Some commentators have expressed the view that the statement Iqtarabat al-Saa‘ah Wa anshaqqa al-qamar does not refer to an incident from the time of the Prophet, but is a prophecy about an event that will occur on the Day of Judgment. An objection to this interpretation is that anshaqqa is a verb in the past tense; how can it be taken to refer to a future event? In response, it is argued that using the past tense to highlight the certainty and inevitability of a future event is an established rule in Arabic language and literature. Both Maulana Islahi and Maulana Maududi acknowledge this rule, but they consider its application incorrect in this context. Therefore, according to them, it is an incident from the time of the Prophet.
In Tadabbur-e-Qur’an it is stated:
Some people have said that this refers to an event that will occur on the Day of Judgement, and that it has been expressed in the past tense to emphasize the certainty of its occurrence. According to them, the meaning is: “The Hour has drawn near, and the moon will split.” Although this view has been transmitted from some early scholars and is accepted by a certain group even in our time, the context of the discourse does not support it. There is no doubt that certain events of the Day of Judgement have indeed been mentioned in the Qur’an using the past tense to indicate their certainty. However, applying that understanding here would make the passage inconsistent with what follows.
Immediately thereafter, it is stated that whenever they see a sign, they turn away from it and say: “This is persistent magic.” Reflect carefully: if the splitting of the moon were to be an event related to the Day of Judgement, then what relevance would there be to saying this afterward? On the Day of Judgment, even the staunchest denier will not be in a position to dismiss anything as magic; rather, all will acknowledge that the messages delivered by the messengers turned out to be true, word for word. Accordingly, it is also mentioned later: Yaqulu al-kafiruna hadha yawmun ‘asir (The disbelievers will say: “This is a very difficult day.”) (8/91-92)
It is stated in Tafheem-ul-Qur’an:
Some people have interpreted this phrase to mean that ‘the moon will split.’ While it may be possible to take this meaning based on the Arabic language, the context of the text clearly rejects this interpretation. Firstly, if this meaning is taken, the preceding phrase becomes meaningless. If the moon had not split at the time of this revelation and is to split at some future point, it makes little sense to assert that the Hour of Judgment has drawn near on that basis. How can a future event be considered a sign of its nearness so as to be presented as a logical argument? Secondly, after taking this meaning, when we read the subsequent text, it seems that it does not coincide with it in any manner. The subsequent text clearly indicates that people at that time witnessed a sign, which was a manifest indication of the possibility of the Hour, but they dismissed it as a feat of magic, persisting in their belief that the coming of the Hour was not possible. In this context, the words anshaqqa al-qamar only fit correctly if they mean ‘the moon has split.’ If interpreted as ‘will split,’ the subsequent discussion becomes disjointed. Try placing this phrase in the sequence of the text, and you will sense that it renders the entire passage meaningless.
The Hour of Resurrection has drawn near, and the moon will be split. As for their state, no matter what sign they see, they turn away and say that this is ongoing magic. They have denied and followed the desires of their own selves. (5/228-229)