O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet it.
7
٧
fa-ammā man ūtiya kitābahu biyamīnihi
Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand,
8
٨
fasawfa yuḥāsabu ḥisāban yasīran
He will be judged with an easy account
9
٩
wayanqalibu ilā ahlihi masrūran
And return to his people in happiness.
10
١٠
wa-ammā man ūtiya kitābahu warāa ẓahrihi
But as for he who is given his record behind his back,
11
١١
fasawfa yadʿū thubūran
He will cry out for destruction
12
١٢
wayaṣlā saʿīran
And [enter to] burn in a Blaze.
13
١٣
innahu kāna fī ahlihi masrūran
Indeed, he had [once] been among his people in happiness;
14
١٤
innahu ẓanna an lan yaḥūra
Indeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allāh].
15
١٥
balā inna rabbahu kāna bihi baṣīran
But yes! Indeed, his Lord was ever, of him, Seeing.
16
١٦
falā uq'simu bil-shafaqi
So I swear by the twilight glow
17
١٧
wa-al-layli wamā wasaqa
And [by] the night and what it envelops
18
١٨
wal-qamari idhā ittasaqa
And [by] the moon when it becomes full
19
١٩
latarkabunna ṭabaqan ʿan ṭabaqin
[That] you will surely embark upon [i.e., experience] state after state.
20
٢٠
famā lahum lā yu'minūna
So what is [the matter] with them [that] they do not believe,
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Surah Al-Inshiqaq (The Sundering) — Full Text
Ayah 1
إِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ ٱنشَقَّتْ
When the sky has split [open]
The surah opens with a powerful scene from the Day of Judgment: the sky will literally split apart. The entire structure of the heavens as we know it will crack open and break down. This is one of those cosmic-level events that Allah describes across multiple surahs to impress upon us just how massive and world-ending that Day will be. The surah is named Al-Inshiqaq, meaning "The Splitting," and it sets the tone right away for what follows.
Ayah 2
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ
And has listened [i.e., responded]1 to its Lord and was obligated [to do so]
The sky will listen to and obey the command of its Lord to split open, and it absolutely must do so. The idea here is that the heavens have no choice but to comply with Allah's command on that Day. His authority is so absolute that even the vast, seemingly unshakeable sky submits to it without resistance. This obedience of creation to its Creator is a theme that should make us reflect on our own willingness to submit.
Ayah 3
وَإِذَا ٱلْأَرْضُ مُدَّتْ
And when the earth has been extended1
Next, the earth will be stretched out and expanded into a massive flat plain. On the Day of Resurrection, the current landscape of mountains, valleys, and buildings will be leveled so that every human being who ever lived can be gathered in one place. The earth as we know it will be completely transformed to accommodate the enormous assembly of all of humanity from the beginning of time to the end.
Ayah 4
وَأَلْقَتْ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ
And has cast out that within it1 and relinquished [it].
The earth will throw out everything inside it and become completely empty. All the buried dead, the hidden treasures, the minerals, everything the earth has been holding for thousands of years will be ejected in one massive convulsion. This is the earth giving up its secrets and its contents for the final reckoning. Nothing stays hidden on that Day.
Ayah 5
وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ
And has listened [i.e., responded] to its Lord and was obligated [to do so] -
Just like the sky in verse 2, the earth will also listen to and obey its Lord, and it is absolutely right that it does so. Both the heavens and the earth submit fully to Allah's command. There is a subtle but powerful lesson here: if the entire universe obeys Allah without question, what excuse does a human being have for refusing to submit? The creation around us is already in a state of total surrender to God.
O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion1 and will meet it.2
Now the surah shifts from cosmic events to a direct address to you: O human being, you are constantly working and striving toward your Lord, and you will meet the results of that effort. Every single thing you do in life, whether good or bad, is taking you closer to the moment you stand before Allah. Life is basically a one-way journey back to Him, and the way you spend it determines what that meeting will look like. This is one of the most profound reality checks in the entire Quran.
Ayah 7
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ
Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand,
Now the surah splits humanity into two groups. The first group: whoever is given their record of deeds in their right hand. On the Day of Judgment, everyone gets a book that documents every single thing they did in life. Getting it in your right hand is the ultimate good sign, like getting your results back and seeing you passed. This right-hand group is the people of faith and good deeds.
Ayah 8
فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا
He will be judged with an easy account
This person will have an easy, light reckoning. The key distinction here is that an easy reckoning means your deeds are simply presented before Allah without being deeply scrutinized or interrogated. The Prophet explained that anyone whose deeds are closely questioned and picked apart on that Day will be in trouble. So the easy reckoning is not that you had no sins; it is that Allah, out of His mercy, does not grill you on every single detail.
Ayah 9
وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًا
And return to his people in happiness.
And this person will return to their family full of joy and happiness. Their family here could mean their loved ones in Paradise or their relatives gathered on the Day of Judgment whom they can share the good news with. Either way, imagine the relief and pure happiness of knowing you made it, that all the struggle and patience in this world actually paid off. That moment of joy is what every believer is working toward.
But as for he who is given his record behind his back,
Now comes the second group, the contrast that hits hard: whoever is given their record behind their back. This means their book is placed in their left hand, but their hand is twisted behind them. It is a humiliating, dreadful way to receive your results. This person spent their life ignoring the truth or actively working against it, and now the consequences are being handed to them in the most shameful way possible.
Ayah 11
فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُوا۟ ثُبُورًا
He will cry out for destruction
This person will cry out for destruction, wishing they could just cease to exist entirely. They will call out for death, hoping it would end their suffering, but destruction will not come. Unlike this world where pain eventually ends, the torment of the Hereafter is permanent. The very thing they were in denial about is now their inescapable reality.
Ayah 12
وَيَصْلَىٰ سَعِيرًا
And [enter to] burn in a Blaze.
And they will be thrown into a blazing, scorching fire. This is the ultimate consequence for a life spent in heedlessness and disbelief. The fire is not a metaphor here; it is a literal, terrifying punishment. The progression in these verses is deliberate: first the shameful record, then the desperate cry for destruction, then the actual entry into the Fire.
Ayah 13
إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فِىٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًا
Indeed, he had [once] been among his people in happiness;
The reason for their punishment is explained: this person used to live among their family in this world in a state of carefree joy, completely ignoring the Hereafter. They were so caught up in the good life, the comfort, the fun, that they never once stopped to think about what comes after death. The contrast is striking: believers also enjoy life, but they carry an awareness of accountability that keeps them grounded. This person had zero concern for the afterlife.
Ayah 14
إِنَّهُۥ ظَنَّ أَن لَّن يَحُورَ
Indeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allāh].
They genuinely believed they would never be brought back to Allah. This was the root of their problem: they assumed death was the end, that there would be no resurrection, no reckoning, no consequences. When you live with that mindset, of course you are going to chase pleasure without limits. Their denial of the return to Allah is what led to all the heedless living described in the previous verse.
Ayah 15
بَلَىٰٓ إِنَّ رَبَّهُۥ كَانَ بِهِۦ بَصِيرًا
But yes! Indeed, his Lord was ever, of him, Seeing.
But yes, absolutely, their Lord was always watching them. This is Allah's direct rebuttal to their assumption. You thought no one was keeping track? You thought you could live however you wanted with no oversight? Allah was fully aware of every single thing they did, every thought they had, every choice they made. He is the All-Seeing, and He will bring them back to life and hold them accountable for it all. There is no escaping His knowledge.
Ayah 16
فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلشَّفَقِ
So I swear by the twilight glow
The surah now transitions with a series of beautiful oaths. Allah swears by the twilight, the reddish glow in the sky right after sunset. This is that gorgeous moment when day is transforming into night, light fading into darkness. The oath points to the constant change in the natural world as evidence that human life, too, is in a state of constant transition. Nothing stays the same, and you are always moving toward your ultimate destination.
Ayah 17
وَٱلَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ
And [by] the night and what it envelops
And by the night and everything it gathers and envelops. When night falls, the whole world changes: people return home, animals retreat to their shelters, birds go back to their nests, everything that was scattered during the day gets collected into stillness. The night wraps everything in darkness and quiet. This gathering by the night mirrors the way all of creation will eventually be gathered before Allah.
Ayah 18
وَٱلْقَمَرِ إِذَا ٱتَّسَقَ
And [by] the moon when it becomes full
And by the moon when it becomes full. The moon goes through phases, starting as a tiny sliver and gradually building night by night until it becomes a perfect, complete full moon. This gradual progression from nothing to fullness is a sign of how everything in creation moves through stages. Just like the moon, your life is moving through phases, and each one is bringing you closer to the final stage.
Ayah 19
لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَن طَبَقٍ
[That] you will surely embark upon [i.e., experience] state after state.1
You will certainly pass from stage to stage. This is the point of all those oaths: your life is a journey through constantly changing stages. From a drop in the womb, to a baby, to a child, to a teenager, to an adult, to old age, to death, and then resurrection and judgment. Ease follows difficulty, difficulty follows ease, health follows sickness. Nothing in your life is permanent except the fact that you are always moving toward Allah. A wise person treats this life like a traveler passing through, not like someone who has permanently settled.
Ayah 20
فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
So what is [the matter] with them [that] they do not believe,
So what is wrong with these people that they refuse to believe? After all these signs in creation, after all the evidence of Allah's power in the sky, the earth, the twilight, the moon, the constant change of life stages, how can someone still choose not to believe? This is a rhetorical question expressing genuine bewilderment at the stubbornness of denial when the truth is so clearly laid out.
And when the Qur’ān is recited to them, they do not prostrate [to Allāh]?
And when the Quran is recited to them, they do not humble themselves or bow in submission. The word for prostration here is used in its broader sense of submitting with humility and respect, not just the physical act. When the words of Allah, filled with guidance, warnings, and wisdom, are read to them, their hearts stay hard and unmoved. They hear the truth and it does not penetrate. This is one of the most concerning spiritual states a person can be in.
Ayah 22
بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُكَذِّبُونَ
But those who have disbelieved deny,
Rather, the disbelievers actively deny and reject the truth. It is not just passive indifference; it is willful denial. Their habit and their nature has become one of opposition to the truth. They hear it, they recognize it on some level, but they choose to call it a lie. This is the stubborn, conscious rejection that makes their situation so dangerous.
Ayah 23
وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُوعُونَ
And Allāh is most knowing of what they keep within themselves.
And Allah knows best what they are concealing inside themselves. Whatever plans, doubts, grudges, or hostility they hide in their hearts, Allah is fully aware of it all. You can fool other people, you can put on a mask for the world, but you cannot hide anything from Allah. This verse serves as both a warning to the deniers and a comfort to the believers: nothing escapes Allah's knowledge.
Ayah 24
فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
So give them tidings of a painful punishment,
So give them the news of a painful punishment. The word for news here is actually the Arabic word for good tidings, used sarcastically. Normally you give someone good news, but for the stubborn deniers, their news is a painful torment. This is the consequence of all that denial, all that arrogance, all that refusal to submit. The Prophet is being told to deliver this warning clearly and directly.
Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds. For them is a reward uninterrupted.
But those who believe and do righteous deeds will have a reward that never ends and never diminishes. This is the beautiful exception that closes the surah on a note of hope. After all the warnings and the descriptions of punishment, Allah reminds us that the door to His mercy is wide open. If you have faith in your heart and you back it up with good actions, your reward in the Hereafter will be uninterrupted, unlimited, and eternal. That is the ultimate promise worth working toward.