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Read the surah · Surah 99

Az-Zalzalaالزلزلة

The Earthquake · 8 verses · Medinan

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In plain wordsEditorial

An editorial summary of the translations. Not a translation or tafsir.

Eight verses on the day the earth is shaken and tells what it knows, the quaking this surah is named for. People come out in groups to be shown their deeds, and whoever has done the weight of an atom of good or of evil sees it - a weight Sale (1734) renders as an ant's.

AALAMIN Editor · signed 25 August 2026

not a scholar — what this signature means

I am not a scholar, and nothing here asks you to treat me as one. The plain words on this site are my restatement of what the five translations shown above say, together with counts derived from the text itself — nothing more. I sign them so that a named person is accountable for every sentence, not so you'll take my word for anything. The authority on this page is the text and its translators. If my words don't match theirs, mine are the ones that are wrong.

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Talal Itani · published 2012

We open with the most modern, plain-English rendering to make reading easier. Every translation is shown equally - switch any time, or compare them on any verse.

Verse 1 of 8

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99:1

إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا

Easy-read · not authoritative

Easy-read (simplified)idhaa zulzilati l-'ardu zilzaalahaa

DIN 31635ʾiḏā zulzilati l-ʾarḍu zilzālahā

When the earth is shaken with its quake.

Compare translations (4)

When Earth is shaken with her (final) earthquake

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · published 1930

When the earth shall quake with its quaking

Edward Henry Palmer · published 1880

WHEN the Earth with her quaking shall quake

John Medows Rodwell · published 1861

When the earth shall be shaken by an earthquake

George Sale · published 1734

In plain words

Optional editorial orientation

An editorial summary of the translations above. Not a translation or tafsir.

In plain words →

Sources

In-depth analysis →

  • Talal Itani · 2012
  • Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · 1930
  • Edward Henry Palmer · 1880
  • John Medows Rodwell · 1861
  • George Sale · 1734

in a signed study →

99:2

وَأَخْرَجَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا

Easy-read · not authoritative

Easy-read (simplified)wa'akhrajati l-'ardu athqaalahaa

DIN 31635waʾaḫraǧati l-ʾarḍu ʾaṯqālahā

And the earth brings out its loads.

Compare translations (4)

And Earth yieldeth up her burdens

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · published 1930

And the earth shall bring forth her burdens

Edward Henry Palmer · published 1880

And the Earth shall cast forth her burdens

John Medows Rodwell · published 1861

and the earth shall cast forth her burdens

George Sale · published 1734

In plain words

Optional editorial orientation

An editorial summary of the translations above. Not a translation or tafsir.

In plain words →

Sources

In-depth analysis →

  • Talal Itani · 2012
  • Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · 1930
  • Edward Henry Palmer · 1880
  • John Medows Rodwell · 1861
  • George Sale · 1734

in a signed study →

99:3

وَقَالَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَا لَهَا

Easy-read · not authoritative

Easy-read (simplified)waqaala l-'insaanu maa lahaa

DIN 31635waqāla l-ʾinsānu mā lahā

And man says, "What is the matter with it?"

Compare translations (4)

And man saith: What aileth her

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · published 1930

and man shall say, What ails her

Edward Henry Palmer · published 1880

And man shall say, What aileth her

John Medows Rodwell · published 1861

and a man shall say, what aileth her

George Sale · published 1734

In plain words

Optional editorial orientation

An editorial summary of the translations above. Not a translation or tafsir.

In plain words →

Sources

In-depth analysis →

  • Talal Itani · 2012
  • Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · 1930
  • Edward Henry Palmer · 1880
  • John Medows Rodwell · 1861
  • George Sale · 1734

in a signed study →

99:4

يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا

Easy-read · not authoritative

Easy-read (simplified)yawma'idhin tuhaddithu akhbaarahaa

DIN 31635yawmaʾiḏin tuḥaddiṯu ʾaḫbārahā

On that Day, it will tell its tales.

Compare translations (4)

That day she will relate her chronicles

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · published 1930

On that day she shall tell her tidings

Edward Henry Palmer · published 1880

On that day shall she tell out her tidings

John Medows Rodwell · published 1861

On that day the earth shall declare her tidings

George Sale · published 1734

In plain words

Optional editorial orientation

An editorial summary of the translations above. Not a translation or tafsir.

In plain words →

Sources

In-depth analysis →

  • Talal Itani · 2012
  • Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · 1930
  • Edward Henry Palmer · 1880
  • John Medows Rodwell · 1861
  • George Sale · 1734

in a signed study →

99:5

بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَىٰ لَهَا

Easy-read · not authoritative

Easy-read (simplified)bi'anna rabbaka awhaa lahaa

DIN 31635biʾanna rabbaka ʾawḥā lahā

The translators word this verse differently

For your Lord will have inspired it.

Compare translations (4)

Because thy Lord inspireth her

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · published 1930

because thy Lord inspires her

Edward Henry Palmer · published 1880

Because thy Lord shall have inspired her

John Medows Rodwell · published 1861

for that thy Lord will inspire her

George Sale · published 1734

In plain words

Optional editorial orientation

An editorial summary of the translations above. Not a translation or tafsir.

In plain words →

Sources

In-depth analysis →

  • Talal Itani · 2012
  • Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · 1930
  • Edward Henry Palmer · 1880
  • John Medows Rodwell · 1861
  • George Sale · 1734

in a signed study →

99:6

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ ٱلنَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا۟ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ

Easy-read · not authoritative

Easy-read (simplified)yawma'idhin yasduru n-naasu ashtaatan liyuraw a'maalahum

DIN 31635yawmaʾiḏin yaṣduru n-nāsu ʾaštātan liyuraw ʾaʿmālahum

The translators word this verse differently

On that Day, the people will emerge in droves, to be shown their works.

Compare translations (4)

That day mankind will issue forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · published 1930

On the day when men shall come up in separate bands to show their works

Edward Henry Palmer · published 1880

On that day shall men come forward in throngs to behold their works

John Medows Rodwell · published 1861

On that day men shall go forward in distinct classes, that they may behold their works

George Sale · published 1734

In plain words

Optional editorial orientation

An editorial summary of the translations above. Not a translation or tafsir.

In plain words →

Sources

In-depth analysis →

  • Talal Itani · 2012
  • Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · 1930
  • Edward Henry Palmer · 1880
  • John Medows Rodwell · 1861
  • George Sale · 1734

in a signed study →

99:7

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُۥ

Easy-read · not authoritative

Easy-read (simplified)faman ya'mal mithqaala dharratin khayran yarah

DIN 31635faman yaʿmal miṯqāla ḏarratin ḫayran yarahu

Whoever has done an atom's weight of good will see it.

Compare translations (4)

And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · published 1930

and he who does the weight of an atom of good shall see it

Edward Henry Palmer · published 1880

And whosoever shall have wrought an atom's weight of good shall behold it

John Medows Rodwell · published 1861

And whoever shall have wrought good of the weight of an ant, shall behold the same

George Sale · published 1734

In plain words

Optional editorial orientation

An editorial summary of the translations above. Not a translation or tafsir.

In plain words →

Sources

In-depth analysis →

  • Talal Itani · 2012
  • Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · 1930
  • Edward Henry Palmer · 1880
  • John Medows Rodwell · 1861
  • George Sale · 1734

in a signed study →

99:8

وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُۥ

Easy-read · not authoritative

Easy-read (simplified)waman ya'mal mithqaala dharratin sharran yarah

DIN 31635waman yaʿmal miṯqāla ḏarratin šarran yarahu

The translators word this verse differently

And whoever has done an atom's weight of evil will see it.

Compare translations (4)

And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · published 1930

and he who does the weight of an atom of evil shall see it

Edward Henry Palmer · published 1880

And whosoever shall have wrought an atom's weight of evil shall behold it

John Medows Rodwell · published 1861

And whoever shall have wrought evil of the weight of an ant, shall behold the same

George Sale · published 1734

In plain words

Optional editorial orientation

An editorial summary of the translations above. Not a translation or tafsir.

In plain words →

Sources

In-depth analysis →

  • Talal Itani · 2012
  • Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · 1930
  • Edward Henry Palmer · 1880
  • John Medows Rodwell · 1861
  • George Sale · 1734

in a signed study →

Arabic textTanzil Qur'an text (Uthmani) ·Uthmani, Version 1.1·Tanzil Project ·Creative Commons Attribution 3.0·retrieved 24 Aug 2026

Qur'anic text from the Tanzil Project. Copyright (C) 2007-2026 Tanzil Project License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Source: tanzil.net · Updates: tanzil.net/updates/ https://tanzil.net/updates/

Translations Edward Henry Palmer, English translation of the Qur'an·Public domain — copyright term expired

Edward Henry Palmer, English translation of the Qur'an ·1880 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026

Translations George Sale, English translation of the Qur'an·Public domain — copyright term expired

George Sale, English translation of the Qur'an ·1734 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026

Translations John Medows Rodwell, English translation of the Qur'an·Public domain — copyright term expired

John Medows Rodwell, English translation of the Qur'an ·1861 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026

Translations Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran·Public domain — copyright term expired

Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran ·1930 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026

Translations Talal Itani, ClearQuran·Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Talal Itani, ClearQuran ·ClearQuran, "God" edition, EPUB·Talal Itani / ClearQuran.com ·Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International·retrieved 7 Sep 2026

Translation by Talal Itani, ClearQuran.com https://clearquran.com