The Quran

سورة القَارعَة

Surah Al-Qâri‘ah 101:10

The Disastreous Rattling · Verse 10 of 11

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ

Abdul Mannan Omar

Ah! what should make you know what that (abyss) is!

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And what will explain to thee what this is?

Ahmed Ali

How will you comprehend what that is?

12 more translations

Ali Unal

What enables you to perceive what it is?

Daryabadi

And what shall make thee know that which she is?

Faridul Haque

And what have you understood, what the one that abases is!

Maulana Muhammad Ali

And what will make thee know what that is?

Maulvi Sher Ali

And what should make thee know what that is?

Muhammad Asad

And what could make thee conceive what that [abyss] will be?

Muhammad Musin Khan

And what will make you know what it is?

Muhammad Pickthall

Ah, what will convey unto thee what she is! -

Muhammad Sarwar

Would that you knew what hawiya h is?.

Muhammed ali Shakir

And what will make you know what it is?

Rashad Khalifa

Do you know what it is?

Shabbir Ahmed

Ah, what will convey to you what that is!

Commentary 101:9-11 Gahenna is called a “nursing mother” (فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ). A nursing mother punishes to educate and to induce a change of behaviour always in the…

On 101:9–11

فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ﴿٩﴾وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ﴿١٠﴾نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ

101:9-11 Gahenna is called a “nursing mother” (فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ). A nursing mother punishes to educate and to induce a change of behaviour always in the child’s best interest but never destroys or kills her child in rage. So long as the child is under care and training, it is in a relationship with his mother, which is sometimes punishing, sometimes affectionate. After his training is over, it is separated from the lap of his mother. Thus, the inmates of Gahenna are taken out of hell after they have remained there for some time, but not all at the same time, as their lapses and diseases shall be of different nature and severity. This is to say that the stay in hell is only for a limited time until the diseases of their heart are healed. In other words, the punishment of Gahenna serves the purpose of remedying and training in order to outfit an inmate for his spiritual life and progress in Paradise. The sinner is not in hell-fire for purposes of vengeance or retaliation.