Tafsir of Surat al-Infitar Chapter 82

Tafsir Surat al-Infitar

Meccan Chapter
No. 82
19 verses
Commentary:
v.1: {when the sky is cleft asunder}: the word infatarat can mean: (1) split apart, torn apart
(inshaqqat) or (2) to vanish, become abolished.
v.2: {when the stars have fallen}: the word intatharat meaning when they have scattered and
collapsed. Ibn `Abbas said it means: when the stars have fallen all dark and devoid of light[1]
.
v.3: {And when the seas will burst forth}: The word fujjirat could mean: (1) when the seas
expand and hurl; (2) when the seas merge on into another with ferocity, confusion and chaos; (3)
when the salty water mixes with the sweet water; (4) when the seven seas hurl and amass into one
sea and (5) when the seas tremendously overflow in uncontrollable deluge.
v.4: {when the graves turn upside down}: The word bu`thirat could refer to a reality where:
(1) the contents of the grave are hurled out, i.e. the dead bodies in them; (2) the graves will shake
and convulse ready for the Day of Judgment; (3) the graves will rattle, heave and swell; (4) the
graves will be turned inside out having been searched.
v.5: {every person will know what it has sent forward and left behind}: This can mean: (1)
every person will know what it did and what it did not do; (2) every person will know what acts of
obedience it did and what rights of Allah it abandoned; (3) every person will know what acts of charity
it advanced forward and what inheritance it has left behind. It could also refer to what acts of
disobedience a person did and what acts of obedience to Allah is abandoned and left behind because it
is excluded from the point of the threat. This clause stands as a consequent to the {when the sky is
cleft asunder} clause because it is grammatically its predicate (khabr). Hasan considers this to be an
oath (qasm) that occurs with the verse {every person shall know.}. The most apparent view is

what the majority adheres to which is that it is grammatically the predicate and not an oath
clause[2]
} {
.} {
Note:

The idha cluster clause is important functionally and not morphosyntactically and its
construction is regarded as encoding temporal relations between events often simultaneously which is
fitting here as the focus is the destruction of the cosmos.
The idha clauses also serve to create verse rhythm as well as mimicking motion reflecting the
chaos of the cataclysmic events that herald the destruction of the world.
The repetition of the idha clauses further serve to reinforce these cataclysmic inevitabilities in
the mind of the audience.
The verses are short, darting and poised in order to make them sharp and piercing so the
mind does not need to make contextual inferences of the information being communicated.
Every person will know what it did or did not do. Hence, there will be a point of no escape.
Every act of obedience (ta`a) to Allah and every act of disobedience will be made known. > Take the
example of the current rulers: these rulers over the Muslim lands have violated the sanctities of Allah
and failed on all accounts to protect Islam, its values, laws and thoughts instead employing brutality
to repress any Islamic sentiment. They have squandered the resources of the umma and have
remained only to serve the interests of external superpower nations who have political and economic
designs on Islamic lands. They will be held to account most severely for their violations and
transgressions by Allah along with all who have been complicit in it.
v.6: {humans} which could refer to: (1) all non-believers; (2) Ubay ibn Khalaf; (3) Abu l-Ashadd
b. Kalda b. Asad al-Jumahi; {made you careless}: the word gharraka can mean either shaytan has
misled the person and made him an enemy of Allah or utter ignorance of Allah as misdirected him.
Notes:

We need to ask ourselves have we abandoned Allah? Have we been diverted and distracted
from Allah?
Is our tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah or is it fixated on other objects of desire
and focus? women, gadgets, entertainments, games, work, etc.
Are we remembering His commands in all aspects of our life or are we being deceived away
from aspects of His sacred Law? We need to reflect on how it is that we have been deceived into
abandoning Allahs commands in areas such as ruling, economics, politics and civil law to be given
incomparably poor and failed human substitutes like secularism and democracy as well as capitalist
economic values. This has brought nothing but division, misery, failure and subjugation.
v.7: {Who created you, fashioned you perfectly and gave you due proportion}: meaning: (1)
Who proportioned you; (2) Who gave you all the necessary limbs to function correctly; (3) Who has
made you honourable as opposed to vulgar like animals. The people of deep reflection (ashab alkhawatir) have commented: who created you with an intellect and has given you the gift of
belief[3]
:
v.8: {In whatever form He willed, He put you together}: perhaps meaning: (1) He made you in
the likeness of your parents, relatives, etc.; (2) He made you in different forms and shapes whether
beautiful or not; tall or small, short or long, etc. (3) He made you in perfect proportion and not like
animals.
Notes:

Allah created us, honoured us and made us with functionality yet how ungrateful we can be
forgetting that. We only have to look to our own selves to be reminded of all His bounties and gifts.
v.9: {Nay!} is a retort and castigation for being deluded and misled from the bounty and grace of
Allah; {But you deny the Recompense}: the word din can mean: (1) denial of the Day of
reckoning (jaza); (2) denial of the Day of accountability (hisab); (3) denial of justice and judicial
decisions (al-`adal wal-qada); (4) denial of the religion brought by the Prophet (saw), i.e. Islam.
Notes:

Allah here is alerting to the day when everyone will be held to account.
See:http://daralnicosia.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/the-day-of-judgment-and-accountability/formore
details.
v.10: {hafizin}: referring to the protecting Angels; all individuals have guardian angels one on the
right that notes down good actions and one on the left that writes down bad actions.
v.11: {honourable and writing down all deeds}: the word kiraman can mean: (1) honourable to
Allah; (2) honourable because of belief; (3) honoured because they do not leave human beings
(except when humans enter toilets and times of sexual intercourse); (4) honoured because they fulfil
their duties without fail.
v.13: {delight}: Referring to the Afterlife meaning the righteous (abrar) will be in paradise a place of
bliss, perfect rest and tranquillity as a reward for their actions whereas the iniquitous will be in a
blazing fire, i.e. Hellfire for their rejection and denial. Another opinion states it refers to this world:
The second opinion is that the verse refers to this world which would then give four interpretations as
mentioned by the people of deep reflection: (1) the first is that na`im means satisfaction, conviction
and contentment (qana`a) whereas jahim means greed (al-tam`); (2) the second is
that na`im means utter reliance on Allah (tawakkul) whereas jahim means desire, avarice and
covetousness; (3) the third is that na`im means being pleased with the determination of things
(qada) and jahim means anger and displeasure with everything Allah has decided and decreed and
foreknows; (4) the fourth is that na`im means obedience (ta`a) and jahim means disobedience
(ma`siya)[4]
: . : . :
: . : .
vv.17-18: {yawm al-din}: repeated here again for emphasis and for underscoring the graveness of
that day which is generally held to refer to the Day of Judgment.
v.19: {[It will be] the Day when no person shall have power [to do] anything for another
and the matter that Day will be [wholly] with Allah}: [It will be] the Day when no person
shall have power [to do] anything for another} meaning no person can either harm or help
another. {the matter that Day will be [wholly] with Allah} which has two views: one of them is
that on that day no one can reward or punish except Allah and the second is that on that day the
power to punish will be with Allah.[5]
:. : :{
{ {
{

Notes:

Only Allah has the power to harm or benefit. From this we confirm that in Allah alone we have
trust, conviction and hope. So, our duty is to adhere to His commandments and fulfil the obligations
required of us and have full confidence in His victory and recompense.
And with Allah alone is success.

Peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad,

His family and Companions.
Amin.