Verses 1–25
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.
This sūrah was revealed in Mecca and consists of 25 verses. It talks about the occurrence of the Hour. Humans are on a journey leading to their Lord, until they encounter their Lord and are recompensed according to the record of their deeds, which is emphasized in the chapter. The aspect of warning dominates the aspect of glad tiding in this sūrah. The theme of the verses indicate that the chapter was revealed in Mecca.
Commentary
إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انْشَقَّتْ ١}
(84:1) When the sky is split open (inshaqqat, from inshiqāq),
This verse introduces a conditional clause which is left incomplete. Its complement can be inferred from the verse: O man! You are laboring toward your Lord laboriously, and you will encounter Him (). The implied meaning is: “When these events occur, humans will encounter their Lord, who will reckon their deeds and pay them for what they have done.”
The inshiqāq of the sky is its cracking and opening. That is among the events that mark the occurrence of the Hour. Other such events, mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’an, include the earth spreading out [], the sun winding up [], the stars falling [], and the sun and the moon being brought together [].
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ ٢}
(84:2) and gives ear (adhinat, from idhn) to its Lord as it should (ḥuqqat).
Idhn means “listening, giving ear.” The word udhun (ear) is from the same root. Here it is used figuratively to imply submission and obedience. Ḥuqqat means “it becomes capable and befitting to give ear.” The meaning is: “The sky will submit and be humbled before its Lord. And indeed that is befitting of it: the right thing for it is to listen to its Lord and obey Him.”
وَإِذَا الْأَرْضُ مُدَّتْ ٣}
(84:3) When the earth is spread out,
Apparently what is meant here is the stretching of the earth [or land], as per the verse: The day the earth is transformed into another earth and the heavens [as well] ().
وَأَلْقَتْ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ ٤}
(84:4) and throws out what is in it, emptying itself,
The meaning is: “The earth will cast out the dead inside it, and will not spare any of them in this regard.” Two other suggested meanings are:
- “The earth will throw out the dead and the treasures in it.” This is according to the verse: and the earth discharges its burdens ().
- “The earth will cast out what is inside it, and will relieve itself from the mountains and seas on it.”
Comment: Our interpretation is more apparent.
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ ٥}
(84: 5) and gives ear to its Lord as it should.
This is identical to verse , which we already interpreted. The pronouns “its” and “it” refer to the earth (), just as the same pronouns in verse refer to the sky ().
يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيهِ ٦}
(84:6) O man! You are laboring toward (ilá) your Lord laboriously (kadḥan), and you will encounter Him.
There are two suggested meanings for kadḥ: (1) According to al-Rāghib, it means “effort, striving, toil.” Hence it implies a sense of journeying. (2) Others have defined it as “one’s toiling in action in a way that affects and impresses the soul.” This meaning also implies a sense of journeying because the word is made transitive by the preposition ilá (toward). Therefore, there is an element of journeying and traveling in the word kadḥ either way.
… and you will encounter Him: This is added to You are laboring. The sentence clarifies that humankind’s journey, toil and endeavor will end in God, in the sense that He is their Lord. In other words, since humans are owned and directed as servants, they inevitably strive toward God, Who is their Owner, Director and Master. Servants are not entitled to any decision or action with respect to themselves. Therefore, they are not supposed to will or act anything except what their Lord has willed and commanded, because they will be accountable for their decisions and actions.
Based on our explanation, we can deduce three points: (1) This statement—You are laboring toward your Lord laboriously—is an argument for afterlife. (2) The encountering or meeting of God means a state where the only rule and judgment that is effective and active is that of God; and where the servants are not veiled from their Lord [by any intermediate cause or force]. (3) The verse is addressed to the human being qua human. The word al-insān (man, the human being) is meant in a generic sense because God’s Lordship applies to all humankind.
The first inference can further be elaborated as follows:
(a) Lordship [of God] necessitates servitude [of humans, since they are relational qualities].
(b) Servitude entails accountability.
(c) Accountability means returning [to one’s master] for the reckoning of deeds.
(d) Reckoning entails payment.
(e) Hence, there shall be resurrection.
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ ٧}
(84:7) Then as for him who is given his record in his right hand,
The last verse—You are laboring toward your Lord ()—implied that there shall be a return to God, where one is questioned about one’s deeds and reckoned for them. This verse elaborates on these subsequent stages. Given the mention of reckoning below (), what is meant by record here is the record of deeds. We already discussed the meaning of receiving one’s record in the right hand in Sūrah al-Isrāʾ and Sūrah al-Ḥāqqah.
فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا ٨}
(84:8) he shall soon receive an easy reckoning,
This means taking it easy and not being picky about the details.
وَيَنْقَلِبُ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا ٩}
(84:9) and he will return to his families (ahlihi) joyfully.
Given the context, ahl (family, folk, people) here means heavenly beings that God has set aside for the person, such as houris (heavenly spouses) and ghilmān (heavenly youths, heavenly servants). Here are two other suggested meanings:
- Their families in this world who were believers and will enter paradise.
- Believers in general. Even though they may not have any family ties, all believers are brethren nevertheless.
Comment: Neither of these two views is quite apparent.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِهِ ١٠}
(84:10) But as for him who is given his record behind his back,
Perhaps the reason why they will be given their records from behind is that their faces will be turned backwards, as God says: before We blot out the faces and turn them backwards ().
There is no contradiction between giving their books from behind and giving their books from the left, as mentioned in the verse: But as for him who is given his book in his left hand, he will say, “I wish I had not been given my book” (). In our subsequent examination of narrations, we shall see the meaning of receiving one’s book from behind.
فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُو ثُبُورًا ١١}
(84:11) he will pray for annihilation (thubūran),
Thubūr is similar to wayl, meaning halāk (death, destruction, loss). “Praying for annihilation” means saying: wā thubūrāh.
وَيَصْلَىٰ سَعِيرًا ١٢}
(84:12) and he will enter a blaze.
They will enter a blazing fire that is beyond description, and will suffer its tremendous heat.
إِنَّهُ كَانَ فِي أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا ١٣}
(84:13) Indeed he used to be joyful among his family,
They used to rejoice over acquiring worldly possessions. Their souls were pulled by the ornaments of this world, and that made them forget the hereafter. God has condemned those who rejoice in worldly goods, and has called it “unrightful joy”: That is because you used to rejoice on the earth without right, and because you used to walk exultantly ().
إِنَّهُ ظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ يَحُورَ ١٤}
(84:14) and indeed he thought he would never return (yaḥūra).
What is meant here is returning to one’s Lord for reckoning and retribution. What makes one dismiss this prospect is absorption in sin and wrongdoing, which turn one’s attention away from the hereafter, and make resurrection seem like a far-fetched myth.
بَلَىٰ إِنَّ رَبَّهُ كَانَ بِهِ بَصِيرًا ١٥}
(84:15) Yes indeed (balá), indeed his Lord was ever seeing him.
The word balá (of course, rather, nay) rejects their above mentioned supposition. It means: “It is not as they have imagined, but rather they will return.”
… indeed his Lord was ever seeing him: This sentence justifies the previous rejection of their speculation. God is their Lord, meaning their Owner and the Director of their affairs. His knowledge encompasses them, and He sees whatever they do. He has ordained their obligations, and has set rewards and punishments for their deeds. Hence, it is inevitable that they will return to their Lord, and He will recompense them as they deserve according to their actions. This should clarify that this sentence—indeed his Lord was ever seeing him—involves an argument for the necessity of afterlife, much like what we said regarding the verse: You are laboring toward your Lord ().
Based on the last nine verses [], we can deduce that the reckoning of deeds will be a subsequent stage to the distribution of the records and the unrolling of the scrolls. This can be confirmed by the following verses: We have attached every person’s omen to his neck, and We shall bring it out for him on the Day of Resurrection as a wide open book that he will encounter. “Read your book! Today your soul suffices as your own reckoner” ().
As one can see, the above verses identify the disbelievers as those who will be given their books from behind. This raises a question concerning believers who have committed major sins. According to narrations through both Sunni and Shia chains, they will enter hell, will stay there for some time, and will then be released from it through [the Prophet’s] intercession. The problem is that this group will not receive their records from behind since that is only applicable to the disbelievers []. Nor will they receive their records in their right hand because the verses suggest that such will be the fate of the People of the Right Hand (aṣḥāb al-yamīn), who will pass an easy reckoning and enter paradise []. And it is not plausible to say that they will not be given any record at all, since the Qur’an says, using a universal expression: We have attached every person’s omen to his neck (). Here are some suggested explanations by the exegetes:
- They will be given their records in their right hand after they exit hell.
Comment: The apparent sense of the verses—though they are not explicit—is that entering hell or paradise is subsequent to reckoning, which itself is subsequent to the distribution of the records and the unrolling of the scrolls. Hence, it does not make sense to receive one’s record after exiting hell.
- They will be given their records in their left hand, whereas the disbelievers will be given their records from behind, as we saw in the verses above.
Comment: Verses which talk about receiving one’s book in the left hand are in Sūrah al-Wāqiʿah [ff], Sūrah al-Ḥāqqah [ff], and an equivalent verse in Sūrah al-Isrāʾ []. These verses are also applicable to the disbelievers exclusively. Overall, it seems that those who will be given their records in their left hand will be the same as those who will be given their records from behind.
- Perhaps they too will receive their records in their right hand, but they are not qualified for he shall soon receive an easy reckoning (). That verse describes the whole by an attribute of a subset of them.
Comment: Such loose way expression is not permissible in this context, because the very theme of the verses is to distinguish between the felicitous and the wretched, and to identify the payment of each group specifically. This leaves no room for bundling some of those who will be punished with those who will go to paradise. Moreover, he shall soon receive… () is a good promise from God. It does not make sense to make such a promise to those who are not qualified for it, even if it is only at the apparent level of meaning.
The last suggestion can perhaps be justified as follows: Ease and hardship are relative terms. Hence, it could be that the reckoning of the sinful believers would be easy relative to the reckoning of the disbelievers who are doomed to hell forever, even though it would be difficult in comparison to the reckoning of the Godwary.
Another possible explanation is: The division of all people into the People of the Right Hand and the People of the Left Hand is not exhaustive. We can deduce this from the following verses: you will be three groups: The People of the Right Hand—and what are the People of the Right Hand? And the People of the Left Hand—and what are the People of the Left Hand? And the Foremost Ones are the foremost ones: they are the ones brought near [to Allah] (). These verses show that the ones brought near are a separate category from the other two groups. The same can be said about al-mustaḍʿafūn (the disadvantaged, the oppressed, the abased), as inferred from the verse: [There are] others waiting Allah’s verdict: either He shall punish them, or turn to them clemently ().
Therefore, it may be argued that classifying the people into the People of the Right Hand and the People of the Left Hand is not an exhaustive classification that encompasses everyone. Rather, it only includes two groups on two extremes: (1) the Godwary among the inhabitants of paradise; and (2) those who shall abide in hell eternally. These are the two groups which will be given their records in their right hand and their left hand, respectively. The verses only discuss them because the main theme and message here is to urge the people to adhere to faith and taqwá (Godwariness, self-restraint, piety). A similar classification to this can be seen in Sūrah al-Mursalāt, which describes the Day of Judgment (), but then it only touches on the deniers [ff] and the Godwary [ff], even though not everyone falls into one of these two groups. A similar case can be observed in Chapters 78, 79, 80, 82, 83 and other sūrahs. The purpose in all these chapters is to present some role models and concrete examples for the people of faith and obedience, and the people of disbelief and defiance. The verses are silent about other groups because their mandate is to show the audience that the key to happiness is taqwá, while disobedience and rebellion are the road to wretchedness.
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالشَّفَقِ ١٦}
(84:16) So I swear by the evening glow (bil-shafaq)!
Shafaq is the sequence of red, yellow and white hues that appear on the horizon at sunset and the outset of the night.
وَاللَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ ١٧}
(84:17) By the night and what it envelops (wasaqa)!
Wasaqa means “to gather, to combine, to bring together.” While humans and animals naturally go out and scatter during the day, they retire to their homes at night to rest. Some have interpreted wasaqa as ṭarada (to drive out, to dispel, to expel), referring to the stars being brought out of disappearance to appear at night.
وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا اتَّسَقَ ١٨}
(84:18) By the moon when it blooms full (ittasaqa)!
Ittisāq means “gathering, putting together.” The meaning is: “By the moon as it compiles and completes its light, until it becomes a full moon.”
لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَنْ طَبَقٍ ١٩}
(84:19) You will surely fare from stage to stage (ṭabaq).
This verse is the complement of the oaths in the previous verses [], and is addressed to all people. Ṭabaq means “something that matches another thing” or “the state of correspondence and matching,” whether one side is above the other or not. What is meant here are the stages that humans pass in their toilsome journey toward their Lord, in the following sequence: life in this world, death, life in barzakh (the intermediate realm between this life and the resurrection), transition to the hereafter, life in the hereafter, reckoning and retribution. This verse shows that the stages that humans traverse on their journey toward their Lord are sequentially connected to one another.
As we can see, the oaths in these verses emphasize the message of the verse, O man! You are laboring… (), and the theme of resurrection in the subsequent verses. The oaths also set the stage for the surprise and censure reflected in the verse, So what is the matter with them that they will not believe? (), and the warning and glad tidings at the end: So give them tidings of a painful punishment… ().
فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٢٠} وَإِذَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْآنُ لَا يَسْجُدُونَ ٢١}
(84:20-21) So what is the matter with them that they will not believe? And when the Qur’an is recited to them they will not prostrate?
These verses are rhetorical questions that convey surprise and rebuke. This matches the shift of address in the verses, where the people are treated in the third person instead of the second person. It is as though God is turning His attention from the people to the Prophet since He saw that they do not pay heed to His reminder, nor take admonition from His exhortation. Thus He addresses the Prophet: So what is the matter with them that they will not believe?… ().
بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُكَذِّبُونَ ٢٢}وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُوعُونَ ٢٣}
(84:22-23) Rather, the faithless deny (yukadhdhibūna), and Allah knows best what they harbor (yūʿūna, from īʿāʾ).
The present tense of the verb deny indicates persistence and continuation. They are referred to as the faithless [instead of using a pronoun] to indicate the cause of their denial. Īʿāʾ (to harbor, to hold, to entertain) is defined as “putting something in a wiʿāʾ (container, receptacle).” The meaning is: “They have not turned their backs to faith due to any insufficiency in the message or any lack of proof for it. Rather, they have followed their forefathers and their chiefs. Thus they are deeply rooted in disbelief and continuous denial. But God is well aware of the disbelief and polytheism that they have accumulated and hidden in their hearts.”
and Allah knows best what they harbor: Some exegetes have interpreted this verse as follows: “Besides their denial, they hold other secrets in their hearts which are ineffable and unknown to everyone save God.” However, this meaning is not quite congruous with the context.
فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ٢٤}
(84:24) So give them tidings (fa-bashshirhum, from tabshīr) of a painful punishment,
The letter fāʾ (so, then, therefore) at the beginning of this verse indicates that this statement is drawn as a conclusion to their above mentioned denial []. The verb tabshīr (to give glad tiding, to give good news) is used for punishment as an expression of mocking and sarcasm.
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ ٢٥}
(84:25) except such as are faithful and do righteous deeds: then they shall have an unfailing (ghayr mamnūn) reward.
This is an unconnected exception to the pronoun “them” in So warn them (). The reward of the righteous believers will be without any expression that would burden, humiliate or abuse the receiver.
Examining Narrations
- Concerning When the sky is split open () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: That is the Day of Resurrection.
- [Imam] ʿAlī said: The sky will split from its border lines.
- Concerning When the earth is spread out, and throws out what is in it, emptying itself () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: The earth will stretch out and split asunder. Then the people will come out of it.
- The Prophet said: The earth will stretch on the Day of Resurrection like the stretching of a hide that is tanned [into leather]. Yet, the share of every child of Adam will be only enough room to stand on their feet.
- Imam ʿAlī said: People on that day will have different conditions and ranks. Some will have an easy reckoning, and will [then] proceed happily to their family. Some will enter paradise without any reckoning, for they did not have anything to do with worldly matters. Reckoning on that day will be for those who get engaged here [with worldly matters]. Some will be reckoned for every dot and thread, and will [then] proceed to the blazing punishment.
- Imam al-Bāqir said: Once the Messenger of God said: “Anyone who is summoned for reckoning will be punished.”
He was asked, “O Messenger of God! What about the verse: he shall soon receive an easy reckoning ()?”
He explained, “That is ʿarḍ (presentation, display, appearance),” which means skimming through and looking over.
- Imam al-Bāqir said: Then as for him who is given his record in his right hand (): This refers to Abū Salamah b. ʿAbd al-Aswad b. Hilāl al-Makhzūmī, who was from the tribe Banū Makhzūm. But as for him who is given his record behind his back (): This refers to his brother, al-Aswad b. ʿAbd al-Aswad al-Makhzūmī, who was killed in the Battle of Badr by Ḥamzah b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib.
- According to some narrations, you will surely fare from stage to stage () means from hardship to hardship, including life, then death, then resurrection, then retribution.
- It is narrated from Imam al-Ṣādiq and Abū ʿUbayddah: You shall pursue the same paths and states as the early nations before you.
The use of past tense for a future event indicates certainty. It is as though the event has already occurred. (Ed.) ↩︎
See verses and . For the former, see volume 25, pp. 228-229 of the English translation. (Ed.) ↩︎
There is an omitted preposition min (from) in this verse. The implied meaning is: “from behind his back.” That is why the word warāʾ is manṣūb in terms of inflection: it is due to the omission of a particle that assigns the oblique case (nazʿ al-khāfiḍ). (Auth.) ↩︎
This is an exclamatory expression that indicates regret and despair. It effectively means: “Alas! Oh no! Woe is me! What a mess! Damn it!” For Qur’anic equivalents and insights on this, see verses , , , , . (Ed.) ↩︎
The verb yaḥūru is synonymous with yarjiʿu (to return). (Auth.) ↩︎
In other words, while all believers will receive their records in their right hand, not all of them will have a smooth reckoning. (Ed.) ↩︎
Overall, the author offers two possible views concerning the sinful believers: (1) They will also receive their records of deeds in their right hand, but their reckoning will be more meticulous than that of the Godwary believers. (2) We cannot know their situation from the current verses, since that is beyond the scope of the current verses. (Ed.) ↩︎
An “unconnected exception” (istithnāʾ munqaṭiʿ, istithnāʾ munfaṣil) is where what is excepted is not a member of the original group. Such exceptions effectively convey two independent statements. (Ed.) ↩︎
This is based on mamnūn being derived from minnah (obligation, reproach), which is when a benefactor reminds the beneficiary about their favor in order to make them feel obliged. The same statement is repeated almost verbatim in verse below, where the author has interpreted mamnūn as maqṭūʿ (severed, interrupted, cut off). The meaning would be: “They will have an unfailing and unceasing reward.” This is more compatible with the context, its Qur’anic usage, and the original meaning of mann. (Ed.) ↩︎
Apparently what is meant is that it will split along the lines and borders which mark the galaxies. (Ed.) ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Ḥākim, through a good chain of narration, on the authority of Jābir. ↩︎
Al-Iḥtijāj. ↩︎
Given the Sunni versions, apparently the rest is either an explanation from the Imam or from one of the transmitters. What is meant is that “easy reckoning” in verse is not really reckoning, strictly and literally speaking. Rather, it is a quick display of one’s acts, and a glance over one’s record by God. (Ed.) ↩︎
Maʿānī al-akhbār, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Ibn Sinān. A similar narration is reported in al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Bukhārī, Muslim, al-Tirmidhī and others, on the authority of ʿĀʾishah. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of Abū al-Jārūd. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, via an unconnected chain of transmission (marfūʿ). ↩︎
Jawāmiʿ al-Jāmiʿ. ↩︎