فَإِذا بَرِقَ البَصَرُ
But when the eyes are dazzled.
EXEGESIS
Bariqa (dazzled) is from barq, a brilliant flash of light. The verb baraqa is the flashing of that light, whilst bariqa is the disorientation (taḥayyur) that results from looking at it. In usage it has acquired a generalised meaning and can refer to any type of disorientation, even if it has not been caused by a flash of light.
In addition to disorientation, it can also mean fear, meaning they will not be able to focus their gaze on any specific thing because of the intense fear that they experience, as described in the verse, With a humbled look [in their eyes], they will be overcast by abasement (68:43).
EXPOSITION
Although the question of the previous verse was not made in earnest, God now describes some of the portents and events of the final hour (al-sāʿah) in these verses, beginning with the description when the eyes are dazzled. The dazzling of the eyes speaks of disorientation and fear, akin to the Quranic depiction, you will see the people drunk, yet they will not be drunken (22:2).
While the context of the following verses suggests that this verse depicts events of the final hour, commentators have nevertheless offered varied interpretations regarding the moment referred to by this ‘dazzling’ of the eyes:
- The moment of death, when a person witnesses the angel of death that has come to claim his soul.
Death itself marks the severing of the soul from the body. In Sūrat Qāf, the Quran calls this sakrat al‑mawt – the intoxication of death (50:19) – swiftly followed by the lifting of veils and a gaze sharp as iron (50:22). What worldly pursuits had veiled, the flash of death unveils, revealing that the soul endures beyond the grave.
- The moment when a person witnesses the Day of Judgement, like in the verse, the day when the eyes will be glazed (14:42).
The Day of Resurrection – when the soul is reunited with the body – is also a moment of confusion, when people will wander and wonder in bafflement, not knowing where they are and what has happened and how long they have been unconscious. Yet this confusion is quickly followed by a realisation of truth, It will be only a single shout and, behold, they will look on, and say: ‘Woe to us! This is the Day of Retribution!’ (37:19-20). All, even the most stubborn deniers, will realise the true sovereignty of God and how everything is in submission to Him.
- The moment when a person sees hell.
The insight of the true reality of affairs is not just limited to the external world, but rather this revelation and lifting of veils is accompanied by a similar unveiling of the reality of man’s own self, as all that he has kept inside him is brought forth: That day you will be exposed: none of your secrets will remain hidden (69:18). As God is the light of the heavens and the earth (24:35), it is by reflecting His truth that man is able to understand his own self.
The verse also introduces the first change in the surah’s rhyme scheme, a shift that endures until verse 13, marking the transition to a vivid scene of the Day of Judgement.
[1] Tibyan, 10/192. See also Zamakhshari, 4/660.
[2] Razi, 30/723.
[3] Ibn Kathir, 8/284.
[4] Tabrisi, 10/598; related in Baghawi, 5/183.
[5] Baghawi, 5/183; related in Tabrisi, 10/598.
[6] Related in Baghawi, 5/183.