A011
Surah: 081 - Ayah: 011
Click here to see the translations
81:11
Let us think about this verse: "And when the sky is peeled off" (81:11). By the sky is meant each and everything which belongs to the universe and the existents. Thus on the Day of Resurrection, heavens, earth and all their things will be peeled off and will be made subtle from dense, and this universe, with all its things, will come forward in the form of physical paradise, in which the world of humanity also, will necessarily, be in the subtle body. You may remember that according to the Qur'an, the physical paradise ls equal to the length and width of this universe (3:133; 57:21). This is the paradise of the subtle body (jism-i latif), also called the body of similitude, (jism-i mithali), and the body of ibda (jism-i ibdai), in which everything exists under the will of Be (lradah-i kun).
Stripping off the Universe: "And when the heaven (i.e. the Universe) is stripped off” (81:11). When a judgement is passed on the whole then all its parts are included and nothing is excluded. Thus in this blessed verse, there are many subtle and profound allusions. For instance: (a) This world is the husk of that world and that world is the fruit and kernel of this world, (b) There is a real man within each man. The external one is a human being and the internal one is an angel (either actually or potentially), (c) In Paradise there are many ranks of king and kingdom, therefore there is room for all people, (d) In this verse there is also the allusion that from the Qur'anic mithal (symbol) should be understood its mamthul (symbolized) and by lifting the veil, the veiled should be recognized.
Paradise as the Quintessence of this World: The Holy Prophet has said: "This world is the tillage of the next world". Since Paradise is the fruit, extract and essence of this world, therefore, until someone comes to this world and creates a world of knowledge and deeds for himself, his personal Paradise is not prepared. When his personal world becomes complete with every kind of word and deed, it is stripped off (81:11) so that the inside (batin) of it, i.e. the Universal Soul, may appear before him as Paradise. For, this world and the next are together, in the sense that the Universal Body is this world and the Universal Soul in it is the next world, for as the Wise Qur'an says: "The vastness of Paradise is equal to the heavens and the earth" (3:133: 57:21), that is, the Universal Soul which is within the heavens and the earth, is the everlasting Paradise.
The verse: “When the heaven is skinned” (81:11), indicates that from the dense (body) appears the subtle (body) and one has to go from the outer to the inner. In this verse, by the heaven is meant the entire universe and the things contained in it and by skinning is meant the appearance of the subtle body or the subtle world from the dense body. This means that, one day, from beneath the shirt of the body of the present human being, will appear a subtle miraculous man, just as a moth appears from a silk worm. Thus, if this event happens to a sufi before his physical death, it is his great success and it is the experience of spiritual science. Now he should hope that he will be enriched with the treasure of the intellectual and spiritual health.
Q94 In verse (81:11), it is said: “And when the heaven will be skinned.” Does the heaven have a skin? If not, what is its ta’wili wisdom? Which heaven is mentioned here?
A94 The external world is the skin and the veil in which the internal world is the hidden kernel. Thus, when the carif dies spiritually, the veils of realities and recognitions are lifted for him. This means that the external world is the skin or husk and the personal world is its fruit and kernel.
Under the major khilafat come both the outer and the inner earth and this rank is restricted to the Prophets and the Imams. The minor khilafat includes only the inner earth, the other name of which is the microcosm or the personal world. Nevertheless, this personal world contains everything that the external world contains, because it is the subtle, spiritual form of the material universe. This is implied in a Qur’anic verse which says that the heaven (meaning the universe) will be peeled back and presented in a subtle form (81:11).
It is said in verse (81:11): “And when the veil of the heaven will be taken off.” That is, the external aspect of the universe is its skin and the internal is the kernel or the root. Imam cAli, who is the door to the knowledge and wisdom of the holy Prophet, is showing man his original form, in which he was created by God, the best of creators (23:14). The one who enters the paradise of the sacred Sanctuary, is created in the image of his father Adam and he in turn was created in the Image of the Compassionate as soon as he entered paradise. Thus, the creation of every individual in the image of his or her father Adam (Allah’s vicegerent) whilst going to the sacred Sanctuary, is the greatest favour of God to the world of humanity. Since the Qur’an contains the law of excellence, only one person excels in the spiritual resurrection. Nonetheless, all souls are hidden in the same one soul.
Arabic is the king of the languages of the world. Moreover, the beauties of the miraculous expression of the wise Qur’an are so many that, they are beyond the capacity of enumeration of both jinn and mankind together. Let us ponder for a while over a short and wisdom-filled verse of such a magnificent, unprecedented and unique book, which is (81:11): “When the heaven will be peeled”, that is when the external veil of the universe will be removed and that which is veiled in it is shown. Here is a question related to knowledge: when in a dream the sun, the moon and the stars are seen in the heaven, is it the spiritual aspect of these things or is it their material aspect? The correct answer to your question should be that, since the dream is an example of spirituality, therefore, the heaven which is seen in a dream is the inner and spiritual one. It is also the miracle of the special and instantaneous (ibda`i) tajaddud-i amthal as has been mentioned in points 8 and 9.
This verse has been referred 5 times.