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The Virtues of the Surah Infitar
By: Ayatullah Naser Makarem Shirazi from Tafseer Namuneh
Translated into English by:Fatima Zabeth Beenesh
In a narration from the Hazrat Imam Sadiq alaihis salam we read: Any person who recites the Surah of Infitar and Surah of Inshiqaq both in the Namaz e Farz and Namaz e Nafilah (obligatory and supererogatory prayers) no veil will cover that person from God and no barrier will come between him and his God. He consistently with the eyes of his heart and soul will watch the Omnipresent God and the Almighty too watch him with all his kindness till he finishes the counts of the peopleโs deeds.
Certainly the greatest blessing before the God is to turn aside all the veils between the man and the Almighty Creator. This is for those who make the recite this Surah in the depth of their existence and built their character based on this Surah and they do not keep the Surahs of the Quran only on the tongue and utterance of the lips only.
The definition
The moment when the disposition of the world will tumble down.
In the beginning of the Surah we face the dreadful events at the threshold of the judgement day that grips the entire universe.
First it stated: The time when the sky (the heavenly bodies) will get apart
ร
รถรรณร รรกรรธรณรฃรณรร รรครรณรรณรรณรรบ (82:1)
The moment when the stars disperse and fall down
รฆรณร
รถรรณร รรกรบรรณรฆรณรรรถรรต รรครรณรรณรรณรรบ (82:2)
The system of upper world will collapse and great explosions will take place all over the celestial bodies and they will lose their systems, the stars will go out of the orbit and by colliding severely to each other they will get shattered. And the life of the universe will come to an end and everything will get destroyed, to build a new world upon its ruins.
รรครรณรรณรรณรรบ means to split up. รรครรณรรณรรณรรบ means to get dispersed like thread of pearls when its strip gets torn apart. รรกรบรรณรฆรณรรรถรรต means the stars.
Entirely, warning the human kind, the destruction of the world and not to made this earth their eternal place of dwelling for living and to acquire this materialistic worldly life one must not commit sins.
Then from the celestial bodies it comes to the earth and said: The time when all the seas join together.
รฆรณร
รถรรณร รรกรบรรถรรณรรรต รรตรรธรถรรณรรบ (82:3)
Though all the oceans of the earth are joined together except the seas it seems on the threshold of resurrection day (Qiyamat) by the after effects of the severe earth quakes, the collapse of the mountains and their scattering, the oceans will fill such a way that the water will cover the entire earth. All the seas will transform into an ocean.
And then the second stage of the resurrection is the renewal of the life and the revival of the life of the dead people:
รฆรณร
รถรรณร รรกรบรรตรรตรฆรรต รรตรรบรรถรรณรรบ (82:4)
The dead will come out and get ready for giving account of their deeds.
รรตรรบรรถรรณรรบ means to become up and down and to get dispersed.
That day everybody will understand what he had sent before hand and what he had saved for the future.
รรณรกรถรฃรณรรบ รครณรรบรรฑ รฃรธรณร รรณรรธรณรฃรณรรบ รฆรณรรณรรธรณรรณรรบ (82:5)
Yea that day all the veils will get aside and the curtains of the proud, vain glory and negligence will get torn apart, all the fact of life will be revealed and exposed. As that day is called the day of the manifestation, everything will get clear and visible and all the evil and virtues will be made acknowledged. The deeds which they had send before hand and the effects of their acts which remained after their death and the results of their charity, the alms giving, constructing memorials and buildings for the divine or devil cause will reach them which was left by them in the world or the books and the work in the field of knowledge and science, written by them for the right or wrong goal which after them left in the hands of the people benefited or similarly the bad and good customs those initiated by those persons which grabbed the whole nation after him.
It is true that here itself the human beings are briefly aware of their good and bad deeds but the forgetfulness, self love and selfishness often hinder to remember them and find out the depth of the effects of his deeds. But that day as the revolutions and changes occurs, the souls of the poeple also undergo the effects of these upheavals and will come to know everything in detail and minutely.
Hence in a narration from Imam Jafar Sadiq alaihis salam we read: After their death the file of the humanโs deeds will get closed. And the person will not acquire any gain or blessing but from the three means and mainstreams such as the buildings, beneficial objects and articles which he left as endowment for the well being of the people which is continued its way after his death and the tradition and the custom of the guidance and direction which the person created and started and after his death which is prolonged and survived and the righteous children who request and pray for the forgiveness of their parents.
In another statement six affairs which are profitable after the death are mentioned as follows: -1. The virtuous children of the dead person -2. The Quran recited by the people after the death for the peace of deceased personโs soul -3. The well that is dug by the person -4.The tree that the deceased person had planted in his life time -5. To provide the free water service for the people. -6. The pious and virtuous customs left by the deceased person who got the attention and favour of the people.
And according to some another statement, the knowledge and the enlightenment which is left by the deceased person.
The Islamic scholar late Allama Tabarsi stated a hadith: Once a man came to the Holy Prophet and asked help from the people nobody paid any heed, in this moment one of the companions of the Prophet gave something to the poor and then all the others followed him and all of them helped the poor man the Prophet Muhamamd sallallaho alaihi va ala alehi said: The person who starts the virtuous custom and the other follow him too. He gets the rewards from the Merciful God and the rewards of those who followed him too without reducing the rewards of them.
The person who starts the evil traditions and the others also follow it, he receives his own punishment and the chastisement of others too without reducing their punishment too.
Amirul Mominin Ali alaihis salam said: What will happen when all the matters of this world entirely come to an end and the graves will get up and down and all of you will be present in the ground of resurrection, there the person will observe the act which he committed before him. Each and every body will return to his real guardian and master and forgets those false peers which were stabilized before them.
O human being! What had made you so much proud and haughty?
In the pursuit of the previous ayaat which is providing awareness of the judgement day to the man and in these ayaat for waking up the man from the deep slumber of unawareness and bringing his attention towards his duties before the Omnipotent God first it address him with reproachful interrogation accompanied with love and kindness and said: O mortal man what had made you unaware of your generous Lord and made you bold and proud before him.
รญรณร รรณรญรธรตรฅรณร รรกรบร
รถรครรณรรครต รฃรณร รรณรรธรณรรณ รรถรรณรรธรถรรณ รรกรบรรณรรถรญรฃรถ (82:6)
In a hadees from the Prophet Muhammad sallallaho alaihi va ala alehi while reciting this ayat he said: His ignorance and bewilderment.
As Faseel bin Ayaz quoted when he was asked: If on the judgement day if God calls you and ask you:
รฃรณร รรณรรธรณรรณ รรถรรณรรธรถรรณ รรกรบรรณรรถรญรฃรถ
What will you answer him then? He replied: you put the veils upon my sins and hid them before the people it made me unaware and proud. This answer does not accord with the ayat. The aim of this ayat is to crush down the pride of the people and awake them from the slumber unawareness but not cover upon his veils with more new curtains.
In the definition of the รรกรบรรณรรถรญรฃรถ stated various interpretations, some said: รรกรบรรณรรถรญรฃรถ is one whose every act is beneficence and favour and he never go earn the profit or to ward off the loss by his favourable acts.
Some explained that รรกรบรรณรรถรญรฃรถ is the one who bestows whatever duty is upon him and even which is not upon him.
Some said: The รรกรบรรณรรถรญรฃรถ is one who accepts the less gains and returns backs more price before it.
But in fact if the beneficence and kindness of the Almighty God is taken into account, his kindness is such that, he not only forgives the sins but alter the sins of the people in to good deeds who are capable of it.
Come lets cure this illness of unawareness with the God by the medicine of the strong will and decision.
Come and be obedient to God and get familiar with the remembrance of God.
The God had created you and then gave an order to the systems of your body and adjusted them.
รรกรธรณรรถรญ รรณรกรณรรณรรณ รรณรรณรฆรธรณรรรณ รรณรรณรรณรกรณรรณ (82:7)
In whatever figure he liked he shaped you.
รรถรญ รรณรญรธรถ รรตรฆรรณรรฒ รฃรธรณร รรณรร รรณรรธรณรรณรรณ (82:8)
In the first stage of his creation he created the man from semen in the darkness of the womb.
The second stage is the stage of regularizing and systemising and created every part of the body and made them proportionate. If we observe a single part of the body it manifests a boundless world of kindness and generosity of the God before our eyes.
Then the third presentation of the Benevolent God is the adjustment among the organs and the parts of the body how he had connected and created harmony among them.
The body of the human being is mainly established in two parts as they have symmetry of each other: hands, legs, eyes, ears, the bones structure, nerves and muscles, they are symmetrical completing the functions of each other in both the parts of the body.
Moreover the different organ completes the function of each other. For example the system of respiration helps the blood circulation. And the blood circulation helps the respiratory system, for swallowing a morsel of food the teeth, tongue, salivary glands. The muscles around the mouth and throat help each other so that a single morsel of food can enter the digestive system of the body. Thereafter in the harmony and integrity in the functions of the different systems and parts of the body the food gets digested and absorbed in the body and provide the needed strength to the body to move for the struggle and search in the life.
The Merciful God in comparison to the other animals and creatures bestowed man the most beautiful and proportionate features.
Apart from this the faces of the human beings are different from each other. The same way their languages and colours too are different. They are all the signs of Almighty Allah. As mentioned in the Sura e Rum.
รฆรณรฃรถรครบ รรญรณรรรถรฅรถ รรณรกรบรรต รรกรรธรณรฃรณรรฆรณรรรถ รฆรณรรกรบรรณรรบรรถ รฆรณรรรบรรถรกรณรรรต รรณรกรบรรถรครณรรถรรตรฃรบ รฆรณรรณรกรบรฆรณรรครถรรตรฃรบ ร
รถรครธรณ รรถรญ รรณรกรถรรณ รกรณรรญรณรรรฒ รกรธรถรกรบรรณรรกรถรฃรถรญรครณ (30:22)
And of His signs are the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those who possess knowledge.
And if these differences were not present in the society the life of the man would have been confused and disordered.
Beside these external distinctions the talents in the tastes and elegance of man which the Magnificent God had regulated and put them in order according to their needs, so that they all together create a lively and sound society to fulfil the needs of one and all.
In the Sura e Teen it is mentioned:
รกรณรรณรรบ รรณรกรณรรบรครณร รรกรบร
รถรครรณรรครณ รรถรญ รรณรรบรรณรครถ รรณรรบรฆรถรญรฃรฒ (95:4)
(We have certainly created man in the best of stature;
Then indicates the root source of the proud, negligence and ignorance of man and said: as you are thinking it is not like that but the main root is denying the judgement day.
รรณรกรธรณร รรณรกรบ รรตรรณรรธรถรรตรฆรครณ รรถรรกรรธรถรญรครถ (82:9)
The kindness of Almighty is not the cause of your pride not the generosity and the abundance of God but the main root is the denying the day of resurrection.
If we study carefully the state of mind of proud and ignorant people we will find that the main cause in the depth of their heart is the doubt about the occurrence of the judgement day or they absolutely deny it and all the other causes are just excuses. For this reason the believe which is based on the occurrence of the judgement day and the hearts get strengthened upon that faith then all this pride and arrogance will be get removed and erased.
Here by รรถรรกรรธรถรญรครถ means on the day of judgement.
Soon after, to erase the causes of the pride and the ignorance and give support to the faith of resurrection said: certainly the guards are appointed upon you.
รฆรณร
รถรครธรณ รรณรกรณรญรบรรตรฃรบ รกรณรรณรรรถรรถรญรครณ (82:10)
There are the guardians who are respectable and close to the Merciful Allah and they are constantly recording and writing your deeds.
And whatever you do they are aware of it, they know it very well.
รญรณรรบรกรณรฃรตรฆรครณ รฃรณร รรณรรบรรณรกรตรฆรครณ (82:12)
Certainly the Omnipotent God, before every one is all aware of the human deeds. But to create the more sense of duty he appointed large number of guards a group of them are these angels who look after our deeds and records them.
First the Glorious God said: Every deed that you perform I witness and view it.
(21 รรฆรรฅ یรฆรคร ). Then, the witnesses are the Prophets and the Executors of the Prophetโs law. (41 รรฆรรฅ รครรร) And after that the witnesses are the tongue, hands, legs and all the parts of the body. (24รรฆรรฅ รครฆร) and other witness is the skin of the body (21รรฆรรฅ รรรกร) and another witnesses are the angels (21 รรฆรรฅ ร) One another witness is the earth upon which the man is living where the man obeys the God or commits sins. And finally another witness is the time and the moments when the man commits the deeds ( Safinatul bahar volume 2).
Once a man asked Imam Jafar Sadiq alaihis salam: What is the reason to appoint the angels for the recording of our good and evil deeds? When we clearly know that the Eternal God himself observes what is hidden and what is seen and evident in our eyes. In the reply the Imam said: The Benevolent God invited these angels to worship him and made them witness over the human beings. So the human beings by the close observation of the angels are more protective about their deeds and performance of their duties. Many a times perhaps, the people who want to commit a sin when suddenly remembers those guardian angels they suddenly stops from carrying out the sin and warns his own self by telling: The Merciful God is watching me and the guardian angels are giving witness about my every minute deed. More than anything the Benevolent God by his kindness and love appointed them to ward off the rebellious devils. Similarly the creatures under the earth and the calamities which they are unaware till their approach and death by the command of Almighty God.
The meaning of หรรรیรคโKatebeenโ is in fact they are not only dependent upon their memory but they accurately write and record them like this way they never miss a single act of man. They register every minor and major deed.
The meaning of รญรณรรบรกรณรฃรตรฆรครณ รฃรณร รรณรรบรรณรกรตรฆรครณ (82:12) whatever you do they are aware of it, they know it very well. It too stresses upon this fact.
Meanwhile, all these matters indicate the man has the total power of choice and completely free in his decisions. If the man is not given freedom in his deeds, to appoint so many angel envoys to register and record their deeds and the warnings and caution alarms would not have been any right meaning and purpose.
Points
The envoys of the deeds (those who register the human acts)
Someone asked the Imam Moosa ibn Jafar (the Seventh Imam) alaihis salam and said: those angels who are appointed for the record of the human deeds, are they aware of the inner intentions and the decisions of the man before the commitment of the virtuous or evil act.
The Imam in the response, said: Do the smell of the gutter and the perfume is the same? The narrator replied: No.
The Imam said: When the man intents to do a good deed his breath become scented and aromatic. The angel who is in the right hand (the envoy who is appointed to record the good deeds of man) will inform the angel of the left hand and say: Get up he had intended for the right deed and when the deed is completed, the manโs tongue will become the pen of the angel and his saliva become the ink and the angel will record the deed. But when the person intends to commit a sin he began to give bad breath. The angel of left side will inform to the angel of right side: get up he had intended to commit a sin. When the person commits the sin his tongue will transform into the pen of the angel and his saliva will change into the ink for the pen and the angel writes the deed.
This hadith evidently indicates that the intention of the man affects his whole existence and the angels by the means of his external effects gets aware of his intentions. Absolutely if they are not aware they cannot record the deeds of man properly. The intention of the man is highly effective on the man. The fact is that they take it from the man and spend it on the man, as our tongue is their pen and the manโs saliva is their ink.
They are appointed to register a good deed when a person just intends to do a virtuous deed. And when he performs a virtuous deed ten good deeds will be bestowed to him. But when the man intends to do the bad deed the angel will not write it until he commits it and when he commits the sin then they record only one sin for that person.
In another narration it is written that the Prophet after describing these two angels and the record of the good deeds and the ten times more rewards for the right act. When the person commits the wrong deed, the angel of right hand tells to the angel of left hand: Do not make haste to record the sin may be he commits a virtuous deed and the Eternal God may be covers the sin as the Glorious God said in Quran:
Hud [11:114]
ร
รถรครธรณ รรกรบรรณรรณรครณรรรถ รญรตรรบรฅรถรรบรครณ รรกรรธรณรรญรธรถรรณรรรถ
That are good, remove those that are evil
May be he solicits forgiveness and wishes the retraction from the Lord of universe and the effect of the sin will get vanish. The angel of left hand omits to record the bad deed for seven hours and if the good deed or repentance รรรรรรร does not arrives by the sinner behind the commitment of the sin, the angel of good deeds tells the angel of bad deeds: Write the deed of this ill fated and unfavourable man.
In another hadees it is quoted from Imam Sadiq alaihis salam: when the believers discuss a matter in a private circle the guardian angels of the deeds says to each other: Letโs go far away from them may be they have some secret which the Almighty Lord wants to conceal it.
Hazrat Ali alaihis salam in one of his speech invited the people towards the piety and said: Be aware! Oh the people of God, the Lord of Lords, and the Omnipotent God appointed the guards and witnesses upon your deeds and acts. And your body parts are also registering your deeds and they are true tellers, they record the number of breaths we inhale and exhale even the darkness of the night could not conceal you from them nor the secure and strong closed doors they are very close as the tomorrow is near to the today.
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