وَفُتِحَتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتْ أَبْوَٰبًا 19
Translations
And the heaven is opened and will become gateways.
Transliteration
Wa-futihati s-sama'u fakānat abwāb
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the opening of the sky on the Day of Judgment, when the heavens will be torn apart and transformed into gates or doors. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this refers to the sky losing its solidity and becoming permeated with openings, signifying the complete upheaval of the physical world during the eschatological events. The imagery emphasizes the utter transformation of creation and the impossibility of escape or refuge on that day.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Naba, a Meccan chapter focused on the certainty of the Day of Judgment and the resurrection. The surah responds to those who denied the Hereafter by vividly describing the cosmic and terrestrial signs that will accompany the Day of Judgment, establishing the inevitability of divine reckoning.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said regarding the Day of Judgment: 'The sky will be split asunder' (Surah Al-Inshiqaq 84:1). In Sahih Bukhari, various hadiths describe the sky's transformation and the trumpet blast that will precede these events, corroborating the Quranic descriptions of heavenly upheaval.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers of the ultimate reality of the afterlife and the temporary nature of this world's physical laws, encouraging submission to Allah and righteous action while there is still time before that inevitable day arrives.
Related Ayahs
وَٱلْمَلَكُ عَلَىٰٓ أَرْجَآئِهَا ۚ وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمَـٰنِيَةٌ
And the angels are at its edges. And there will bear the Throne of your Lord above them, that Day, eight [of them].
كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ ٱلْيَقِينِ
No! If you only knew with knowledge of certainty...
أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ
That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another
وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْـًٔا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَـٰسِبِينَ
And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.