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Surah Al-Infitar - The Cleaving

(Revealed at Mecca)

19 Verses in 1 Section

Sections of Surah Al-Infitar

  1. None shall be able to help the other.

Al-Infitar – None Shall Be Able To Help The Other

On the Day of Judgment, no soul shall own anything helpful to another, The Command Supreme shall be God’s alone.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

“In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful”

إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انْفَطَرَتْ

“When the heavens cleave asunder1“ (82:1)

وَإِذَا الْكَوَاكِبُ انْتَثَرَتْ

“And When the stars2disperse3“ (82:2)

وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتْ

“And When the seas4be comingled” (82:3)

وَإِذَا الْقُبُورُ بُعْثِرَتْ

“And when the graves be overturned (to be vacated)” (82:4)

عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ

“Then shall every soul know5what it hath sent forth and left behind6“ (82:5)

يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ

“O’ thou man! What hath beguiled thee from thy Lord, the Most Gracious One” (82:6)

الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ

“(He) Who created thee, and fashioned7thee and (gave thee a body) justly proportioned8“ (82:7)

فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ مَا شَاءَ رَكَّبَكَ

“In whatsoever form He willeth He casteth9thee” (82:8)

كَلَّا بَلْ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِالدِّينِ

“Nay! but ye belie the Reckoning” (82:9)

وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ

“While verily over you are posted the Watchers10“ (82:10)

كِرَامًا كَاتِبِينَ

“Recorders Honourable11“ (82:11)

يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ

“Know they whatever ye do12“ (82:12)

إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ

“Verily, the righteous shall be amidst bounteous bliss” (82:13)

وَإِنَّ الْفُجَّارَ لَفِي جَحِيمٍ

“And verily the wicked shall be in the flaming fire” (82:14)

يَصْلَوْنَهَا يَوْمَ الدِّينِ

“They shall be committed to it on the Day of Judgment” (82:15)

وَمَا هُمْ عَنْهَا بِغَائِبِينَ

“Nor they shall themselves be absent from it” (82:16)

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ

“And what will make thee know what the Day of Judgment shall be?” (82:17)

ثُمَّ مَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ

“Then what maketh thee know what the Day of Judgment is?” (82:18)

يَوْمَ لَا تَمْلِكُ نَفْسٌ لِنَفْسٍ شَيْئًا ۖ وَالْأَمْرُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلَّهِ

“(It is) The day on which soul shall own not anything (helpful) for another soul; and the Command Supreme that day shall be God’s (alone)” (82:19)

Commentary

Verse 1

Here is another Surah about the happening of the Day of Judgment. It can be easily imagined how important and essential is for man, the belief in the Day of Judgment and how much he must fear the Day of Requital and how much he must be concerned about his getting ready for the day before the respite given to him in this life comes to an end or before death, which comes and often times overtakes unawares.

The first four verses relate the events of the dawn of the Day of Judgment13. The collective meaning of all these events will be that the Day of the Final Judgment will begin with the total destruction of the present physical world which we See and its disappearance, giving place to a new state of pure spiritual nature, laying bare everything in its essential reality.

The first two verses here and the first two verses of the previous Chapter and the first two verses of Chapter 84 clearly indicate the split, scattering and the disintegration of the heaven and the heavenly bodies which was completely against the prevailing and undisputable astronomical theory of the age and a thorough study of Qur’an supported by authentic statement of Imams of Ahl Al-Bayt will prove beyond doubt that the physical universe, with all its terrestrial and celestial bodies is subject to disintegration and reintegration. God knows, how many millions of solar systems had come into being and were disintegrated; after completing their terms of development and how many are now functioning and are completing their course and how many are still in the primitive state of development and how many as yet to come into beings in the future.

However, nothing of dimensional character can be said as eternal. All were not and they come into being and will become naught, and also never there was a time when no dimensional being was in existence. Some succeeded the others. The example is of an evergreen garden wherein no tree is eternal, but the garden is always evergreen and fresh as long as the gardener’s attention is there. (A.P.)

Verse 2

Note that in 81:2 for the stars the name ‘Nojoom’ is used, and verb used there is ‘Inkadu’ i.e., getting covered with darkness, i.e., losing their lustre and here for stars the name ‘Kawakib’ is used, and the verb used is ‘Intasarat’, i.e., getting scattered. The state of the change meant there, was as to what will have happened to the native property or the function of the stars and here is meant the disturbance which their usual position will suffer, i.e., in the symmetry, i.e., the arrangement in the great constellations.

Verse 3

When all kinds of the barriers withholding the rivers and the seas14, natural as well as artificial, preventing the great waters from overflowing, will go. The rivers and seas will burst forth and boil. The fresh and the saltish waters will be mixed, and the flood will cover the whole globe.

Verse 5

Note, in 81:14 is said that man will know what he has put forward, i.e., what provision of good and evil deeds he has done and what a recompense for his own deeds are in store for him and here there are two verbs used, i.e., what he has sent before and what he left over behind him, i.e., what good or evil he himself committed during his life time and what arrangements or what consequences his life created for good and evil to be done after him on his behalf. It might mean also what spiritual prospects he earned and what physical things he prided over he left behind.

This clearly indicates that it is man’s individual responsibility to see that good is done and evil is shunned not only during this life by him personally and also after him, here in this world on his behalf. If one leaves any issue, he must see that they are duly educated and made godly and if he leaves wealth or literature or any other charitable work, and man must see that only good is done on his behalf and not any evil, even after his departure from this world.

Verse 6

Note that God has referred to Himself with His attribute ‘Kareem’, i.e., the Most Charitable, the Most Noble, the Most Gracious. It is this divine attribute of God that Satan uses to instigate man to sin, encouraging him saying that God is ‘Kareem’. He will surely pardon hence why not enjoy life even with the evils in it. Man is warned not to be beguiled by such rebellious belief or confidence in God’s grace and mercy.

Some say that it is an indirect guidance to man, i.e., man is taught that when he fails in his duties, i.e., if he involved in sins and if he is questioned by God ‘‘What made thee rebel against My authority?” Then man may say ‘‘Thy great charitable disposition my Lord” Once the First Holy Imam Ali Ibn Abu Talib called one of his servants and he did not respond to the call. Ali called him again and when he was before him asked him: ‘‘What makes thee not to reply to my calls?” The servant said, ‘‘Thy forbearance and the charitable disposition which I am sure will not punish me for my shortcomings” Ali liberated the servant who was a slave and told him ‘‘Thou art a free man, now have thine own way” (MS.)

Verse 7

Reference to God’s creative authority over man and His grace in giving man the well-formed perfect body with harmoniously active organism which He did as a grace, of His own accord and not in return for any obligation from anyone. It will be quite sufficient if man only reflects on the great gifts he has received from the Great Author of his very existence with the wonderful native endowments, physical, mental and spiritual15.

Verse 8

‘Surat’, i.e., shape personality with the gifts of the physical strength and the mental faculties.

Verse 19

No soul has the least power to anything for or against the other. The law of strict equity, i.e., of cause and effect for the individual or the personal responsibility, will be fully enforced as the decreed order of the day16. The whole mastery of the day will rest in God’s will Who at His own independent choice, would grant anyone of His own chosen beloved ones to intercede on behalf of anyone they please and this will be in recompense to their perfect surrender to the Lord’s will during their life on earth and their suffering persecution, death, and destruction in God’s way - viz. the Apostles of God, their divinely chosen deputies, the Great Martyrs who surrendered their all for this cause. There will be none to question His authority and grace.

As regards the right of intercession see 2:255; l0:3; 19:87; 20:109; 21:28; 34:23; 39:43, 39:44; 40:18; 53:26.

It is narrated from the Fifth Holy Imam that after reciting the last portion he told his disciples present (Jabir al-Jo’fi) ‘‘O’ Jabir! The command, then and today, alike is His, but on the Resurrection Day, the subordinate authorities disappear in a certain stage” This statement indicates that the last stage of the Collective Resurrection is the state wherein man realises the absolute authority and the hold of God over everything and being. The manifestation of His Absolute Authority is like the rise of the Sun where all the stars disappear though they are there - and deriving the light from the sun. (A.P.)

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