Al-Raḥmān: (37-38) And when the heaven is split open...

This points to something greater than sending sparks/flames (shawāẓ) upon mankind and jinn. It is as if the Almighty first mentioned what humans fear, then mentioned what every being with perception—jinn, humans, and angels—fears, as their dwelling places become empty due to the splitting and the dwellings of jinn and humans become ruined.

It is also possible to say that since the Almighty stated, {Everyone upon it will perish} (Al-Raḥmān: 26), referring to the inhabitants of the Earth, He then said, {And when the heaven is split open} to explain the state of the inhabitants of the heavens. In this regard, there are several issues.

Issue 1: The Particle Fa (ف)

The particle Fa (ف) fundamentally implies immediate succession in three ways:

1. Temporal Succession: For two events unrelated by reason, like saying, "Zayd sat down, then ‘Amr stood up," when asked about the sequence of their actions, whether simultaneous or successive.
2. Mental Succession: For events related to each other, like saying, "Zayd came, then ‘Amr stood up out of respect for him," where ‘Amr’s standing occurs temporally alongside Zayd’s arrival.
3. Verbal Succession (Enumeration): Like saying, "I do not fear the Prince, then the King, then the Sultan," as if enumerating: "I say I do not fear the Prince, and I say I do not fear the King, and I say I do not fear the Sultan."

Knowing this, the Fa here can bear all three meanings:

1. Temporal: Because the sending of the sparks (shawāẓ) happens before the splitting of the heavens. This sending might refer to the torment of the grave or what occurs when the criminals are driven to the Gathering Place, as some interpretations state that the sparks drive them until they gather in one location. In this sense, the meaning is: Sparks will be sent upon you two, and then when the heaven splits open, the painful torment and severe reckoning will occur, as we will explain, God willing.
2. Mental: It can be argued that sending sparks of fire and copper upon them causes the heaven to turn red, indicating that the flames reach the heaven, melting it like red molten metal.
3. Verbal Enumeration: Since He said, {then you two will not be able to defend yourselves} (Al-Raḥmān: 35) at the time the sparks are sent, He then says, {And when the heaven is split open} and becomes like molten dross (muhl), how can you defend yourselves? This implies that the sparks sent are a single burst of flame, or that when the heaven melts and the Earth, atmosphere, and sky all become fire, how can you defend yourselves?

Issue 2: The Word Idhā (إذا)

The word Idhā (إذا) can be used merely as an adverb of time, as a conditional particle, or to indicate suddenness, although its primary function is temporal.

1. Temporal Adverb: Like {By the night when it covers} (Al-Layl: 1) and {By the day when it shines forth} (Al-Layl: 2). The action must be connected to the specified time.
2. Conditional: Like, "If you honor me, I will honor you." In this case, the consequence (reward) may occur later, but the entitlement is established immediately upon the condition being met. This aligns with {Then when you have decided, rely upon Allah} (Āl ‘Imrān: 159).
3. Suddenness: Like saying, "I went out, and suddenly the caravan arrived." If one said, "I went out when the caravan arrived," it would be an answer to the question, "When did you go out?"

Given this, how is Idhā used here? It admits two possibilities:

1. Pure Temporality: If Idhā is temporal, then the Fa implies temporal succession. {And when the heaven is split open} explains the time of the torment: after the sparks are sent, the torment occurs at the splitting of the heaven.
2. Conditionality: This aligns with the third meaning of Fa (verbal enumeration). Since they {will not be able to defend yourselves} when the sparks are sent, how can they defend themselves if the heaven splits open? It implies: If the heaven splits open, do not even expect defense.

The interpretation based on suddenness—"Sparks will be sent upon you two, and suddenly the heaven has split open"—is weak and would only fit the second meaning of Fa (mental succession).

Issue 3: The Preferred Interpretation

We prefer the conditional interpretation. This has two aspects:

1. The consequence (the jawāb) is entirely omitted, allowing the listener to imagine every horror. It is like saying, "When the Sultan becomes angry with so-and-so, no one knows what he will do," and then stopping, implying the severity through context. The listener might conclude: When the Sultan is angry, he kills; another might say, he plunders; and another might suggest something else.
2. The consequence is the negation of defense, as explained previously. This is supported by {And the Day the heaven is split open by the clouds... and that Day will be a hard Day for the disbelievers} (Al-Furqān: 25-26). It is as if the Almighty says: If sparks of fire and copper are sent upon them, they cannot defend themselves. If the heaven splits open, how can they defend themselves? The matter will be extremely difficult (‘asīr). Thus, it is as if He said: When the heaven splits open, the matter will be extremely difficult.

It is also possible that the consequence is the reckoning, as in {When the heaven is split open, and listens to and obeys its Lord, and it is right to do so; O man! Indeed you are striving towards your Lord, striving hard, and you will meet Him} (Al-Inshiqāq: 1-6).

Issue 4: The Meaning of "Splitting Open" (Inshiqāq)

Its literal meaning is melting and ruin, as in {The Day We fold up the heaven} (Al-Anbiyā’: 104), indicating its destruction.

It is also possible that it splits open with clouds (bi-l-ghamām), as in {And the Day the heaven is split open by the clouds} (Al-Furqān: 25). In this context, bi-l-ghamām means along with the clouds, implying the same rupture and ruin mentioned here.

Issue 5: The Meaning of {And it becomes like a red rose, like melted fat} (Fakānat wardatan ka-l-dihn)

The famous interpretation is that it becomes red. The word ward (red) is used for a horse exhibiting redness, and a ḥajrah wardah means a red stone. We mentioned that the flames of fire rise to the heaven, melting it until it becomes like red molten brass.

Another possibility is that wardah refers to a single instance of "coming/visiting" (wurūd), similar to how rak‘ah (a unit of prayer) comes from rukū‘ (bowing). In this case, the pronoun in kānat (it was) refers to the event or calamity, and it is feminine because the apparent subject (the splitting/calamity) is treated as feminine. Thus, {it was one wardah} means the movement causing the splitting was a single, unified event that shook everything and ruined it instantly. Movement is inherent in splitting.

Regarding {like melted fat} (ka-l-dihn), there are two interpretations:

1. Dihn is the plural of duhn (fat/oil).
2. Ad-Dihn refers to red leather (al-adīm al-aḥmar).

If one asks: Red leather matches the color of a rose (wardah), so what is the connection between wardah and dihn (fat)? The answers are:

1. Ad-Dihn here means what is intended by {The Day the heaven is like molten brass} (Al-Ma‘ārij: 8), which is the dregs/sediment of olive oil. There is a connection, as ward can also refer to a lion (asad ward), so ward is not exclusively deep crimson red.
2. The comparison to dihn is not about color but about melting consistency.
3. Melted fat pours out in a single, continuous flow and melts instantly. Iron and copper do not melt to the same degree. Therefore, the movement of the melted fat after liquefaction is faster than that of other metals. It is as if He said: Its movement will be a single wardah, like poured fat, not like lead which melts partially, leaving residue, nor like iron and copper. The pluralization of dihn (as duhūn) might be due to the vastness of the heaven and the multitude of substances melting from its different parts (as the stars differ from other elements).

[Then He said]:

{On that Day, no human or jinn will be asked about his sin.} {Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?}