Surah Al-Infitar
الإنفطار
Surah Al-Infitar is a 19-verse Meccan surah that describes the breaking up of the sky and earth at the end of time and asks each person what made them careless about the Lord who created them.
- Meaning
- The Cleaving
- Surah
- 82 of 114
- Verses
- 19
- Revealed in
- Mecca
- Found in
- Juz 30
What Surah Al-Infitar is about
Surah Al-Infitar, "The Cleaving", opens with four short scenes of the end of the world in verses 1 to 4: the sky splits apart, the planets scatter, the seas burst, and graves are overturned. Verse 5 states the result: every soul will know what it sent ahead and what it held back.
The tone then becomes personal. Verse 6 addresses the human being directly and asks what has deluded them about their Lord, the Most Generous. Verses 7 and 8 answer by pointing to the person's own body: Allah created, shaped and proportioned each person in whatever form He willed. Despite this, verse 9 says, people deny the Judgment, even though verses 10 to 12 describe honest, noble recorders who know everything they do. Verses 13 to 16 set out the two outcomes, bliss for the virtuous and Hell for the wicked. The surah ends by twice asking what will make you understand the Day of Judgment, and answering in verse 19 that on that Day no soul can help another, and the decision belongs to Allah alone.
Main themes
The sky and earth break open
The surah begins with the dismantling of the heavens and the opening of graves. These images lead straight to verse 5, where each person sees the full account of what they did and what they left undone.
Verses 1–5Generosity that is taken for granted
Verse 6 asks what made the human being careless toward a Lord described as the Most Generous. The answer in verses 7 and 8 is a reminder of the care that went into each person's creation and form.
Verses 6–9Nothing goes unrecorded
Verses 10 to 12 describe guardians who write down everything a person does, and the two destinations follow. The surah closes on a Day when no one can intercede for another and all authority belongs to Allah.
Verses 10–19
Verses to know
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ ٱلۡكَرِيمِ ﴿٦﴾ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّىٰكَ فَعَدَلَكَ ﴿٧﴾ فِيٓ أَيِّ صُورَةٖ مَّا شَآءَ رَكَّبَكَ ﴿٨﴾
6O man! What deluded you concerning your Lord, the Most Generous? 7He who created you, and formed you, and proportioned you? 8In whatever shape He willed, He assembled you.
A gentle but searching question, unusual in that it pairs the warning with Allah's name the Most Generous. It invites the reader to see their own body and form as evidence of care.
يَوۡمَ لَا تَمۡلِكُ نَفۡسࣱ لِّنَفۡسٖ شَيۡـٔٗاۖ وَٱلۡأَمۡرُ يَوۡمَئِذٖ لِّلَّهِ ﴿١٩﴾
The Day when no soul will avail another soul anything; and the decision on that Day is Allah’s.
The surah's final verse sums up the Day of Judgment in one line: no soul will be able to help another, and the decision is Allah's.
When Surah Al-Infitar is recited
Al-Infitar is one of the three surahs named in a narration in Sunan at-Tirmidhi, together with At-Takwir (81) and Al-Inshiqaq (84), as giving the reader a vivid picture of the Day of Resurrection.
Surah Al-Infitar in Arabic and English
All 19 verses, with the Arabic, a transliteration to help you read it aloud, and the English translation by Talal Itani.
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
- 1
إِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ ٱنفَطَرَتۡ
Itha alssamao infatarat
When the sky breaks apart.
- 2
وَإِذَا ٱلۡكَوَاكِبُ ٱنتَثَرَتۡ
Waitha alkawakibu intatharat
When the planets are scattered.
- 3
وَإِذَا ٱلۡبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتۡ
Waitha albiharu fujjirat
When the oceans are exploded.
- 4
وَإِذَا ٱلۡقُبُورُ بُعۡثِرَتۡ
Waitha alqubooru buAAthirat
When the tombs are strewn around.
- 5
عَلِمَتۡ نَفۡسࣱ مَّا قَدَّمَتۡ وَأَخَّرَتۡ
AAalimat nafsun ma qaddamat waakhkharat
Each soul will know what it has advanced, and what it has deferred.
- 6
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ ٱلۡكَرِيمِ
Ya ayyuha alinsanu ma gharraka birabbika alkareemi
O man! What deluded you concerning your Lord, the Most Generous?
- 7
ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّىٰكَ فَعَدَلَكَ
Allathee khalaqaka fasawwaka faAAadalaka
He who created you, and formed you, and proportioned you?
- 8
فِيٓ أَيِّ صُورَةٖ مَّا شَآءَ رَكَّبَكَ
Fee ayyi sooratin ma shaa rakkabaka
In whatever shape He willed, He assembled you.
- 9
كَلَّا بَلۡ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِٱلدِّينِ
Kalla bal tukaththiboona bialddeeni
But you reject the religion.
- 10
وَإِنَّ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَحَٰفِظِينَ
Wainna AAalaykum lahafitheena
Though over you are watchers.
- 11
كِرَامٗا كَٰتِبِينَ
Kiraman katibeena
Honest recorders.
- 12
يَعۡلَمُونَ مَا تَفۡعَلُونَ
YaAAlamoona ma tafAAaloona
They know everything you do.
- 13
إِنَّ ٱلۡأَبۡرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٖ
Inna alabrara lafee naAAeemin
The virtuous will be in bliss.
- 14
وَإِنَّ ٱلۡفُجَّارَ لَفِي جَحِيمٖ
Wainna alfujjara lafee jaheemin
While the wicked will be in Hell.
- 15
يَصۡلَوۡنَهَا يَوۡمَ ٱلدِّينِ
Yaslawnaha yawma alddeeni
They will enter it on the Day of Justice.
- 16
وَمَا هُمۡ عَنۡهَا بِغَآئِبِينَ
Wama hum AAanha bighaibeena
And they will not be absent from it.
- 17
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا يَوۡمُ ٱلدِّينِ
Wama adraka ma yawmu alddeeni
But what will convey to you what the Day of Justice is?
- 18
ثُمَّ مَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا يَوۡمُ ٱلدِّينِ
Thumma ma adraka ma yawmu alddeeni
Then again, what will convey to you what the Day of Justice is?
- 19
يَوۡمَ لَا تَمۡلِكُ نَفۡسࣱ لِّنَفۡسٖ شَيۡـٔٗاۖ وَٱلۡأَمۡرُ يَوۡمَئِذٖ لِّلَّهِ
Yawma la tamliku nafsun linafsin shayan waalamru yawmaithin lillahi
The Day when no soul will avail another soul anything; and the decision on that Day is Allah’s.
Surah Al-Infitar PDF
The whole surah on printable pages: Arabic, transliteration and English side by side. Free to download, print and share.
Questions about Surah Al-Infitar
How many verses are in Surah Al-Infitar?
Surah Al-Infitar has 19 verses. It is the 82nd surah and a Meccan surah.
What does Infitar mean?
Infitar means splitting or cleaving apart. The name comes from verse 1, which describes the sky breaking apart at the end of time.
Who are the recorders mentioned in Surah Al-Infitar?
Verses 10 to 12 describe watchers who are honest recorders and know everything people do. Commentators understand them as the angels who record each person's deeds.