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Surah 84. Al-Inshiqaq

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84:6
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَـٰقِيهِ Y a ayyuh a alins a nu innaka k a di h un il a rabbika kad h an famul a qeeh i
[then,] O man - thou [that] hast, verily, been toiling towards thy Sustainer in painful toil4 - then shalt thou meet Him!
  - Mohammad Asad

An allusion to the fact that in man's earthly life - irrespective of whether one is consciously aware of it or not - sorrow, pain, drudgery and worry by far outweigh the rare moments of true happiness and satisfaction. Thus, the human condition is described as "painful toiling towards the Sustainer" - i.e., towards the moment when one meets Him on resurrection.

That will be the Day of your accountability, O mankind! Surely you must strive towards your Rabb, a hard striving, then you shall meet Him.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
O humanity! Indeed, you are labouring restlessly towards your Lord, and will 'eventually' meet the consequences.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Thou, verily, O man, art working toward thy Lord a work which thou wilt meet (in His presence).
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
O thou man! verily thou art ever toiling on towards the Lord painfully toiling but thou shalt meet Him. 6036
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This life is ever full of toil and misery, if looked at as empty of the Eternal Hope which Revelation gives us. Hence the literature of pessimism in poetry and philosophy which thinking minds have poured forth in all ages, when that Hope was obscured to them. "Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought." "To each his suffering ; all are men condemned alike a groan!" It is the noblest men that have to "scorn delights and live laborious days" in this life. The good suffer on account of their very goodness: the evil on account of their Evil. But the balance will be set right in the end. Those that wept shall be made to rejoice, and those that went about thoughtlessly rejoicing, shall be made to weep for their folly. They will all go to their account with Allah and meet Him before His Throne of Judgment.

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84:7
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ Faam a man ootiya kit a bahu biyameenih i
And as for him whose record shall be placed in his right hand,5
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., whose behaviour in life characterises him as "righteous": see note [12] on 69:19 .

Then he who will be given his Book of deeds in his right hand,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
As for those who are given their record in their right hand,
  - Mustafa Khattab
Then whoso is given his account in his right hand
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Then he who is given his Record in his Right hand 6037
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Right Hand. Cf. xvii 71. Then will be the fortunate ones, who spent their lives in goodness and truth: for them the account will be made easy; for even after the balancing, they will receive more than their merits deserve, on account of the infinite grace, and mercy of Allah.

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84:8
فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا Fasawfa yu ha sabu h is a ban yaseer a n
he will in time be called to account with an easy accounting,
  - Mohammad Asad
shall have a quick and easy reckoning
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
they will have an easy reckoning,
  - Mustafa Khattab
He truly will receive an easy reckoning
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Soon will his account be taken by an easy reckoning
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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84:9
وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًا Wayanqalibu il a ahlihi masroor a n
and will [be able to] turn joyfully to those of his own kind.6
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "his people" - i.e., those who, like him, were righteous in life.

and shall return to his people rejoicing.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
and will return to their people joyfully.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And will return unto his folk in joy.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And he will turn to his people rejoicing! 6038
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

His people: should be understood in a large sense, including of course all those nearest and dearest to him.

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84:10
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ وَرَآءَ ظَهْرِهِۦ Waamm a man ootiya kit a bahu war a a th ahrih i
But as for him whose record shall be given to him behind his back,7
  - Mohammad Asad

At first glance, this seems to contrast with 69:25 where it is stated that the record of the unrighteous "shall be placed in his left hand". In reality, however, the present formulation alludes to the sinner's horror at his record, and his wish that he had never been shown it ({69:25-26}): in other words, his not wanting to see it is symbolized by its appearance "behind his back".

But he who will be given his book of deeds from behind his back,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And as for those who are given their record 'in their left hand' from behind their backs,
  - Mustafa Khattab
But whoso is given his account behind his back,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
But he who is given his Record behind his back 6039
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In lxix. 24, the wicked are given the Record in their left hand. But their hands will not be free. Sin will tie their hands behind their back: and thus they can only receive their Records in their left hand, behind their back.

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84:11
فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُوا۟ ثُبُورًا Fasawfa yadAAoo thuboor a n
he will in time pray for utter destruction:
  - Mohammad Asad
shall soon be calling for death,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
they will cry for 'instant' destruction,
  - Mustafa Khattab
He surely will invoke destruction
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Soon will he cry for Perdition 6040
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The wicked will cry for death and annihilation: but they will neither live nor die: xx. 74.

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84:12
وَيَصْلَىٰ سَعِيرًا Waya s l a saAAeer a n
but he will enter the blazing flame.
  - Mohammad Asad
and shall be made to enter a blazing fire;
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
and will burn in the blazing Fire.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And be thrown to scorching fire.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And he will enter a Blazing Fire.
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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84:13
إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فِىٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًا Innahu k a na fee ahlihi masroor a n
Behold, [in his earthly life] he lived joyfully among people of his own kind8 -
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "his people" - i.e., people of the same sinful inclinations. (Cf. note [14] on 75:33 .)

for he used to live happily with his kinfolks
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
For they used to be prideful among their people,
  - Mustafa Khattab
He verily lived joyous with his folk,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Truly did he go about among his people rejoicing! 6041
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The tables are now turned. His self-complacence and self-conceit in his lower life will now give place to weeping and gnashing of teeth! Cf. n. 6036 above.

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84:14
إِنَّهُۥ ظَنَّ أَن لَّن يَحُورَ Innahu th anna an lan ya h oor a
for, behold, he never thought that he would have to return [to God].
  - Mohammad Asad
and thought that he would never return to Allah for accountability.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
thinking they would never return 'to Allah'.
  - Mustafa Khattab
He verily deemed that he would never return (unto Allah).
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Truly did he think that he would not have to return (to Us)! 6042
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Most of the Evil in this world is due to the false idea that man is irresponsible, or to a mad and thoughtless indulgence of self. Man is not irresponsible. He is responsible for every deed, word, and thought of his, to his Maker, to Whom he has to return, to give an account of himself. To remember this and act accordingly is to achieve salvation; to forget or flout that responsibility is to get into Hell.

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84:15
بَلَىٰٓ إِنَّ رَبَّهُۥ كَانَ بِهِۦ بَصِيرًا Bal a inna rabbahu k a na bihi ba s eer a n
Yea indeed! His Sustainer did see all that was in him!
  - Mohammad Asad
Yet, surely his Rabb was ever watching over his misdeeds.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Yes 'they would'! Surely their Lord has always been All-Seeing of them.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Nay, but lo! his Lord is ever looking on him!
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Nay nay! for his Lord was (ever) watchful of him!
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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84:16
فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلشَّفَقِ Fal a oqsimu bi al shshafaq i
BUT NAY! I call to witness the sunset's [fleeting] afterglow,
  - Mohammad Asad
I swear by the glow of sunset;
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
So, I do swear by the twilight!
  - Mustafa Khattab
Oh, I swear by the afterglow of sunset,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
So I do call to witness the ruddy glow of Sunset; 6043 6044
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The same form of adjuration as in lxix. 37. The substantive statement is in verse 19 below: 'Ye shall surely travel from stage to stage". Nothing in this life is fixed, or will last. Three things are mentioned which on the one hand have remained from age to age for as far back as the memory of man can go, and yet each of them is but a short phase, gone as it were in the twinkling of an eye. See the following notes. So our life here is but a fleeting show. Its completion is to be looked for elsewhere.

(1) The sun seems such a great reality that people worshipped him as a divinity. The beautiful glow it leaves when it sets is but momentary: it changes every moment and vanishes with the twilight.

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84:17
وَٱلَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ Wa a llayli wam a wasaq a
and the night, and what it [step by step] unfolds,
  - Mohammad Asad
by the night and all that it gathers together;
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And by the night and whatever it envelops!
  - Mustafa Khattab
And by the night and all that it enshroudeth,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
The Night and its Homing; 6045
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

(2) The Night is a phenomenon you see during almost half every twenty-four hours in ordinary latitudes. At nightfall, all the wandering flocks and herds come home. The men scattered abroad for their livehood return home to rest and sleep. The Night collects them in their homes, and yet this phase of Homing lasts but a little while. Presently all is silent and still. So will it be with our souls when this life is ended with our death. We shall be collected in a newer and larger Homing.

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84:18
وَٱلْقَمَرِ إِذَا ٱتَّسَقَ Wa a lqamari i tha ittasaq a
and the moon, as it grows to its fullness:9
  - Mohammad Asad

Thus God "calls to witness" the fact that nothing in His creation is ever at a standstill, since everything moves unceasingly from one state of being into another, at every moment changing its aspect and its condition: a phenomenon aptly described by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus by the phrase panta rhei ("everything is in flux").

by the moon, when she grows full:
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And by the moon when it waxes full!
  - Mustafa Khattab
And by the moon when she is at the full,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And the Moon in her Fullness; 6046
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

(3) The astronomical Full Moon does not last a moment. The moment the moon is full, she begins to decline, and the moment she is in her "inter-lunar swoon", she begins her career anew as a growing New Moon. So is man's life here below. It is not fixed or permanent, either in its physical phases, or even more strikingly, in its finer phases, intellectual, emotional, or spiritual.

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84:19
لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَن طَبَقٍ Latarkabunna t abaqan AAan t abaq in
[even thus, O men,] are you bound to move onward from stage to stage.10
  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "from one state to another state" (Zamakhshari): i.e., in an unceasing progression - conception, birth, growth, decline, death and, finally, resurrection.

that you shall gradually pass from one stage to another.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
You will certainly pass from one state to another.1
  - Mustafa Khattab

 You will pass from life to death and from death to resurrection, from well-being to sickness and from sickness to well-being, from poverty to richness and from richness to poverty, etc.

That ye shall journey on from plane to plane.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Ye shall surely travel from stage to stage. 6047
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Man travels and ascends stage by stage. In lxvii. 3 the same word in the form tibaqan was used of the heavens, as if they were in layers one above another. Man's spiritual life may similarly be compared to an ascent from one heaven to another.

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84:20
فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ Fam a lahum l a yuminoon a
What, then, is amiss with them that they will not believe [in a life to come]?11 -
  - Mohammad Asad

Since the inexorable movement of all that exists from stage to stage or from one condition into another corresponds to a fundamental law evident in all creation, it is unreasonable to assume that man alone should be an exception, and that his onward movement should cease at the moment of his bodily death, not to be followed by a change-over into another state of being.

What is the matter with the people that they do not believe,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
So what is the matter with them that they do not believe,
  - Mustafa Khattab
What aileth them, then, that they believe not
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
What then is the matter with them that they believe not? 6048
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Considering man's high destiny, and the fact that this life is but a stage or a sojourn for him, it might be expected that he would cagerly embrace every opportunity of welcoming Allah's Revelation and ascending by Faith to heights of spiritual wisdom. There is something wrong with his will if he does not do so. Notice the transition from the second person in verse 19, where there is a direct appeal to Allah's votaries, to the third person in verses 20-21, where men who are rebels against Allah's Kingdom are spoken of as if they were aliens.

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