Az-Zalzalah is a comprehensive surah: a man asked the Prophet ﷺ for such a surah, he taught it to him, the man swore never to add to it, and the Prophet ﷺ said: “The little man has succeeded!” It is reported, through weak chains that strengthen one another, to equal half the Qur’an. The Prophet ﷺ recited it after the witr and in the dawn prayer.
An elderly man asked the Prophet ﷺ to teach him a comprehensive surah, and he taught him Az-Zalzalah. The man swore never to add to it, and the Prophet ﷺ said: “The little man has succeeded!” It indeed gathers the essentials of the Hereafter: the Resurrection, the raising and the recompense.
It is reported to equal half the Qur’an through chains that are all weak, but only slightly: together they make the hadith good (hasan li-ghayrihi). At-Tibi explains that the Qur’an chiefly deals with the beginning and the return, and Az-Zalzalah is devoted entirely to the return.
The Prophet ﷺ prayed two rak’ahs sitting after the witr, reciting Al-Kafirun and Az-Zalzalah in them; according to An-Nawawi, he did so to show that it is permissible, without making it a habit.
It contains Allah’s words: “Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it”, a verse the Messenger of Allah ﷺ described as unique and all-embracing (al-fadhdhah al-jami’ah).
A surah of the Mufassal
It belongs to the Mufassal by which the Prophet ﷺ was favoured over the other prophets, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’: “… and I was favoured with the Mufassal.”
When to recite it
In the dawn prayer: the Prophet ﷺ recited it in both rak’ahs (Abu Dawud)
In the two rak’ahs the Prophet ﷺ sometimes prayed sitting after the witr, with Al-Kafirun (Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban)
Hadiths on its virtues
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
فقال الرجل: ولكن اقرئني يا رسول الله سورة جامعة، فاقرأه ﴿إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ﴾ حتى فرغ منها. قال الرجل: والذي بعثك بالحق لا أزيد عليها أبدًا، ثم أدبر الرجل فقال رسول الله ﷺ: أفلح الرويجل، أفلح الرويجل
A man came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asking him to teach him to recite… The man said: “Rather, teach me, O Messenger of Allah, a comprehensive surah.” So he taught him “When the earth is shaken” until he finished it. The man said: “By the One who sent you with the truth, I will never add anything to it.” Then he turned away, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The little man has succeeded! The little man has succeeded!”
﴿إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ﴾ تعدل نصف القرآن و ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾ تعدل ثلث القرآن، و ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ تعدل ربع القرآن
“When the earth is shaken” equals half of the Qur’an, “Say: He is Allah, the One” equals a third of the Qur’an, and “Say: O disbelievers” equals a quarter of the Qur’an.
أنه سمع النبي ﷺ يقرأ في الصبح ﴿إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ﴾ في الركعتين كلتيهما، فلا أدري أنسي رسول الله ﷺ أم قرأ ذلك عمدًا
He heard the Prophet ﷺ recite “When the earth is shaken” in both rak’ahs of the dawn prayer; “I do not know whether the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forgot or recited it deliberately.”
فلما أسن رسول الله ﷺ وأخذ اللحم، جعل الثمان ستًّا ويوتر بالسابعة، ويصلي ركعتين وهو جالس يقرأ فيهما بـ ﴿قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ و ﴿إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ﴾
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ grew older and gained weight, he reduced the eight rak’ahs to six, made the witr with the seventh, then prayed two rak’ahs sitting, reciting in them “Say: O disbelievers” and “When the earth is shaken”.
What the surah is about
The reality of the Day of Resurrection and its terrors
The violent earthquake that will occur when Allah permits the Hour to come
Everyone will be recompensed for his deeds in this world, good or evil
The precision of the Reckoning: whoever does an atom’s weight of good or evil will see it
Main purpose: To remind of the terrors of the Resurrection and the precision of its Reckoning.
About Surah Az-Zalzalah
Az-Zalzalah, also called “Idha zulzilat” and “Az-Zilzal”, is Meccan, or Medinan according to some. It has eight verses in the Kufan count and nine in the others; it is the 99th surah in the order of the Qur’an. It opens with the violent earthquake that will occur when Allah permits the Hour to come and people to be raised for the Reckoning.
