Verse Meaning

According to the classical scholar Imam Al-Qurtubi, the verse 'And what can make you know what is the Striking Calamity?' is a rhetorical question designed for glorification (tafkhim) and magnification of the Day of Judgment. This method of questioning is a powerful Quranic device to convey a reality that is beyond human words and comprehension. Ibn Kathir echoes this, stating that Allah uses this phrasing to magnify and terrify the matter. The address, as explained by Imam Al-Tabari, is to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and by extension all humanity, signifying that no one has been given the capacity to fully grasp its awe-inspiring and dreadful nature. The purpose, as Tafsir Al-Waseet clarifies, is to express wonder at its state and to highlight that its severity is a matter whose true extent is known only to Allah. The question itself implies the answer: no human experience or description can adequately convey the immense reality of Al-Qari'ah.