Surah 82. Al-Infitar

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Verses [Section]: 1-19[1]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-1982. Al-Infitar Page 58782. Al-Infitarبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِاِذَاWhenالسَّمَآءُthe skyانْفَطَرَتْۙ(is) cleft asunder وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْكَوَاكِبُthe starsانْتَثَرَتْۙscatter وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْبِحَارُthe seasفُجِّرَتْۙare made to gush forth وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْقُبُوْرُthe gravesبُعْثِرَتْۙare overturned عَلِمَتْWill knowنَفْسٌa soulمَّاwhatقَدَّمَتْit has sent forthوَ اَخَّرَتْؕand left behind یٰۤاَیُّهَاOالْاِنْسَانُman!مَاWhatغَرَّكَhas deceived youبِرَبِّكَconcerning your Lordالْكَرِیْمِۙthe Most Noble الَّذِیْWhoخَلَقَكَcreated youفَسَوّٰىكَthen fashioned youفَعَدَلَكَۙthen balanced you فِیْۤInاَیِّwhateverصُوْرَةٍformمَّاthatشَآءَHe willedرَكَّبَكَؕHe assembled you كَلَّاNay!بَلْButتُكَذِّبُوْنَyou denyبِالدِّیْنِۙthe Judgment وَ اِنَّAnd indeedعَلَیْكُمْover youلَحٰفِظِیْنَۙ(are) surely guardians كِرَامًاNobleكَاتِبِیْنَۙrecording یَعْلَمُوْنَThey knowمَاwhateverتَفْعَلُوْنَ you do اِنَّIndeedالْاَبْرَارَthe righteousلَفِیْ(will be) surely inنَعِیْمٍۚbliss وَ اِنَّAnd indeedالْفُجَّارَthe wickedلَفِیْ(will be) surely inجَحِیْمٍۚۖHellfire یَّصْلَوْنَهَاThey will burn (in) itیَوْمَ(on the) Dayالدِّیْنِ (of) the Judgment وَ مَاAnd notهُمْtheyعَنْهَاfrom itبِغَآىِٕبِیْنَؕ(will be) absent وَ مَاۤAnd whatاَدْرٰىكَcan make you knowمَاwhatیَوْمُ(is the) Dayالدِّیْنِۙ(of) the Judgment ثُمَّThenمَاۤwhatاَدْرٰىكَcan make you knowمَاwhatیَوْمُ(is the) Dayالدِّیْنِؕ(of) the Judgment یَوْمَ(The) Dayلَاnotتَمْلِكُwill have powerنَفْسٌa soulلِّنَفْسٍfor a soulشَیْـًٔا ؕanythingوَ الْاَمْرُand the Commandیَوْمَىِٕذٍthat Dayلِّلّٰهِ۠(will be) with Allah

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Translation of Verse 1-19In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(82:1) When the heaven is split asunder,¹

(82:2) when the stars are scattered,

(82:3) when the seas are made to burst forth,

(82:4) and when graves are laid open,²

(82:5) everyone shall know all his deeds, both the earlier and the later.³

(82:6) O man! What has deceived you about your generous Lord

(82:7) Who created you, shaped you, and made you well-proportioned,

(82:8) and set you in whatever form He pleased?⁴

(82:9) No indeed;⁵ (the fact is that) you deny the Reckoning,⁶ declaring it a lie;

(82:10) you do so the while there are watchers over you;

(82:11) noble scribes,

(82:12) who know what you do.⁷

(82:13) Surely the virtuous shall be in Bliss,

(82:14) and the wicked shall be in the Blazing Fire.

(82:15) They shall enter it on the Day of Recompense

(82:16) and then shall never come out of it.

(82:17) What do you know what the Day of Recompense is?

(82:18) Again, what do you know what the Day of Recompense is?

(82:19) It is the Day when no one shall have the power to do anything for another,⁸ and all command shall be Allah's.

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Commentary

1. While it is stated in Surah al-Takwir that the seas shall be set boiling (Verse 6), reference is made here about their bursting forth. Studied together, the Qur’anic account suggests that a mighty quake will overtake the world on the Last Day. The entire earth will be shaken by the blast, which will result in the boiling and bursting forth of the seas. The blast will split asunder the depths of the oceans and sea water will reach its base which is full of intensely hot lava. As water is made of two inflammable gases - hydrogen and oxygen, it will set in motion a chain reaction of fire. Let us clarify that this is our own interpretation. Allah alone knows the truth.

2. Verses 1-3 describe the first stage of the Last Day. In this verse, mention is made of the second stage. “When the graves are laid open” alludes to the resurrection of the dead.

3. That “everyone shall know all his deeds, both the earlier and the later” is open to several meanings. Some of its tenable interpretations include: (i) It may stand for acts of omission and commission, both good and evil. (ii) One’s record of deeds will appear in a chronological order, detailing both earlier and later deeds. (iii) The reference is to good and bad deeds and to their impact on society.

4. Out of gratitude for his benefactor, the Lord, man should have turned himself into His obedient servant and shunned any disobedience of Him. However, man suffers from the delusion that he has earned everything that he has by dint of his own merit. He fails to appreciate the numerous favors done to him by his Lord. Moreover, Allah is so gracious to man that He lets man do whatever pleases him. He does not instantly punish man for his sins by afflicting him with paralysis, blindness or lightning. Man misconstrues Allah’s mercy as a sign of weakness, thinking that he will never be called to account.

5, There is apparently no reason for man’s deception. Man can see for himself that he has come into being not of his own. Nor have his parents created him. A composition of certain elements does not result in his birth either. Rather, the All-Wise, All-Powerful Allah has created him, shaped him and made him well-proportioned. As compared to many other creatures, man is better in his form and he excels in power and faculties. Acting on reason alone, he should have turned all the more grateful to Allah for His favors and never even thought of disobeying his generous Lord. Man knows full well that his Lord is not only All-Merciful and Most Generous, but also Almighty and Overpowering as well. When He afflicts mankind with some calamity such as an earthquake, storm or flood, all the attempts by man to ward off these prove to be in vain. It is in man’s knowledge that his Lord is All-Wise. His wisdom demands that He take man to task for his misdeeds. He has devised an elaborate system of accountability, holding man | answerable for the use or abuse of his powers. He has enabled man to do both good and evil. Accordingly, He has prescribed reward and punishment for good and bad deeds. Man is fully familiar’ with these evident truths. Given this, he cannot plead that he was under some deception regarding his Lord. In his own capacity as some authority or officer man does not allow his subordinate to take liberties with him. He cannot, therefore, misconstrue Allah’s mercy and generosity in terms of defying Him. Nor should he suffer from the delusion that he is free to do whatever pleases him, without facing its consequences.

6. People who miscomprehend the Hereafter do so not because of any persuasive, rational argument in support of their standpoint. Rather, they entertain the false notion that reward and punishment will not follow their actions. This false and baseless assumption has made them heedless of God, impervious to the fact that He - will call them to account and mete out justice. So has man fostered in himself an irresponsible moral attitude.

7. The unbelievers may mock at or deny the Day of Reckoning. However, it makes no difference to the truth that Allah will call man to account for all of his deeds. He has appointed conscientious watchers over man who record objectively and accurately all of his good and bad deeds. No action taken by man is hidden from them, — and this regardless of whether it is done in the darkness of night, in some remote region, or in the top-most secrecy and privacy. These recording angels are described in the Qur’an as honorable, noble scribes who are not partisan in their record keeping. Without any motive of supporting or opposing anyone they honestly record what man does. Nor are they dishonest in any degree, by way of evading their duty and inserting wrong, unfair entries in their records. They cannot be bribed or influenced in any way. They transcend any weakness or lapse. So both the pious and the wicked should have the satisfaction of fair play. No one will be falsely implicated by them. The Qur’an also highlights their other quality: “They know what you do,” (Verse 12). In other words, they are markedly different from intelligence agencies which do not have access to the whole truth. These angels follow everyone in a way that one does not even realize their presence. Furthermore, they discover the motive behind each and every action. Their record is most comprehensive. In Verse 49 of Surah al-Kahf it is affirmed:

And then the Record of their [men’s] deeds shall be placed before them and you will see the guilty full of fear for what it contains, and will say: “Woe to us! What a record this is! It leaves nothing, big or small, but encompasses it.”

8. It will be beyond anyone’s power to secure deliverance for someone else on the Day of Judgement. No one will have any influence or proximity with Allah to affect in any degree the Reckoning. Nor will anyone be able to intercede for someone in the face of his misdeeds.