Sūrat al-Infiṭār
سورۃ الانفطار
Sūrat al-Infiṭār was revealed in Mecca; it has nineteen (19) āyāt.
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انفَطَرَتْ
idhā l-samāʾu nfaṭarat.
"When the sky is cleft asunder." (al-Infiṭār 82:1)
Idhā — when. Al-samāʾ — the sky. Infaṭarat — it splits; it is cleft asunder — faṭara — it is split, cleft, shattered.
Translation: "When the sky shall split apart (the order of the universe shall collapse)."
وَإِذَا الْكَوَاكِبُ انتَثَرَتْ
wa-idhā l-kawākibu ntatharat.
"And when the stars are scattered." (al-Infiṭār 82:2)
Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-kawākib — the plural of kawkab: stars. Naḍar — to scatter; to spread. Intasharat — they shall scatter; they shall disperse; the system collapses. Stars shall scatter and fall.
Translation: "And when the stars scatter (the attraction between them ceasing to hold them)."
وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتْ
wa-idhā l-biḥāru fujjirat.
"And when the seas are burst forth." (al-Infiṭār 82:3)
Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-biḥār — the plural of baḥr: oceans, seas. Fujjirat — they burst; fajjara — they shall burst and pour out everywhere — the seas from below shall plunge everywhere. The seas shall burst out and pour out like oil.
Translation: "And when the seas shall burst and plunge out in every direction."
This point is worth bearing in mind — fujjirat is a transitive verb that some use in a causative sense — so the mafʿūl here is al-infjārat.
وَإِذَا الْقُبُورُ بُعْثِرَتْ
wa-idhā l-qubūru buʿthirat.
"And when the graves are overturned." (al-Infiṭār 82:4)
Wa-idhā — and recall when. Al-qubūr — the plural of qabr: graves. Buʿthirat — they are turned over, overturned; they shall be opened, turned out, brought up, raised up.
Translation: "And when the dead in their graves shall be raised."
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ
ʿalimat nafsun mā qaddamat wa-akhkharat.
"Every soul shall know what it has sent forward and what it has left behind." (al-Infiṭār 82:5)
ʿAlimat — it shall know; nafs — every person. Mā qaddamat — what it sent forward; wa-akhkharat — and what it left behind. Each person shall know what he did in his youth and what he left for later — or what he gave to God on the path and what goods he fell short in giving.
Translation: "Every person shall know what he sent forward and what he left behind."
يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ
yā ayyuhā l-insānu mā gharraka bi-rabbika l-karīm.
"O human being! What has deceived you concerning your Generous Lord?" (al-Infiṭār 82:6)
Yā ayyuhā l-insān — O human being! Insān — the word insān has the letter alif at its beginning — based on the pattern on which it comes hādhā — what. Gharraka — has deceived you; ghurūr — yaghurru — to deceive; to lead astray; ghurrā — to deceive. Bi-rabbika — with your Lord — the Being that nurtured and created you. It is Satan (the accursed). Bi-rabbika l-karīm — with your Generous Lord — the Being that raised and nurtured you. Some say the meaning here is ghurūr — al-ghurūr — (raqm al-thānī of the accursed Satan) — with this it (i.e. Satan) is the great deceiver alongside you. What did he do? He accepted the small things and let the big matters slip — and did not avoid the small slips and mistakes — forgiving beyond deserving, having one's own right granted beyond deserving — this is the deception.
Translation: "O human being! What has your Generous Lord deceived you about what thing?"
What has He done for you? He created you for free, gave you provision for free, raised you for free — and now you doubt that He can create you again? What kind of gratefulness is this?
No! It is God's generosity that did not deceive you but rather made you a fool — the ignorant human being — think for yourself: He is a Generous Lord — if He is the Forgiving then He is also the Wise — some of you believe (yuʾminūn) and some disbelieve (yakfurūn). You say from your mouth one thing and another confirms in mind and heart — your innate nature (fiṭrat) is exposing your nature — your nature is calling out: "I am a sinner, punish me" — your nature is running according to the requirement of nature — you have known the attributes of Allah — why do you then deceive yourself knowing all this? Confess your own mistake — straighten your heart and rectify your deeds.
الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ
alladhī khalaqaka fa-sawwāk.
"Who created you and proportioned you." (al-Infiṭār 82:7)
Alladhī — the One Who. Khalaqaka — He created you, brought you into being. Fa-sawwāka — then He proportioned and perfected your form.
فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ مَّا شَاءَ رَكَّبَكَ
fī ayyi ṣūratin mā shāʾa rakkabak.
"In whatever form He willed He assembled you." (al-Infiṭār 82:8)
Fī — in. Ayyi ṣūratin — whatever form, in whatever appearance. Shāʾa — He wished. Rakkabak — He assembled you; He put you together; He constructed you — your eye, ear, nose, hand, foot, stomach, liver, heart, bones, flesh — He assembled from all of these.
Translation: "In whatever form He desired, He assembled you (put you together)."
It is evident that the children of one mother and father sometimes resemble the father and sometimes the mother — and sometimes the maternal uncle — and sometimes neither from the father's side nor the mother's — but sometimes it also resembles the paternal grandfather. This is God's power — from whatever form God wishes He creates the human being — all these blessings are what He has given — and yet we remain ungrateful and do not fear God.
كَلَّا بَلْ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِالدِّينِ
kallā bal tukadhdhhibūna bi-l-dīn.
"Nay — but you deny the Reckoning." (al-Infiṭār 82:9)
Kallā — no, you should never be doing this. Bal — rather. Tukadhhdhibūn — you are denying, lying; you think there is no one to call you to account. You think you will escape — think well — there is no one to reach here — and Allah's court must be attended — he who accepts the small lies starts justifying lying to himself and then gradually progresses in it — the more he tells someone off the more it seems good to practice lying — and then when this reaches the level of lying — then faith (īmān) comes to the heart and he begins to become a messenger (i.e. willing transmitter) with his soul from that point.
Translation: "No! Rather you deny the Reckoning with it (actually you are those who deny the Reckoning and judgment)."
وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ
wa-inna ʿalaykum la-ḥāfiẓīn.
"And indeed, over you are guardians." (al-Infiṭār 82:10)
Wa-innn — and without doubt. ʿAlaykum — over you. La-ḥāfiẓīn — surely guardians; those appointed as watchers — and they are indeed ʿalaykum ḥāfiẓīna.
Translation: "And without doubt (divinely sent) guardians are watching over you."
كِرَامًا كَاتِبِينَ
kirāman kātibīn.
"Noble, recording scribes." (al-Infiṭār 82:11)
Kirāmā — noble; kātibin — scribes; writers; they are writing the daily diary, writing the diary every day, and from their side they write a little extra beyond what you do — they are divinely ordained writers and noble scribes.
Translation: "(And upon you are) the noble scribes (those who record everything)."
يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
yaʿlamūna mā tafʿalūn.
"They know what you do." (al-Infiṭār 82:12)
Yaʿlamūn — they know; to them is the knowledge. Mā tafʿalūn — everything that you do.
Translation: "These (scribes) know everything that you do."
When it is proven that the noble scribes are aware and know the state of good and bad, and they are writing the diary from morning to evening — and then when this diary is presented in the divine court — what shall happen?
إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ
inna l-abrāra la-fī naʿīm.
"Indeed, the righteous shall be in bliss." (al-Infiṭār 82:13)
Inn — without doubt. Al-abrār — good-doers. La-fī naʿīm — truly in great bliss; yaqīnan naʿīm — truly in bliss.
Translation: "Without doubt the righteous shall be in great bliss."
وَإِنَّ الْفُجَّارَ لَفِي جَحِيمٍ
wa-inna l-fujjāra la-fī jaḥīm.
"And indeed, the wicked shall be in Hellfire." (al-Infiṭār 82:14)
Wa-inn — and without doubt. Al-fujjār — the plural of fājir: wicked people, evildoers. La-fī jaḥīm — truly in Hellfire — al-jaḥīm — Hellfire.
Translation: "And without doubt the wicked (in contrast to the righteous) shall be in Hell."
يَصْلَوْنَهَا يَوْمَ الدِّينِ
yaṣlawnahā yawma l-dīn.
"They shall burn therein on the Day of Recompense." (al-Infiṭār 82:15)
Yaṣlawnahā — they shall enter Hell — ṣalwā — to enter and be engulfed. The yaktalī (nearby) — the Day of Recompense — yawm al-dīn — the Day of great Reckoning.
Translation: "(The wicked) shall be put into Hell (their recompense) on this Day of Recompense."
وَمَا هُمْ عَنْهَا بِغَائِبِينَ
wa-mā hum ʿanhā bi-ghāʾibīn.
"And they shall not be absent from it." (al-Infiṭār 82:16)
Wa-mā hum — and they shall not. ʿAnhā — from it (Hell). Bi-ghāʾibīn — absent; those who are absent — ghāʾib — one who is absent, one who withdraws and goes away.
Translation: "And they (the wicked) shall not be absent from it (Hell) — (they shall be absent from nothing of it, they shall remain ignited and burning in it)."