بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم

This lesson Ustaadh Abu Humayd goes through Surah Al-Qari’ah. Al Qari’ah is from the names of the day of judgment. One of the reasons for this is that it brings terror and alarm to the hearts. This is what that day will do to the hearts.  This Surah was revealed in Makkah.

This Surah comes after Surah Al-Adiyat.

ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ (١)

The Calamity! (1)

مَا ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ (٢)

What is the Calamity? (2)

وَمَآ أَدۡرَٮٰكَ مَا ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ (٣)

Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Calamity is! (3)

This question is put in this ayah due to the fact that the people do not know the severity of this day.

يَوۡمَ يَكُونُ ٱلنَّاسُ ڪَٱلۡفَرَاشِ ٱلۡمَبۡثُوثِ (٤)

A day wherein mankind will be as thickly-scattered moths (4)

The example of the moth is placed here as the moth generally do not know the direction in which they travel, they travel towards the light. And this is the comparison to the state the people will be in on the day of judgment.

وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ ڪَٱلۡعِهۡنِ ٱلۡمَنفُوشِ (٥)

And the mountains will become as carded wool. (5)

Generally, we see that when wool is carded and teased it becomes light and travels with the wind with ease. Such will be the case for the mountains.

فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتۡ مَوَٲزِينُهُ ۥ (٦)

Then, as for him whose scales are heavy (with good works), (6)

The meaning here is the one whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds.

فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍ۬ رَّاضِيَةٍ۬ (٧)

He will live a pleasant life. (7)

He will live a pleasant life, meaning in Paradise.

وَأَمَّا مَنۡ خَفَّتۡ مَوَٲزِينُهُ ۥ (٨)

But as for him whose scales are light, (8)

This ayah refers to the category of people whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds. This includes the non-muslims and the muslims.

فَأُمُّهُ ۥ هَاوِيَةٌ۬ (٩)

The bereft and Hungry One will be his mother, (9)

Meaning the place of rest and abode for this person will be a pit from the hell-fire.

وَمَآ أَدۡرَٮٰكَ مَا هِيَهۡ (١٠)

Ah, what will convey unto thee what she is! – (10)

نَارٌ حَامِيَةُۢ (١١)

Raging Fire. (11)

The fire of this earth is only a part of the fire of the hereafter. The fire of the hereafter is superior to this world by sixty-nine parts.

This is a clear reminder, as when we are burned, even by a small amount in this dunya, we are placed in severe pain. And we ask Allaah for refuge from the fire.

Question: When Allaah mentioned scales in ayah 6 of this surah, is it a single scale or is it plural?

Some of the people of knowledge, such as Shaykh Uthaymeen say it is one scale, and the only reason why the plural is used is due to the things that are weighed, and not the scale itself, e.g. the good deeds and the bad deeds that will be weighed.

To conclude, this Surah does not mention those people whose good deeds are equal to their bad deeds.

In Surah Al-A’raf Allaah mentions how the people of Jannah will enter Jannah and the people of hell-fire will enter the hell-fire and between them will be a barrier. There will be a’raf (a barrier) where there will be men who will recognise the people by their faces (those with white faces being of Paradise and those with black faces being of the hell-fire) and men whose good deeds were equal to their bad deeds; and so their good deeds prevented them from entering the hell-fire, and yet their bad deeds prevented their good deeds from entering paradise.

Due to Allaah’s mercy, they will enter Paradise, they are the last of those who will enter paradise, without ever entering Paradise.