SURAH (82) AL-INFITAR (AYA1 to 19)

Sura (82) AL-INFITAR (The Cleaving) Aya 1 to 19 verses in 1 Section

Revealed at Makka

SECTION 1

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 ALLAH (SWT)’s alone.

إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انْفَطَرَتْ {82:1}   

[Q82:1] Izas Samaaa‘un fatarat 
[Q82:1] 1. When the heaven is cleft asunder.

Like the verses 81:1 to 13, verses of Takwir the signs which will appear before the Day of Resurrection are mentioned in these verses. [1] The heavens will cleave asunder, [2] the stars will be scattered, [3] the oceans will overwhelm the whole globe, and [4] the graves will throw out the buried bodies. THE PHYSICAL WORLD AS WE SEE IT WILL BE DESTROYED AND AFTER THE FINAL JUDGMENT A NEW ETERNAL REALM OF SPIRITUAL EXISTENCE WILL BEGIN. See commentary of Takwir 81:1 to 13.

Ì  According to the Ahlul Bayt the physical universe will disintegrate. A dimensional thing is not eternal. There was a time when no dimensional being was in existence. When a dimensional existence is created, it completes its development and then disappears.

MAN DOES NOT KNOW HOW MANY SYSTEMS LIKE THE SOLAR SYSTEM HAVE COMPLETED THEIR TERMS, AND HOW MANY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT, AND HOW MANY WILL COME INTO BEING IN THE FUTURE.

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(82:1) When the heaven is split asunder, *1

وَإِذَا الْكَوَاكِبُ انْتَثَرَتْ {82:2}

[Q82:2] Wa izal kawaakibun tasarat 
[Q82:2] And when the stars have fallen and scattered;

 (see commentary for verse 1)

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(82:2) when the stars are scattered,

وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتْ {82:3}

[Q82:3] Wa izal bihaaru fujjirat 
[Q82:3] And when the seas are made to flow forth,

See verse 81:6. When all kinds of the barriers withholding the rivers and the seas, natural as well as artificial, preventing the great waters from overflowing, will go. The rivers and the seas will burst forth and boil. The fresh and the saltish waters will be mixed and the flood will cover the whole globe.

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(82:3) when the seas are made to burst forth,

*1 In Surah At-Takwir it has been said: "When the oceans are set ablaze," and here: "When the oceans are torn apart." When the two verses are read together, and this fact also is kept in view that even according to the Qur'an a terrible earthquake will occur on the Resurrection Day, which will shake up the entire earth alI at once, the state of the splitting of the oceans and their being set ablaze ' seems to be as follows: first, because of the terrible convulsion, the bottom of the oceans will split asunder and their water will start sinking into the interior of the earth where an intensely hot lava is constantly boiling up. Coming into contact with the lava, water will dissolve into its two constituent parts, oxygen which helps combustion, and hydrogen, which is itself combustible. Thus, in the process pf dissolution and combustion, a chain reaction will start, which will set all the oceans 'of the world ablaze. This is our conjecture, the correct knowledge is only with Allah. 

وَإِذَا الْقُبُورُ بُعْثِرَتْ {82:4}

[Q82:4] Wa izal qubooru bu'sirat 
[Q82:4] And when the graves are turned upside down (and they bring out their contents)

 (see commentary for verse 1)

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(82:4) and when graves are laid open, *2

*2 In the first three verses, the first stage of the Resurrection has been mentioned, and in this verse the second stage is being described. "Opening of the graves" implies resurrection of the dead then. 

عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ {82:5}

[Q82:5] 'Alimat nafsum maa qaddamat wa akhkharat 
[Q82:5] (Then) a person will know what he has sent forward and (what he has) left behind (of good or bad deeds).

Every soul will be fully aware of what "its hands had sent forth". THIS VERSE REFERS TO THE DEEDS OF COMMISSION AND OMISSION IN THIS LIFE- "THE GOOD OR THE EVIL HE DID" IS THAT WHICH HE HAS SENT FORTH, AND "THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS GOOD AND BAD DEEDS WHICH ENSUE TO INFLUENCE THE HUMAN SOCIETY AFTER HE DEPARTS" IS THAT WHICH HE LEAVES BEHIND. It may also refer to that which he earned for his spiritual life of the hereafter and the physical things, he prided in this life, which he left behind.

If man does good he not only earns the eternal life of bliss in the hereafter as a reward BUT ALSO leaves behind an example for his family and people among whom he lived and the posterity in general; and during his lifetime educates, disciplines and guides those who are associated with him to the path of ALLAH (SWT).

See also verse 81:14.

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(82:5) everyone shall know all his deeds, both the earlier and the later. *3

*3 The words ma qaddamat wa akhkharat can have several meanings and all are implied here: (1) Ma qaddamat is the good or evil act which man has sent forward, and ma akhkharat is what he refrained from doing. Thus, these Arabic words correspond to the acts of commission and omission in one's life. (2) Ma qaddainat is what one did earlier and ma akhkharat what one did later; i.e. the whole life-work of man will appear before him date-wise and in proper sequence (3) Whatever good and evil deeds a man did in his life is ma qaddamat and whatever effects and influences of his acts he left behind for human society is ma akhkharat.

يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ {82:6}

[Q82:6] Yaaa ayyuhal insaaanu maa gharraka bi Rabbikal kareem 
[Q82:6] O man! What has made you careless concerning your Lord, the Most Generous?

The divine attributes of **forgiveness, **generosity and **beneficence which the words rabbikal karim (see commentary of Fatihah 1:3) carry are alluded to by the accursed Shaytan to instigate man to sin. An indirect guidance may be inferred from this verse that man should not sin under the belief that the great charitable disposition of his Lord would protect him from the just punishment.

µ  Once a slave of Ali ibne Abi Talib did not pay attention to his repeated calls and when questioned replied: "I relied upon your forbearance and charitable disposition. I know you will not punish me for my evasion of duty." Ali set him free.

ALLAH (SWT) NOT ONLY CREATED MAN, BUT [1] GAVE HIM A PERFECTLY ORGANISED ORGANISM [2] TOGETHER WITH INTELLECTUAL AND SPIRITUAL FACULTIES AND [3] A FREE WILL.

Refer to the commentary of Anam 6:2. The bounties of ALLAH (SWT) should make man grateful which he can manifest by using his faculties to choose the right path and follow it all his life, BUT he turns away from the right path and denies the Day of Judgment.

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(82:6) O man! What has deceived you about your generous Lord.

الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ {82:7}

[Q82:7] Allazee khalaqaka fasaw-waaka fa’adalak.
[Q82:7] Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion;

REFERENCE TO ALLAH (SWT)’S CREATIVE AUTHORITY OVER MAN and His grace in giving man the **well-informed perfect body **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 endoments, physical, mental and spiritual. See verses 15:29 and 6:1.

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(82:7) Who created you, shaped you, and made you well-proportioned,

فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ مَا شَاءَ رَكَّبَكَ {82:8}

[Q82:8] Feee aye sooratim maa shaaa‘a rakkabak.
[Q82:8] In whatever form He willed, He put you together.

 ‘Surat’ i.e., shape—personality with the [1] gifts of the physical strength and [2] the mental faculties.

This is to indicate that since the basic structure of all human beings is the same, it was expected that the zillions of members of the human society would have shared the same shape, size and features, BUT the perfect mastery and the wonderful acumen of the Supreme Creator has created them so differently that each one of them has its own unique features that make him clearly distinct from all others, and no one is confused with another.

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(82:8) and set you in whatever form He pleased? *4

*4 That is, "In the first place, the bounty and favour of your Beneficent Sustainer required that you should have acknowledged his bounties and become an obedient servant and should have felt shy of disobeying Him, but you were deluded into thinking that you have become whatever you are by your own effort, and you never thought that you should acknowledge that favour of Him Who gave you life. Secondly, it is your Lord's bounty and kindness that you can freely do whatever you like in the world and it never so happens that whenever you happen to commit an error, He should punish you with paralysis, or blind your eyes, or cause lightning to strike you. But you took His bountifulness for weakness and were beguiled into thinking that the Kingdom of your God was devoid of justice" 

كَلَّا بَلْ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِالدِّينِ {82:9}

[Q82:9] Kalla bal tukazziboona bid deen 
[Q82:9] Nay! But you deny the Recompense (reward for good deeds and punishment for evil deeds).

 (see commentary for verse 6)

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(82:9) No indeed; *5 (the fact is that) you deny the Reckoning, *6 declaring it a lie;

*5 That is, "There is no reasonable ground for you to be deluded. Your own physical existence itself tells that you did not come into being by yourself; your parents also did not make you. Man also did not come about as a result of the elements combining together by themselves accidentally; but a Wise and Powerful God has composed you into this perfect human shape and form. There are other kinds of animals in the world compared with which our excellent form and structure and our superior powers and faculties stand out in sharp contrast. Reason demanded that in view of all this you should have submitted gratefully and should never have dared commit disobedience of your beneficent Sustainer. You also know that our Lord and Sustainer is not only Compassionate and Bountiful but Almighty and Omnipotent as well. When an earthquake, cyclone or flood occurs by His Command, all your devices and measures tail to be effective. You also know that your Lord and Sustainer is not ignorant and foolish but Wise and knowing, and the necessary demand of wisdom and knowledge is that whoever is given intellect should also be held responsible for his acts; whoever is given powers should also be held accountable as to how he used those powers; and whoever is given the choice to do good or evil on his own responsibility, should also be rewarded for his good act and punished for his evil act. All these truths are clearly and plainly known to you; therefore, you cannot say that there exists a reasonable ground for you to be deluded concerning your Lord. Your own nature is sufficient evidence that the beneficence of the Master should never cause the servant to be fearless of Him, and be involved in the misunderstanding that he may do whatever he pleases, no one can harm him in any way. 
*6 That is,"You have not been deluded and beguiled by any good reason but by your foolish concept that there is going to be no meting out of rewards and punishments after the life of this world. It is this wrong and baseless concept which has made you heedless of God, fearless of His justice and irresponsible in your moral attitude. " 

وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ {82:10}

[Q82:10] Wa inna 'alaikum lahaa fizeen.
[Q82:10] But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch you,

Refer to the commentary of Qaf 50:18.

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(82:10) you do so the while there are watchers over you;

كِرَامًا كَاتِبِينَ {82:11}

[Q82:11] Kiraaman kaatibeen
[Q82:11] Kiraman (honourable) Katibin writing down (your deeds),

 (see commentary for verse 10)

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(82:11) noble scribes,

يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ {82:12}

[Q82:12] Ya'lamoona ma taf'aloon.
[Q82:12] They know all that you do.

 (see commentary for verse 10)

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(82:12) who know what you do. *7

*7 That is, "whether you deny the meting out of rewards and punishments, belie it, or mock it, the reality cannot change. The reality is that your Lord has not left you to your self in the world, but has appointed over each one of you honest and upright guardians, who are recording objectively and faithfully all your good and evil acts, and none of your acts is hidden from them, whether you commit it in darkness, or in private, or in far off jungles, or in secret when you are fully satisfied that whatever you have done bas remained hidden from human eye. For these guardian angels Allah has used the words kiram-an katibin, i.e. writers who are honorable and noble They are neither attached in personal love with somebody, nor are inimical to anybody, so that they would prepare a fictitious record on the basis of their favouring one man and disfavouring another unduly. They are neither dishonest that without being present on duty they would make wrong entries by themselves; nor are they bribable so that they would take bribes and make false reports in favour of or against somebody. They are far above these moral weaknesses. Therefore, both the good and the bad people should be fully satisfied that each man's good acts will be recorded without any omission, and no one will have an evil act recorded in his account which he has not done. Then the second quality that has been mentioned of these angels is: "They know whatever you do" That is, they are not like the secret, intelligence agencies of the world, from which, despite all their search and scrutiny, many things remain hidden. They are fully aware of everyone's deeds. They accompany every person, at all places, under all conditions, in such a way that he himself does not know that someone is watching him, and they also know with what intention has somebody done a certain thing. Therefore the record prepared by them is a complete record in which nothing has been left un-recorded. About this very thing it has been said in Surah Al-Kahf 49: "Woe to us! What sort of a book it is, it has left mothing unrecorded of our doings, small or great. They will see before them everything, whatever they had done." 

إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ {82:13}

[Q82:13] Innal abraara lafee na’eem 
[Q82:13] Verily, the Abrar (pious and righteous) will be in delight (Paradise);

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(82:13) Surely the virtuous shall be in Bliss,

وَإِنَّ الْفُجَّارَ لَفِي جَحِيمٍ {82:14}

[Q82:14] Wa innal fujjaara lafee jaheem 
[Q82:14] And verily, the Fujjar (the wicked, disbelievers, sinners and evil-doers) will be in the blazing Fire (Hell),

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(82:14) and the wicked shall be in the Blazing Fire. 

يَصْلَوْنَهَا يَوْمَ الدِّينِ {82:15}

[Q82:15] Yaslawnahaa Yawmad Deeen 
[Q82:15] In which they will enter, and taste its burning flame on the Day of Recompense,

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(82:15) They shall enter it on the Day of Recompense 

وَمَا هُمْ عَنْهَا بِغَائِبِينَ {82:16}

[Q82:16] Wa maa hum 'anhaa bighaaa 'ibeen 
[Q82:16] And they (Al-Fujjar) will not be absent therefrom (i.e. will not go out from the Hell).

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(82:16)          

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ {82:17}

[Q82:17] Wa maaa adraaka maa Yawmud Deen. 
[Q82:17] And what will make you know what the Day of Recompense is?

Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:48; Anam 6:165; Bani Israil 17:15; Zumar 39:7 and 38. **No soul shall have power to do anything for another. **Personal responsibility will be fully enforced. AUTHORITY BELONGS TO ALLAH (SWT). He will allow whom He pleases to intercede on behalf of any one the authorised intercessor finds suitable. See commentary of Baqarah 2:48 and 255 and the references mentioned therein for intercession.

Ü  Imam Muhammad bin Ali al Baqir said: "The command on that day (Day of Judgment) and today is ALLAH (SWT)'s, but on that day the subordinate authorities (at a certain stage) will not be visible."

THE MANIFESTATION OF ALLAH (SWT)'S ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY IS LIKE THE SUN, WHEN IT SHINES ALL THE STARS DISAPPEAR, THOUGH THEY ARE THERE, DERIVING THE LIGHT FROM THE SUN. 

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(82:17) What do you know what the Day of Recompense is?

  ثُمَّ مَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ {82:18}

[Q82:18] Summa maaa adraaka maa Yawmud Deen 
[Q82:18] 18. Again, what will make you know what the Day of Recompense is?

 (see commentary for verse 17)

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(82:18) Again, what do you know what the Day of Recompense is?

يَوْمَ لَا تَمْلِكُ نَفْسٌ لِنَفْسٍ شَيْئًا ۖ وَالْأَمْرُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلَّهِ {82:19}

[Q82:19] Yawma laa tamliku nafsul linafsin shai'anw walamru yawma'izil liLLaah
[Q82:19] (It will be) the Day when no person shall have power (to do) anything for another, and the Decision, that Day, will be (wholly) with Allah.

 (see commentary for verse 17)

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(82:19) It is the Day when no one shall have the power to do anything for another, *8 and all command shall be Allah’s.

*8 That is, no one there will have the power to save anyone from suffering the consequences of his deeds; no one there will be so influential, strong, or such a favourite with AIIah that he should behave stubbornly in the Divine Court and say: "Such and such a one is a close relative or associate of mine; he will have to be forgiven, no matter what evils He might have committed in the world."

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