The second verse speaks about the Day of Reckoning being close and the splitting of the moon. It says:
““The Hour is close and the moon has been cleft asunder.”
Actually this was the answer to the oft asked question about the coming of the Day of Reckoning. The answer was given in this verse as “The Hour is close and the moon has been cleft asunder.”
This was an event which was the proof of God’s power (of renewing life in the dead) and on the other side was confirming the claim of Messenger made by the Last Prophet
And also about the Day of Reckoning being close at hand because as we have mentioned earlier that the Messenger said:
“My Besah is one of the signs that the Day of
Reckoning is close.”
Some commentators have accepted that the verse speaks about the events that will take place at the closing stages of this world because the verse is attached to the past tense. We cannot attribute it to the future.
According to the commentary Fi Zalal Qura’n many hadith have been often repeated give the evidence that the miracle of the “Splitting of the Moon” occurred during the days of the Last Messenger. (2).
According to Allama Tabatabai in Tafsir Al Mizan the Ulema of Hadith and commentary have unanimously agreed to this meaning that the miracle of the splitting of the moon occurred during the days of the Final Messenger. Only a few non-famous commentators deny this. (3)
Abul Futuh Razi also says:
“It is against the unanimity of the Ulema that some people say that the above verse speaks about the event of the future.”(4)
How did the event of the splitting of the moon take place? The details of this miracle of the Messenger and the traditions about it are umpteen but beyond the purview of our discussion on the “Signs of the Hour” so we do not elaborate on them here. (For further details see volume 23 pages 60-61 of Tafsir Namuna)