78:19 and the heaven shall be opened, and it will become as gates

وَفُتِحَتِ السَّمَاءُ فَكَانَتْ أَبْوَابًا

and the heaven shall be opened, and it will become as gates

ABWAAB is plural for the word BAAB which means door/gate. Dr Abdul Haleem translated ABWAAB here as portal: a portal is essentially a entry point from one realm to another. What will come through this portal? The angels, they will descend through these portals in order to fulfill the command of Allah.

In verse 12 Allah mentions the 7 strong (heavens) there are no gaps or cracks whatsoever. Allah has created it in a perfect shape and manner without it breaking anywhere. Allah has created the whole world in a well-balanced equilibrium. However on the day of Judgement, the world will be turned on its head, this equilibrium will be destroyed and the sky will tear.

In construction what is the loosest part of the room? The door is the loosest because it has hinges; it is the weakest part of the construction. Allah talks about this magnificent construction and then he says they will be like doors; very weak. You’ll see cracks everywhere.  Such is the scenery of that day.

In ayah 18 that day يُنْفَخُ its in the present tense meaning the horn will happen blown into ..

But here the verb فُتِحَ is in the past tense … was opened (this is lost in translation). The Sahee Internation Translation states, ‘When the Heaven is opened/ gateways’

Why mention it in the past tense even though it hasn’t happened yet? The fact that it is mentioned in the past tense really indicates this is something that will definitely take place so much so it is mentioned in the past tense, like it has already happened.

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