Surah Al-Inshiqaq Full Text — The Splitting Open (Hafs)

إِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ ٱنشَقَّتْ﴿١﴾وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ﴿٢﴾وَإِذَا ٱلْأَرْضُ مُدَّتْ﴿٣﴾وَأَلْقَتْ مَا فِيهَا وَتَخَلَّتْ﴿٤﴾وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ﴿٥﴾يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًۭا فَمُلَٰقِيهِ﴿٦﴾فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ﴿٧﴾فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًۭا يَسِيرًۭا﴿٨﴾وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًۭا﴿٩﴾وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَٰبَهُۥ وَرَآءَ ظَهْرِهِۦ﴿١٠﴾فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُوا۟ ثُبُورًۭا﴿١١﴾وَيَصْلَىٰ سَعِيرًا﴿١٢﴾إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فِىٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًا﴿١٣﴾إِنَّهُۥ ظَنَّ أَن لَّن يَحُورَ﴿١٤﴾بَلَىٰٓ إِنَّ رَبَّهُۥ كَانَ بِهِۦ بَصِيرًۭا﴿١٥﴾فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلشَّفَقِ﴿١٦﴾وَٱلَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ﴿١٧﴾وَٱلْقَمَرِ إِذَا ٱتَّسَقَ﴿١٨﴾لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَن طَبَقٍۢ﴿١٩﴾فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ﴿٢٠﴾وَإِذَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ لَا يَسْجُدُونَ ۩﴿٢١﴾بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُكَذِّبُونَ﴿٢٢﴾وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُوعُونَ﴿٢٣﴾فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ﴿٢٤﴾إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍۭ﴿٢٥﴾

About Surah Al-Inshiqaq

Surah Al-Inshiqaq is the 84th surah in the order of the mushaf, and one of the Meccan surahs — revealed to the Prophet ﷺ before the migration to Madinah. It contains 25 ayahs, and it is the seventh surah of Juz ‘Amma, the final part of the Quran. It also contains a verse of prostration at ayah 21 — it is sunnah to perform sujud at-tilawah (the prostration of recitation) when reciting or hearing it.

The surah takes its name from its opening words — «idha as-sama’u inshaqqat» (“When the sky splits open”) — describing the sky splitting apart on the Last Day, obeying its Lord as it must, while the earth is stretched out, casts out what is within it and becomes empty. From these cosmic scenes the surah turns to every human being: “O man, indeed you are labouring toward your Lord with great exertion — and will meet Him.” It then contrasts the one who receives his record in his right hand with the one who receives it behind his back, swears by the twilight, the night and the full moon that people will ride “stage upon stage”, and closes by asking why they do not believe or prostrate when the Quran is recited.

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, written in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

Virtues and place of Surah Al-Inshiqaq

1. The sajdah of recitation

Al-Inshiqaq is one of the surahs of the Quran that contain a verse of prostration. It is established in Sahih Muslim that Abu Hurairah prostrated during the recitation of «idha as-sama’u inshaqqat» and said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prostrated in it, so I will not cease to prostrate in it until I meet him.” It is therefore sunnah to perform sujud at-tilawah when reciting or hearing ayah 21.

2. As if seeing the Day of Resurrection

Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever would be pleased to look at the Day of Resurrection as if seeing it with his own eyes, let him recite ‘When the sun is wrapped up’ (At-Takwir), ‘When the sky breaks apart’ (Al-Infitar) and ‘When the sky splits open’ (Al-Inshiqaq)” — recorded by at-Tirmidhi and Ahmad, and graded hasan. Together, these three surahs place the reader before the scenes of that Day.

3. Every human is a traveller toward his Lord

The surah’s central image is unforgettable: every human being is labouring toward his Lord with great exertion — and will meet Him — riding “stage upon stage” through life, death and resurrection. It turns the reader’s eyes from this world to the record that awaits, and leaves the heart between the hope of the easy reckoning and the fear of the record given behind the back.

Themes of the Surah

1. When the sky splits open ([ayahs 1–5](#ayah-1))

The surah opens with the Last Day: the sky splits open and listens to its Lord as it must, and the earth is stretched out, casts out what is within it and becomes empty — it too listening to its Lord as it must. Creation obeys its Creator without resistance.

Read from ayah 1 →

2. O man, you are labouring toward your Lord ([ayahs 6–9](#ayah-6))

A direct address to every human being: “O man, indeed you are labouring toward your Lord with great exertion — and will meet Him.” Then the first of the two outcomes: whoever is given his record in his right hand will have an easy reckoning and return to his people in joy.

Read from ayah 6 →

3. The record given behind the back ([ayahs 10–15](#ayah-10))

But whoever is given his record behind his back will cry out for destruction and enter the Blaze. He used to be joyful among his people, thinking he would never return to Allah — but yes, his Lord was ever watchful of him.

Read from ayah 10 →

4. Stage after stage ([ayahs 16–19](#ayah-16))

Allah swears by the twilight glow, the night and what it envelops, and the full moon: “you will surely ride stage upon stage” — «tabaqan ‘an tabaq» — state after state which, according to the commentators, are the stages of life, death and resurrection.

Read from ayah 16 →

5. Why do they not believe? ([ayahs 20–25](#ayah-20))

So what is with them that they do not believe, and when the Quran is recited to them they do not prostrate? — the verse of sajdah, ayah 21. Rather, the disbelievers deny, and Allah knows best what they conceal — so give them tidings of a painful punishment; except the believers who do righteous deeds: for them is a reward unending.

Read from ayah 20 →

Tips for reading and memorising

It is a short surah with short ayahs — at 25 ayahs, it can be memorised in a few days.
A simple plan is about five ayahs a day over five days — one of the five sections above each day.
Listen to the recitation above by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi and repeat after him.
Remember the sajdah at ayah 21 — it is sunnah to perform sujud at-tilawah when you recite or hear it.
Use the “font size” buttons at the top of the page for a comfortable read.
You can print the surah from your browser (Ctrl+P) for a clean paper copy.

Frequently asked questions

How many ayahs are in Surah Al-Inshiqaq?

Surah Al-Inshiqaq has 25 ayahs. It is the 84th surah in the order of the mushaf, and it is a Meccan surah — the seventh surah of Juz ‘Amma.

Why is it called Surah Al-Inshiqaq?

It is called Surah Al-Inshiqaq (“The Splitting Open” or “The Sundering”) after its opening words «idha as-sama’u inshaqqat» — “When the sky splits open” — describing the sky splitting apart on the Last Day, obeying its Lord as it must.

Is there a sajdah (prostration) in Surah Al-Inshiqaq?

Yes. Ayah 21 — «wa idha quri’a ‘alayhimu al-qur’anu la yasjudun» (“and when the Quran is recited to them, they do not prostrate”) — is a verse of prostration. It is marked with the sajdah sign in the mushaf, and it is sunnah to perform sujud at-tilawah (the prostration of recitation) when reciting or hearing it.

What should I do when I reach the sajdah in ayah 21?

It is sunnah to perform sujud at-tilawah — a single prostration — when reciting or hearing this ayah. It is established in Sahih Muslim that Abu Hurairah prostrated during the recitation of «idha as-sama’u inshaqqat» and said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prostrated in it, so I will not cease to prostrate in it until I meet him.”

What does the “easy reckoning” in ayah 8 mean?

Aisha reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever is interrogated in the reckoning will be punished,” and when she asked about Allah’s words “he will have an easy reckoning,” he explained: “That is only the presentation (of deeds)” — recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim. The easy reckoning is that the believer’s deeds are shown to him without interrogation.

What does «tabaqan ‘an tabaq» in ayah 19 mean?

“You will surely ride stage upon stage” — state after state. According to the commentators, it refers to the stages every human passes through: the stages of life, then death, then resurrection — a journey that ends in the meeting with Allah.

What is Surah Al-Inshiqaq about?

It opens with the sky splitting open and the earth being stretched out and emptied on the Last Day, both obeying their Lord. It then addresses every human being — “you are labouring toward your Lord with great exertion, and will meet Him” — and contrasts the one given his record in his right hand, who has an easy reckoning, with the one given his record behind his back, who enters the Blaze. It closes by asking why people do not believe or prostrate when the Quran is recited, and promises the believers a reward unending.

How long does it take to read the full surah?

A complete recitation of Surah Al-Inshiqaq takes about 3 minutes at a moderate pace. Its verses are short, which makes it well suited to daily reading and memorisation.

Which recitation is the text on this page based on?

The text shown on this page is the narration of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, written in the Uthmani script that follows the Madinah mushaf. The audio recitation on this page is by Sheikh Saad Al-Ghamdi.

Surah Al-Inshiqaq (The Splitting Open) — Full Text in Clear Arabic Script

Listen to the recitation