Verses 1–8
This chapter of the Qurʾan is focused purely on divine threats and warnings, save for its final two verses that contain glad tidings of paradise and nearness to their Lord for the Godwary.
The chapter begins by calling attention to the miraculous splitting of the moon brought about by the Prophet at the demands of his people. It mentions that they accused him of being a magician, they denied his prophethood, and followed their own desires in spite of the dire warnings he brought to them about the Day of Judgement and the fates of past nations that had perished due to God’s punishment. Then, God calls attention to these accounts in a wrathful and reproachful tone and foretells the evil fate that awaits them on the Day of Resurrection when they are brought forth from their graves and mustered for the final judgement.
Then, the chapter turns to the story of the people of Noah, ʿĀd, Thamūd, Lot, and Pharaoh and the terrible punishments that befell them because they denied the warnings they were given, before saying that the people of the Prophet are no mightier in relation to God than they had been and have no power to thwart God’s will. The chapter concludes by giving glad tidings to the faithful.
Based on the tone and context of its verses, this chapter is of Meccan provenance. The theory that it was revealed at Badr should be discounted, as should the theory that some of its verses were revealed in Medina. Some of its most beautiful verses are the signs of God’s power invoked towards its end.
Commentary
اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانْشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ ١
(54:1) The Hour has drawn near (iqtarab) and the moon is split
The verb iqtarab means to become extremely close. Therefore, when God says, the Hour has drawn near, He means that it is imminent indeed. The Hour is, of course, the time at which the Resurrection takes place.
… and the moon is split: Meaning, that it has been separated into two parts, as indicated. This verse refers to the miraculous splitting of the moon that God caused to happen at the hand of His Prophet in Mecca before the Emigration in response to the demands of the Meccan idolaters. There are abundant narrations that detail this, and both the scholars of traditions and Qurʾanic commentary are in agreement about their authenticity. None of them have differed in this regard except al-Ḥasan, ʿAṭāʾ, and al-Balkhī, who have argued that and the moon is split refers to the moon splitting when the Hour sets in. They say that this sentence is phrased in the past tense to show the certainty with which it will occur.
However, this view is bogus and refuted by the contents of the subsequent verse, If they see a sign, they turn away, and say, ‘An incessant magic!’ (), and its context is the clearest evidence that the term sign here is general in meaning, referring to any miracle, and includes the splitting of the moon. However, when this occurs, the idolaters turn away and say: ‘An incessant magic!’ This is obviously not something they can say on the Day of Resurrection, the day on which all realities become manifest and humankind will pursue knowledge in order to seek refuge in it. On that day, it would be meaningless for them to say that the splitting of the moon was ‘incessant magic.’ Therefore, there is no other possibility save that this was a miracle that occurred to show the truth and veracity of the Prophet’s claims but that, when it was shown to them, they accused him of practicing magic out of their obstinate disbelief.
Equally incorrect is the view that says the verse is a reference to the recent claims of scientists that the moon was originally a part of the earth and the earth was originally part of the sun, and that each of these split off from the other. According to them, the phrase, the moon is split is a reference to this scientific fact that was unknown to people at the time of revelation. However, even if this theory is correct, it does not accord with the subsequent verse about the reaction of the idolaters, If they see a sign, they turn away, and say, ‘An incessant magic!’ as none of them are recorded as saying that the moon itself was an incessant magic. Moreover, this scientific theory talks about the moon becoming separated from the earth, while the verse is talking about the moon itself splitting into two, as the verb inshiqāq is only used when something splits apart by itself, not when it becomes separated from something else having previously been a part thereof.
Another incorrect view is the claim that the splitting of the moon refers to the darkness being banished when it rises, and still another is the claim that the splitting of the moon is a metaphor for the truth becoming manifest and God’s command being triumphant.
Moreover, the verse hints subtly at the fact that the splitting of the moon is an inevitable part of the Hour drawing near.
وَإِنْ يَرَوْا آيَةً يُعْرِضُوا وَيَقُولُوا سِحْرٌ مُسْتَمِرٌّ ٢
(54:2) If they see a sign (āya), they turn away, and say, ‘An incessant magic (siḥr mustamirr)!’
The adjective mustamirr (incessant) is derived from istimrār, which means for something to go on and on continuously without stopping. Therefore, it is used for something that does not cease. Therefore, ‘An incessant magic’ means that there has been one magic trick after another.
Here, the word āya (sign) is indefinite, which conveys a sense of generality and gives it the meaning of ‘every sign that they witness, they claim it is just another magic trick. Some have said that the adjective mustamirr can also mean ‘permanent’ or ‘stable’, others interpret it as meaning ‘ephemeral’ or ‘fleeting’, and others still argue that it means ‘repugnant’ or ‘offensive.’ However, all of these interpretations are far from the term’s apparent meaning.
وَكَذَّبُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا أَهْوَاءَهُمْ ۚ وَكُلُّ أَمْرٍ مُسْتَقِرٌّ ٣
(54:3) They denied, and followed their own desires, and every matter has a setting
What did they deny? The end of the verse suggests that it was the Prophet and the signs that he brought. In other words, ‘they denied the Prophet and the signs that he brought them, when the fact is that every matter has a place in which it will settle, and then it will be known whether it is true or false, veracious or deceitful. Then, they will know whether the Prophet spoke the truth or not, and whether he was upon the truth or not.’ Therefore, the phrase every matter has a setting should be understood in the same vein as the verse, and you will surely learn its tidings in due time ().
Some have said that what they denied was, in fact, the splitting of the moon. Therefore, the meaning of the verse is: ‘They denied the splitting of the moon and followed their own desires.’ However, the end of the verse, and every matter has a setting, does not accord with this meaning at all.
وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُمْ مِنَ الْأَنْبَاءِ مَا فِيهِ مُزْدَجَرٌ ٤
(54:4) There have already come to them reports containing admonishment (muzdajar)
The term muzdajar is an M-infinitive (maṣdar mīmī) that means to caution someone, these reports (anbāʾ) are either the accounts of earlier nations whom God destroyed or prophecies about the Day of Resurrection—both interpretations are equally possible. The fact that the verse is followed by reports about the Day of Resurrection then reports about a number of nations who perished as a result of divine punishment suggests that the phrase reports containing admonishment, in fact, refers to both of these meanings simultaneously.
حِكْمَةٌ بَالِغَةٌ ۖ فَمَا تُغْنِ النُّذُرُ ٥
(54:5) far-reaching wisdom (ḥikma bāligha); but warnings are of no avail!
Ḥikma (‘wisdom’) signifies a true statement that is also beneficial, while the adjective bāligha (‘far-reaching’) is derived from bulūgh, which literally means for something to arrive at its destination, but can also be used figuratively to denote the fullness or perfection of a thing. Therefore, far-reaching wisdom means complete and perfect wisdom that is without deficiency or deficit, whether in of its own self or with regard to its effect.
…but warners (nudhur) are of no avail! The word nudhur is the plural of nadhīr, meaning either ‘someone who brings a warning’ or ‘warning’ in the abstract sense. However, it is the first meaning that is more easily understood in this context.
Therefore, the meaning of the verse is: This Qurʾan (or the message to which they are being called) is far-reaching wisdom, but they denied it and followed their own desires, so what avail are warners or warnings?
فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ ۘ يَوْمَ يَدْعُ الدَّاعِ إِلَىٰ شَيْءٍ نُكُرٍ ٦
(54:6) So turn away from them (fa tawalla ʿanhum)! The day when the Caller calls to a dire thing
The fa in fa tawalla shows that this command is based on the description of their state given above. In other words: ‘Given that they deny your prophethood and follow their own desires, no amount of warnings will avail them nor will any amount of admonition effect them, so turn away from them and do not repeat your call to them.’
The day when the Caller calls to a dire thing (shayʾ nukur)—al-Rāghib says: ‘Inkār (denial) is the opposite of ʿirfān (acknowledgement). One might say ankartu kadhā (‘I deny such and such’) or nakartu (‘I deny it’). In its original sense, it means that something enters the heart that the heart does not recognise, and this is a kind of ignorance. The Qurʾan says (about Abraham), But when he saw their hands not reaching for it, he took them amiss (). The word nukur can also mean ‘cleverness’ or something that is difficult to comprehend.’
The phrase, So turn away from them is the final word on the state of the deniers in relation to the far-reaching wisdom that has been presented to them and the admonitions addressed to them as a warning. Then God repeated some of these admonitions, which are accounts of what their condition will be on the Day of Resurrection and the fates of those earlier nations who denied their prophets. In doing so, He employs a harshly rebuking tone that inspires fear in the hearts in order to grab their attention and deprive them of any excuses, to justify His command to His Prophet to turn away from them.
Therefore, the phrase, The day when the Caller calls, is a new statement, separate from what came before it—as indicated by the previously mentioned admonitions—and it is phrased as an answer to a question that is implicit in the command, So turn away from them. So, for instance, someone might ask: ‘What will be become of them?’ The answer is: The day when the Caller calls…—in other words, this will be their condition in their afterlife, this is the consequence of the worldly lives lived by those like them and those in whose footsteps they follow from the peoples of Noah, ʿĀd, Thamūd, and others, who they are not better than.
Based on this, the adverbial phrase, The day when…, qualifies the verse, they will emerge from the graves… Hence, the meaning is as follows: ‘They will emerge from the graves on the day when the Caller calls to a dire thing…’ Alternatively, it could be read as meaning, ‘And mention the day when the Caller calls…’ In other words, ‘mention that day and their condition on that day…’ This renders the meaning of this verse in the same vein as the verses, Do they await anything but that the Hour should overtake them suddenly, while they are unaware? () and Do they await anything except the like of the days of those who passed away before them? ().
Why does God not specify the identity of this caller? Elsewhere in the Qurʾan, He has ascribed this call to Himself: The day He calls you, you will respond to Him, praising Him ().
The reason why God describes their experience of the Resurrection here—their being called forth and emerging from their graves with fear and anxiety in their eyes and scrambling towards the one who has summoned them to face their Final Judgement—is to draw a parallel with their being called to faith in this life through God’s signs, which they turn away from and dismiss as ‘incessant magic.’
Therefore, the meaning of the verse is: ‘Recall the day on which the Caller will summon them for an affair that will be difficult for them, namely the judgement and recompense of the Hereafter.’
خُشَّعًا أَبْصَارُهُمْ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ كَأَنَّهُمْ جَرَادٌ مُنْتَشِرٌ ٧
(54:7) with a humbled look (khushshaʿan abṣāruhum), they will emerge from the graves (ajdāth) as if they were scattered locusts,
The word khushshaʿ is the plural of khāshiʿ (‘one who is humbled and fearful’), which is derived from khushūʿ, which denotes a kind of humility. This is attributed to their sights (abṣār) because that is where this fear is most apparent.
Ajdāth (‘graves’) is the plural of jadath, which is synonymous with qabr (‘grave’). They are compared to scattered locusts (jarād muntashir) when emerging from their resting places because when locusts swarm they mix together and crawl over one another in all directions. Those emerging from their graves on the Day of Resurrection will do likewise, as God says in Sūrah al-Maʿārij, the day when they emerge from the graves, hastening, as if racing toward a target, with a humbled look, overcast by abasement. That is the day they had been promised ().
مُهْطِعِينَ إِلَى الدَّاعِ ۖ يَقُولُ الْكَافِرُونَ هَٰذَا يَوْمٌ عَسِرٌ ٨
(54:8) scrambling toward the summoner. The faithless will say, ‘This is a hard day!’
In other words, while they are all clambering over one another in a rush to respond to the one who has called them forth, the faithless will say, ‘This is a most difficult day!’
Examining Narrations
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, about the verse, The Hour has drawn near (), we read: ‘The Resurrection is imminent, for there is nothing after the Messenger of God except the Resurrection, and both prophethood and messengership have come to an end. As for the verse, and the moon is split (), the Quraysh had asked the Messenger of God to show them a sign, so he invoked God to split the moon into two halves so that they might see it clearly. But when He did, they said: “An incessant magic!” Meaning “a genuine magic.”’
- In the Amālī of Shaykh al-Mufīd, via a chain of narrators from ʿUbayd Allāh b. ʿAlī, from Imām al-Riḍā, from his forefathers, from ʿAlī, it is related: ‘In Mecca, the moon split into two parts. When this happened, God’s Messenger said, “Bear witness! Bear witness!”’
- In al-Durr al-manthūr, ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd, Muslim, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqī in his Dalāʾil narrate from Anas: ‘The people of Mecca asked the Prophet for a sign, so he split the moon in twain in Mecca, then the verse was revealed, The Hour has drawn near and the moon is split… say, “An incessant magic!”’
- In the same source, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardawayh, Abū Naʿīm, and al-Bayhaqī—both of them in the Dalāʾil—relate via Masrūq from Ibn Masʿūd: ‘The moon split during the time of the Prophet, but the Quraysh said, “This is the sorcery of Ibn Abī Kabsha! Wait and see what word the Saffār tribe bring you, for Muḥammad cannot bewitch all of humankind.” The Saffār tribe came, the people asked them about it, and they said: “Yes, we saw it too!” Whereat God sent down the verse, The Hour has drawn near and the moon is split.’
- In the same source, Muslim, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardawah, al-Ḥākim, al-Bayhaqī, and Abū Naʿīm in his Dalāʾil narrate via Mujāhid from Ibn ʿUmar, concerning the verse, The Hour has drawn near and the moon is split: ‘That happened during the time of God’s Messenger. It split into two parts: One in front of the mountain and one behind it. Whereat the Prophet proclaimed: “O God, bear witness!”’
- In the same source, Aḥmad, ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Jarīr, al-Ḥākim, Abū Naʿīm, and al-Bayhaqī narrate from Jubayr b. Muṭʿim, concerning the verse, the moon is split: ‘The moon split while we were in Mecca during the time of the Messenger of God. It broke into two pieces: One was above this mountain and the other was above that one. People said, “Muḥammad has bewitched us!” But a man said, “Even if he has bewitched you, he could not bewitch all mankind!”’
- In the same source, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Mardawayh, and Abū Naʿīm in the Dalāʾil narrate from Ibn ʿAbbās concerning the verse, The Hour has drawn near and the moon is split: ‘That happened before the Emigration. The moon split such that we could visibly see it in two parts.’
- In the same source, Ibn Abī Shayba, ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd, ʿAbd Allāh b. Aḥmad in the Zawāʾid al-zuhd, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Mardawayh, and Abū Naʿīm narrate from Abī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī: ‘Hudhayfa b. al-Yamān delivered a sermon to us in Madāʾin. He praised and magnified God, then said: “The Hour has drawn near and the moon is split”—Lo! Surely the Hour has drawn nigh! Lo! And surely the moon has split during the time of the Messenger of God! Lo! And surely the world has announced its imminent departure! Lo! Surely today is the race track and tomorrow is the race!”
Author’s comments: The splitting of the moon occurred due to the supplication of the Prophet is an event that has been narrated through many different paths from these individuals among the companions, namely Anas, ʿAbd Allah b. Masʿūd, Ibn ʿUmar, Jubayr b. Muṭʿim, Ibn ʿAbbās, Hudhayfa b. al-Yamān. It is mentioned in Rūḥ al-maʿānī that the tradition was narrated by the companions from ʿAlī. It is related by al-Sayyid al-Sharīf in his commentary on the Mawaqif and Ibn al-Subkī in his commentary on the Mukhtasar that the tradition is widely transmitted (mutawātir) and there is no doubt concerning its transmission. This is the status of the tradition among the Sunnīs, and readers will already be well-aware of its status among the Shīʿa.
Discourse
The discussion “A Discourse on the Miraculous Splitting of the Moon” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.