إِذَا رُجَّتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ رَجًّا 4
Translations
When the earth is shaken with convulsion
Transliteration
Idha rujjati al-ard rajja
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the violent shaking and convulsion of the earth on the Day of Judgment, when the earth will be shaken repeatedly with intense tremors. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the word 'rajja' (shaking) emphasizes the severity and repetitive nature of these earthquakes, signifying the complete upheaval of the earthly order as a prelude to the resurrection. This imagery underscores the absolute power of Allah and the certainty of the Day of Judgment, when all creation will be in turmoil.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Waqi'ah is a Meccan surah that focuses on vivid descriptions of the Day of Judgment and the Hereafter to motivate believers toward righteousness and warn disbelievers of accountability. This ayah appears at the beginning of the surah as part of the opening description of apocalyptic events, establishing the theme that the Hour (Yawm al-Qiyamah) is inevitable and will be marked by catastrophic natural phenomena.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said regarding the signs of the Hour: 'The Hour will not be established till...the earth will shake' (Sahih Bukhari 4635). Additionally, Surah Az-Zilzal (99:1-2) provides complementary imagery: 'When the earth is shaken with its [final] earthquake, and the earth discharges its burdens.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that despite the apparent stability and permanence of the earthly realm, nothing is eternal except Allah's dominion, and all worldly attachments are temporary. It serves as a powerful call to spiritual consciousness and moral responsibility, encouraging believers to prioritize their relationship with Allah over material pursuits.
Related Ayahs
ٱسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِرَبِّكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ مَا لَكُم مِّن مَّلْجَإٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن نَّكِيرٍ
Respond to your Lord before a Day comes from Allāh of which there is no repelling. No refuge will you have that Day, nor for you will there be any denial.
يَقُولُونَ أَءِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِى ٱلْحَافِرَةِ
They are [presently] saying, "Will we indeed be returned to [our] former state [of life]?
نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌۢ
It is a Fire, intensely hot.
وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَن يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَآ أَبْصَـٰرُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن ظَنَنتُمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيرًا مِّمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
And you were not covering [i.e., protecting] yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, but you assumed that Allāh does not know much of what you do.