Introduction
These two sūrahs form a pair since they discuss the same subject. The first sūrah warns the Quraysh of the events which shall take place on the Day of Judgement, while the second, with reference to this Great Day, warns them of the attitude they have adopted about Allah inspite of being blessed with tremendous favours by Him.
Though the Sūrahs do not directly address someone, yet their words are directed at the leadership of the Quraysh.
A look at the contents of the sūrahs shows that, like the previous sūrahs, they were revealed in Mecca just before the Prophet's migration to Medina in the phase of Itmām-i-Hujjat. In this phase of his mission, the Prophet (sws) was revealing the truth to them in its ultimate form after which they could have no excuse to deny it.
Central Themes
The central theme of Sūrah Zilzāl is to warn the Quraysh with reference to the Day of Judgement: they must not remain in any sort of misconception about it; nothing, on that Day, shall remain hidden from Allah. All of mans deeds whether good or bad, small or big shall come before him.
In Sūrah ‘Adiyāt, the central theme is to warn the Quraysh through the Day of Judgement mentioned in the previous sūrah that they must contemplate what their fate shall be since inspite of reaping the benefits of peace and tranquility by living as the custodians of the Baytullah in the war stricken atmosphere of Arabia they have adopted an attitude of ingratitude.
Sūrah Zilzāl
In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the ever Merciful.
[They should remember the Day] when the earth is shaken the way it should be shaken1, and it casts forth its burdens2. And man shall cry out: `what is the matter with her?' On that Day, she will narrate all her story at the intimation of your Lord3. (1-5)
On that Day, men will issue forth alone so that their deeds can be shown to them4 Then whoever has done the smallest bit of good he also shall see it, and whoever has done the smallest bit of evil, he also shall see it5. (6-8)
Sūrah ‘Adiyāt6
In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the ever Merciful.
Gasping galloping horses, then striking fire with their hooves, then rading at dawn, then blazing a trail of dust in it and penetrating with it into a throng -- they bear witness that [this] man [living in the peaceful surroundings of the Baytullah] is very ungrateful to his Lord7. And to this attitude, he himself is a witness8. And mad is he in the love of wealth9. (1-8)
Is he not aware of the time when graves are laid open and whatever is in the hearts is taken out10. Indeed, on that Day, your Lord shall be well aware [of all their deeds]11. (9-11)
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1. ie the actual way in which the earth will reel, totter and stagger as pre-ordained by the Almighty is an event beyond imagination.
2. Here, the foremost connotation of the word `burden' is the dead who lie buried in the earth, who will be thrown overboard on the Day of Judgement. But, since the word also has a general denotion therefore, it can also imply the buried riches and treasures as well as any traces of the offences committed by criminals, which they had hidden beneath the earth.
3. Whatever a person does in this world, is either done upon or beneath the earth. As such it must be regarded as the greatest witness to all his deeds. It is clear that the earth will rehearse everyone's record at the behest of God only. Whatever will happen will happen because the Almighty had ordered it and all will be compelled to obey him.
4. This is a description of a person's helplessness on that Day. People will emerge from their graves without having their family about them. No tribesmen or relatives, comrades or supporters will be present along with them. Also, they will be without the pomp and show and the worldly riches they had amassed. Even the deities they had associated with God will not be present to intercede for them. Everyone will stand alone to reckon with the results of his own deeds.
5. Showing man his deeds, of course, is a requirement of justice. A person will be rewarded or punished only after the verdict is delivered on the basis of his deeds and he himself is convinced of the fate he deserves. Moreover, a believer might not see some of his evil deeds because some of the good ones will have compensated for them. Similarly, a disbeliever will not find all his good deeds in his record because some of his misdeeds and heretical beliefs will have rendered them null and void, eluding him from their reward.
6. The various oaths mentioned in the Qur’ān are meant to present an evidence which substantiates a claim. The muqsim bihi (object of oath) serves as an evidence for the point made in the muqsim alaih (complement of oath), which sometimes is stated just after the muqsim bihi and at other times is suppressed when it is too obvious to be expressed. In this particular sūrah, the objects of oath are the first five verses which depict the scene of a typical assault launched to ravage and plunder a settlement at dawn. The complement of oath is the ungrateful attitude of the Quraysh -- the custodians of the Baytullah.
7. Mounting a raid on caravans and settlements to loot and plunder them was a common feature of the pre-Islamic Arabian society. However, the Quraysh, being the custodians of the Baytullah, commanded great respect in the whole of Arabia and all their caravans and settlements were protected in every part of the country. In fact, any tribe who became their ally was also treated with similar regard. The Quraysh instead of being thankful to their Lord for this favour became arrogant and rebellious.
8. A parenthetical sentence: no external argument is needed to decide what is wrong or right; a person's conscience is enough to pronounce the verdict.
9. The reason for this misconduct is indifference caused by the love of wealth and riches.
10. Not only shall the dead be raised up from their graves but whatever was in their hearts shall be exposed and examined to determine the good and evil within them. Only then shall the judgement be passed.
11. No deed, however small done in the most secret of places, will remain hidden from the Almighty. This again is a comment on the views of the disbelievers who maintained that how could someone have knowledge of deeds done secretly.