emphasises that it is beyond comprehension and vision. Then comes the answer in the closing note: "It is a raging fire". So this is the mother of the one whose scales are light. This is his mother to whom he turns for help and protection and for security and comfort. But what does he find with such a mother? - The abyss and the raging fire. It is a sudden shock rendered by the expression to represent the hard reality.