It is also clear from the Qur’an that the sign of the splitting of the moon was specifically for the disbelievers of the Quraysh, and its purpose was to warn them about al-Saa‘ah, meaning the Hour of Resurrection. For those who deny the Messenger, this Hour begins with the worldly punishment that descends upon them as a consequence of their persistent rejection of the truth, and its ultimate fulfillment will occur when the trumpet is blown and the Day of Judgement takes place.
In order to understand the reality of this chastisement, it is necessary to understand the mission of the prophets. The details of this are as follows: Prophets of Allah come into the world to call towards Allah and to warn and give glad tidings about the Day of Judgment. That is, they call their addressees towards Allah, the Lord of the worlds, give glad tidings of a good outcome in the Hereafter to the believers, and warn the disbelievers about the bad outcome. This is their prophetic duty. The Qur’an has described this duty of the prophets in these words:
كَانَ النَّاسُ اُمَّةً وَّاحِدَةً فَبَعَثَ اللّٰهُ النَّبِيّٖنَ مُبَشِّرِيْنَ وَمُنْذِرِيْنَ....
Mankind was just a single community. Then [differences arose between them. So,] God sent forth prophets as bearers of glad tidings and as warners… (2:213)
Regarding the Muhammad (PBUH), this command is mentioned in these words:
يٰ٘اَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ اِنَّا٘ اَرْسَلْنٰكَ شَاهِدًا وَّمُبَشِّرًا وَّنَذِيْرًا. وَّدَاعِيًا اِلَي اللّٰهِ بِاِذْنِهٖ وَسِرَاجًا مُّنِيْرًا.
O Prophet! [you also pay no heed.] We have sent you forth as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, a warner and as one who will call men to God by His leave and as a shining lamp [which guides people out from darkness. (33:45-46)
Some of these prophets are elevated by God to the office of “Messengership” along with “Prophethood.” This means that a prophet makes the truth absolutely clear to their audience, thereby completing God’s proof against them. The divine court is established on earth, and the ultimate and final fate of the deniers is determined and implemented in this world. It is as if a minor Day of Judgment is established for the deniers of the Messenger, and their paradise and hell are decided in this very life. The narratives of these messengers presented in the Qur’an make it clear that the same treatment was meted out to the deniers of Noah, Saleh, Lot, Hud, Shuaib, and Moses (peace be upon them). They were annihilated through celestial calamities. The deniers of the Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) were also destroyed under the same law through the swords of his companions.
In this context, observe that at the beginning of the Surah, it is stated that the hour, al-Saa‘ah, meaning the moment of punishment, has drawn near for the disbelievers of the Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah was warning them about this, and as a sign of it, Allah showed the moon splitting. After this introduction, the stories of the previous Messengers are referenced, indicating that their audiences also rejected them, leading Allah to utterly destroy them. Hence, when the people of Noah rejected, they were drowned in water. When ‘Ad rejected, they were destroyed by a fierce wind, and their bodies became like hollow trunks of palm trees, rolling here and there with the force of the wind. When Thamud rejected, Allah made the she-camel a sign for them, and when they hamstrung it, Allah destroyed them with a dreadful thunder and a terrifying scream, decimating their settlements completely. When the people of Lot disbelieved, they were annihilated by a wind carrying stones. When the people of Pharaoh rejected, they too were seized with formidable might and destroyed. After presenting these historical testimonies, it is stated that if the consequence of these nations’ rejection manifested as punishment, how can the outcome of your rejection be any different? If you continue on this path for a little while longer, know that the time for your punishment is also near. The extraordinary event of the moon splitting is a sign of this. It reflects the reality that He who has the power to split and then rejoin such a magnificent sphere as the moon can effortlessly dismantle and reassemble your being. Therefore, be aware that the hour of your minor Day of Judgement is near, and in its continuation, the hour of the major Day of Judgement is not far off either. In the final part of the Surah, it is stated:
اَكُفَّارُكُمْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ اُولٰٓئِكُمْ اَمْ لَكُمْ بَرَآءَةٌ فِي الزُّبُرِ. اَمْ يَقُوْلُوْنَ نَحْنُ جَمِيْعٌ مُّنْتَصِرٌ. سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلُّوْنَ الدُّبُرَ. بَلِ السَّاعَةُ مَوْعِدُهُمْ وَالسَّاعَةُ اَدْهٰي وَاَمَرُّ.
[O People of the Quraysh!] Are these disbelievers among you any better than them or is there an acquittal written for you in the scriptures? Do they claim: “We are a group who has the ability to fight back.” [Listen clearly!] This group of theirs shall soon be routed, and turning their backs they will be fleeing away. No! in fact, the actual time of fulfilment of the promise made to them is the Day of Judgement, and the Day of Judgement will be very stern and very bitter [for these disbelievers]. (54:43-46)
Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi explains the term al-Saa‘ah at the beginning and end of the Surah in such a manner that it fully clarifies the purpose of the splitting of the moon. He writes:
The term al-Saa‘ah refers to the moment of judgment and punishment. We have been clarifying in various places that God’s messengers have warned their communities about two types of punishment. The first is the punishment in this world, which inevitably befalls a community if it disregards the warnings of the messenger and persists in its denial. The second is the punishment that will occur in the Hereafter. The difference between these two types of punishment is only in terms of initiation and completion, or preparation and conclusion. The community that is seized by punishment due to the denial of the messenger is effectively seized for the punishment of the Hereafter. Therefore, the word al-Saa‘ah often encompasses both types of punishment. From this perspective, it becomes clear that for every community in which a messenger appears, the moment of its decision is imminent. Thus, the phrase Iqtarabat al-Saa‘ah is not a rhetorical expression of exaggeration, but rather a straightforward statement of fact.
Wa anshaqqa al-qamar - This sign is mentioned as indicating the approaching moment of punishment. We have referred multiple times in this book to a practice of Allah Almighty, that although signs of His power and wisdom are present throughout every inch of the heavens and the earth, and new signs continue to become manifest day by day, during the time of the messenger’s missions, Allah Almighty specifically reveals such signs through which the warnings of the messenger and the truthfulness of his claim to messengership become evident...
The purpose of these signs, as we have indicated, is to reinforce the warning of the Messenger. The messages that the Messenger proclaims through words are supported by evidence and signs that appear in this universe in various forms so that God’s argument is completely evident upon the people. A similar sign was manifested in the form of the splitting of the moon to support the warning of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), so that it would be clearly evident to the deniers of punishment and resurrection that the Qur’an’s warnings about the Day when the earth will be shaken, mountains will become dust and scatter in the atmosphere, seas will boil over, and the sun will become darkened are not just to intimidate them, but these are truths that will inevitably occur one day. These are not impossible events; their indications manifest in this world in one form or another.
One of the major reasons why the disbelievers considered the Resurrection to be something utterly implausible was their belief in the impossibility that this entire universe could one day be completely dismantled. The question they posed concerning the mountains—as recorded in the Qur’an—reveals that they regarded such things as absolutely stable, immutable, and imperishable. By showing them the sign of the splitting of the moon, Allah Almighty demonstrated that nothing in this universe—no matter how great it may be—is autonomous, eternal, or immune to change. Rather, everything is subject to the command of Allah. Whenever He wills, He can bring all of it to ruin and destruction.
It is important to note here that the verse mentioned earlier (Iqtarabat al-Saa‘ah) referred to the punishment and defeat that deniers of the messengers inevitably face in this worldly life. This verse (Balis-sa‘atu maw‘iduhum, was-sa‘atu adha wa amarr) refers to the punishment that will confront them on the actual Day of Judgment, which will be exceedingly severe. Throughout this book, we have repeatedly referred to this divine law that those who deny the messengers are invariably defeated in this world, and the Hereafter is, of course, a place of their disgrace. (Tadabbur-e-Qur’an 8/90-91, 113)