Chapter 80, 42 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم عبس وتولى
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. He frowned and turned away
He frowned and turned (his) back,
(The Prophet) frowned and turned away,
أن جاءه الأعمى
Because the blind man came unto him.
Because there came to him the blind man.
Because there came to him the blind man (interrupting).
وما يدريك لعله يزكى
What could inform thee but that he might grow (in grace)
And what would make you know that he would purify himself,
But what could tell thee but that perchance he might grow (in spiritual understanding)? -
أو يذكر فتنفعه الذكرى
Or take heed and so the reminder might avail him ?
Or become reminded so that the reminder should profit him?
Or that he might receive admonition, and the teaching might profit him?
أما من استغنى
As for him who thinketh himself independent,
As for him who considers himself free from need (of you),
As to one who regards Himself as self - sufficient,
فأنت له تصدى
Unto him thou payest regard.
To him do you address yourself.
To him dost thou attend;
وما عليك ألا يزكى
Yet it is not thy concern if he grow not (in grace).
And no blame is on you if he would not purify himself
Though it is no blame to thee if he grow not (in spiritual understanding).
وأما من جاءك يسعى
But as for him who cometh unto thee with earnest purpose
And as to him who comes to you striving hard,
But as to him who came to thee striving earnestly,
وهو يخشى
And hath fear,
And he fears,
And with fear (in his heart),
فأنت عنه تلهى
From him thou art distracted.
From him will you divert yourself.
Of him wast thou unmindful.
كلا إنها تذكرة
Nay, but verily it is an Admonishment,
Nay! surely it is an admonishment.
By no means (should it be so)! For it is indeed a Message of instruction:
فمن شاء ذكره
So let whosoever will pay heed to it,
So let him who pleases mind it.
Therefore let whoso will, keep it in remembrance.
في صحف مكرمة
On honoured leaves
In honored books,
(It is) in Books held (greatly) in honour,
مرفوعة مطهرة
Exalted, purified,
Exalted, purified,
Exalted (in dignity), kept pure and holy,
بأيدي سفرة
(Set down) by scribes
In the hands of scribes
(Written) by the hands of scribes -
كرام بررة
Noble and righteous.
Noble, virtuous.
Honourable and Pious and Just.
قتل الإنسان ما أكفره
Man is (self - )destroyed: how ungrateful!
Cursed be man! how ungrateful is he!
Woe to man! What hath made him reject Allah;
من أي شيء خلقه
From what thing doth He create him ?
Of what thing did He create him?
From what stuff hath He created him?
من نطفة خلقه فقدره
From a drop of seed. He createth him and proportioneth him,
Of a small seed; He created him, then He made him according to a measure,
From a sperm - drop: He hath created him, and then mouldeth him in due proportions;
ثم السبيل يسره
Then maketh the way easy for him,
Then (as for) the way - - He has made it easy (for him)
Then doth He make His path smooth for him;
ثم أماته فأقبره
Then causeth him to die, and burieth him;
Then He causes him to die, then assigns to him a grave,
Then He causeth him to die, and putteth him in his grave;
ثم إذا شاء أنشره
Then, when He will, He bringeth him again to life.
Then when He pleases, He will raise him to life again.
Then, when it is His Will, He will raise him up (again).
كلا لما يقض ما أمره
Nay, but (man) hath not done what He commanded him.
Nay; but he has not done what He bade him.
By no means hath he fulfilled what Allah hath commanded him.
فلينظر الإنسان إلى طعامه
Let man consider his food:
Then let man look to his food,
Then let man look at his food, (and how We provide it):
أنا صببنا الماء صبا
How We pour water in showers
That We pour down the water, pouring (it) down in abundance,
For that We pour forth water in abundance,
ثم شققنا الأرض شقا
Then split the earth in clefts
Then We cleave the earth, cleaving (it) asunder,
And We split the earth in fragments,
فأنبتنا فيها حبا
And cause the grain to grow therein
Then We cause to grow therein the grain,
And produce therein corn,
وعنبا وقضبا
And grapes and green fodder
And grapes and clover,
And Grapes and nutritious plants,
وزيتونا ونخلا
And olive - trees and palm - trees
And the olive and the palm,
And Olives and Dates,
وحدائق غلبا
And garden - closes of thick foliage
And thick gardens,
And enclosed Gardens, dense with lofty trees,
وفاكهة وأبا
And fruits and grasses:
And fruits and herbage
And fruits and fodder, -
متاعا لكم ولأنعامكم
Provision for you and your cattle.
A provision for you and for your cattle.
For use and convenience to you and your cattle.
فإذا جاءت الصاخة
But when the Shout cometh
But when the deafening cry comes,
At length, when there comes the Deafening Noise, -
يوم يفر المرء من أخيه
On the day when a man fleeth from his brother
The day on which a man shall fly from his brother,
That Day shall a man flee from his own brother,
وأمه وأبيه
And his mother and his father
And his mother and his father,
And from his mother and his father,
وصاحبته وبنيه
And his wife and his children,
And his spouse and his son - -
And from his wife and his children.
لكل امرئ منهم يومئذ شأن يغنيه
Every man that day will have concern enough to make him heedless (of others).
Every man of them shall on that day have an affair which will occupy him.
Each one of them, that Day, will have enough concern (of his own) to make him indifferent to the others.
وجوه يومئذ مسفرة
On that day faces will be bright as dawn,
(Many) faces on that day shall be bright,
Some faces that Day will be beaming,
ضاحكة مستبشرة
Laughing, rejoicing at good news;
Laughing, joyous.
Laughing, rejoicing.
ووجوه يومئذ عليها غبرة
And other faces, on that day, with dust upon them,
And (many) faces on that day, on them shall be dust,
And other faces that Day will be dust - stained,
ترهقها قترة
Veiled in darkness,
Darkness shall cover them.
Blackness will cover them:
أولئك هم الكفرة الفجرة
Those are the disbelievers, the wicked.
These are they who are unbelievers, the wicked.
Such will be the Rejecters of Allah, the doers of iniquity.