Surah Inshiqaq: Divine Meaning, Benefits with Arabic Text

Surah Inshiqaq opens with an image so powerful it has humbled scholars for fourteen centuries the heavens splitting apart, obedient and straining, as if the sky itself trembles before its Lord. This is not poetic metaphor. According to classical scholars of tafsir, this describes a literal event on the Day of Judgment that awaits every living soul.

Revealed during the early Makkan period, when the Prophet ﷺ and his companions were a persecuted minority, this surah carried a direct message to the disbelievers of Quraysh: your defiance is temporary. The reckoning is permanent. No soul will escape what it has prepared for itself.

What sets Surah Inshiqaq apart from other eschatological chapters is its deeply personal tone. Rather than describing cosmic destruction in abstract terms, it zooms inward to the individual human being, holding their scroll of deeds. The contrast between the one who rejoices and the one who cries out for destruction makes this surah one of the most emotionally resonant passages in the entire Quran.

Essential Facts About Surah Inshiqaq

Surah Inshiqaq: Complete Arabic Text with Transliteration, English & Urdu Translation

Below is the full and authentic text of Surah Inshiqaq, presented with Arabic script, Roman transliteration, English meaning, and Urdu translation for every verse.

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Surah Inshiqaq Section 1: The Sky and Earth Submit (Verses 1–5)

Verse 1

إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انشَقَّتْ

Idhā s-samā’u inshaqqat

English: When the sky is split asunder,

اردو: جب آسمان پھٹ جائے گا،

Verse 2

وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ

Wa-adhinat li-rabbihā wa-ḥuqqat

English: And hearkens to its Lord as it must,

اردو: اور اپنے رب کا حکم سنے اور اسے لازم ہے کہ سنے،

Verse 3

وَإِذَا الْأَرْضُ مُدَّتْ

Wa-idhā l-arḍu muddat

English: And when the earth is stretched flat,

اردو: اور جب زمین کو بچھا دیا جائے گا،

Verse 4

وَأَلْقَتْ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ

Wa-alqat mā fīhā wa-takhallat

English: And casts out what is within it and becomes empty,

اردو: اور جو کچھ اس میں ہے اسے باہر پھینک دے اور خالی ہو جائے،

Verse 5

وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ

Wa-adhinat li-rabbihā wa-ḥuqqat

English: And hearkens to its Lord as it must.

اردو: اور اپنے رب کا حکم سنے اور اسے لازم ہے کہ سنے۔

Surah Inshiqaq Section 2: Human Toil and Individual Reckoning (Verses 6–15)

Verse 6

يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيهِ

Yā ayyuhā l-insānu innaka kādiḥun ilā rabbika kadḥan fa-mulāqīh

English: O mankind! You are laboring towards your Lord with great effort, and you will meet Him.

اردو: اے انسان! بے شک تو اپنے رب کی طرف محنت کرتا ہوا چل رہا ہے، پھر اس سے ملے گا۔

Verse 7

فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ

Fa-ammā man ūtiya kitābahū bi-yamīnih

English: Then as for one who is given his record in his right hand,

اردو: پھر جسے اس کا نامۂ اعمال اس کے دائیں ہاتھ میں دیا جائے گا،

Verse 8

فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا

Fa-sawfa yuḥāsabu ḥisābany-yasīrā

English: He will be accounted an easy accounting,

اردو: تو اس کا حساب آسان لیا جائے گا،

Verse 9

وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا

Wa-yanqalibu ilā ahlihī masrūrā

English: And he will return to his people joyfully.

اردو: اور وہ خوشی خوشی اپنے گھر والوں کی طرف پلٹے گا۔

Verse 10

وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِهِ

Wa-ammā man ūtiya kitābahū warā’a ẓahrih

English: But as for one who is given his record behind his back,

اردو: اور جسے اس کا نامۂ اعمال اس کی پشت کے پیچھے سے دیا جائے گا،

Verse 11

فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُو ثُبُورًا

Fa-sawfa yad’ū thubūrā

English: He will cry out for destruction,

اردو: تو وہ ہلاکت کو پکارے گا،

Verse 12

وَيَصْلَىٰ سَعِيرًا

Wa-yaṣlā sa’īrā

English: And he will burn in a blazing fire.

اردو: اور بھڑکتی آگ میں داخل ہو گا۔

Verse 13

إِنَّهُ كَانَ فِي أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا

Innahū kāna fī ahlihī masrūrā

English: Indeed, he had been among his people joyful (in worldly life),

اردو: بے شک وہ اپنے گھر والوں میں خوش رہتا تھا،

Verse 14

إِنَّهُ ظَنَّ أَن لَّن يَحُورَ

Innahū ẓanna al-lan yaḥūr

English: Indeed, he thought that he would never return (to his Lord).

اردو: بے شک اس نے سمجھ لیا تھا کہ وہ کبھی واپس نہیں جائے گا۔

Verse 15

بَلَىٰ إِنَّ رَبَّهُ كَانَ بِهِ بَصِيرًا

Balā inna rabbahū kāna bihī baṣīrā

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

اردو: کیوں نہیں! بے شک اس کا رب اسے خوب دیکھ رہا تھا۔

Section 3: Oaths of the Cosmos and Human Refusal (Verses 16–25)

Verse 16

فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالشَّفَقِ

Fa-lā uqsimu bi-sh-shafaq

English: So I swear by the twilight glow,

اردو: پس میں شفق کی قسم کھاتا ہوں،

Verse 17

وَاللَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ

Wa-l-layli wa-mā wasaq

English: And by the night and whatever it envelops,

اردو: اور رات کی اور جو کچھ اس نے سمیٹ لیا،

Verse 18

وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا اتَّسَقَ

Wa-l-qamari idhā ttasaq

English: And by the moon when it becomes full,

اردو: اور چاند کی جب وہ پورا ہو جائے،

Verse 19

لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَن طَبَقٍ

La-tarkabunna ṭabaqan ‘an ṭabaq

English: You will surely pass through stage after stage.

اردو: تم ضرور ایک حال سے دوسرے حال پر چڑھتے رہو گے۔

Verse 20

فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

Fa-mā lahum lā yu’minūn

English: Then what is the matter with them why do they not believe?

اردو: پھر انہیں کیا ہو گیا کہ ایمان نہیں لاتے؟

Verse 21 (Sajdah Tilawah ۩)

وَإِذَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْآنُ لَا يَسْجُدُونَ ۩

Wa-idhā quri’a ‘alayhimu l-qur’ānu lā yasjudūn

English: And when the Quran is recited to them, they do not prostrate? ۩

اردو: اور جب ان پر قرآن پڑھا جائے تو سجدہ نہیں کرتے؟ ۩

Verse 22

بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُكَذِّبُونَ

Bali l-ladhīna kafarū yukadhdhibūn

English: Rather, those who disbelieve deny it.

اردو: بلکہ کافر لوگ جھٹلاتے ہیں،

Verse 23

وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُوعُونَ

Wa-llāhu a’lamu bi-mā yū’ūn

English: And Allah knows best what they conceal.

اردو: اور اللہ خوب جانتا ہے جو وہ اپنے دلوں میں چھپاتے ہیں۔

Verse 24

فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

Fa-bashshirhum bi-‘adhābin alīm

English: So give them tidings of a painful punishment,

اردو: پس انہیں دردناک عذاب کی خبر دے دو،

Verse 25

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ

Illā l-ladhīna āmanū wa-‘amilū ṣ-ṣāliḥāti lahum ajrun ghayru mamnūn

English: Except those who believe and do righteous deeds for them is a reward unending.

اردو: سوائے ان لوگوں کے جو ایمان لائے اور نیک عمل کیے، ان کے لیے بے انتہا اجر ہے۔

Surah Inshiqaq :- Surah Inshiqaq Pdf

Deep Tafsir: What Surah Inshiqaq Is Really Saying

The Sky’s Obedience: A Warning Aimed Directly at Human Arrogance

The surah opens with the Arabic word inshaqqa past tense used prophetically meaning the sky will split, and that moment is as certain as if it has already happened. Imam al-Tabari notes that the phrase “wa-adhinat li-rabbihā wa-ḥuqqat” (it hearkened to its Lord and it was right to do so) appears twice: once for the sky (verse 2), once for the earth (verse 5). This deliberate repetition presents all of creation as a perfectly obedient servant a direct contrast to the human being described in verse 6 who labors through life often forgetting where the journey ends.

Verse 6: The Most Personal Address in Juz Amma

“Yā ayyuhal insān” “O mankind!” This address is rare in the Quran and always carries weight. The word kādih (one who toils, strains, labors) does not merely mean working hard. It implies exhaustion, effort, and movement toward something. Imam Ibn Kathir writes that this verse encapsulates the entire human condition: whether a person worships or sins, they are moving, and the destination is the same a meeting with Allah.

The edge case most commentators gloss over: the mulāqāt (meeting) applies to all people equally believer and disbeliever alike. The difference is not in the meeting itself, but in what follows it.

The Right Hand vs. The Left: More Than a Physical Detail

Scholarly consensus, from Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) to contemporary tafsir scholars, clarifies that “given his record behind his back” (verse 10) refers to a person whose left hand is twisted behind their back, so the record is placed there. This posture is one of humiliation and shame, while receiving the record in the right hand is a position of honor.

Ibn Kathir further notes that the person who receives the book in the right hand will be shown mercy in accounting not that their deeds were all good, but that Allah will cover their sins and present only what is good. This is the distinction between munaqqashah (detailed, scrutinizing accounting) and hisab yasir (easy accounting). The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever is subjected to detailed accounting will be punished.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 103)

A Warning: Verse 13

Verse 13 states the person who receives the book behind his back “had been among his people joyful.” This is a profound warning: the danger is not poverty, struggle, or suffering in this world it is unchecked pleasure and heedlessness. The person who laughs without accountability, who celebrates without gratitude, risks the greatest regret on the Day.

The Three Great Oaths (Verses 16–18)

Allah swears by the twilight (shafaq), the night, and the full moon three natural phenomena that mark the passage of time. Al-Qurtubi’s classical commentary holds that these oaths point to the inexorable progression of time. Day passes into dusk, dusk into night, and the phases of the moon mark each month. The message: time does not stop for denial. Every phase brings you closer to the meeting.

Verse 19: One of the Most Analyzed Lines in Islamic History

“La-tarkabunna ṭabaqan ‘an ṭabaq” – “You will surely travel from stage to stage.”

This verse carries at least four major interpretations among classical scholars:

• The journey of the individual soul: from the womb, to childhood, to adulthood, to death, to the grave, to resurrection.
• The stages of the Prophet ﷺ: from Makkah to Madinah, from hardship to victory.
• The sky’s transformation from its current form to its split state on Qiyamah.
• Universal human experience: each person passes through changing states none permanent.

The most grounded scholarly position, supported by Tafsir al-Jalalayn and corroborated in the 2024 revised edition of Maariful Quran (Mufti Shafi Usmani), holds that this refers primarily to the human soul’s journey through stages of existence. The surah reminds us: nothing you experience now is your final state.

Read Also: Surah Muzammil

How to Gain Full Benefit from Surah Inshiqaq

Recite with wudu and in a state of physical and mental composure.

Read the translation alongside Arabic at least once before memorizing, so the meaning is embedded from the start.

Pause at verse 6 “O mankind, you are laboring toward your Lord” and reflect honestly on where your own effort is directed.

Perform sajdah tilawah at verse 21. Do not skip this; it is an act of worship the Quraysh refused, and believers honor it.

At verse 25 “for them is a reward unending” make sincere du’a that Allah includes you among those believers.

Teach it to your children within Juz Amma revision, as it forms part of the standard memorization curriculum in Islamic schools globally.

Final Reflection

There is a reason Surah Inshiqaq has been recited in the night prayers of believers for fourteen centuries. It does not allow complacency. Every time you hear the sky described as splitting open obedient, straining, hearkening to its Lord you are reminded that the one creation capable of disobedience is you.

And yet, the surah does not close on threat. It closes on promise: “for them is a reward unending.” The Arabic word mamnun means cut off, depleted, expired. The believers’ reward, the surah assures, will never be cut off, never expire, never run out.

That is the balance this surah strikes with extraordinary precision the weight of accountability on one side, and the endless mercy of a just Lord on the other. Every person reading these words is, right now, at a stage in that journey described in verse 19: ṭabaqan ‘an ṭabaq moving from one stage to the next, whether they recognize it or not.

May Allah grant us all the hisab yasir the easy accounting and count us among those who receive their scrolls in their right hands, returning to our people in joy. Ameen.

? FAQs About Surah Inshiqaq

Q1. Is there a sajdah in Surah Inshiqaq? Which verse?

Yes. The sajdah tilawah is at verse 21: “Wa-idhā quri’a ‘alayhimu l-qur’ānu lā yasjudūn.” The Hanafi school considers it wajib (obligatory) to prostrate upon reciting or hearing it. The Shafi’i and Hanbali schools treat it as a confirmed sunnah. The Maliki school does not classify it as a sajdah verse. The majority scholarly consensus recommends performing it.

Q2. What is the main theme of Surah Inshiqaq?

The surah centers on three themes: the obedience of creation to Allah on the Day of Judgment, the individual human being’s journey of accountability (right hand vs. left), and the human tendency to deny the Hereafter despite all available signs. Its closing verse is a powerful note of hope believers who act righteously will receive an unending reward.

Q3. Why is Surah Inshiqaq called “The Splitting Asunder”?

The name comes from the first word of the surah, inshaqqa, derived from the root sh-q-q, meaning to split or crack open. It refers to the sky splitting apart on the Day of Resurrection a cataclysmic event that marks the beginning of the Final Hour. This opening image gives the surah both its name and its overarching tone of urgency.

Q4. In which para (juz) is Surah Inshiqaq?

Surah Inshiqaq is in Juz 30 (the 30th para), commonly called Juz Amma because it begins with Surah An-Naba. Juz 30 is the most widely memorized portion of the Quran and is the standard starting point for children in Islamic schools worldwide.

Q5. How many verses does Surah Inshiqaq have?

Surah Inshiqaq has 25 verses (ayat). It contains 108 words and approximately 433 letters, making it a medium-length surah within Juz Amma.

Q6. What does “given his record behind his back” mean?

According to the majority of classical commentators including Ibn Abbas and Ibn Kathir, this refers to a person whose left hand is physically restrained behind their back, with their scroll of deeds placed in that left hand. The posture of having one’s arm twisted behind the back signifies humiliation in direct contrast to the one who joyfully receives their record in the right hand and walks freely.