The Noble Quran, Tafsir of Surah al-Inshiqaq Ayah 16-25 The Day of Judgment Will Occur

84:16 So, I swear by the twilight, 

84:17 and by the night and what it envelops, 

84:18 and by the moon when it grows full, 

84:19 you will surely travel from state to state.  

84:20 Then what is the matter with them that they believe not, 

84:21 and when the Quran is recited to them, they prostrate not? 

84:22 Rather those who disbelieve deny, 

84:23 and Allah knows best what they hide.

84:24 So give them good news of a painful torment,

84:25 save those who believe and do righteous deeds, for them is a reward, never-ending. 

Relationship with the Previous Part

The previous part mentions that people will be divided into two parties on the Day of Judgment and it mentions their conditions, namely, happy and miserable ones. This part confirms that the Day of Judgment with the horrors that accompany it will certainly take place by swearing by some obvious signs in the universe, namely, the twilight, the night, and the moon. 

Then it mentions some conditions of people, namely, they disbelieve in the occurrence of the Day of Judgment, and they do not comply with the teachings of the glorious Quran out of arrogance. Their recompense will be severe punishment on the Day of Judgment, but those who believe in Allah’s Oneness, worship Him sincerely and perform righteous deeds will be recompensed with a never-ending reward. 

Tafsir

84:16 So, I swear by the twilight, 

84:17 and by the night and what it envelops, 

84:18 and by the moon when it grows full, 

Allah, Exalted be He, swears by the twilight that appears when the sun sets, the night that envelops different creatures and wonders that no one knows but Allah, and the moon when it grows full.

Swearing by these things is proof confirming Allah’s perfect ability. That is because these things change from a state to another and from a shape to another. The twilight comes when the sun sets, the night comes after the day, and the moon grows full after it was not so. All these changes are evidence that Allah is able, Exalted be He.

Allah swears by whatever thing of His creatures that He wants, but the created being must only swear by Allah. 

84:19 you will surely travel from state to state.  

This is the response to the oath. By the twilight, by the night and what it envelops, and by the moon when it grows full, you will surely travel from state to state and condition to another one. You will certainly experience different states and conditions, some of which are more difficult than others. You will surely go through different stages in your life, but the most difficult one will be death and what follows it of resurrection and reckoning on the Day of Judgment. 

Abdul Allah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘[84:19 you will surely travel from state to state.] ‘State after state.’ ‘This is for your Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.’ 

84:20 Then what is the matter with them that they believe not, 

84:21 and when the Quran is recited to them, they prostrate not? 

The interrogation is for condemnation and amazement. O noble Messenger Muhammad, if the matter is as it has been mention. The only God deserving worship is Allah; they will certainly be raised after death for reckoning on the Day of Judgment; they will surely be recompensed for all their deeds in the worldly life. Then what is the matter with the disbelievers that they do not believe though all proofs call them to believe? In addition, what is the matter with them that when the Quran is recited to them, they do not prostrate though it is revealed to bring them out of the darkness of disbelief to the light of belief in Allah’s Oneness? 

The intended meaning is wondering at the disbelievers’ conditions. Though all proofs confirm Allah’s Oneness and the truthfulness of Messenger Muhammad, they insist on disbelief, arrogance, and stubbornness. 

84:22 Rather those who disbelieve deny, 

84:23 and Allah knows best what they hide.

There is no valid reason for the disbelievers’ insistence on disbelief in Allah’s Oneness and His Messenger Muhammad after knowing all supporting proofs. Rather, their insistence on denial is because of envy to Messenger Muhammad for the bounty that Allah has given him. They deny the truth out of arrogance and stubbornness. However, Allah, the All-Knowing, knows best what they hide. Allah knows the disbelief and denial the disbelievers hide in their breasts, and the enmity they have for the believers. 

84:24 So give them good news of a painful torment,

84:25 save those who believe and do righteous deeds, for them is a reward, never-ending. 

Good news is given to tell what brings happiness to the heart. The intended meaning is sarcasm as the ayah promises the disbelievers to suffer a painful torment. 

O noble Messenger Muhammad, give the denying disbelievers the news of painful torment on the Day of Judgment for their disbelief and wickedness. But those who believe in Allah’s Oneness, worship Him alone, believe in His Messengers, and perform righteous deeds will have a reward that will never end. Indeed, Allah’s blessings on the believers are countless. He, Exalted be He, deserves sincere worship. 

Learned Lessons from Surah al-Inshiqaq Ayah 16-25

• Allah swears by the twilight, the night what it envelops, and the moon when it grows full that the Day of Judgment will certainly take place.

• The disbelievers have no valid excuse for disbelieving in Allah’s Oneness as conclusive proofs confirm that He is the only God who deserves worship.

• Denial, arrogance, and stubbornness are the causes preventing the disbelievers from believing in Allah’s Oneness and complying with the teachings of the Quran.

• Allah is All-Knowing. He knows best of what the disbelievers hide in their breasts. 

• The disbelievers are given the news that they will suffer severe punishment in the Hereafter.

• Those who believe in Allah’s Oneness and His Messengers, worship Him sincerely and perform righteous deeds will have a never-ending reward in the Hereafter. 

The Holy Quran, Surah al-Inshiqaq, English Translation

The Holy Quran, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah al-Inshiqaq

The Noble Quran Surah Hud : Translation and Tafsir

The Noble Quran, Tafsir of Surah al-Mutaffifin Ayah 1-6 Warning to the Defrauders

The Holy Quran, Tafsir of Surah al-Inshiqaq Ayah 1-15 Some Horrors of the Day of Judgment

84:1 When the sky bursts open, 

84:2 and it obeys its Lord, and it must do so. 

84:3 And when the earth is spread out 

84:4  and cast forth what is in it, and becomes empty. 

84:5 And it obeys its Lord, and it must do so. 

84:6 O man, indeed, you are laboring to your Lord laboriously and you will meet Him.

84:7 Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand, 

84:8 he will receive an easy reckoning 

84:9 and he will return to his people joyfully. 

84:10 But as for him who is given his book behind his back,

84:11 he will call for destruction 

84:12 and he will burn in a Blaze. 

84:13 Indeed, he used to be joyful among his people;

84:14 indeed, he thought that he would never return. 

84:15 Yes indeed, his Lord was ever All-Seeing of him. 

Tafsir 

84:1 When the sky bursts open, 

84:2 and it obeys its Lord, and it must do so. 

The sky bursts open and splits marking the end and destruction of this world. When this event takes place, the Day of Judgment will take place. The sky will obey its Lord, Allah, and comply with His command, as He is the Great Lord whom no one can overcome. All that is in this universe submit to His Will willingly and unwillingly. Verily, it is obligatory on the sky and all that is in this universe to obey Allah’s commands and comply with them. 

84:3 And when the earth is spread out 

84:4  and cast forth what is in it, and becomes empty. 

84:5 And it obeys its Lord, and it must do so. 

When the Day of the Judgment takes, the earth will be spread out and become flat with no heights or lownesses. It will cast forth all that is in it. It will bring out all that is in it, e.g. dead bodies and treasures. Thus, it will become empty. Indeed, it is obligatory on the earth and all that in this universe to obey Allah’s commands and comply with them, just as the sky must obey and comply with Allah’s commands. 

When the sky splits out and the earth is spread out, the Day of Judgment will occur and every human being will know the results of the deeds he did in this world. 

It was reported that Messenger Muhammad said, ‘On the Day of Judgment, Allah will spread out the earth so that all human beings will find a place where they can put their feet on. Then I will be the first person to be called. The angel Gabriel will be to the right side of Allah, the Most Merciful. Then I will say, ‘O my Lord, this is what you have told me about and sent me to convey.’ Allah will say, ‘You have spoken the truth.’ Then I will seek the intercession and say, ‘O my Lord, Your slaves; they worshipped You on earth.’ Then he said, ‘This is the praised status.’ 

84:6 O man, indeed, you are laboring to your Lord laboriously and you will meet Him.

The ayah addresses man, calling him to worship Allah sincerely and obeying Allah’s commands.

The Arabic version used the word ‘kadih, kadhn, which is translated into laboring, laboriously, respectively. Kadih means to exert great efforts to attain something. 

O man, you are laboring and exerting great efforts in your life to achieve your goals. After this laboring, you will return to your Lord, Allah, who will call you to account for all deeds you did in this world, and recompense you according to your deeds, good or bad. So, perform righteous deeds that will cause you to attain your Lord’s pleasure and forgiveness. Avoid what displeases your Lord, as it will bring you loss and destruction. 

Jabir narrated that Messenger Muhammad said, ‘Gabriel said, ‘O Muhammad, live as long as you wish, you will die, love whomever you want, you will leave him/her, and do whatever deed you want, you will be recompensed for it.’’ 

84:7 Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand, 

84:8 he will receive an easy reckoning 

84:9 and he will return to his people joyfully. 

The book refers to the record of deeds in which all deeds, good or evil, are written. 

Easy reckoning means that the deeds’ of a person will be presented before Allah. Then Allah, out of His bounty and mercy, will forgive the slips and mistakes. 

All people labor and exert great efforts in this world. Then they will return to their Creator, Allah, on the Day of Judgment for reckoning.

As for him who is given the book of his deeds in his right hand, namely, the believer who believes in Allah’s Oneness and His Messengers and performs righteous deeds sincerely for Allah’s sake, he will receive an easy reckoning. His deeds will be presented before Allah, and then Allah, out of His mercy and bounty, will forgive his sins and mistakes. His reckoning will be easy as he will not be asked to give excuses and he will not be questioned. 

After reckoning, he will return to his family and people joyfully because Allah grants him of His bounty and mercy. 

The ayah mentions that the successful believers will be given the book of their deeds in their hands. That is because the right hand is usually used to make beautiful things. 

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, ‘I heard Prophet Muhammad saying, ‘O Allah, make my reckoning easy reckoning.’ Then I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, ‘What an easy reckoning is?’ He said, ‘It is when your sins will be presented, and then they will be forgiven. Indeed, whoever is called to account in detail will be destroyed.’ 

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that Messenger Muhammad said, ‘Whoever is called to account on the Day of Judgment will be tormented.’ I said, ‘Does Allah not say in the Quran, [84:8 he will receive an easy reckoning.]? Messenger Muhammad said, ‘That is not the reckoning; rather, it is presenting one’s deeds. However, whoever is called to account for his deeds on the Day of Judgment will be tormented.’ 

84:10 But as for him who is given his book behind his back,

84:11 he will call for destruction 

84:12 and he will burn in a Blaze. 

After mentioning the end of the successful, the ayah mentions the end of the losers on the Day of Judgment. 

As for him who is given the book of his deeds in his left hand behind his back, as his deeds are evil and ugly, he will call for destruction out of regret and horrors. He will hope that he dies so that he will be saved from the severe punishment awaiting him. His punishment will be painful torment in the blazing fire of Hell where he will suffer its heat and burning. 

84:13 Indeed, he used to be joyful among his people;

84:14 indeed, he thought that he would never return. 

The ayah mentions why the evildoers will have an evil end and suffer severe torment on the Day of Judgment. 

The evildoer used to be joyful among his people in the worldly life, being proud of his wealth and people. He did not think about the end of his sins and evil deeds. He thought that he would never return to his Lord, Allah, for reckoning on the Day of Judgment after his death. He did not think that the Day of Judgment will take place and that he will be recompensed for his deeds. 

84:15 Yes indeed, his Lord was ever All-Seeing of him. 

The matter is not as he thought, namely, that he would not return to Allah after death for reckoning. Yes, indeed, this evildoer will return to his Lord, Allah, for reckoning on the Day of Judgment. He will be recompensed for his deeds, as his Lord, Allah, was ever All-Seeing of him. Allah knows what he did in the worldly life and will recompense him justly. Indeed, nothing is hidden from Allah, the All-Knowing. 

Learned Lessons from Surah al-Inshiqaq Ayah 1-15

• When the Day of Judgment takes place, the sky will burst open and split, the earth will be spread out and all mountains on it will be destroyed and become dust, and the dead will be brought out of their graves and become alive. The sky and the earth will obey Allah’s command, which is obligatory on them to do so. 

• Man labors in this world greatly to achieve his goals. Then he will return to Allah on the Day of Judgment, be called to account for his deeds, and be recompensed for them, good or evil. Thus, he should do his best to labor in a manner that brings him close to Allah and causes him to attain His pleasure. 

• This world is the dwelling of labor and work. There is no rest in this world. The Hereafter is the real-life that one should do his best to attain its reward. 

• On the Day of Judgment, people will be divided into two parties, namely, the happy, successful believers and the unhappy, losing disbelievers. The believers will be given the book of their deeds in their right hands, their deeds will be presented before Allah, and they will receive an easy reckoning. They will return joyfully to their people, as they will attain Allah’s pleasure. On the other hand, the disbelievers will be given the book of their deeds in their left hands behind their backs. They will realize that the end of their sinning in worldly life will be loss and destruction in the Hereafter. 

• The disbelievers will lose in the Hereafter because they used to disobey Allah’s commands in the worldly life, be proud of their wealth and people, and think that they will not be raised for reckoning on the Day Judgment after their death. In sum, they disbelieve in the occurrence of the Day of Judgment. Thus, they will suffer the unhappy end of their wrongdoings. 

• Joy and contentment because of being pleased with Allah’s decree are praiseworthy. On the other hand, Joy, and proudness because of having wealth and worldly materials is blameworthy. 

• The Day of Judgment will certainly take place. Thus, one should be prepared for it by worshipping Allah alone sincerely, obeying His commands, and avoiding His prohibitions. 

       The Noble Quran, Surah al-Inshiqaq, English Translation

       The Noble Quran, Tafsir ibn Kathir, Tafsir of Surah al-Inshiqaq

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       The Noble Quran, Tafsir of Surah Hud, Allah Will Never Forsake the     Believers

The Noble Quran Introduction to Tafsir of Surah al-Inshiqaq

Contains 25 Ayah, Revealed in Mecca,
Bism-Allah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
In the Name of Allah, the Giver of Mercy, the Most Merciful

84:1 When the sky bursts open, 

84:2 and it obeys its Lord, and it must do so. 

84:3 And when the earth is spread out 

84:4  and cast forth what is in it, and becomes empty. 

84:5 And it obeys its Lord, and it must do so. 

84:6 O man, indeed, you are laboring to your Lord laboriously and you will meet Him.

84:7 Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand, 

84:8 he will receive an easy reckoning 

84:9 and he will return to his people joyfully. 

84:10 But as for him who is given his book behind his back,

84:11 he will call for destruction 

84:12 and he will burn in a Blaze. 

84:13 Indeed, he used to be joyful among his people;

84:14 indeed, he thought that he would never return. 

84:15 Yes indeed, his Lord was ever All-Seeing of him. 

84:16 So, I swear by the twilight, 

84:17 and by the night and what it envelops, 

84:18 and by the moon when it grows full, 

84:19 you will surely travel from state to state.  

84:20 Then what is the matter with them that they believe not, 

84:21 and when the Quran is recited to them, they prostrate not? 

84:22 Rather those who disbelieve deny, 

84:23 and Allah knows best what they hide.

84:24 So give them the good news of a painful torment,

84:25 save those who believe and do righteous deeds, for them is a reward, never-ending. 

Name of Surah al-Inshiqaq

This surah is named al-Inshiqaq ‘the Splitting Open’ because it mentions that the sky will burst open and split when the Day of Judgment occurs.

Relationship between Surah al-Inshiqaq and the Surahs before It

According to the arrangement of the written copy of the Quran, al-Mushaf, surah al-Mutaffifin, al-Infitar, and at-Takwir come before surah al-Inshiqaq. These four surahs speak about some horrifying events that will take place when the Day of Judgment occurs. Surah at-Takwir and al-Infitar mention some events that will happen when the Day of Judgment takes place and surah al-Mutaffifin mentions what will be the end of the believers and the disbelievers then. Surah al-Inshiqaq combines between mentioning some events that will take place when the Day of Judgment happens, some scenes of the Hereafter, and the easy reckoning and happy end of the believers, and the difficult reckoning and the horrible end of the disbelievers. Besides, the three previous surahs refer to the fact that the angels write down all deeds of human beings in records while surah al-Inshiqaq mentions that people will be recompensed according to the deeds written in those records. 

Theme of Surah al-Inshiqaq

Surah al-Inshiqaq, like surahs revealed in Mecca, discusses matters related to the creed of Allah’s Oneness and refers to the frightening events of the Day of Judgment. 

Main Topics Discussed in Surah al-Inshiqaq

• The surah portrays some scenes of the Day of Judgment. It also refers to some universal upheavals that will take place then.

• The surah describes the condition of people when the reckoning takes place and mentions that people will be divided into two groups. Some people will receive their books in their right hands, and their end will be happy in Paradise, i.e. the believers while some people will receive the books of their deeds in their left hands and their end will be misery in Hell wherein they will suffer a painful torment.

• Allah swears by the twilight, the night, and the moon that the disbelievers will be raised after death for the reckoning on the Day of Judgment. 

• The surah is concluded by reprimanding the disbelievers for their disbelief in Allah’s Oneness. It also warns them of a painful torment that is awaiting them on the Day of Judgment. 

The Noble Quran, Surah al-Inshiqaq, English Translation

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