The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 216
CH. 22 PT. 17 سُورَةُ الْحَجِّ مَدَنِيَّةُ ٢٢ باتها ٧٩ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ E ركوعاتها (AL-HAJJ) 1. "In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2436 يَايُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوْا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ ;O people, fear your Lord. 2 السَّاعَةِ شَيْءٍ عَظِيمُ ) verily the earthquake of the Hour is a tremendous thing_2437 "See 1:1. 2436. Commentary: See 1:1. 2437. Important Words: JJ; (earthquake) is derived from space; a period; an indefinite time; a watch. ac means, the present time; now; just now; this moment. It also means, difficulty, distress or affliction; distance; remoteness. ac :is used in three senses القيامة ie God | (Hour or زلزل الله الارض They say. زلزل shook the earth. JJ; means, he (a) death of a great and famous or القيامة الصغرى means, he person. It is called زلزل الابل. frightened him drove the camels harshly. a;J; means, a shaking of the earth; an earthquake; a calamity; a terrible visitation; J; (plural) i. e. calamities, miseries, trials, afflictions (Aqrab). The word also means: a war or the effects of war. The last two World Wars were called ; (an earthquake) because they shook the foundation of human society and brought about political and social changes and also a revolutionary change in the beliefs, ideas and ideals of men. The word has been used in the Quran in the sense of a calamity (2:215) and also in the sense of war or the effects of war (33:11, 12). ac new (Hour) is derived from ε. They say ε i. e. the thing was lost, it degraded. means, the camels went away grazing without a driver. ac means, an hour; a part of time; a while or a little while; a aci. e. the small resurrection; (b) a national calamity or the doom that overtakes a whole people on account of their evil deeds. It is called wai. e. the Middle Hour; (c) the Day of Judgement. It is called a ori. e. the Great Hour (Lane & Aqrab). Commentary: The word ac has been used in the the last two senses Quran in mentioned under "Important Words" above. The context shows that in the verse under comment it has been used in the second sense, i. e. in the sense of a national calamity that shakes the very foundation of a people. It may have particular reference to the impending doom of the Arabs when Mecca, the citadel of their political power, would fall and their political power and whole social system would 2130