SURAH 101 — Al-Qāri‘ah — القارعة — “The Calamity”
• Revelation Order: 30
• Event Anchor: Early Meccan eschatological warning period (c. 613–617 CE)
Explanation:
Al-Qāri‘ah delivers an intense depiction of the Day of Judgment, characterized by chaos, upheaval, and the decisive weighing of deeds. This tone corresponds to the early Meccan phase when the Qur’an emphasized dramatic eschatological imagery to shake a complacent, idol-centered society. The surah’s rapid-fire style and vivid descriptions match a moment when the Prophet used powerful reminders of the afterlife to challenge Meccan denial and provoke moral reflection in listeners unaccustomed to such apocalyptic rhetoric.
| Verse | Verse # | Meccan v Medinan | General Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Striking Calamity – | 1 | Meccan | 6158 |
| What is the Striking Calamity? | 2 | Meccan | 6159 |
| And what can make you know what is the Striking Calamity? | 3 | Meccan | 6160 |
| It is the Day when people will be like moths, dispersed, | 4 | Meccan | 6161 |
| And the mountains will be like wool, fluffed up. | 5 | Meccan | 6162 |
| Then as for one whose scales are heavy [with good deeds], | 6 | Meccan | 6163 |
| He will be in a pleasant life. | 7 | Meccan | 6164 |
| But as for one whose scales are light, | 8 | Meccan | 6165 |
| His refuge will be an abyss. | 9 | Meccan | 6166 |
| And what can make you know what that is? | 10 | Meccan | 6167 |
| It is a Fire, intensely hot. | 11 | Meccan | 6168 |