Tafsir of An-Naba' 78:19

"And the heaven is opened" is a conjunction to "is blown" (yanfakhu), according to one view. The past tense form is used to indicate certainty. According to al-Zamakhshari, it is a conjunction to "you shall come" (fata’tuna); it is not a condition that they must coincide in time, as is thought by one who is not a grammarian. This was affirmed in al-Kashf, which added that the condition for the elegance of this is that it be near to the present state, or that the present tense be a narration of a past state. What we have here is a present tense [meaning] brought in the form of the past tense to magnify and confirm its occurrence, thus it is close to the present state. Were it to be rendered as a circumstantial clause (hal)—meaning "you shall come while the heaven has been opened"—it would be a valid interpretation.

The majority, meaning those other than the Kufans, read futtihat with the shaddah [indicating the intensive form]. It is said that this is more appropriate for His saying, "and becomes gates." The "opening" is interpreted as "splitting," due to His saying, "When the heaven splits," and His saying, "When the heaven breaks apart," and others; for the Quran interprets itself. "Opening" has come in this meaning, like the opening of bridges and the like. Perhaps the subtlety of using this expression for it is to point to the perfection of His power, the Exalted, such that the splitting of this immense celestial body is like opening a door in ease and speed.

"And becomes" (fakanat) is in the sense of "and transforms into" (sararat), for it indicates the transition from one state to another. Since the heaven, by being split, does not literally become gates, they said the speech is based on eloquent metaphor; that is, its fissures, due to their vastness, became like gates, or it became—due to the abundance of fissures—as if the whole thing were gates, or through the estimation of a genitive construct [i.e., "became possessor of gates"].

It is said that "opening" is taken literally, with the speech implying an omitted genitive addition to "heaven," meaning: the gates of heaven were opened, so it became as if the whole of it were gates. This is consistent with its splitting, as it is split and its gates are opened. This is countered by the view that its splitting is for the descent of the angels, as He said, "And the day the heaven splits with clouds and the angels are sent down in successive descent," and if it is split, there is no need for the opening of gates. Furthermore, the opening of its gates is not uniquely a characteristic of the Day of Separation. There is [further] discussion regarding this; indeed, the first view is more appropriate.

It is also said that the meaning is the opening of the location of the heaven by stripping it away, so it becomes entirely paths, with nothing blocking it; but this is far-fetched. Based on the foregoing, the verse contains a refutation of those who claim that piercing the heaven is impossible. It also contains—according to this interpretation—a refutation of those who claim it is [merely] stripped away, as is well-known from the ancient philosophers, although Mulla Sadra has verified in al-Asfar that their masters held the opposite. As for the philosophers of today, they deny the heaven known to the Muslims and have not brought forth anything that the verses and authentic reports concerning its attributes could be reconciled with, as is not hidden from the intelligent and fair-minded.