Tafseer of The Calamity · Al-Qaari'a · 101:4
It is the Day when people will be like moths, dispersed,
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His word: يَوْمَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ كَالْفَرَاشِ الْمَبْثُوثِ (the day on which mankind will be like scattered moths): the Exalted — magnified be His mention — says: the Striking Calamity is the day on which mankind will be like the farāsh — that is the insect that falls into the fire and the lamp; it is neither a mosquito nor a fly — and by al-mabthūth He means: the scattered, the dispersed.
In accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes (ahl al-taʾwīl) have also spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning يَوْمَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ كَالْفَرَاشِ الْمَبْثُوثِ : "These are the farāsh that you have seen plunging into the fire."
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, regarding His word يَوْمَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ كَالْفَرَاشِ الْمَبْثُوثِ : "This is a parable that Allah has set forth." And some of the Arabic philologists (ahl al-ʿarabiyya) said: the meaning of this is: like a swarm of locusts, crawling over one another; thus are mankind on that day — they teem in confusion over one another.
