إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انْفَطَرَتْ
WHEN THE SKY is cleft asunder, (1)
وَإِذَا الْكَوَاكِبُ انْتَثَرَتْ
and when the stars are scattered, (2)
وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتْ
and when the seas burst beyond their bounds, (3)
وَإِذَا الْقُبُورُ بُعْثِرَتْ
and when the graves are overturned – (4)
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ
every human being will [at last] comprehend what he has sent ahead and what he has held back [in this world]. (5)
يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ
O MAN! What is it that lures thee away from thy bountiful Sustainer, (6)
الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ
who has created thee, and formed thee in accordance with what thou art meant to be, and shaped thy nature in just proportions, (7)
فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ مَا شَاءَ رَكَّبَكَ
having put thee together in whatever form He willed [thee to have]? (8)
كَلَّا بَلْ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِالدِّينِ
Nay, [O men,] but you [are lured away from God whenever you are tempted to] give the lie to [God's] Judgment! (9)
وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ
And yet, verily, there are ever-watchful forces over you, (10)
كِرَامًا كَاتِبِينَ
noble, recording, (11)
يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
aware of whatever you do! (12)
إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ
Behold, [in the life to come] the truly virtuous will indeed be in bliss, (13)
وَإِنَّ الْفُجَّارَ لَفِي جَحِيمٍ
whereas, behold, the wicked will indeed be in a blazing fire – (14)
يَصْلَوْنَهَا يَوْمَ الدِّينِ
[a fire] which they shall enter on Judgment Day, (15)
وَمَا هُمْ عَنْهَا بِغَائِبِينَ
and which they shall not [be able to] evade. (16)
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ
And what could make thee conceive what that Judgment Day will be? (17)
ثُمَّ مَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ
And once again: What could make thee conceive what that Judgment Day will be? (18)
يَوْمَ لَا تَمْلِكُ نَفْسٌ لِنَفْسٍ شَيْئًا وَالْأَمْرُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلَّهِ
[It will be] a Day when no human being shall be of the least avail to another human being: for on that Day [it will become manifest that] all sovereignty is God's alone. (19)
- WHEN THE SKY is cleft asunder,1
- 1 An allusion to the Last Hour, when the world as known to man will come to an end and the ultimate reality of the hereafter will begin.
- When5997 the Sky is cleft asunder;5998
- 5997 Cf. the passage 81:1-14 and notes. For the three parallel interpretations, see the Introduction to this Surah. There are four conditional clauses here, and the substantive clause is in verse 5. In S. 81. there were 12 conditional clauses, and the conclusion was similar, but not expressed in precisely the same terms. See 72:5, n. 6002 below. The physical world as we see it now will be destroyed before the final Day of Judgement, establishing the true spiritual Reality. In the following four clauses we have a reference to the Lesser Judgement, the individual dawn of the true Reality at Death. (R).
- 5998 Cf. 73:18, n. 5869. The beautiful blue sky overhead, which we take for granted in sunshine and storm, will be shattered to pieces before the New World is established. The partition which seems at present to divide things divine from the phenomenal world has to be shattered before each soul knows the reality about itself. (R).
-
When the Sky is cleft asunder;
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
When the heaven is cleft asunder,
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
When the heaven becomes cleft asunder,
— M. Habib Shakir -
When the heaven is cleft asunder.
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
When the heaven shall be cleft,
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
When the sky is split,
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
When the heaven is cleft asunder,
— Ayub Khan -
When the heaven is cleft asunder,
— Sher Ali -
WHEN THE SKY is cleft asunder,
— Muhammad Asad -
When heaven is split open,
— Arthur Arberry -
When the heaven is split asunder,{{1}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi