Surah 84. Al-Inshiqaq

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Verses [Section]: 1-25[1]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-2584. Al-Inshiqaqبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِاِذَاWhenالسَّمَآءُthe skyانْشَقَّتْۙis split asunder وَ اَذِنَتْAnd has listenedلِرَبِّهَاto its Lordوَ حُقَّتْۙand was obligated وَ اِذَاAnd whenالْاَرْضُthe earthمُدَّتْۙis spread وَ اَلْقَتْAnd has cast outمَاwhatفِیْهَا(is) in itوَ تَخَلَّتْۙand becomes empty وَ اَذِنَتْAnd has listenedلِرَبِّهَاto its Lordوَ حُقَّتْؕand was obligated یٰۤاَیُّهَاOالْاِنْسَانُmankindاِنَّكَIndeed, youكَادِحٌ(are) laboringاِلٰیtoرَبِّكَyour Lordكَدْحًا(with) exertionفَمُلٰقِیْهِۚand you (will) meet Him فَاَمَّاThen as forمَنْ(him) whoاُوْتِیَis givenكِتٰبَهٗhis recordبِیَمِیْنِهٖۙin his right hand فَسَوْفَSoonیُحَاسَبُhis account will be takenحِسَابًاan accountیَّسِیْرًاۙeasy وَّ یَنْقَلِبُAnd he will returnاِلٰۤیtoاَهْلِهٖhis peopleمَسْرُوْرًاؕhappily وَ اَمَّاBut as forمَنْ(him) whoاُوْتِیَis givenكِتٰبَهٗhis recordوَرَآءَbehindظَهْرِهٖۙhis back فَسَوْفَSoonیَدْعُوْاhe will callثُبُوْرًاۙ(for) destruction وَّ یَصْلٰیAnd he will burnسَعِیْرًاؕ(in) a Blaze اِنَّهٗIndeed heكَانَhad beenفِیْۤamongاَهْلِهٖhis peopleمَسْرُوْرًاؕhappy اِنَّهٗIndeed heظَنَّ(had) thoughtاَنْthatلَّنْneverیَّحُوْرَۚۛhe would return بَلٰۤی ۛۚNay!اِنَّIndeedرَبَّهٗhis Lordكَانَwasبِهٖof himبَصِیْرًاؕseeing فَلَاۤBut nay!اُقْسِمُI swearبِالشَّفَقِۙby the twilight glow وَ الَّیْلِAnd the nightوَ مَاand whatوَسَقَۙit envelops وَ الْقَمَرِAnd the moonاِذَاwhenاتَّسَقَۙit becomes full لَتَرْكَبُنَّYou will surely embarkطَبَقًا(to) stageعَنْfromطَبَقٍؕstage فَمَاSo whatلَهُمْ(is) for themلَاnotیُؤْمِنُوْنَۙthey believe وَ اِذَاAnd whenقُرِئَis recitedعَلَیْهِمُto themالْقُرْاٰنُthe Quranلَاnotیَسْجُدُوْنَؕ۩they prostrate بَلِNay!الَّذِیْنَThose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelievedیُكَذِّبُوْنَؗۖdeny وَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahاَعْلَمُ(is) most knowingبِمَاof whatیُوْعُوْنَؗۖthey keep within themselves فَبَشِّرْهُمْSo give them tidingsبِعَذَابٍof a punishmentاَلِیْمٍۙpainful اِلَّاExceptالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveوَ عَمِلُواand doالصّٰلِحٰتِrighteous deedsلَهُمْFor themاَجْرٌ(is) a rewardغَیْرُneverمَمْنُوْنٍ۠ending

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Translation of Verse 1-25In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(84:1) When the sky is rent asunder

(84:2) and hearkens to the command¹ of its Lord, doing what it should;

(84:3) and when the earth is stretched out²

(84:4) and casts out what is within it and is emptied,³

(84:5) and hearkens to the command of its Lord, doing what it should.⁴

(84:6) O man, you are striving unto your Lord⁵ and you will meet Him.

(84:7) Whoever is given the Record in his right hand

(84:8) shall be called to an easy accounting,⁶

(84:9) and shall return to his people joyfully.⁷

(84:10) But he who is given the Record behind his back,⁸

(84:11) shall cry for “perdition,”

(84:12) and will enter the Blazing Fire.

(84:13) He used to live joyfully among his people,⁹

(84:14) thinking he would never revert (to Us).

(84:15) But no; (how would he not revert)? His Lord was ever watching him.¹⁰

(84:16) Nay; I swear by the twilight;

(84:17) and by the night and what it enfolds,

(84:18) and by the moon, when it reaches its fullness:

(84:19) you shall proceed onwards from stage to stage.¹¹

(84:20) So, what is the matter with them that they do not believe,

(84:21) and when the Qur'an is recited to them, they do not prostrate¹² themselves?

(84:22) Instead, the unbelievers reject it, calling it a lie.

(84:23) Allah knows best what they are accumulating (in their Record).¹³

(84:24) So give them the good news of a painful chastisement,

(84:25) except for those who believe and do good deeds. Theirs shall be an unending reward.

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Commentary

1. The words adhinat li rabbiha literally mean that he will listen to his Lord’s command. However, idiomatically this expression includes the idea of unquestioning obedience to the command, not mere listening. .

2. “When the earth is stretched out” refers to the time when the seas and rivers will be filled up, the mountains will be reduced to particles of dust that will be made to dissipate, and the earth will be levelled and turned into a flat plain.

At another place, the Qur’an states this phenomenon thus: “My Lord will leave the earth a levelled plain in which you shall find no crookedness or curvature,” (Ta Ha 20: 106-107). In his Mustadarak, Hakim on the basis of a sound chain of narrators, relates: “According to Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “On the Day of Judgement the earth will be like a levelled plain and men will move about on it,” Kitab al-Tafsir, Vol. Il. Let it be borne in mind that on that Day, all human beings ‘born since the beginning of the world until the Last Day, will be gathered together. For such a grand assembly it is necessary that all seas, mountains, forests, valleys and deserts be levelled plain’ -so that there will be sufficient space for them all.

3. This refers to the fact that the earth will throw up the dead that had been buried within it. This will bring to the surface all evidence pertaining to their deeds that-had thus far remained hidden from sight. Nothing regarding them will then remain unknown.

4. Itis not specified as to what else will happen after these events. What is significant is that man is on his way to meet his Lord. On q the basis of his record of deeds he will be punished or rewarded.

5. Man should realize that all his striving and its results will be confined to this worldly life. The important thing is man’s eventual: return to his Lord.

6. That some will be given the record in their right hands ‘is indicative of their being righteous. As a result, they will be subjected to a relatively light reckoning. In other words, such people will not be subjected to strict interrogation as to why they committed certain deeds; nor will they be asked to produce extenuating explanations for their misdeeds. Likewise, even though there will 1 be evil along with good deeds in their records, forbearance will | be shown to them because their good deeds will outweigh their evil deeds, and they will be forgiven. In contrast, the evil-doers, however, “will be subjected to a severe reckoning,” (al-Ra‘d 13: 18).

‘A’ishah reported the Prophet's elucidation of this phenomenon of divine reckoning, which, in tum, is cited by Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Abu Dawud, Hakim, Ibn Jari, ‘Abd ibn Humayd and Ibn Marduwayh. One such reports states: “Woe for him who is subjected to reckoning.” Upon hearing this ‘A’ishah reminded him of these Qur’anic verses: “Whoever is given the record in his right hand shall be called to an easy accounting,” (al-Inshiqaq 84: 7-8). The Prophet (peace be upon him) clarified: “It refers to only the presentation of one’s record. However, one who is interrogated will not be spared.” Another report reads thus: ‘A’‘ishah says: “Once I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) _ making this supplication while offering Prayer: ‘O my Lord! Call me to an easy accounting!’ When he finished Prayer, I requested him to explain to me his supplication. He replied: "Easy accounting stands for Allah overlooking one’s record of deeds. O ‘A‘ishah! Woe to him who is interrogated on that Day,” Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir.

7. “His people” denotes those members of a person’s family and those relatives and companions who will be forgiven in the same manner that he himself was forgiven.

8. It is stated in-Surah al-Haqqah 69: 25 that the record of an unrighteous person will be handed over to him in his left hand. Here, however, it is stated that such people will be given the record behind their backs. What will probably happen is that when a person’s record is given to them to hold in their left hand, they will be greatly embarrassed. They will, therefore, put. their hand behind their back so as to receive their record. This effort to hide their deeds will not be of much avail, for they will in any case still be handed their record. What difference will it then make whether they receive their record with their hand outstretched, and hence in the full sight of others, or behind their backs?

9. He behaved differently from Allah’s pious servants, regarding whom the Qur’an informs: “When they were living among their kinsfolk, they lived in constant fear of Allah,” (al-Tur 52: 26). They were cognizant all the time about their prospects in the Hereafter lest these might suffer on account of their doting on their children or their desire to provide ample means of ease and comfort to their immediate dependents. In contrast to such God-fearing people, this evil-doer was immersed wholly in worldly joys, along with his family, at the expense of committing unlawful deeds, usurping others’ dues and transgressing the limits set by Allah.

10. Itis against Allah’s justice and wisdom to let such a sinner go unpunished. He deserves to be subjected to a severe reckoning.

11. Man’s life does not remain in one state; instead, it goes through various stages: from youth to old age, from old age to death, from death to barzakh (the transitory stage between death ' and Resurrection), from barzakh to resurrection, from resurrection, to the Plain of Gathering, then to Reckoning and then to the meting out of reward and punishment. It is emphasized here that all this is bound to happen. This is reinforced by a sworn statement mentioning (i) the twilight, (ii) the darkness of the night and the gathering together in it of those humans and animals that remain scattered during the day, and (iii) the moon’s passing through different phases from being a mere crescent until becoming full. These are among the phenomena that testify to the-fact that the universe in which man lives is not static. On the contrary, incessant changes occur all over it. Thus, there is no basis to support the view that everything ends with a person’s breathing his last.

12. The unbelievers’ hearts are devoid of any fear of Allah. They do not prostrate themselves before Him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to prostrate whenever he recited this particular Qur’anic verse. Malik, Muslim and Nasa’i also reported that Aba Hurayrah used to prostrate on reciting this verse, pointing out that it was the Prophet's practice. Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud and Nasa‘i have quoted Aba Rafi’: “Abu Hurayrah recited this Surah in ‘Isha’ Prayer and prostrated. When I asked him, he told - me that when he offered Prayer standing behind the Prophet (peace be upon him), he had prostrated after reciting this verse. I will therefore follow this practice until my last breath.” Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah all recorded another ‘report in which Abu Hurayrah said: “We prostrated after reciting _ this verse and Surah al-‘Alaq, while offering Prayer behind the Prophet (peace be upon him),” (Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Tafsir).

13. This could also mean that God knows well the unbelief, the hostility to and the rancour against the Truth, and the evil intentions with which some people have filled their hearts.