وَأَلقَت ما فيها وَتَخَلَّت
وَأَذِنَت لِرَبِّها وَحُقَّت
And throws out what is in it, emptying itself,
and gives ear to its Lord as it should.
EXPOSITION
The earth will throw out whatever people are buried in it, emptying itself, so that no dead will any longer remain in it. It does this by the command of God, as it should.
As we mentioned in the previous verse, the final hour will be marked by cataclysmic earthquakes. The Quran highlights two of these, The day when the quaker (al-rājifah) quakes and is followed by the successor (al-rādifah) (79:6-7). The first, al-rājifah, is apparently the earthquake which occurs during the end times, prior to the first blowing of the trumpet: O mankind! Be wary of your Lord! Indeed the quake of the hour is a terrible thing. The day that you will see it, every suckling female will neglect what she suckled, and every pregnant female will deliver her burden, and you will see the people drunk, yet they will not be drunken, but Allah’s punishment is severe (22:1-2).
This first quake will eventually – along with other cataclysmic events mentioned in the Quran – result in the end of all life on earth. This earthquake may very well be linked to other verses of the Quran that speak of the final hour. We may imagine that this violent seismic activity will be accompanied with the expulsion of massive amounts of volcanic material, which could cause the sky to be filled with a manifest smoke, enveloping the people (44:10-11), as huge amounts of volcanic ash fill the atmosphere. This could also very well be linked to the seas being set afire (81:6) – as volcanic material erupts from the oceanic fault lines – and merged (82:3), as entire continents shift.
The second, al-rādifah, is apparently the earthquake that accompanies the second blowing of the trumpet. When this occurs, the graves are overturned (82:4) and all people will rise up, looking on (39:68).
It has been claimed that this verse means the earth will expel any minerals (maʿādin) that are within it, like a pregnant woman expelling her child in a moment of intense duress. This could be interpreted to mean the volcanic eruptions we have already mentioned, as material and minerals deep inside the earth are expelled. Others have said it means to expel any treasures that are buried in it. This is linked to the previous verse as it intends the gold and silver and other precious minerals within it. Emptying itself is also said to mean that it will no longer have any mountains or seas.
None of these are in contradiction to what we mentioned earlier, albeit it is likely that the expulsion of minerals is what occurs during the first quake, al-rājifah, as people will be looking on (as is understood from 22:2).
Verses 99:1-3 state: When the earth is rocked with a terrible quake, and the earth discharges her burdens, and man says: ‘What is the matter with her?’ This statement of amazement by man is said during the second quake, al-rādifah, which throws them out of their graves, as evidenced by 99:6: On that day, mankind will issue forth in various groups to be shown their deeds.
For a discussion on these and more, see also the commentary on 99:2.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
-
‘But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.’
-
‘Have you commanded the morning in your days, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?’
[1] Qummi, 2/412; Tabrisi, 10/699; Tabari, 30/73; Thalabi, 10/158; Baghawi, 5/228; Qurtubi, 19/270; Mizan, 20/242.
[2] Tibyan, 10/308.
[3] Tabrisi, 10/699; Thalabi, 10/158; Baghawi, 5/228. Abū Ḥayyān criticises this, saying this will occur when Dajjāl appears (Muhit, 10/436).
[4] Related in Tabrisi, 10/699; Qurtubi, 19/270.
[5] Isaiah 26:19.
[6] Job 38:12-13.