CHAPTER 82: AL-INFITAR (THE CLEAVING / THE BURSTING)

It was revealed in the Mecca period. It consists of 19 verses. It takes its name from the first verse. Al-Infitar means "to be split" or "the cleaving." (H. T. FEYIZLI 1/586)

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

82/1-8 WHEN THE SKY IS CLEAVED ASUNDER

Translation

1-5- When the sky is cleaved asunder, 2- When the stars are scattered, 3- When the seas are made to gush forth [fountain-like], 4- When the graves are overturned [and the dead are resurrected], 5- [Then] every soul will know what it has sent forth and what it has left behind.

6-8- O human! What has deceived you [and plunged you into sin] concerning your Lord, the Most Generous? 7- He who created you, fashioned you [in a special form], and gave you proportion and balance [in all your limbs]. 8- In whatever form He willed, He assembled you.

Commentary

(1-5) ‘When the sky is cleaved asunder, when the stars are scattered and fall, when the seas are made to gush forth, when the graves are overturned; (every) soul will know what it sent forth and what it left behind.’ It is reported that as a result of the disappearance of the law of gravity, which ensures the regular movement of the stars in space, the order of the universe will be disrupted on the Day of Resurrection, the heavens will crack and split, and the cosmic order will fail. (cf. Furqan 25/25; Haqqa 69/16; Rahman 55/37; Naba’ 78/19-20; Takwir 81/1-6). It is possible to understand the joining of the seas as the seas covering the world at the end of events such as the violent shaking of the earth, the shattering and disappearance of mountains, and the disruption of balance and order. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/569)

As one of the manifestations of change, the shattering or splitting of the sky is given here. Indeed, the splitting of the heavens is mentioned in other surahs as well. In Surah Ar-Rahman it says: "And when the heaven is split open and becomes rose-colored like oil" (Rahman 55/37). In Surah Al-Inshiqaq, it says: "When the sky is split asunder" (84/1). Thus, the cleaving of the sky is one of the fundamental realities of that difficult day. It is quite difficult to determine the exact nature of this cleaving. It is equally hard to imagine the form of this splitting. What is placed in our feelings regarding this matter is that the form of this visible universe will change severely; it is the scene where this familiar order will end, its bonds will be untied, and all balance within this finely calculated system will be disrupted. (S. KUTUB, 10/393)

‘When the stars are scattered’ Apparently, on that day, the law of gravity between celestial bodies will be broken; the stars, which are connected to each other by this divine law, will leave their orbits, scatter into space, and collide with each other to be shattered. (O. CELIK, 5/384)

‘When the seas are made to gush forth’ On that day, as understood from Surah At-Takwir verse 6, the seas will be set on fire and boiled; the waters boiling from the intense heat will gush out and overflow. Or, by removing the obstacles—the mountains—between the seas, the waters of the seas will mix together and take the form of a single sea. (O. CELIK, 5/384)

‘When the graves are overturned’ (..) ‘Bu'siret’ means that resurrection after death occurs and "when those inside the graves are brought out," which carries the same meaning as the surah: "When the earth is shaken with its [final] earthquake and the earth throws out its burdens..." (Zilzal 99/1-2). (ELMALILI, 9/47)

On that day, every ‘human’ will ‘understand what they have done and sent’ for eternal life and ‘what they have not done’—even though they should have. But final regret will be of no use. (M. KISA, 1/625)

(6) ‘O (disbelieving) human! What has deceived you against your Lord, the Most Generous?’ Although your Lord, who bestowed blessings upon you by creating you, giving you shape, and making you balanced, is so generous, what thing deceived you to the point of abandoning the things that were obligatory upon you? (From Nasafi; S. HAWWA, 16/71)

(7) ‘He (the Lord) who created you, fashioned you, and gave you proportion and balance (in all your limbs).’ "It is your Lord who created you properly, gave you flawless organs, made your limbs equal to one another, and made you measured. Thus, you came to have a proper and harmonious creation." (From Nasafi; S. HAWWA 16/71)

(8) ‘In whatever form He willed, He assembled you.’ He has assembled you in various forms of beauty, ugliness, tallness, or shortness as required by His will. That is, He made you balanced and assembled you in a certain form. (S. HAWWA, 16/71)

82/9-19 TRUTH IS, YOU DENY THE JUDGMENT

Translation

9- No! [You are in a state of deception], but rather you deny the Day of Judgment.

10-12- [O mankind!] And indeed, over you are watchers, noble recorders [who write down your deeds]; 12- They know whatever you do.

13- Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure [Paradise].

14- And indeed, the wicked / the disbelievers will be in Hellfire.

15- [The disbelievers] will burn therein on the Day of Recompense,

16- And they [the disbelievers] will never be absent from it.

17-18- [O My Prophet!] And what can make you know what is the Day of Recompense? 18- Then, what can make you know what is the Day of Recompense?

19- It is the Day when no soul will have power to do anything for another soul; and the command, that Day, is [entirely] with Allah.

Commentary

(9) ‘No!, rather you deny the judgment.’ You deny being held to account, being questioned, and being punished. This is the fundamental reason for your main pride and your deficiency in your duties. A heart cannot straightly follow the path of guidance, goodness, and obedience while it denies being held to account and punished. Sometimes hearts are purified, elevated, and cleared. They obey and serve their Lord purely because they love Him—not because they fear His punishment, nor because they hope for His reward. (S. KUTUB, 10/399, 400)

(12) ‘Over you are watchers, noble recorders (who) know what you do.’ In this world, humans are not left unattended. On the contrary, there are assigned angels who know and record what everyone does. While these verses primarily warn those who deny the hereafter and the otherworldly reckoning, more generally, they remind all people—believers and non-believers alike—that judgment, justice, punishment, or reward are not limited to what happens in this world. Justice that does not find its place or remains incomplete in this world will certainly be realized without deficiency in the presence of Allah, the sole Ruler of that day. Therefore, it reminds everyone that they must organize their lives with this sense of responsibility and sensitivity. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/570)

(13) ‘The righteous are surely in abundant blessings (Paradise).’ Since the main subject of the surah is the resurrection, the hereafter, and otherworldly responsibility, the "righteous (abrar)" here refers to the believing person who, believing that the resurrection will one day break, that the documents recording what they did in the world will be placed before them, and that they will give an account of these, fills these documents—namely the scrolls of deeds—with goodness. This sensitivity is also expressed by the concept of taqwa (piety/consciousness of Allah) in many verses. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/570, 571)

(14) ‘Those who are rebellious to Him / the disbelievers will enter Hell.’ The wicked (fujjar), on the other hand, are those who do not believe in the resurrection or the judgment and responsibility regarding the hereafter, and who soil their scroll of deeds with evils. Scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah state that only disbelievers are meant by the fujjar here and that it does not include sinful believers; because they believe in the resurrection and the hereafter. (From Razi; QUR’AN WAY, 5/571)

(15) ‘The disbelievers enter Hell on the day of account and recompense.’ On the day when everyone will receive the reward for their deeds, they (the disbelievers) enter Hell. Yet, this is the very day they used to deny. (S. HAWWA, 16/74)

(16) ‘The disbelievers will not be separated or removed from Hell.’ "They will not be away from the punishment even for a moment. The punishment they see will not be lightened. Their wish to die and find relief will not be accepted, not even for a single day." (From Ibn Kathir; S. HAWWA, 16/74)

(17, 18) ‘And what can make you know what the Day of Judgment is? Again, what can make you know what the Day of Judgment is?’ Allah Almighty repeated the same question to emphasize and point out the greatness of that day. Then He explained what that day is: (S. HAWWA, 16/74)

(19) ‘(Behold!) On that day, no one can do anything for anyone. On that day, the command belongs only to Allah.’ "That is, no person can be capable of removing the punishment from anyone in any way or providing any benefit to them. The authority of intercession can only be obtained with the permission of Allah. 'And on that day, the command is Allah's.' On that day, the command belongs to Allah alone. It is He, and no one else, who will give the judgment." (From Nasafi; S. HAWWA, 16/74)