Tafsir of Surah Al-Infitar - Verse 7

Which was revealed in Makkah

The Virtues of Surat Al-Infitar

An-Nasa'i recorded from Jabir that Mu`adh stood and lead the people in the Night prayer, and he made the recitation of his prayer long. So the Prophet said,

«أَفَتَّانٌ أَنْتَ يَا مُعَاذُ؟ أَيْنَ كُنْتَ عَنْ

سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الاّعْلَى

وَالضُّحَى

وَ

إِذَا السَّمَآءُ انفَطَرَتْ »

(Are you putting the people to trial O Mu`adh Why don't you recite (Glorify the Name of your Lord the Most High) (87), (By the forenoon) (93), and (When the heaven is cleft asunder) (82))" The basis of this Hadith is found in the Two Sahihs, however the mentioning of

إِذَا السَّمَآءُ انفَطَرَتْ

(When the heaven is cleft asunder.) has only been mentioned by An-Nasa'i. It has been previously mentioned in a narration from `Abdullah bin `Umar that the Prophet said,

«مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى الْقِيَامَةِ رَأْيَ عَيْنٍ فَلْيَقْرَأْ:

إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ

و

إِذَا السَّمَآءُ انفَطَرَتْ

و

إِذَا السَّمَآءُ انشَقَّتْ »

(Whoever would be pleased to look at the Day of Resurrection with his own eyes, then let him recite, (When the sun is Kuwwirat.) (81) and; (When the heaven is cleft asunder) (82) and; (When the heaven is split asunder) (84).)

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

إِذَا السَّمَآءُ انفَطَرَتْ

(When the heaven is cleft asunder (Infatarat).) meaning, it splits. This is as Allah says,

السَّمَآءُ مُنفَطِرٌ بِهِ

(Whereon the heaven will be cleft asunder (Munfatir)) (73:18) Then Allah says,

وَإِذَا الْكَوَاكِبُ انتَثَرَتْ

(And when the stars Intatharat.) meaning, fallen.

وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتْ

(And when the seas Fujjirat.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas that he said, "Allah will cause some of it to burst forth over other parts of it." Al-Hasan said, "Allah will cause some parts of it to burst forth over other parts of it, and its water will go away." Qatadah said, "Its fresh water will mix with its salt water."

وَإِذَا الْقُبُورُ بُعْثِرَتْ

(And when the graves Bu`thirat.) Ibn `Abbas said, "searched." As-Suddi said, "Tub`athiru means that they will be moved and those who are in them will come out."

عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ

(A person will know what he has sent forward and left behind.) meaning, when this happens then this will occur. Mankind should not forget about Allah Allah says,

يأَيُّهَا الإِنسَـنُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ

(O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous) This is a threat. It is not an attempt to get a reply as some people mistakenly think. They consider it as if the Most Generous is asking them so that they will say, "His honor deceived him (or made him careless of his Lord)." rather the meaning of this Ayah is, "O Son of Adam! What has deceived you from your Lord, the Most Generous -- meaning the Most Great -- so that you went forth disobeying Him, and you met Him with that which was unbefitting." This is similar to what has been reported in the Hadith,

«يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ: يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ مَا غَرَّكَ بِي؟ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ مَاذَا أَجَبْتَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ؟»

(Allah will say on the Day of Judgement: "O Son of Adam! What has deceived you concerning Me O Son of Adam What was your response to the Messengers") Al-Baghawi mentioned that Al-Kalbi and Muqatil said, "This Ayah was revealed about Al-Aswad bin Shariq who struck the Prophet and he was not punished in retaliation. So Allah revealed,

مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ

(What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous)" Then Allah said,

الَّذِى خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ

(Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion.) meaning, `what has deceived you concerning the Most Generous Lord'

الَّذِى خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ

(Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion.) meaning, `He made you complete, straight, and perfectly balanced and proportioned in stature. He fashioned you in the best of forms and shapes.' Imam Ahmad recorded from Busr bin Jahhash Al-Qurashi that one day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ spat in his palm and placed his finger on it. Then he said,

«قَالَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ أَنْى تُعْجِزُنِي وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِنْ مِثْلِ هذِهِ؟ حَتْى إِذَا سَوَّيْتُكَ وَعَدَلْتُكَ مَشَيْتَ بَيْنَ بُرْدَيْنِ، وَلِلْأَرْضِ مِنْكَ وَئِيدٌ، فَجَمَعْتَ وَمَنَعْتَ حَتْى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ التَّرَاقِيَ قُلْتَ: أَتَصَدَّقُ وَأَنَّى أَوَانُ الصَّدَقَةِ؟»

(Allah the Mighty and Sublime says: "O Son of Adam! How can you escape Me when I created you from something similar to this (spit) Then I fashioned you and made your creation balanced so that you walked between the two outer garments. And the earth has a burial place for you. So you gathered (wealth) and withheld it until your soul reached your collarbone (i.e., death comes). Then, at that time you say, `I will give charity now.' But how will there be time for charity") This Hadith has also been recorded by Ibn Majah . Concerning Allah's statement,

فِى أَىِّ صُورَةٍ مَّا شَآءَ رَكَّبَكَ

(In whatever form He willed, He put you together.) Mujahid said, "In which resemblance: the father, the mother, the paternal uncle, or the maternal uncle." In the Two Sahihs it is recorded from Abu Hurayrah that a man said, "O Messenger of Allah! Verily, my wife has given birth to a black boy." The Prophet said,

«هَلْ لَكَ مِنْ إِبِلٍ؟»

(Do you have any camels) The man said, "Yes." The Prophet then said,

«فَمَا أَلْوَانُهَا»

(What color are they) The man said, "Red." The Prophet said,

«فَهَلْ فِيهَا مِنْ أَوْرَق»

(Do any of them have patches of gray) The man said, "Yes." The Prophet asked him,

«فَأَنْى أَتَاهَا ذلِك»

(How did this happen to them) The man replied, "It is probably an inherited genetical strain." The Prophet then said,

«وَهَذَا عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ نَزَعَهُ عِرْق»

(Likewise, this (with your son) is probably an inherited genetical strain.) The Cause of Deception and alerting to the Fact that Angels record the Deeds of the Children of Adam Concerning Allah's statement,

كَلاَّ بَلْ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِالدِّينِ

(Nay! But you deny (the Day of) Ad-Din.) meaning, `you are only compelled to oppose the Most Generous and meet Him with disobedience, by your rejection in your hearts of the Hereafter, the recompense and the reckoning.' Concerning Allah's statement,

وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَـفِظِينَ - كِرَاماً كَـتِبِينَ - يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ

(But verily, over you to watch you (are) Kiraman Katibin, they know all that you do.) (82:10-12) meaning, `indeed there are noble guardian angels over you, so do not meet them with evil deeds, because they write down all that you do.'

‌ يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ مَا غَرَّ‌كَ (0 man! at has deceived you about your Gracious Lord...82:6) The opening of the Surah mentions the violent events that will take place at the end of this worldly life, and the current set of verses reminds us of the inceptive stages of our creation. The sum total of the verses purport to say that if man had considered carefully, he would have believed in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ ، and he would not have deviated a hair's breadth from Divine injunctions, but he slumped into heedlessness and forgetfulness. In the present verse, he is reprimanded by a rhetorical question and by means of gentle remonstrance as to what has lured him away from His Gracious Lord, and led him to disobedience, despite he knows his beginning, and he knows his end.

The verse further goes on to remind man of the inceptive stages of his creation. First, it says: خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ (who created you, then perfected you...82:7). The sense is that not only did Allah create man, but He also perfected his creation and proportioned his body, limbs and organs. Every limb and organ is well placed. The body, height, length and breadth of every limb are kept in harmony, symmetry and balance. Any deviation from the symmetrical construction of the human body, the organs will become dysfunctional. Then the verse says: فَعَدَلَكَ (...then brought you in due proportion?...82:7). Man is granted such symmetry, harmony and balance that no other animal in the world is granted to that degree. Along with physical and physiological symmetry and harmony, he has been granted well-balanced disposition, despite the fact that man is made up of opposing humours - blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. Some are hot and others are cold, and yet the perfect wisdom of Allah prepared a well-balanced disposition. Thereafter a third characteristic is mentioned as follows:

The Quran informs us that the Day of Judgement will finally come: all of humanity will be assembled on that Day and will be rewarded or punished according to their deeds. These tidings are absolutely consistent with the present condition of the world. Indeed, the meaningful creation of man has its justification in this announcement. Moreover, a system exists in the present world for the recording of the words and deeds of man. That becomes understandable in the light of what the Quran tells us. (For details regarding the recording of words and deeds, see the commentator’s book titled: God Arises).