the weight of a speck
مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ
mithqāla dharratin — the weight of a speck
Across these six verses the fixed pair 'the weight of a speck' serves as the smallest measurable quantity in four distinct domains: what Allah does not wrong (4:40), what does not escape His knowledge (10:61, 34:3), what beings apart from Allah do not possess (34:22), and what a person will see (99:7, 99:8).
The expression combines a masculine noun of weight, mithqāl, with the feminine indefinite noun dharra, 'a speck', in a construct phrase. In all six verses the pair is grammatically intact and the second term stays indefinite genitive; only the case of mithqāl varies with its syntactic role. Read side by side, the occurrences show the phrase doing consistent work as a measure of the minute, applied to three different subjects. In (4:40) it quantifies the object of wronging: Allah does not wrong 'by the weight of a speck'. In (10:61) and (34:3) it quantifies what does not escape or withdraw from the Lord's knowledge, in both cases followed by the paired frame 'in the earth/sky(s)' and the clause 'nor anything smaller than that nor greater' in both (10:61 and 34:3), ending in a clear book. In (34:22) the same phrase, with the same 'in the heavens nor in the earth' frame, quantifies what those claimed apart from Allah do not possess. In (99:7) and (99:8) it quantifies a deed, good or evil, that the doer will see. The pair thus moves between justice, knowledge, ownership and recompense, always marking the outer limit of the small: whatever holds at the weight of a speck holds absolutely.
Where it occurs
- 4:40 Quantifies the minimum of wronging that Allah does not do; tied to doubling a good deed and a tremendous reward.
- 10:61 Quantifies what does not escape the Lord, framed by earth and sky, smaller and greater, and a clear Book.
- 34:3 Quantifies what does not withdraw from the Knower of the hidden, with the same smaller/greater frame and a clear written record.
- 34:22 Quantifies what those claimed apart from Allah do not possess in the heavens or the earth.
- 99:7 Quantifies a good deed the doer will see.
- 99:8 Quantifies an evil deed the doer will see.
All Qur'anic expressions