Qaf: (44) The day the earth splits asunder...

(The day the earth splits asunder from them) is a substitute after a substitute. It is also possible that it is an adverb of time for the "return" [al-masir], meaning: their return to Us is on that day; or it relates to what is indicated by [(That is a gathering)], meaning: they are gathered on the day it splits.

Nafi’ and Ibn ‘Amir recited it as tashaqqaqu with an emphasized shin. It has also been read as tushaqqaqu with a damma on the ta’, being the imperfect tense of shuqiqat in the passive voice. Tanshaqqu is the imperfect of inshaqqat. Zayd ibn ‘Ali read it as tatashaqqaqu with two ta’s.

Regarding His saying: (Sira’an), it is a verbal noun serving as a circumstantial qualifier (hal) for the pronoun in ‘anhum, interpreted as "hastening," and the operative word is tashaqqaqu. It is said: The estimation is "they emerge hastening," so it would be a circumstantial qualifier for the [implicit] waw, and the operative word is yakhrujun. Abu Hayyan narrated this from al-Hufi, then said: It is permissible for this estimated [verb] to be the operative word for "the day the earth splits."

Ibn al-Mundhir narrated from Mujahid that he said regarding the verse: "The sky will rain upon them until the earth splits asunder from them."

It has been reported that the first person from whom the earth will split asunder is the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Al-Tirmidhi (who classified it as hasan), al-Tabarani, and al-Hakim—the latter’s wording being—narrated from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "I am the first from whom the earth will split asunder, then Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar, then the people of al-Baqi’, and they will be gathered with me. Then I will wait for the people of Makkah." Ibn ‘Umar then recited: (The day the earth splits asunder from them, hastening).

(That is a gathering)—a resurrection and an assembly—(easy for Us).

Meaning: effortless. The prepositional phrase is placed first to restrict the ease specifically to Him, the Almighty and Majestic; for He—glorified be He—is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful by His very essence, whom no affair distracts from another.