Day 291; Qur’an 84: 1-25 page 589

Welcome Friends:  Ahlan wa sahlan!

Yusuf Ali’s explanation of this Chapter.

Muhammad Asad’s explanation of this Chapter.

Laleh Bakhtiar’s explanation of this Chapter.

سورة الانشـــــــــــــقاق

The Cleaving

From Introduction of Yusuf Ali:

"Chronologically this Surah is closely connected with the last one. In subject matter it resembles more S. 82 and S. 81, with which it may be compared.

The Surah, which opens with a mention of some cataclysmic events, shows that the present phenomenal order will not last, and God's full Judgement will certainly be established: man should therefore strive for the World of Eternity and the true Values."

From Introduction of Muhammad Asad:

"IN THE chronological order, this surah comes immediately after surah 82 (Al-Infitar) and, hence, is probably one of the last Meccan revelations."

COMMENTS:

This Chapter shows us that in the Hereafter, the most important question to be answered by Those Who had Belied this Message is:

'What's the matter with you?

How could you have NOT have been reverent

when the Qur'an was 'actively presented/ recited' to you?

What this single verse highlights, is the responsibility of anyone who receives the Qur'an (which by definition is superlative, current, and active) to receive it with awareness.  

PAGE 589 Arabic Qur’an

1. We have already encountered descriptions of drastic developments taking place in the 'Exalted Expanse/ Sky' (at the end of the world as we know it). The expression 'When the sky is ..../ إذا السماء' is repeated 4 times in the Qur'an (77:9; 81:11; 82:1; 84:1), alerting us each time to a new development taking place. Here, the 'sky' (as it resigns to its Lord and is 'realized') undergoes a 'split/ cleavage' 'shaq-(ⁱ)شق-' , a phenomenon which is also mentioned 4 times in the Qur'an (you may remember that in Chapter 82, we explained 'faTara-فطر' as 'initiating or opening,' and NOT as 'cleaving').
   
   
2. Verse 3 speaks of the Earth being 'spread out/ levelled' (مدّت is mentioned 3 times, twice with regard to the Earth at the beginning of creation, and here at its new phase related to the Afterlife).
   So, as the Earth is 'spread out/ levelled,' it casts out and discards its contents (as in HQ 82:4) ... and it too, resigns to its Lord and is 'realized.'
   Research helps us understand this concept of 'resigning to their Lord' (Verses 2 & 5):
   Our Lord Sustainer's Word IS Reality and Truth (HQ 6: 73), and at the end of this stage of our existence and beginning of the next, it is God The Unique Creator/ Al RaHmaan, to whose Will all creation is fully resigned (see verses). At that time, whatever capacity we humans had possessed in life to 'do our own thing,' to disobey or disregard would have vanished. We who were 'Ibaad' in life suddenly find ourselves 'Abeed (put both words in 'Search'). The manifested Reality and Truth (Haqq) shall be indisputable to humans, and everyone and everything shall submit to God's 'Word' which is 'Haqq' (as are the natural laws He has put in place, and His command by which something simply 'is').

3. Verse six addresses the Cognizant Human in the second person singular.
   
   
   'O Cognizant Human! You are indeed 'plodding/ toiling/ kaadiHun' towards your Lord
   in great toil, then meeting Him!'

I found the definition of root-verb 'kadaHa- كدح (ⁱⁱ)' really interesting! You know how we say in English that 'life is a rat-race'..? Well, it seems that early Arabs may have understood this kind of 'toil' to be similar to a 'mule-race,' complete with mules 'nipping' at each other to gain the upper hoof!

And where does our toiling take us?

To our Lord.... back home where we always belonged.

Yet, here we are right now, in life, busy at this 'toil,' and we read the next verses (7- 15) as they catapult us into Post-Judgment 'Day', where we find our Compilation (of Deeds) presented to us in our Right OR from Behind our backs... and we find ourselves either held to lenient account, turning to our families in joy, OR lamenting the joyful time we had spent with them in life, 'attached' to the fired-up Blaze, realizing what we had earned by denying our 'Return/ our Revolving'/ yaHhoor (ⁱⁱⁱ) ... and all the while, it was our Lord Himself Who was Seeing/ Observant of us.

Note:

The verb 'yaHhoor' is from the root-verb 'Hhawara,' from which the problematic noun (we encountered earlier) 'Hhoor,' is derived. (Put word in 'Search.' Check out how it is commonly understood, and compare with below Arabic definition, which shows that it could be about color (as in the whiteness of cows' eyeballs -NOT humans), or about bleached clothing, but is mostly used to describe something which revolves, especially conversation.) Regular Readers will remember that linguists did not agree with those who said it referred to the whites of female eyes!

Anyway, look for yourself at all 8 occurrences of its derivatives in Qur'an.

4. Verses 16- 18 present three oaths, with their subjects being the 'Afterglow of Sunset,' 'Night and what it holds (^iv)' and 'the Moon when it is full'... so as to draw our attention to Verse 19:
   'You (all) shall indeed be mounting plateau by plateau.'

These 'plateaux' of existence which we shall mount, are mentioned in the Qur'an; our beginning, our life, and the stages of the Afterlife... and as we think of them, Verses 20- 23 ask us, what is the matter with them, that they do not believe, and when the Qur'an is actively read and presented to them (remember components of 'IQRA') they do not revere it? Instead, Those Who have Denied continue to bely (the Message)... and God Knows best what their hearts and minds contain (literally, what they've amassed and stashed).

The last two verses in this chapter are of dire Dissuasion and beautiful Persuasion.

Verses 24- 25 close the scene upon Those who have Belied (the Message), telling the listener to give them tidings of grievous suffering, EXCEPT Those Who have attained Faith and worked goodness; THEIRS is a constant, fully deserved recompense (^v)!

May a constant, fully deserved recompense be what WE strive for... and earn!

Amen...

Peace unto all!

_______________

i

شق: يدلُّ على انصداعٍ في الشيء، ثم يحمل عليه ويشتقُّ منه على معنى الاستعارة. تقول شقَقت الشيء أَشُقه شقَّا، إذا صدعتَه. وبيده شُقوق، وبالدابّة شُقاق. والأصل واحد. ..ومن الباب: الشِّقَاق، وهو الخِلاف، وذلك إذا انصدعت الجماعةُ وتفرَّقتْ يقال: شَقُّوا عصا المسلمين، وقد انشقّت عصا القومِ بعد التئامها، إذا تفرَّقَ أمرُهم. ويقال لنِصف الشيء الشِّقّ. ويقال أصابَ فلاناً شِقٌّ ومَشقّة، وذلك الأمر الشديد كَأنَّه من شدّته يشقُّ الإنسان شقّا.  قال الله جل ثناؤه { وتَحْمِلُ أَثْقَالَكُمْ إِلَى بَلَدٍ لَمْ تَكُونُوا بَالِغِيهِ إلاَّ بِشِقِّ الأَنْفُس}  [النحل 7]. والشِّقّ أيضاً: الناحية من الجبل. وفي الحديث: "وَجَدني في أهل غُنَيْمَةٍ بِشَقّ". والشِّقّ: الشقيق، يقال هذا أخي وشقيقي وشِقُّ نفسي. والمعنى أنه مشبَّه بخشبةٍ جعلت شِقّيْنِ. ..والشُّقَّة: مسيرٌ بعيدٌ إلى أرض نطيَّة. تقول: هذه شُقّةٌ شاقّة. قال الله سبحانه: {ولَكِنْ بَعُدَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الشُّقَّة}  [التوبة 42]. والشُّقة من الثياب، معروفة. ويقال اشتقَّ في الكلام في الخصومات يميناً وشِمالاً مع ترك القَصْد، كأنَّه يكون مرةً في هذا الشِّق، ومرَّة في هذا. وفرسٌ أَشَقُّ، إذا مالَ في أحد شِقَّيه عند عَدْوِهِ. والقياس في ذلك كلِّه واحد. ...والشّقِيقة: فُرْجَةٌ بين الرمال تُنْبِت

ii 

كدح:  يدلُّ على تأثيرٍ في شيء. يقال كَدَحه وكدّحه، إذا خَدَشَه. وحمار مُكَدَّح: قد عضَّضَتْه الحُمُر. ومن هذا القياس كدَح إذا كَسَبَ، يكدَح كَدْحاً فهو كادح. قال الله عزّ وعلا:{إنَّكَ كَادِحٌ} [الانشقاق 6]، أي كاسِب

وكل أثر من خدش أو عض فهو كدح ; ويجوز أن يكون مصدرا سمي به الأثر ، وأصابه شيء فكدح وجهه . .

كدح يكدح كدحا وكدح لأهله كدحا : وهو اكتسابه بمشقة 

iii

 حور: ثلاثة أصول: أحدها لون، والآخَر الرُّجوع، والثالث أن يدور الشيء دَوْراً.

  فأما الأول فالحَوَر: شدّةُ بياض العينِ في شدّةِ سوادِها. قال أبو عمرو: الحَوَر أن تسودَّ العين كُلُّها مثلَ الظباء والبقر. وليس في بني آدمَ حَوَرٌ. قال وإنما قيل للنساء حُورُ العُيون، لأنهن شُبِّهن بالظِّباء والبقر قال الأصمعيّ: ما أدري ما الحَوَر في العين.

ويقال حوّرت الثيابَ، أي بيّضْتُها، ويقال لأصحاب عيسى عليه السلامُ الحواريُّون؛ لأنهم كانوا يحوِّرون الثِّياب، أي يبيّضونها. هذا هو الأصل، ثم قيل لكلِّ ناصر حَوَاريٌّ.

  ويمكن أن يحمل على هذا الأصل الحَوَرُ، وهو ما دُبِغ من الجلود بغير القَرَظ ويكون ليِّنا، ولعل ثَمَّ أيضاً لوناً.  

وأمّا الرجوع، فيقال حارَ، إذا رجَع. قال الله تعالى: {إنَّهُ ظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ يَحُورَ. بَلَى} [الانشقاق 14- 15]. والعرب تقول: "الباطلُ في حُورٍ" أيْ رَجْعٍ ونَقْصٍ، وكلُّ نقص ورجوع حُورٌ. الحَوْر: مصدر حار حَوْراً رَجَع.

وتقول: كلَّمتُه فما رجَعَ إليّ حَوَاراً وحِوَاراً ومَحُورَةً وحَوِيراً. 

والأصل الثالث المِحْور: الخشبةُ التي تدور فيها المَحَالة. ويقال حَوّرْتُ الخُبْزَةَ تحويراً، إذا هيّأتها وأدَرْتَها لتضعَها في المَلَّة.

iv

وسق:كلمةٌ تدلُّ على حَمْل الشيء. ووَسَقَتِ العينُ الماءَ: حَمَلَتْه. قال الله سبحانه: {واللَّيْلِ ومَا وَسَقَ} [الانشقاق 17]، أي جَمَعَ وحَمل.

ومنه الوَسْق، وهو سِتون صاعاً. وأوسَقْت البعير: حَمَّلتُه حِمْلَه.

v 

 من:  أصلان. أحدهما يدلُّ على قطع وانقطاع، والآخر على اصطناع خير.

الأوّل [المنّ]: القطع، ومنه يقال: مَنَنْتُ الحبلَ: قطعته. قال الله تعالى: {فلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ} [التين 6]. والمَنُون: المنيّة، لأنها تنقص العدد وتقطع المدَد. والمنُّ: الإعياء، وذلك أنَّ المُعْيِيَ ينقطع عن السَّير.

والأصل الآخر المَنُّ، تقول: مَنّ يمنّ منَّاً، إذا صنع صُنعاً جميلاً. ومن الباب المُنّة، وهي القُوَّة التي بها قِوام الإنسان، وربما قالوا: مَنَّ بيدٍ أسداها، إذا قَرَّع بها. وهذا يدلُّ على أنّه قطع الإحسان، فهو من الأوّل.

'Gheyru mamnoon' means 'unbroken,' and also 'unbeholden'... in that it is constant, and is theirs free and clear; they are NOT to feel beholden or indebted to anyone for having gained it.