That Day, the people will depart separated [into categories] to be shown [the result of] their deeds.
7
٧
faman yaʿmal mith'qāla dharratin khayran yarahu
So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it,
8
٨
waman yaʿmal mith'qāla dharratin sharran yarahu
And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
Surah Az-Zalzalah (The Earthquake) — Full Text
Ayah 1
إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا
When the earth is shaken with its [final] earthquake
Picture this: the earth you walk on every single day — solid, stable, reliable — suddenly starts shaking with the most violent earthquake imaginable. This isn't some regular natural disaster though. This is the earthquake that signals the end of everything. It's the moment when the test of life is officially over, and the time for results has begun. That stable ground under your feet? It's about to flip your entire reality.
Ayah 2
وَأَخْرَجَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا
And the earth discharges its burdens1
As the earth shakes, it literally throws out everything buried inside it — the dead, hidden treasures, all of it. Imagine gold and silver shooting up like massive columns, and the people who killed, stole, and ruined relationships for worldly stuff are standing there saying, 'Wait... I did all that for THIS?' The earth is emptying itself of every secret it's been holding, and nothing stays buried anymore.
Ayah 3
وَقَالَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مَا لَهَا
And man says,1 "What is [wrong] with it?" -
People are going to be completely baffled. The ground they trusted their whole lives is now acting in ways they never thought possible. They'll literally be asking, 'What is happening to the earth?!' — like someone watching their entire world transform in real time. Everything familiar is changing, and the confusion and panic of that moment is almost unimaginable.
Ayah 4
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا
That Day, it will report its news
Here's where it gets really intense: the earth itself is going to start talking. It will report on everything that ever happened on its surface — every good deed, every sin, every secret moment you thought no one saw. Think of the ground beneath you as a massive recording device that's been silently capturing everything since the beginning of time. On that Day, it plays it all back.
Ayah 5
بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَىٰ لَهَا
Because your Lord has inspired [i.e., commanded] it.
Why will the earth suddenly be able to speak? Because Allah will command it to. He'll give it permission to testify, and it will obey without hesitation. That's the thing — nothing in creation can resist Allah's command. When He tells the earth to speak, it speaks. Every inch of ground you ever prayed on, sinned on, or walked across will have something to say about you.
That Day, the people will depart1 separated [into categories] to be shown [the result of] their deeds.
After all of this, people will be split up and sent off in different groups to see the results of everything they did in life. Some heading toward the best outcome imaginable, others toward the worst. No more blending in with the crowd, no more hiding behind excuses. Everyone gets sorted based on their actual track record, and each person is about to come face to face with their own life choices.
Ayah 7
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُۥ
So whoever does an atom's weight1 of good will see it,
This is one of the most powerful promises in the entire Quran: if you did even an atom's weight of good, you will see it. An atom — the tiniest thing you can imagine. That smile you gave someone, that small charity you almost didn't bother with, that moment you held your tongue when you wanted to snap — none of it is wasted. Even the smallest act of goodness, when paired with sincere faith, is recorded and will be brought back to you.
Ayah 8
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُۥ
And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
And the flip side hits just as hard: even an atom's weight of evil will show up too. Those 'small' sins you brushed off, the ones you told yourself didn't matter — they add up. Think of it like a bunch of people each bringing one small stick. Individually they seem like nothing, but pile them together and you've got a bonfire. The good news? Sincere repentance wipes the slate clean. But anything you left unaddressed? It'll be right there waiting for you. Nothing is too small to matter.