Tafseer of The Cleaving · Al-Infitaar · 82:6
O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous,
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His statement: ( عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ ) ("A soul will know what it has sent forward and what it has left behind") (82:5), Allah, whose mention is exalted, says: every soul will know what it has sent forward for that Day in the way of a good deed that benefits it, and what it has left behind it in the way of something it instituted and which was acted upon.
The people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) differed concerning the interpretation of this. Some of them said something in accordance with what we have said about it.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of his father, who said: it was related to me on the authority of al-Quraẓī, that he said concerning: ( عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ ) ("A soul will know what it has sent forward and what it has left behind"), he said: what it has sent forward of what it performed; and as for what it has left behind, that is the custom (sunna) which the man institutes and which is acted upon after him.
And others said: by it is meant what it has sent forward of the obligations (farāʾiḍ) which it fulfilled, and what it has left behind of the obligations which it neglected.
* Mention of who said that:
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Masrūq, on the authority of ʿIkrima: ( عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ ) ("A soul will know what it has sent forward"), he said: what was imposed upon it; ( وَأَخَّرَتْ ) ("and what it has left behind"), he said: of what was imposed upon it.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: ( عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ ) ("A soul will know what it has sent forward and what it has left behind"), he said: it knows what it has sent forward of obedience to Allah, and what it has left behind of that which it was commanded with, of a right that Allah had upon it, and which it did not act upon.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement: ( عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ ) ("A soul will know what it has sent forward and what it has left behind"), he said: what it has sent forward of good, and left behind of a right that Allah had upon it and which it did not act upon.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: ( مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ ) ("what it has sent forward and what it has left behind"), he said: what it has sent forward of obedience to Allah, and what it has left behind of a right of Allah.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement: ( عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ ) ("A soul will know what it has sent forward and what it has left behind"), he said: what it has sent forward: it performed; and what it has left behind: it omitted and neglected, and left behind of the good deed to which Allah had summoned it.
And others said: no, the meaning of it is rather: what it has sent forward of good or evil, and left behind of good or evil.
* Mention of who said that:
Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: al-ʿAwwām informed us, on the authority of Ibrāhīm al-Taymī, who said: this verse was mentioned in his presence ( عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ ) ("A soul will know what it has sent forward and what it has left behind"), he said: I am among that which al-Ḥajjāj has left behind.
We have chosen only the statement which we have mentioned, because all that the servant performs of good or evil is among that which he has sent forward, and because what he has neglected of a right that Allah had upon him and in which he fell short so that he did not perform it, is among the evil that he has sent forward; that is not among what he has left behind of action, for the action is that which he performed. And what he did not perform is only an evil deed that he has sent forward. For this reason we said: what he has left behind is that which he instituted of a good or evil custom (sunna), of which it holds that, when the doer acts upon it, there accrues to him the like of the reward of whoever acts upon it, or its burden.
