LessonsSupplementary Practice 29 — Comparative Rhetoric of Sūrat al-Infiṭār and Sūrat al-InshiqāqQuiz

عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ
Every soul will know what it sent ahead and what it left behind. (82:5)

This clause serves as the result of the four preceding conditional scenes. The long cosmic prelude culminates in the real concern: nothing about a person's deeds will remain concealed from that person. “Nafsun” is indefinite, but its comprehensive reach comes from the larger context, not from indefiniteness alone.

The “mā” of “mā qaddamat wa-akhkharat” may be analyzed as relative, and the two verbs form a meaningful contrast between what was sent ahead and what was left behind. Withholding the result until verse 5 magnifies its importance.

Opening interactive controls...

Al-Infiṭār: the conditional result and knowledge of deeds

Supplementary Practice 29 — Comparative Rhetoric of Sūrat al-Infiṭār and Sūrat al-Inshiqāq

عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ
Every soul will know what it sent ahead and what it left behind. (82:5)

This clause serves as the result of the four preceding conditional scenes. The long cosmic prelude culminates in the real concern: nothing about a person's deeds will remain concealed from that person. “Nafsun” is indefinite, but its comprehensive reach comes from the larger context, not from indefiniteness alone.

The “mā” of “mā qaddamat wa-akhkharat” may be analyzed as relative, and the two verbs form a meaningful contrast between what was sent ahead and what was left behind. Withholding the result until verse 5 magnifies its importance.