Sūrat al-Inshiqāq

Meccan. It contains 25 verses. (Revealed after al-Infiṭār).

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1. When the heaven has split asunder,

2. And has listened to its Lord and obeyed, as it is bound to do.

3. And when the earth has been stretched out,

4. And has cast out what is within it and become empty,

5. And has listened to its Lord and obeyed, as it is bound to do.

"When the heaven has split asunder"

The jawab (apodosis) of idha (when) is omitted so that the mind may wander in every direction, or because it is sufficient to rely on what is known from similar instances in the Surahs of al-Takwir and al-Infitar.

It is said: Its jawab is what is indicated by "then he shall meet Him" (i.e., when the heaven splits, man shall meet his toil).

Its meaning is: When it splits with clouds, as in His saying: "And the day the heaven splits asunder with clouds" (Al-Furqan: 25).

From Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): It splits from the Milky Way.

"And has listened to its Lord"

Adhinat (listened/hearkened): It has listened to Him. From this is the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "Allah has not listened to anything as He listens to a person reciting the Quran melodiously." And the saying of Hujaf ibn Hakim: "I listened to you when I heard your barking."

The meaning: It acted in its submission to Allah—when He willed its splitting—like the obedient one who, when a command comes from the one to be obeyed, listens to it, submits, and does not refuse or abstain, as in His saying: "We have come willingly" (Fussilat: 11).

"And has been made fit"

Huqqat (made fit/right): From your saying "he is mahuquq (entitled/fit) for such and such" and "haqiq (worthy) of it." It means: It is fitting for it to submit and not refuse. The meaning is an announcement that for the One who is capable in His Essence, every decreed matter must come to pass, and this is fitting.

"And when the earth has been extended"

Muddat (extended): From "stretching a thing so it stretches." It means its mountains, hills, and every unevenness in it are removed until it is stretched, flattened, and its surface becomes level, as He, the Exalted, said: "A level plain; you will not see therein any crookedness or unevenness" (Taha: 106-107).

From Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): It is extended like the stretching of an Ukazi hide; for when a hide is stretched, every fold and unevenness in it disappears and it becomes level. Or it is from madda in the sense of amadda (to increase), meaning: it is increased in breadth and expanse.

"And has cast out what is in it"

It throws out what is in its interior, such as the dead and treasures buried within it.

"And has become empty"

It becomes completely empty, until nothing remains in its interior. It is as if it exerted its utmost effort in emptying itself, just as one says "the generous one showed generosity" (takarruma) and "the merciful one showed mercy" (tarahama) when they reach the limit of their generosity and mercy, exerting themselves beyond their natural disposition.

"And has listened to its Lord"

In casting out what is in its belly and emptying itself.

"O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet Him. Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will be judged an easy account and return to his people in happiness. But as for he who is given his record behind his back, he will cry out for destruction and [enter to] burn in a Blaze. Indeed, he had been among his people in happiness; indeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allah]. But yes! Indeed, his Lord was ever, of him, Seeing."