Surah Al-Qari‘ah Full Text — The Striking Calamity (Hafs)

About Surah Al-Qari‘ah

Surah Al-Qari‘ah is the 101st surah in the order of the mushaf, and one of the Meccan surahs — revealed to the Prophet ﷺ before the migration to Madinah. It contains 11 ayahs, and it is the twenty-fourth surah of Juz ‘Amma, the final part of the Quran that most Muslims begin their memorisation with.

The surah opens with the word «al-Qari‘ah» itself — “the Striking Calamity” — one of the names of the Day of Resurrection, followed at once by two questions that arrest the reader: «Ma al-Qari‘ah» (“What is the Striking Calamity?”) and «Wa ma adraka mal-Qari‘ah» (“And what can make you know what the Striking Calamity is?”). It answers with a picture of that Day — people like scattered moths, and the mountains like carded wool — before turning to the weighing of deeds, and closing with a third question about the abyss, hawiyah, answered in a single phrase: a scorching Fire.

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, the reading used in most of the Muslim world, in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

Virtues and place of Surah Al-Qari‘ah

1. A question that arrests the heart

Surah Al-Qari‘ah opens with the Quran’s characteristic rhythm of question and answer: a striking word, then “What is it?”, then “And what can make you know what it is?” — a pattern that stops the reader before delivering its weightiest truths. Only after this is the Striking Calamity itself described.

2. The reality of the scales

At the heart of the surah is the weighing of deeds on the Last Day. It teaches that good and bad deeds carry real weight, and that a person’s eternity turns on which side of the scale is heavier: a pleasant life, or the abyss.

3. Moths and carded wool

Few images in the Quran capture the dissolution of the world as starkly as this surah’s: people scattered like moths, and the mountains — the most solid, immovable things a person knows — reduced to carded wool, tufted and blown about. It is a picture of everything that seems permanent coming undone.

Themes of the Surah

1. The Striking Calamity (ayahs 1–5)

The surah opens with «al-Qari‘ah» itself, then the two questions — “What is the Striking Calamity?” and “And what can make you know what the Striking Calamity is?” — followed by the description of that Day: people will be like scattered moths, and the mountains like carded wool.

Read from ayah 1 →

2. The Weighing of Deeds (ayahs 6–9)

Whoever’s scales are heavy will be in a pleasant life. Whoever’s scales are light, his refuge — «ummuhu», literally “his mother” — will be hawiyah, the abyss.

Read from ayah 6 →

3. What It Is (ayahs 10–11)

A third question closes the surah — “And what can make you know what it is?” — answered at once, in a single phrase: a scorching Fire.

Read from ayah 10 →

Tips for reading and memorising

It has only 11 short ayahs — well suited to a single sitting.
Because it is so short, many memorise Surah Al-Qari‘ah in a sitting or two.
Listen to the recitation above by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi and repeat after him.
Reflect on the imagery of the scattered moths and carded wool in ayahs 4–5.
Use the “font size” buttons at the top of the page for a comfortable read.
You can print the surah from your browser (Ctrl+P) for a clean paper copy.

Frequently asked questions

How many ayahs are in Surah Al-Qari‘ah?

Surah Al-Qari‘ah has 11 ayahs. It is the 101st surah in the order of the mushaf, and it is a Meccan surah.

Why is it called Surah Al-Qari‘ah?

It is called Surah Al-Qari‘ah after its opening word, «al-Qari‘ah» — “the Striking Calamity” — one of the names of the Day of Resurrection.

What is the Qari‘ah?

The Qari‘ah is the Day of Resurrection, described in the surah as the Day people will be like scattered moths and the mountains like carded wool.

What are the “scales” (mawazin) mentioned in the surah?

The scales refer to the weighing of a person’s deeds on the Last Day. Whoever’s scales are heavy will be in a pleasant life; whoever’s scales are light will have the abyss, hawiyah, as his refuge.

Why is hawiyah called “his mother”?

The surah says his refuge will be «ummuhu», literally “his mother” — the commentators explain this as meaning his refuge and embrace, as a mother is to her child, except that here it is the abyss, hawiyah, that receives him.

What position does Surah Al-Qari‘ah hold in the Quran?

Surah Al-Qari‘ah is the 101st surah in the order of the mushaf, and the twenty-fourth surah of Juz ‘Amma, the 30th and final juz of the Quran.

How long does it take to read the full surah?

A complete recitation of Surah Al-Qari‘ah takes about 1 minute at a moderate pace, as it has only 11 short ayahs.

Which recitation is the text on this page based on?

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim — the most widely used reading in the Muslim world — written in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation on this page is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

How can I memorise Surah Al-Qari‘ah easily?

Because it is so short, Surah Al-Qari‘ah can be memorised in a sitting or two. Listen to the recitation above repeatedly, recite from memory in your prayers, and review what you have learnt regularly.

Surah Al-Qari‘ah (The Striking Calamity) — Full Text in Clear Arabic Script

Listen to the recitation