Surah 101
Al-Qāriʿa
القارعة
11 verses · Meccan
Key structural observations
- Al-Qāriʿah appears three times: the name alone, a question about it, then a question about knowing it. The return of wa-mā adrāka near the end connects the greatness of the Day with that of the abyss (1–3, 10).
- Yakūnu and takūnu, two comparative kāf, then mabthūth and manfūsh parallel scattered people and loosened mountains. This common scene precedes the personal account (4–5).
- An-nās becomes man in the two branches of the scales. Ammā, mawāzīnuhu and the fā of the outcomes preserve a parallel construction, while thaqulat opposes khaffat (4, 6–9).
- The first outcome places the person within a pleasing life; the second names the abyss as his place of return. The weight of the scales leads to two distinct dwellings (6–9).
- The final question repeats wa-mā adrāka, with a pronoun referring to the abyss. Nārun ḥāmiyah answers by naming the Fire; the endings rāḍiyah, hāwiyah and ḥāmiyah connect the destinations through sound (7, 9–11).