Surah 101
Surah Al-Qari'ah (The Calamity)
القارعة
Also written: Qariah
Surah Al-Qari'ah (القارعة) is surah 101 of the 114 surahs of the Quran. It has 11 ayahs, was revealed in Mecca (Meccan), and its name means “The Calamity”.
- Number
- 101
- Ayahs
- 11
- Revelation
- Meccan
- Meaning
- The Calamity
Names, meaning and Meccan/Medinan classification as listed in the quran-json dataset.
About Surah Al-Qari'ah
Al-Qari’ah, “The Calamity”, names the Day of Judgement with a word suggesting a sudden, pounding blow. The surah repeats the word as a question to build a sense of awe, then describes people scattered like moths and mountains like tufts of wool. Everything then depends on one thing: whether a person’s scales of deeds are heavy or light.
Verse by verse
- The question (101:1–3): the calamity — what is the calamity? — and what will make you understand it?
- The scene (101:4–5): people like moths spread in all directions, mountains like carded wool.
- Heavy scales (101:6–7): a life of contentment.
- Light scales (101:8–11): their refuge is Hawiyah, an abyss, explained as a blazing fire.
Images that teach
The two similes are carefully chosen. Moths flutter confusedly towards a light, which captures how disoriented and weak people will be. Mountains, the most solid things people know, become as light as fluffed wool. The word translated as refuge in verse 9 literally means “mother”: the abyss will hold a person as closely as a mother holds a child — a chilling reversal that commentators often highlight.
Together with Az-Zalzalah, Al-'Adiyat and At-Takathur, Al-Qari’ah forms a group of short surahs near the end of the Quran that focus on the Last Day and the weighing of deeds.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Al-Qari'ah mean?
- The Striking Calamity, a name for the Day of Judgement.
- What is Hawiyah?
- The abyss mentioned in verse 9, explained in the following verses as an intensely hot fire.
- How many verses are in Surah Al-Qari'ah?
- 11.
- How many ayahs are in Surah Al-Qari'ah?
- Surah Al-Qari'ah has 11 ayahs. It is surah number 101 in the Quran and is Meccan.
- Can I read Surah Al-Qari'ah in English or save it as a PDF?
- Yes. This page shows the Arabic text of every ayah with the Saheeh International English meaning under it. Use “Print / Save as PDF” for a clean printable copy that you can save as a PDF file from your browser.
- Is Surah Al-Qari'ah the same as Surah Qariah?
- Yes. Qariah and Al-Qari'ah are different English spellings of the same surah name, القارعة.
Summaries describe the surah’s content and commonly cited reports for general readers; they are not a tafsir or a religious ruling.
Making a video of Surah Al-Qari'ah
With 11 ayahs, Surah Al-Qari'ah is short enough for a single vertical video. Select all ayahs on the new-project page, load a recitation, and use “Highlight current ayah” to keep the whole surah on screen while each ayah is emphasised as it is recited.
In the editor, the Online Recitations tab lists the reciters Quran Foundation provides for this surah. See how to create a Quran video for the full steps.
Free · no account needed · MP4 export
Surah Al-Qari'ah in Arabic with English meaning
Arabic: Uthmani script from The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia (quranenc.com), Uthmani script, via quran-json (CC-BY-SA 4.0), shown as in the verified dataset; open-tanween marks use the equivalent codepoints this font draws, as in the editor. English meaning: Saheeh International (tanzil.net). A translation conveys the meaning; it is not the Quran itself.
ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ ١
101:1The Striking Calamity
مَا ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ ٢
101:2What is the Striking Calamity
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ ٣
101:3And what can make you know what is the Striking Calamity
يَوۡمَ يَكُونُ ٱلنَّاسُ كَٱلۡفَرَاشِ ٱلۡمَبۡثُوثِ ٤
101:4It is the Day when people will be like moths, dispersed
وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ ٱلۡمَنفُوشِ ٥
101:5And the mountains will be like wool, fluffed up
فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتۡ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ ٦
101:6Then as for one whose scales are heavy [with good deeds]
فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةࣲ رَّاضِيَةࣲ ٧
101:7He will be in a pleasant life
وَأَمَّا مَنۡ خَفَّتۡ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ ٨
101:8But as for one whose scales are light
فَأُمُّهُۥ هَاوِيَةࣱ ٩
101:9His refuge will be an abyss
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا هِيَهۡ ١٠
101:10And what can make you know what that is
نَارٌ حَامِيَةُۢ ١١
101:11It is a Fire, intensely hot