Overview 

Prologue 

The surah opens by sketching a few images of the universal upheaval portrayed in greater detail in Surahs 81, 82 and earlier in Surah 78, The Darkening, Cleaving Asunder and The Tiding, respectively. These scenes, however, are now given a special tone by means of the emphasis placed on the complete submission to God by both heaven and earth: “When the sky is rent asunder, obeying her Lord in true submission; when the earth is stretched out and casts forth all that is within her and becomes empty, obeying her Lord in true submission.” (Verses 1-5)
 
This powerful opening, with its emphasis on submission to God, is a foreword to the subsequent address encouraging man towards humbleness before his Lord. Man is reminded of his position and his ultimate destiny when he returns to God: “O man! You have been toiling towards your Lord, and you shall meet Him. He who is given his record in his right hand will in time have a lenient reckoning, and return rejoicing to his people. But he who is given his record behind his back will in time call down destruction upon himself and will enter the fire of hell. He lived joyfully among his people. He surely thought he would never return. Yes, indeed; his Lord was watching over him.” (Verses 6-15) The third part of the surah paints a picture of life on earth which is well known to man. Such images point to God’s planning, which is both elaborate and faultless. An oath is made to assert that men must live through deliberately planned stages which they cannot escape from: “I swear by the twilight, and by the night and what it envelops, and by the moon in her full perfection, that you shall certainly move onward, stage after stage.” (Verses 16-19)
 
The last part of the surah wonders at those who deny the faith when their position is as described in the previous two parts, and the end of their world is as described at the beginning of the surah: “Why then do they not accept the faith? Or, when the Qur’an is read to them, they do not fall down in prostration? But the unbelievers persist in rejecting [the truth], yet God knows very well what they are hiding. So give them the tidings of a grievous suffering, except for those who believe and do good deeds; for theirs is an unfailing reward.” (Verses 20-25)
 
Two main qualities are evident in this surah: its quiet rhythm and its earnest message. Both are clearly felt, even in the images of universal upheaval the surah sketches. Scenes of this upheaval are portrayed with much more violence elsewhere, as in Surah 81, The Darkening. Here an attitude of sympathetic and compassionate cautioning is adopted. The cautioning is gradual, presented in a quiet, inspiring statement beginning with the words “O man”. This awakens people’s consciences. The various parts of the surah are ordered according to a special plan. This carries the reader through a variety of scenes, some relating to the universe, others to man himself. The scenes are sketched one after the other in a thoughtful order starting with universal submission to God, which leaves a gentle but real impression on the reader’s heart. Then we are given an image of the reckoning, reward and retribution, followed by a contemporary scene of life on earth and its phenomena. Then follows a statement of wonder at those who, after all this, still refuse to accept the faith. This statement combines with a warning of severe punishment, and a promise of unfailing reward to the believers.
 
All this is embodied in the few lines which compose this short surah. Such succinctness is just one aspect of the unique nature of the Qur’an . The ideas the surah sets out to explain could not normally be tackled with such power and to such effect, even if entire books were devoted to the task. But the Qur’an achieves its purpose because it addresses our hearts directly. No wonder! It is the word of God.

Overview (Verses 1 - 5)

Complete Universal Submission
 
“When the sky is rent asunder, obeying her Lord in true submission; when the earth is stretched out and casts forth all that is within her and becomes empty, obeying her Lord in true submission.” (Verses 1-5) The splitting of the sky has been dwelt upon in the commentary on other surahs. One new element here is the submission and complete obedience of the sky to her Lord: “obeying her Lord in true submission.” (Verse 2) Another new element is the stretching of the earth: “When the earth is stretched out.” (Verse 3) This means perhaps an expansion of her size or shape as a result of a disruption of the laws of nature which govern her and preserve her in her present shape. The statement, made in the passive, suggests that this will be carried out through the intervention of an outside force. “And casts forth all that is within her and becomes empty.” (Verse 4) This image portrays the earth as a living entity casting out what is within her and getting rid of it.
 
There are indeed a great many things within the earth, countless types of creation that have lived, died and been buried over a long period of time, the span of which is known to no one but God. It also includes an abundant resource of metals, water and other secrets unknown except to the Creator. The earth carries all this load one generation after another until that final day when it casts forth all that is within her. “Obeying her Lord in true submission,” she follows the sky’s suit and declares total obedience and complete submission to God.
 
These short verses vividly demonstrate how both the living sky and earth receive their orders and instantly comply with them. Their obedience is a manifestation of their conscious and dutiful submission. The image drawn here has shades of humility, solemnity and tranquillity that are brought out in full relief. The impression it leaves is one of humble and obedient submission to God.