84. Al-Inshiqaq

When the sky has split [open]

When the sky bursts open

When the Sky is rent asunder. (The high Space will be explored and Astronomy will bring knowledge of the Cosmos)

And has listened [i.e., responded]1 to its Lord and was obligated [to do so]

and obeys its Lord as it must

It will listen to its Lord for that is what it has been decreed to do

And when the earth has been extended1

when the earth flattens out

And when the earth is spread out. (It becomes widely inhabited)

And has cast out that within it1 and relinquished [it].

and casts out all that is within it and becomes empty

And casts out whatever is in it and becomes void. (The earth will bring forth its fossils and minerals through Archaeology, drilling and mining)

And has listened [i.e., responded] to its Lord and was obligated [to do so] -

and obeys its Lord as it must

It will listen to its Lord for that is what it has been decreed to do

O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion1 and will meet it.2

O man, having striven hard towards your Lord, you shall meet Him

O Man! Behold, You have been toiling hard toward your Lord - painfully toiling - then you shall meet Him

Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand,

he who is given his record in his right hand

Then whoever is given his Book in his right hand, (The follower of this Revelation is indeed blessed, for)

He will be judged with an easy account

shall have an easy reckoning

He truly reckons the decisions of his life with ease

And return to his people in happiness.

and he shall return to his people, joyfully

And returns rejoicing to his folk (the Ideologically synchronous minds)

But as for he who is given his record behind his back,

but as for him whose record shall be given to him from behind his back

But as for him who is given his Book behind his back (he who has turned his back to the Book, looking back to the ancestral traditions)

He will cry out for destruction

he will pray for utter destruction

He will be inviting upon himself chaos

And [enter to] burn in a Blaze.

and he will enter the blazing flame

And enter the Blazing Flame

Indeed, he had [once] been among his people in happiness;

He used to be happy with his own people

Behold, he used to enjoy the company of his own kind

Indeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allāh].

for he never thought that he would have to return [to God]

For, behold, he deemed that life would never quit revolving like this

But yes! Indeed, his Lord was ever, of him, Seeing.

But he will indeed! His Lord was ever watching him

Nay, but behold, his Lord did see all his mettle. ('Bihi' = In him = His true worth = His mettle)

So I swear by the twilight glow

I swear by the glow of sunset

Oh, I call to witness the Rosy Afterglow of sunset

And [by] the night and what it envelops

by the night and what it covers

And the Night and all that it enshrouds

And [by] the moon when it becomes full

and the moon when it grows full

And the Moon as it steadily grows to her fullness

[That] you will surely embark upon [i.e., experience] state after state.1

you will progress from stage to stage

That you will traverse higher and higher from one plane to another. (Civilizations will keep advancing in sciences, and individuals will always have a chance to grow in goodness. Furthermore, evolution of the 'Self' will carry on in the life to come)

So what is [the matter] with them [that] they do not believe,

What is wrong with them that they do not believe

What, then, is the matter with them that they believe not (in a higher form of life)

And when the Qur’ān is recited to them, they do not prostrate [to Allāh]?

When the Quran is read to them, why do they not fall to their knees

And when the Qur'an is recited to them, they prostrate not! (They adore not and humble themselves not before the eloquence, Wisdom and Majesty of the Divine Word)

But those who have disbelieved deny,

Indeed, those who are bent on denying the truth reject it

Nay, but the rejecters belie

And Allāh is most knowing of what they keep within themselves.

God is quite aware of what they are storing in their hearts

And Allah is best Knower of what they hide. (Their idols, peer pressure, traditions, malice, schemes, vested interests)

So give them tidings of a painful punishment,

Therefore, give them the news of a painful punishment

So give them the tiding of an awful doom

Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds. For them is a reward uninterrupted.

But for those who believe and do good works; for them there shall be a never-ending reward

Except to those who choose to be graced with belief and do acts that help people - for them is a reward unending