al-Wāqi‘ah

خَافِضَةٌ رَّافِعَةٌ

إِذَا رُجَّتِ الْأرْضُ رَجًّا

3. That Event lowers and elevates the system of creation and makes it upside down thus lowers the evil and elevates the good.

4. When the earth shall be shaken with a terrible shake.

Resurrection makes alterations in both the world and mankind. Thus, the blessed Verse 3 is saying that Resurrection lowers some people and elevates some others. The arrogant, the disobedient, and the wrong-doers shall be denigrated whereas believers and righteous good-doers shall be elevated to the zenith of glory. The mighty shall be humiliated and sinners shall be cherished with no reason. Some people shall fall into the depth of Hell and some others shall abide in the most exalted levels of Paradise. They are all the consequences of Divine Great and Encompassing Revolution.

In this vein, a tradition is narrated regarding the exegesis of the blessed Verse in question from Imam ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn (as):

"Resurrection shall be lowering since by God Almighty! Enemies of Allah shall be cast into Hellfire and it shall be elevating, since by God Almighty! The friends of Allah shall be elevated to the higher levels of Paradise." ³

Honor and humility and exalted and lower ranks shall become crystal clear on that Day as great figures have said that true poverty and affluence shall be manifest upon presenting the record of deeds before God Almighty.⁴ The blessed Verse 4 further treats of such Events, saying that Resurrection shall befall when the earth shall be shaken with a terrible shake as the occurrence of Resurrection and its terrible earthquakes is indubitable. The word idha

("when")

is herein employed to connote inevitability.

Footnotes

1. 3. Saduq's Khisal; Tafsir Nur al-Thiqalayn, under the blessed Verse in question.
2. 4. Ghurar al-Hikam.