Surah al-Infitar (The Cleaving Asunder ) 82 : 5

Explanatory Note

Each soul shall come face to face with what it has done and what it has left behind of the consequences of its actions or, what it has enjoyed in this present life and what it has saved for the hereafter. Such knowledge, however, will accompany these horrific events. It will indeed be part of them, for it terrifies the soul no less than any of the other events.

The Arabic expression used here, `alimat nafsun, may be translated literally as “a soul shall know...” It is, however, in Arabic a neater and more effective denotation of “each soul shall know...” Furthermore, such knowledge by every soul is not the end of the matter. It has consequences which are as violent as the scenes portrayed here of the great upheaval. These consequences are merely implied, not stated, and this is even more effective.