وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا هِيَهْ 10
Translations
And what can make you know what that is?
Transliteration
Wa mā adrāka mā hiyah
Tafsir (Explanation)
This rhetorical question emphasizes the incomprehensibility and terrifying nature of the Day of Judgment (Yawm al-Qiyāmah) to human minds. The phrase 'And what can make you know what it is?' conveys that no description or imagination can adequately capture the magnitude of that Day, as explained by classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir. This technique of repetition and questioning is used throughout Surah Al-Qari'ah to stress the gravity and overwhelming reality of the Last Hour.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Qari'ah is a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of Islam to warn the disbelievers of Mecca about the certainty of the Day of Judgment. This particular ayah continues the surah's theme of describing the Calamity—the sudden and catastrophic event of the Day of Judgment—using vivid imagery and rhetorical questions to awaken the hearts of the listeners and emphasize that human understanding falls short of grasping its true reality.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The Hour will not be established till the sun rises from the west; and when the people see it, whoever is on the earth will believe.' (Sahih Bukhari 3194). This hadith relates to the signs preceding the Day of Judgment mentioned in Surah Al-Qari'ah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that the Day of Judgment is beyond human comprehension and imagination, urging constant mindfulness of the Hereafter and sincere repentance in this life. It teaches humility before Divine mysteries and the importance of preparing spiritually for events whose true magnitude we cannot fully grasp.
Related Ayahs
لَوْ كَانَ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ ءَالِهَةً مَّا وَرَدُوهَا ۖ وَكُلٌّ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ
Had these [false deities] been [actual] gods, they would not have come to it, but all are eternal therein.
فَإِنَّمَا هِىَ زَجْرَةٌ وَٰحِدَةٌ
Indeed, it will be but one shout,
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ كَأَن لَّمْ يَلْبَثُوٓا۟ إِلَّا سَاعَةً مِّنَ ٱلنَّهَارِ يَتَعَارَفُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ قَدْ خَسِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِلِقَآءِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُهْتَدِينَ
And on the Day when He will gather them, [it will be] as if they had not remained [in the world] but an hour of the day, [and] they will know each other. Those will have lost who denied the meeting with Allāh and were not guided.
هَلَكَ عَنِّى سُلْطَـٰنِيَهْ
Gone from me is my authority."