Surah 84 · Meccan · 25 Verses
الانشقاق
SURAH AL-INSHIQAQ
The Splitting Open
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
إِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ ٱنشَقَّتْ
When the sky has split [open]
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ
And has listened [i.e., responded] to its Lord and was obligated [to do so] –
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ
Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand,
فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًۭا يَسِيرًۭا
He will be judged with an easy account
وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًۭا
And return to his people in happiness.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَٰبَهُۥ وَرَآءَ ظَهْرِهِۦ
But as for he who is given his record behind his back,
فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُوا۟ ثُبُورًۭا
He will cry out for destruction
وَيَصْلَىٰ سَعِيرًا
And [enter to] burn in a Blaze.
إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فِىٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًا
Indeed, he had [once] been among his people in happiness;
إِنَّهُۥ ظَنَّ أَن لَّن يَحُورَ
Indeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allāh].
بَلَىٰٓ إِنَّ رَبَّهُۥ كَانَ بِهِۦ بَصِيرًۭا
But yes! Indeed, his Lord was ever, of him, Seeing.
فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلشَّفَقِ
So I swear by the twilight glow
وَٱلَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ
And [by] the night and what it envelops
وَٱلْقَمَرِ إِذَا ٱتَّسَقَ
And [by] the moon when it becomes full
فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
So what is [the matter] with them [that] they do not believe,
وَإِذَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ لَا يَسْجُدُونَ ۩
And when the Qur’ān is recited to them, they do not prostrate [to Allāh]?
بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُكَذِّبُونَ
But those who have disbelieved deny,
وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُوعُونَ
And Allāh is most knowing of what they keep within themselves.
فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
So give them tidings of a painful punishment,
إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍۭ
Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds. For them is a reward uninterrupted.
About This Surah
Surah Al-Inshiqaq describes heaven splitting, earth stretching and releasing its contents, humanity laboring toward its Lord, and records received in different ways. It calls attention to twilight, night, and moon while people pass through stage after stage. The chapter includes a prostration passage, but practical rulings require qualified guidance; cosmic language offers no date, horoscope, or scientific forecast.
Al-Inshiqaq opens with heaven splitting in obedience to its Lord and earth extended, emptied, and attentive to command. Human beings labor continuously toward their Lord and will meet the result. The chapter frames life as movement toward accountability rather than static possession.
The person receiving a record in the right hand experiences an easy accounting and returns joyfully, while the person receiving it from behind confronts ruin after assuming there would be no return. These scenes teach responsibility but do not authorize readers to assign outcomes to named people.
Twilight, night, what it gathers, and the full moon form an oath that people will ride or pass through stage after stage. The wording invites reflection on changing human conditions and the final return. It does not support astrology, lunar fortune-telling, or a universal life-stage chart.
People are asked why they do not believe or prostrate when the Quran is recited. The passage has implications for recitation prostration in Islamic legal traditions. For a practical ruling on recitation prostration at verse 21, consult qualified guidance in the school you follow; this outline does not settle those legal differences.
The ending contrasts denial with faith and righteous action. No cosmic timetable, guaranteed result, or individualized judgment is provided.
Core Themes
- Creation obeying divine command
- Human labor toward final meeting
- Records and accountable outcomes
- Passing through stage after stage
- Prostration in response to recitation
- Enduring reward for faith and action
Structure
Verses 1-6: Heaven, earth, and labor toward God — 1-6
Verses 1-6 focus on heaven, earth, and labor toward god.
Verses 7-15: Records and contrasting account — 7-15
Verses 7-15 focus on records and contrasting account.
Verses 16-19: Twilight, night, moon, and changing stages — 16-19
Verses 16-19 focus on twilight, night, moon, and changing stages.
Verses 20-25: Recitation, prostration, denial, and reward — 20-25
Verses 20-25 focus on recitation, prostration, denial, and reward.
Key Passages
Heaven, earth, and labor toward God — 1-6
Verses 1-6 address heaven, earth, and labor toward god.
Records and contrasting account — 7-15
Verses 7-15 address records and contrasting account.
Twilight, night, moon, and changing stages — 16-19
Verses 16-19 address twilight, night, moon, and changing stages.
Recitation, prostration, denial, and reward — 20-25
Verses 20-25 address recitation, prostration, denial, and reward.
Recitation Note
No exclusive time, fixed repetition count, or guaranteed worldly outcome is asserted here for reciting Surah Al-Inshiqaq. Reading it is worship and study; any claim about protection, healing, provision, family outcomes, or a prescribed number requires separate exact evidence and narrow wording.
Interpretation Limits
- Cosmic images provide no calendar date, horoscope, or scientific-event forecast.
- Stage-after-stage language is not a fortune-telling or deterministic life chart.
- Recitation-prostration practice requires qualified school-aware guidance.
- No reader may assign the described record or final outcome to a named person.