Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Izas samaaa'un shaqqat

Wa azinat li Rabbihaa wa huqqat

Wa izal ardu muddat

Wa alqat maa feehaa wa takhallat

Wa azinat li Rabbihaa wa huqqat

Yaaa ayyuhal insaanu innaka kaadihun ilaa Rabbika kad han famulaaqeeh

Fa ammaa man ootiya kitaabahoo biyameenih

Fasawfa yuhaasabu hi saabai yaseeraa

Wa yanqalibu ilaaa ahlihee masrooraa

Wa ammaa man ootiya kitaabahoo waraaa'a zahrih

Fasawfa yad'oo subooraa

Wa yaslaa sa'eeraa

Innahoo kaana feee ahlihee masrooraa

Innahoo zanna al lai yahoor

Balaaa inna Rabbahoo kaana bihee baseeraa

Falaaa uqsimu bishshafaq

Wallaili wa maa wasaq

Walqamari izat tasaq

Latarkabunna tabaqan 'an tabaq

Famaa lahum laa yu'minoon

Wa izaa quri'a 'alaihimul Quraanu laa yasjudoon (make sajda)

Balil lazeena kafaroo yukazziboon

Wallaahu a'lamu bimaa yoo'oon

Fabashshirhum bi'azaabin aleem

Illal lazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati lahum ajrun ghairu mamnoon

When the sky is rent asunder,

And hearkens to (the Command of) its Lord, and it must needs (do so);

And when the earth is flattened out,

And casts forth what is within it and becomes (clean) empty,

And hearkens to (the Command of) its Lord,- and it must needs (do so);- (then will come Home the full reality).

O thou man! Verily thou art ever toiling on towards thy Lord- painfully toiling,- but thou shalt meet Him.

Then he who is given his Record in his right hand,

Soon will his account be taken by an easy reckoning,

And he will turn to his people, rejoicing!

But he who is given his Record behind his back,

Soon will he cry for perdition,

And he will enter a Blazing Fire.

Truly, did he go about among his people, rejoicing!

Truly, did he think that he would not have to return (to Us)!

Nay, nay! for his Lord was (ever) watchful of him!

So I do call to witness the ruddy glow of Sunset;

The Night and its Homing;

And the Moon in her fullness:

Ye shall surely travel from stage to stage.

What then is the matter with them, that they believe not?

And when the Qur'an is read to them, they fall not prostrate,

But on the contrary the Unbelievers reject (it).

But Allah has full knowledge of what they secrete (in their breasts)

So announce to them a Penalty Grievous,

Except to those who believe and work righteous deeds: For them is a Reward that will never fail.

Its theme is the Resurrection and Hereafter.The Surah opens by sketching a few images of the upheaval on the Day of Judgment. It hasbeen stated that the heavens on that Day will split asunder, the earth will be spread outplain and smooth, and it will throw out whatever lies inside it of the dead bodies of men andevidences of their deeds so as to become completely empty from within. The argumentgiven for it is that such will be the Command of their Lord. Since both the earth and theheaven are His creation they cannot dare disobey His Command. For them the only rightand proper course is that they should obey the Command of their Lord.This powerful opening, with its emphasis on submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, is aforeword to the subsequent address encouraging man towards humbleness before his Lord.Man is reminded of his position and his eventual return to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.Whether man is conscious of this fact or not, he in any case is moving to the destinationwhen he will appear and stand before his Lord. At that time all human beings will divide intotwo parts: first those whose records will be given in their right hands: they will be forgivenwithout any severe reckoning; second those whose records will be given them behind theirback. They will wish that they should die somehow, but they will not die; instead they willbe cast into Hell.The third part of the Surah paints a picture of life on earth which is well known to man.Such images point to Allah's planning, which is both elaborate and faultless. An oath ismade to assert that men must live through deliberately planned stages which they cannotescape from.The last part wonders at those who after hearing all this still deny the faith, "Why then dothey not accept the faith? Or, when the Qur'an is read to them, they do not falldown in prostration?" [84: 20-21]

Ayaat 1-5 - Submission of the Sky and Earth to their Lord's Command

Through the opening ayaat Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us that on the Day of Judgmentthe oceans and rivers will be filled up, the mountains will be crushed to pieces andscattered, and the earth will be leveled and turned into a smooth plain.Jabir bin 'Abdullah said that the Prophet salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "On theResurrection Day the earth will be flattened out and spread out like the tablecloth; then there will hardly be room on it for men to place their feet."From this we understand that on that Day all men born from the first day of creation till theDay of Judgment will be resurrected and produced in the Divine Court. For gatheringtogether such a great multitude of the people it is inevitable that the oceans, rivers,mountains, jungles, ravines and all high and low areas be leveled and the entire globe ofthe earth be turned into a vast plain so that all individuals of human race may have room onit to stand on their feet.The earth listens to and obeys the commands of its Lord because that is the right thing todo. Allah's command is great and honorable, it cannot be rejected. When it will beinstructed to produce what is within it, the earth will throw out the dead buried in it andempty itself.These short ayaat vividly demonstrate how both the sky and earth receive their orders andinstantly comply with them. Their obedience is a manifestation of their conscious and dutifulsubmission. The image drawn here has shades of humility, solemnity and tranquility thatare brought out in full relief. The impression it leaves is one of humble and obedientsubmission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. 

Ayaat 6-15 - Man's Hard Labor 

In such an atmosphere of conscious obedience, man is addressed from on high: "Omankind! Indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with great [exertion] and willmeet it." O mankind! your Lord has made you in a perfect way. He has given you yourhumanity which distinguishes you from the rest of creation. Your humanity endows you withcertain characteristics which should have made you more conscious of your Lord, and moreobedient and submissive to Him than both the sky and the earth.Man certainly labors hard in this life, shouldering his responsibilities and exerting himself.Man labors not only for what is obligatory but also for what he enjoys. Nothing in this lifecomes easily or without effort. If there is not physical labor then certainly there must besome kind of mental or emotional exertion. Everyone is struggling for what they want butwhen we return to our Lord we fall into two groups.He who is given his book in his right hand is the happy one who was true to his faith. Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala is pleased with him and rewards him well. He will have a lenientreckoning, that is to say that he will not be called to account for what he did in this life. Thisis abundantly clear in the traditions of the Prophet salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam.'A'ishah radhiAllahu 'anha quotes, "I heard Allah's Messenger saying in his prayers'Allahumma hasibni hisabein yaseera,' (My Lord, make my reckoning a lenient one). When he had finished his prayers I asked him, 'What is the lenient reckoning?' Heanswered, 'He who receives lenient reckoning will have his record looked into and will beforgiven, but he who is called to account on that day will perish." [Ahmad]This is, then, the lenient reckoning accorded to him who receives his record in his righthand. He shall win "and return rejoicing to his people," who will also have won and arrivedin heaven ahead of him.Here we have an image of the winner's all-important test: he returns with his faceoverflowing with happiness. This image is the opposite of what happens to the afflicted onewho has to account for his evil deeds and receives his record with reluctance. "But as forhe who is given his record behind his back, he will cry out for destruction and[enter to] burn in a Blaze." [84: 10-12]The Qur'an usually makes a distinction between receiving one's record with one's right orleft hand. Here we have a new image: the record is given from behind one's back. There isno reason to prevent anyone being given his record in his left hand and from behind hisback at the same time. It is an image of one who feels great shame and hates to beconfronted with what he has done.From this we can comprehend the reality of being a winner, and the reality of doom.The unfortunate one who lived his life on earth laboring hard but disobeying Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala and indulging in what is forbidden will know his destiny. He realizesthat what lies in front of him is more suffering and hard labor with the only difference beingthat this time the suffering is greater, uninterrupted and endless. So, he calls destructionupon himself, for he sees his own destruction as the only means of salvation from what willbefall him. When man seeks refuge in his own destruction, then he is certainly in a helplessposition. His own non-existence becomes his strongest desire. His hopelessness is beyonddescription.It is certainly a case of indescribable distress and misery. "And [enter to] burn in aBlaze." [84: 12] This is the end from which he wishes to escape by means of his owndestruction; but there is no way out.Having portrayed this miserable scene, the Surah gives us a glimpse of the sufferer's pastwhich led him to this endless misery: "Indeed, he had [once] been among his peoplein happiness; indeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allah]." [84: 13-14] The indulgence and the joy had taken place in this life. He cared for nothing beyond themoment he was in, and made no preparation for the Hereafter. Had he thought about thereturn at the end of his journey through life, he would have carried provisions to sustainhim.But man forgot that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is watching him. Indeed, He has always beenaware of man's thoughts, actions and feelings. There will be a return to Him to receive thereward merited by actions on earth. This is indeed what happens when all return to Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala to meet their appointed destiny, when what Allah subhanahu wa ta'alahas ordained will take place.

The Prophet salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "Jibreel ('alayhi salaam) said, 'O Muhammad! Live how you wish, for verily youwill die; love what you wish, for verily you will part with it; and do what you wish,for verily you will meet it (your deed).'" [Abu Daw'oud] 

Ayaat 16-25 - Suffering through Life 

The Surah then refers briefly to some worldly scenes. People, however, continue to overlookthe evidence such scenes provide of the deliberate planning that has gone into the makingof this world. Indeed, this planning includes the creation of man himself, and his phases andtransitions through life. Man does not remain in one and the same state, but passes throughcountless stages gradually, from youth to old age, from old age to death, from death tobarzakh (the intermediary state between death and Resurrection), from barzakh toResurrection from Resurrection to the Plain of Assembly, then to the Reckoning, and then tothe meting out of rewards and punishments. 

An oath has been sworn by three things to confine this: 

(1) by the twilight,

(2) by the darkness of night and the gathering together in it of all those human beings andanimals who remain scattered in the day time, and 

(3) by the moon's passing through different phases to become full. These are some of thosethings which testify that rest and stillness is unknown in the universe in which man lives. 

There is a continuous and gradual change taking place everywhere. Therefore, thedisbelievers are wrong in thinking that life comes to an end after man has breathed hislast.The oath serves to draw man's attention to these universal scenes. The twilight refers tothat period of stillness after sunset when the soul is overwhelmed by a deep feeling of awe.The heart feels, at such a time, the significance of parting with a beloved companion, andthe quiet sadness and deep melancholy this involves. It also experiences fear of theapproaching darkness. Then comes the full moon as its light descends over the earth. Thefull moon is always associated with tranquility."[that] you will surely experience, state after state," [84: 19]. Explaining the stateafter state Hasan Basri said that this means ease after difficulty, difficulty after ease, wealthafter poverty, poverty after wealth, health after sickness and sickness after health. Thismeans, we will pass from one state of suffering to another, as has been charted for us untilwe eventually meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.Then follows an expression of wonder at those who persist in their denial of the faith whenthey have all these signs and abundant evidences around them which indicate the truth, "So what is [the matter] with them [that] they do not believe, and when theQur'an is recited to them, they do not *prostrate [to Allah]" [84:20-21].*Ayah 21 is a place of prostration. It was the Sunnah of the Prophet to prostrate upon reciting or hearing an ayahthat talks about prostration. This prostration is known as the prostration of recitation or sujood al-tilawah.There are numerous indications in the universe and within the soul which point out that thepath of faith is the right path. One only receives guidance when one pays attention. Whenone opens up the Qur'an and begins reciting it and it seems as if his heart is opening up tothe truth as he begins to comprehend the meaning. This understanding of the Qur'ankindles in people's hearts God-consciousness, humbleness, obedience and submission to theCreator of the universe. The expression, "fall down in prostration," refers to these feelings.The universe is splendid and inspiring: it offers a multitude of signs, mental stimuli andmoments of purity which combine to arouse in us a ready response and a willingsubmission.The Qur'ān is also superb and inspiring; it links the human heart with the Creator who madeit. Hence the wonder: "So what is [the matter] with them [that] they do not believe,and when the Qur'an is recited to them, they do not prostrate [to Allah]" [84:20-21].Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not dwell on this for long rather He proceeds to describe thebehavior of the unbelievers and the end which awaits them. "So give them tiding ofpainful punishment," [84: 24] an unpleasant tiding for anyone who is awaiting news ofhis future.Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala closes the address by describing what awaits the believers whoprepare for their future by good deeds, "For them is a reward uninterrupted," [84:25]. Theunfailing recompense is one which is continuous and unceasing, and will be given in theHereafter, when people will be immortal.