Al-Infitar الانفطار
The Cleaving
Al-Infitar opens with a sequence of cosmic collapse — the sky cleaves open, the stars scatter, the seas burst forth, the graves are overturned — at which point every soul will know what it has sent forth and left behind, the surah's recurring move of pairing outer upheaval with inner reckoning. It then turns to a direct rhetorical question aimed at the individual: O man, what has deceived you concerning your generous Lord, who created you, proportioned you, and gave you whatever form He willed? The answer the surah supplies is denial of the Judgement itself, despite guardian angels, honorable recorders, already assigned to record everything done. It closes by naming the Day plainly: a day when no soul will have power to help another soul in the slightest, and the command belongs, that Day, entirely to God.
إِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ ٱنفَطَرَتْ
When the sky is torn apart,
وَإِذَا ٱلْكَوَاكِبُ ٱنتَثَرَتْ
when the stars are scattered,
وَإِذَا ٱلْبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتْ
when the seas burst forth,
وَإِذَا ٱلْقُبُورُ بُعْثِرَتْ
when graves turn inside out:
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ
each soul will know what it has done and what it has left undone.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ ٱلْكَرِيمِ
Mankind, what has lured you away from God,
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّىٰكَ فَعَدَلَكَ
your generous Lord, who created you, shaped you, proportioned you,
فِىٓ أَىِّ صُورَةٍ مَّا شَآءَ رَكَّبَكَ
in whatever form He chose?
كَلَّا بَلْ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِٱلدِّينِ
Yet you still take the Judgement to be a lie!
وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَـٰفِظِينَ
Over you stand
كِرَامًا كَـٰتِبِينَ
watchers, noble recorders
يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
who know what you do:
إِنَّ ٱلْأَبْرَارَ لَفِى نَعِيمٍ
the good will live in bliss,
وَإِنَّ ٱلْفُجَّارَ لَفِى جَحِيمٍ
and the wicked will burn in the Fire.
يَصْلَوْنَهَا يَوْمَ ٱلدِّينِ
They will enter it on the Day of Judgement
وَمَا هُمْ عَنْهَا بِغَآئِبِينَ
and they will find no escape.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا يَوْمُ ٱلدِّينِ
What will explain to you what the Day of Judgement is?
ثُمَّ مَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا يَوْمُ ٱلدِّينِ
Yes! What will explain to you what the Day of Judgement is?
يَوْمَ لَا تَمْلِكُ نَفْسٌ لِّنَفْسٍ شَيْـًٔا ۖ وَٱلْأَمْرُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلَّهِ
The Day when no soul will be able to do anything for another; on that Day, command will belong to God.
Arabic text and translation (M.A.S. Abdel Haleem) via the Quran.Foundation API.
Frequently asked
Nineteen verses.
Meccan, revealed in Makkah.
"The cleaving" or "the splitting apart" — from its opening description of the sky cleaving open on the Day of Judgement.
That honorable recorders (kiraman katibin) are appointed over every person, knowing and writing down everything they do.