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Surah 84 · Makkah · 25 āyāt
Phase 04 · Ṭāʾif, al-Isrāʾ and the final Makkan years(c. 5–1 BH) — view in timelineAl-InshiqāqThe Splitting Open
الانشقاق
An early Makkan surah built on the same pattern as al-Infiṭār: the sky splits and obeys its Lord, the earth is spread out and empties itself and obeys its Lord — and man is told plainly that he is laboring toward his Lord, a laborious striving, and will meet Him. The surah then divides recipients of the record of deeds into those given it in their right hand, who face an easy reckoning, and those given it behind their backs, who will call for destruction and burn in a blazing fire. It closes with an oath by the twilight, the night, and the moon that mankind will pass through stage after stage, rebuking those who do not believe or prostrate when the Qur'an is recited to them.
Why it was revealed
Revealed while the Makkans openly denied any resurrection or reckoning after death, this surah answers their disbelief with the image of the sky and earth themselves submitting obediently to their Lord's command — implying that man's persistent refusal to submit is a strange exception in a universe otherwise wholly compliant.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4939; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4939 and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2876 (the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah on al-ḥisāb al-yasīr); Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 578; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 578 (prostration upon recitation); Ibn Kathīr on 84:1–5
It is authentically established that the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions used to prostrate upon reciting the sajdah verse of this surah (āyah 21). Abū Hurayrah reported: 'We prostrated with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in [Sūrat] Idhā al-samāʾu inshaqqat and Iqraʾ bismi rabbik.' It is also reported that the Prophet ﷺ, upon hearing āyah 8 — 'he will be judged with an easy account' — explained to ʿĀʾishah that this refers to a mere presentation of deeds, and that whoever is scrutinized in the reckoning will surely be punished.
Cited toṢaḥīḥ Muslim 578 (prostration upon recitation); Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4939 and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2876 (the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah on al-ḥisāb al-yasīr)
In the Prophet's ﷺ life
The sky and earth depicted as obedient to Allah
While Quraysh resisted submission, the surah pictures the sky splitting and the earth spreading out, each 'duly obedient' (ḥaqqat) to its Lord — an implicit rebuke of human refusal.
Recalled in āyah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انشَقَّتْ
When the sky has split [open]
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ
And has listened to its Lord and was obligated [to do so]
وَإِذَا الْأَرْضُ مُدَّتْ
And when the earth has been extended
وَأَلْقَتْ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ
And has cast out that within it and became empty
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ
And has listened to its Lord and was obligated [to do so]
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 84:1–5
- Madd — 2 vowels
- Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
- Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
- Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
- Ghunnah — 2 vowels
- Qalqalah
- Ikhfāʾ
- Ikhfāʾ shafawī
- Idghām shafawī
- Idghām with ghunnah
- Idghām without ghunnah
- Idghām mutajānisayn
- Idghām mutaqāribayn
- Iqlāb
- Hamzat al-waṣl
- Lām shamsiyyah
- Silent letter
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The sky and earth obey; will you?
When the sky splits open and duly obeys its Lord — as it must — and when the earth is stretched out, casts out what is within it and empties itself, and duly obeys its Lord — as it must.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 84:1–5; Ibn Kathīr on 84:2
إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انشَقَّتْ
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When the sky has split [open]
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ
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And has listened to its Lord and was obligated [to do so]
وَإِذَا الْأَرْضُ مُدَّتْ
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And when the earth has been extended
وَأَلْقَتْ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ
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And has cast out that within it and became empty
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ
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And has listened to its Lord and was obligated [to do so]
From the tafsīr
'Wa-ḥuqqat' (and it was obligated/it was fitting) means the heavens' compliance with Allah's command is inevitable and proper — unlike man, who is granted the choice to obey or disobey.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 84:2
The parallel structure describing sky and earth both 'listening and obeying' as they are duly bound to do sets up an implicit contrast: rational, choosing man is the only part of creation that resists submission to its Creator.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 84:1–5
Key takeaways
- The vast inanimate creation submits totally and instantly to Allah's command.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 84:1–5; Ibn Kathīr on 84:2
- Human free will is what makes disbelief possible — every other part of creation simply obeys.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 84:1–5; Ibn Kathīr on 84:2
- 'The earth casts out what is within it and empties itself' points to the dead being disgorged from the earth at resurrection.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 84:1–5; Ibn Kathīr on 84:2
Reflect
In what area of your life are you resisting the natural, obedient state that the rest of creation exhibits toward Allah?
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Question 1 of 2
What does 'wa-ḥuqqat' ('and it was duly obligated') describe in āyah 2?
Question 2 of 2
What does 'the earth casts out what is within it' (āyah 4) refer to?
You are laboring toward your Lord, a laborious striving
O man, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet it. Then whoever is given his record in his right hand will have an easy account and return to his people rejoicing; but whoever is given his record behind his back will call for destruction and burn in a blazing fire, because he had lived among his people in happiness [heedless of the Hereafter] and thought he would never return [to Allah] — yet indeed, his Lord was ever, of him, Seeing.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4939 (ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah); Al-Qurṭubī on 84:6; Ibn Kathīr on 84:13–15
يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيهِ
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O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet it.
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ
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Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand,
فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا
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He will be judged with an easy account
وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا
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And return to his people in happiness.
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِهِ
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But as for he who is given his record behind his back,
فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُو ثُبُورًا
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He will call for destruction
وَيَصْلَىٰ سَعِيرًا
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And [enter to] burn in a Blaze.
إِنَّهُ كَانَ فِي أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا
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Indeed, he had [previously] been among his people in happiness;
إِنَّهُ ظَنَّ أَن لَّن يَحُورَ
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Indeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allāh].
بَلَىٰ إِنَّ رَبَّهُ كَانَ بِهِ بَصِيرًا
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But yes! Indeed, his Lord was ever, of him, Seeing.
From the tafsīr
'Kadḥ' describes exhausting labor and toil; every human being, believer or disbeliever, is described as toiling through life toward an inevitable meeting with his Lord, whether they intend it or not.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 84:6
The Prophet ﷺ explained that 'an easy account' (ḥisāban yasīran) in āyah 8 means the deeds are merely presented to the person without detailed interrogation, and clarified that whoever is meticulously interrogated in the reckoning is thereby doomed.
The one punished is described as having lived among his people in careless happiness (masrūran), presuming he would never be resurrected — showing that worldly comfort built on denial of the Hereafter becomes the very cause of regret.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 84:13–15
Key takeaways
- Every human life is a toil moving inevitably toward meeting Allah — no one is exempt from this journey.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4939 (ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah); Al-Qurṭubī on 84:6; Ibn Kathīr on 84:13–15
- Receiving the record in the right hand versus behind the back symbolizes the fundamental division of outcomes on that Day.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4939 (ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah); Al-Qurṭubī on 84:6; Ibn Kathīr on 84:13–15
- The Prophet ﷺ clarified that a detailed, scrutinizing reckoning is itself a sign of doom, not mercy.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4939 (ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah); Al-Qurṭubī on 84:6; Ibn Kathīr on 84:13–15
- Heedless worldly happiness built on denial of resurrection is exposed as the root cause of the wicked person's regret.
Drawn fromṢaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4939 (ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah); Al-Qurṭubī on 84:6; Ibn Kathīr on 84:13–15
Reflect
Is your daily 'toil' oriented consciously toward meeting Allah, or lived as if this life were the destination itself?
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Question 1 of 2
What did the Prophet ﷺ clarify about 'an easy account' when ʿĀʾishah asked him?
Question 2 of 2
What root cause does Ibn Kathīr identify for the punished person's outcome in āyāt 13–14?
You will surely pass, stage after stage
Allah swears by the twilight, the night and what it gathers, and the moon when it becomes full, that mankind will surely ride from stage to stage (ṭabaqan ʿan ṭabaq). So what is [the matter] with them that they do not believe, and when the Qur'an is recited to them, do not prostrate?
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 84:20–21; Ibn Kathīr on 84:19
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالشَّفَقِ
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So I swear by the twilight glow
وَاللَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ
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And [by] the night and what it envelops
وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا اتَّسَقَ
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And [by] the moon when it becomes full,
لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَن طَبَقٍ
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[That] you will surely embark upon a stage after a stage.
فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
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So what is [the matter] with them that they do not believe,
وَإِذَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْآنُ لَا يَسْجُدُونَ ۩
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And when the Qur’ān is recited to them, do not prostrate [to Allāh]?
From the tafsīr
'Ṭabaqan ʿan ṭabaq' is explained as passing through successive states — from a drop of fluid to a clinging clot, then birth, childhood, old age, death, resurrection, and finally the reckoning — each stage more intense than the last.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 84:19
After the oath establishing that transformation and change are the norm of human existence, the rebuke lands: why then do such people not believe in a Resurrection that is simply one more stage in a pattern they have already lived through repeatedly?
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 84:20–21
Key takeaways
- Human life is described as an oath-sworn certainty of passing through successive, escalating stages, of which resurrection is simply the next.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 84:20–21; Ibn Kathīr on 84:19
- If change from a fluid drop to childhood to old age is undeniable, disbelief in an even further stage is inconsistent, not rational.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 84:20–21; Ibn Kathīr on 84:19
- Refusal to prostrate when the Qur'an is recited is presented as a symptom of a deeper refusal to submit.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 84:20–21; Ibn Kathīr on 84:19
Reflect
Which past 'stage' of your own life makes disbelief in a further stage after death seem unreasonable to you?
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Question 1 of 2
What does Ibn Kathīr explain 'ṭabaqan ʿan ṭabaq' (āyah 19) to mean?
Question 2 of 2
What act accompanies the recitation of āyah 21 as an established Sunnah?
Allah knows what they conceal, so give tidings of a painful punishment — except those who believe
But those who disbelieve deny, while Allah is most knowing of what they keep within themselves. So give them tidings of a painful punishment, except those who believe and do righteous deeds — for them is a reward without end.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 84:23; Ibn Kathīr on 84:25
بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُكَذِّبُونَ
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But those who have disbelieved deny,
وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُوعُونَ
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And Allāh is most knowing of what they keep within themselves.
فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
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So give them tidings of a painful punishment,
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ
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Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds. For them is a reward uninterrupted.
From the tafsīr
'Yūʿūn' — what they 'gather up' or conceal within their hearts — refers to disbelief and enmity harbored secretly, which Allah's knowledge fully encompasses despite outward pretense.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 84:23
The closing exception clause, promising an unending reward for believers who do righteous deeds, mirrors the pattern found throughout the Makkan surahs: a warning is almost never delivered without an accompanying door of hope for those who repent and believe.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 84:25
Key takeaways
- Allah's knowledge extends to what is concealed in the heart, not only outward speech and action.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 84:23; Ibn Kathīr on 84:25
- The surah, though largely a warning, ends with the door of hope kept open through belief and righteous deeds.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 84:23; Ibn Kathīr on 84:25
- 'A reward without end' (ghayru mamnūn) means the bliss of Paradise is uninterrupted and never diminished.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 84:23; Ibn Kathīr on 84:25
Reflect
What have you been concealing in your heart that you assume no one, including Allah, truly sees?
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Question 1 of 2
What does 'ghayru mamnūn' describe about the reward of the believers in āyah 25?
Question 2 of 2
What does 'yūʿūn' in āyah 23 refer to?
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Roots from this surah
Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.
ش ق ق
āyāt 1to split, cleave
- انشَقَّتْsplit open
- شِقّa half/side
ح ق ق
āyāt 2, 5to be true, obligatory, established
- وَحُقَّتْand it was duly obligated
- حَقّtruth/right
م د د
āyāt 3to extend, stretch
- مُدَّتْextended
- مَدّextension
خ ل و
āyāt 4to be empty, vacant
- وَتَخَلَّتْit emptied itself
- خَالٍempty
ك د ح
āyāt 6to toil, labor strenuously
- كَادِحٌone laboring
- كَدْحًاexertion, toil
ي س ر
āyāt 8ease, facility
- يَسِيرًاeasy
- يُسْرease
ث ب ر
āyāt 11destruction, ruin
- ثُبُورًاdestruction
س ع ر
āyāt 12to blaze, be kindled
- سَعِيرًاblazing fire
- سُعِّرَتْit was set ablaze
ح و ر
āyāt 14to return, revert
- يَحُورَhe would return
- حَوْرreturning
ط ب ق
āyāt 19layer, stage, level
- طَبَقًاa stage/level
- طِبَاقlayers
س ج د
āyāt 21to prostrate
- يَسْجُدُونَthey prostrate
- سُجُودprostration
و ع ي
āyāt 23to contain, conceal, comprehend within
- يُوعُونَthey conceal within
- وِعَاءa container
Carry this with you
- The heavens and earth submit totally and instantly to Allah's command, unlike man who is given a choice.
- Every human being toils through life in a laborious striving that ends in meeting his Lord.
- Receiving the record in the right hand or behind the back marks the fundamental division of outcomes on the Day of Judgement.
- Human life passes through stage after stage by divine decree; resurrection is simply the next stage in a pattern already lived.
- Allah's knowledge encompasses what people conceal within their hearts, not only their outward deeds.
- Even a stern warning surah closes with the door of hope open through belief and righteous deeds.
Where this surah connects
Cross-surah threads
Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.
All threads →Sources behind Sūrah Al-Inshiqāq
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Al-Inshiqāq · The sky and earth obey; will you?
What does 'wa-ḥuqqat' ('and it was duly obligated') describe in āyah 2?
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