Al-Hasan said: “The nursing mother will be distracted from her child before he is weaned, and the pregnant woman will deliver what is in her womb before it has reached full term.” (1) This indicates that this earthquake will take place in this world, for after the Resurrection there will be no pregnancy.

Those who hold that it will occur on the Day of Resurrection say that this is intended to magnify the gravity of the matter, rather than being literal—like their saying, “We were struck by an ordeal that would turn an infant’s hair gray,” by which they mean its severity.

“And you will see people as though intoxicated, though they are not intoxicated.” Hamzah and al-Kisa’i recited it as “sakrā, though they are not sakrā,” without the alif. Both are dialectal plural forms of sakrān, meaning “a drunken person,” just as kaslā and kusālā are both plural forms.

Al-Hasan said: Its meaning is: “You will see people intoxicated with fear, though they are not intoxicated by drink.”

It was also said that its meaning is: “You will see people as though they were intoxicated, but the punishment of Allah is severe.”

Imam Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Qadi informed us; Abu Tahir Muhammad ibn Mahmash al-Ziyadi informed us; Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Hafs al-Tajir informed us; Ibrahim ibn Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn Bukayr al-Kufi al-Absi informed us; Waki’ informed us, from al-A‘mash, from Abu Salih, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, will say: ‘O Adam, arise and bring forth the consignment for the Fire.’ He will say: ‘At Your service and to Your pleasure; all goodness lies in Your Hands. My Lord, what is the consignment for the Fire?’ He will say: ‘Out of every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine.’ At that point, the newborn will turn gray, every pregnant woman will deliver her burden, and you will see people as though intoxicated, though they are not intoxicated; rather, the punishment of Allah is severe.” He said: They will ask, “Which one of us will be that one?” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Nine hundred and ninety-nine will be from Gog and Magog, and one will be from among you.” The people said, “Allah is Most Great!” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then said: “By Allah, I hope that you will be a quarter of the people of Paradise. By Allah, I hope that you will be a third of the people of Paradise. By Allah, I hope that you will be half of the people of Paradise.” The people then proclaimed Allah’s greatness, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “On that Day, among all people, you will be no more than a white hair on a black bull, or a black hair on a white bull.” (3)

It has also been narrated from عمران ibn Husayn, Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, and others that these two verses were revealed during