Day 22 – Sūrat al-Zilzal

Brief Info
Sūrat al-Zilzāl, No. 99. Revealed in Madinah, 8 verses.

Merits of reciting the Sūra.
The Prophet sallal-lāhu ‘alayhi wa-ālihi wasallam has said: Whoever recites it, it is as though he has recited al-Baqarah and will be rewarded like the one who has recited a fourth of the Quran.

Imam al-Sadiq (a) emphasized reciting this sūra in Nawāfil prayers, saying it would keep the reciter safe from the earthquake and natural calamities.

Note: According to scholars such a reward is for those who heed the message of the sūra.

Synopsis of contents
1) The natural events that will occur before the Day of Judgment (verses 1-3)
2) The earth will bear witness to the deeds of human beings (verses 4-5)
3)  Facing the results of actions in the world (verses 6-8).

Some Lessons from the Sūra
1) Natural phenomena will change completely at the onset of the Day of Judgement.
2) The earth on which we live will bear witness to our deeds.
3) Every big and small deed of the human being is recorded and will be brought up on that Day.

Select verses for memorization in Arabic and English.
It is advisable that the entire sūra be memorized and often recited in salat.

Activities for self-study
1) Read the following hadith about the earth:
– Protect the earth, because she is your mother; and there is no one on her who does good or evil, but that she reports it. Holy Prophet (s)
– Say your prayers at different points in the Mosques, because on the Day of Judgement every part will bear witness for the one who has prayed thereon. Imam Ali (a)
(Both Hadith taken from Tafsir Namūne)
What do these hadith tell you about the earth? What are you doing to show respect for the earth?

2) There will be many different witnesses to the deeds of human being on the Day of Judgment. For a list of witnesses and the verses that talk about each witness check: https://en.wikishia.net/view/Qiyama#Witnesses

Sources
Āyatullāh Nāsir Makārim Shirazi (Ed.) Tafsir Namūnehttps://www.al-islam.org/enlightening-commentary-light-holy-quran-vol-20/surah-shams-chapter-91; M. H. Shakir, Holy Qur’an Translation; Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’an With a Phrase-by-Phrase English.

Past lessons of Sūra Familiarization available at:
www.academyofislam.com/resources/quran/surafamiliarization/

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