Chapter 70, 44 verses
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم سأل سائل بعذاب واقع
One demanding, demanded the chastisement which must befall
Upon the disbelievers, which none can repel,
للكافرين ليس له دافع
The unbelievers - - there is none to avert it - -
From Allah, Lord of the Ascending Stairways
من الله ذي المعارج
From Allah, the Lord of the ways of Ascent.
(Whereby) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years.
تعرج الملائكة والروح إليه في يوم كان مقداره خمسين ألف سنة
To Him ascend the angels and the Spirit in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years.
But be patient (O Muhammad) with a patience fair to see.
فاصبر صبرا جميلا
Therefore endure with a goodly patience.
Lo! they behold it afar off
إنهم يرونه بعيدا
Surely they think it to be far off,
While we behold it nigh:
ونراه قريبا
And We see it nigh.
The day when the sky will become as molten copper,
يوم تكون السماء كالمهل
On the day when the heaven shall be as molten copper
And the hills become as flakes of wool,
وتكون الجبال كالعهن
And the mountains shall be as tufts of wool
And no familiar friend will ask a question of his friend
ولا يسأل حميم حميما
And friend shall not ask of friend
Though they will be given sight of them. The guilty man will long to be able to ransom himself from the punishment of that day at the price of his children
يبصرونهم ۚ يود المجرم لو يفتدي من عذاب يومئذ ببنيه
(Though) they shall be made to see each other. The guilty one would fain redeem himself from the chastisement of that day by (sacrificing) his children,
And his spouse and his brother
وصاحبته وأخيه
And his wife and his brother
And his kin that harboured him
وفصيلته التي تؤويه
And the nearest of his kinsfolk who gave him shelter,
And all that are in the earth, if then it might deliver him.
ومن في الأرض جميعا ثم ينجيه
And all those that are in the earth, (wishing) then (that) this might deliver him.
But nay! for lo! it is the fire of hell
كلا ۖ إنها لظى
By no means! Surely it is a flaming fire
Eager to roast;
نزاعة للشوى
Dragging by the head,
It calleth him who turned and fled (from truth),
تدعو من أدبر وتولى
It shall claim him who turned and fled (from truth),
And hoarded (wealth) and withheld it.
وجمع فأوعى
And amasses (wealth) then shuts it up.
Lo! man was created anxious,
۞ إن الإنسان خلق هلوعا
Surely man is created of a hasty temperament
Fretful when evil befalleth him
إذا مسه الشر جزوعا
Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him
And, when good befalleth him, grudging;
وإذا مسه الخير منوعا
And niggardly when good befalls him
Save worshippers.
إلا المصلين
Except those who pray,
Who are constant at their worship
الذين هم على صلاتهم دائمون
Those who are constant at their prayer
And in whose wealth there is a right acknowledged
والذين في أموالهم حق معلوم
And those in whose wealth there is a fixed portion.
For the beggar and the destitute;
للسائل والمحروم
For him who begs and for him who is denied (good)
And those who believe in the Day of Judgment,
والذين يصدقون بيوم الدين
And those who accept the truth of the judgment day
And those who are fearful of their Lord's doom -
والذين هم من عذاب ربهم مشفقون
And those who are fearful of the chastisement of their Lord - -
Lo! the doom of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure -
إن عذاب ربهم غير مأمون
Surely the chastisement of their Lord is (a thing) not to be felt secure of - -
And those who preserve their chastity
والذين هم لفروجهم حافظون
And those who guard their private parts,
Save with their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for thus they are not blameworthy;
إلا على أزواجهم أو ما ملكت أيمانهم فإنهم غير ملومين
Except in the case of their wives or those whom their right hands possess - - for these surely are not to be blamed,
But whoso seeketh more than that, those are they who are transgressors;
فمن ابتغى وراء ذلك فأولئك هم العادون
But he who seeks to go beyond this, these it is that go beyond the limits - -
And those who keep their pledges and their covenant,
والذين هم لأماناتهم وعهدهم راعون
And those who are faithful to their trusts and their covenant
And those who stand by their testimony
والذين هم بشهاداتهم قائمون
And those who are upright in their testimonies,
And those who are attentive at their worship.
والذين هم على صلاتهم يحافظون
And those who keep a guard on their prayer,
These will dwell in Gardens, honoured.
أولئك في جنات مكرمون
Those shall be in gardens, honored.
What aileth those who disbelieve, that they keep staring toward thee (O Muhammad), open - eyed,
فمال الذين كفروا قبلك مهطعين
But what is the matter with those who disbelieve that they hasten on around you,
On the right and on the left, in groups ?
عن اليمين وعن الشمال عزين
On the right hand and on the left, in sundry parties?
Doth every man among them hope to enter the Garden of Delight ?
أيطمع كل امرئ منهم أن يدخل جنة نعيم
Does every man of them desire that he should be made to enter the garden of bliss?
Nay, verily. Lo! We created them from what they know.
كلا ۖ إنا خلقناهم مما يعلمون
By no means! Surely We have created them of what they know.
But nay! I swear by the Lord of the rising - places and the setting - places of the planets that We verily are Able
فلا أقسم برب المشارق والمغارب إنا لقادرون
But nay! I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests that We are certainly able
To replace them by (others) better than them. And we are not to be outrun.
على أن نبدل خيرا منهم وما نحن بمسبوقين
To bring instead (others) better than them, and We shall not be overcome.
So let them chat and play until they meet their Day which they are promised,
فذرهم يخوضوا ويلعبوا حتى يلاقوا يومهم الذي يوعدون
Therefore leave them alone to go on with the false discourses and to sport until they come face to face with that day of theirs with which they are threatened;
The day when they come forth from the graves in haste, as racing to a goal,
يوم يخرجون من الأجداث سراعا كأنهم إلى نصب يوفضون
The day on which they shall come forth from their graves in haste, as if they were hastening on to a goal,
With eyes aghast, abasement stupefying them: Such is the Day which they are promised.
خاشعة أبصارهم ترهقهم ذلة ۚ ذلك اليوم الذي كانوا يوعدون
Their eyes cast down; disgrace shall overtake them; that is the day which they were threatened with.