رَتْقٌ

i. q. ↓ مَرْتُوقٌ [and مَرْتُوقَةٌ, &c., being originally a verbal noun; i. e. Closed up, and repaired; applied to a rent; and so ↓ رَتَقٌ]. (TA.) كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا, in the Qur'an, 21:31, lit. They (the heavens and the earth) were closed up, and we rent them], is from الرَّتْقُ as the opposite of الفَتْقُ: (S:) according to Ibn-'Arafeh, it means they were closed up, without any interstice, and we rent them by the rain and by the plants: according to Az, it means they were a heaven closed up and an earth closed up, and we rent them into seven heavens and seven earths: Lth says that the heavens were closed up, no rain descending from them; and the earth was closed up, without any fissure therein; until God rent them by the rain and the plants: Zj says that رَتْقًا is for ذَوَاتَىْ رَتْقٍ: (TA:) and he says that the heaven and the earth were united, and God rent them by the air, which He placed between them: (TA in article فتق:) some read ↓ رَتَقًا, for شَيْيءًا رَتَقًا, meaning مَرْتُوقًا. (Bd.)