Surah Az-Zalzalah Ayat 6 (99:6 Quran) With Tafsir

Ala-Maududi

(99:6) On that Day people will go forth in varying states^[5] so that they be shown their deeds.^[6]

5. This can have two meanings:

(1) That each man will present himself in his own individual capacity. Families, groups, parties, nations, all will scatter away. This thing has also been said at other places in the Quran, for e.g. according to Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 94, Allah on that Day will say to the people: So, you have come before Us all alone, as We created you the first time, and in Surah Maryam: He will appear before Us all alone (Surah Al-Anaam, ayat 80); and Everyone of them will be presented before Him individually on the Resurrection Day. (Surah Al-Anaam, ayat 95).

(2) That the people who during thousands and thousands of years had died at different places; will be rising from different corners of the earth and proceeding in groups, as has been said in Surah An-Naba: The day the Trumpet is blown, you will come out in crowds. (Surah Maryam, ayat 18).

Apart from these, there is no room in the word ashtatan for the meanings, which different commentators have given, and are, therefore, outside the literal bounds of this word, although they are correct by themselves and in accordance with the conditions depicted of the Resurrection Day in Quran and the Hadith.

6. This can have two meanings:

(1) That they are shown their deeds, i.e. each one will be told what he did in the world.

(2) That they are shown the rewards of their deeds.

Although this second meaning can also be taken of the words li yurau jazaa a malahum (so as to be shown the rewards of their deeds) but li yurau a malahum (so as to be shown their deeds). Therefore, the first meaning is preferable, especially when at several places in the Quran it has been stated clearly that the disbeliever and the believer, the righteous and the wicked, the obedient and the disobedient, all will be given their records. see (Surah Al-Haqqah, Ayat 19) & (Surah Al-Haqqah, ayat 25) as well as (Surah Al-Inshiqaq, Ayat 7) & (Surah Al-Inshiqaq, ayat 10). Evidently, there is no difference between showing somebody his deeds and handing over to him his record. Furthermore, when the earth will narrate whatever had happened on it, the whole picture of the conflict between the truth and the falsehood that has been raging since the beginning of time and will continue to rage till the end, will also appear before the people and they will see what part the truth loving people played in it and what vile deeds did the supporters of falsehood commit against them. It may well be that the people will hear with their own ears all the speeches and dialogues of the callers to right guidance and of the publicists of error and evil; the whole record of the writings and literature produced by the two sides will be placed intact before them, and the people gathered together in the Plain of Assembly will see with their own eyes the persecution of the lovers of truth by the worshippers of falsehood and all the scenes of the bitter conflict that raged between the two parties.

Ibn-Kathir

The tafsir of Surah Zalzalah verse 6 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Zalzalah ayat 1 which provides the complete commentary from verse 1 through 8.