Tafsir of Al-Qiyamah 75:7

"But when the eyesight is dazzled" means it becomes bewildered out of terror. It is derived from the expression "the man was dazzled" (bariqa al-rajul), used when one looks at lightning (barq) and his sight is struck with bewilderment. Among the examples of this is the saying of Dhu al-Rummah:

"Even if Luqman the Wise were exposed to the eyes of Mayy, he would nearly be dazzled."

Its counterpart is the expression "the man was moon-struck" (qamara al-rajul), used when one looks at the moon and his sight is struck with bewilderment. Likewise, "gold-struck" (dhahaba) and "cow-struck" (baqara) are used for one who is bewildered from looking at gold or cattle. Thus, it is a metaphor or a synecdoche (majaz mursal) used for its necessary consequence or in a general sense.

Nafi’, Zayd ibn Thabit, Zayd ibn ‘Ali, Aban from ‘Asim, Harun and Mahbub—both from Abu ‘Amr—and a host of others read it as bariqa with a fatha on the ra’. It is said that this is a dialectal variation of bariqa with a kasra. It is also said that it is derived from al-bariq (brilliance), meaning it shines due to the intensity of its fixed gaze.

Abu al-Summal read it as balaq with a lam in place of the ra’, meaning it opened wide and parted. It is said, "He balaqa the door," meaning he opened it. This is the opinion of the philologists, except for al-Farra’, who says that to balaqa or ablaqa a door means to close it, though Tha’lab considered him mistaken. Some claimed that it is among the words with opposite meanings (al-addad). The apparent view is that the lam in it is original, though it is permissible that it is a substitute for the ra’, as they alternate in some words, such as natara and natala, and wajara and wajala.