Chapter 74, 56 verses
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. O thou enveloped in thy cloak,
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O you (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) enveloped in garments!
O thou wrapped up (in the mantle)!
Arise and warn!
Arise and warn!
Arise and deliver thy warning!
Thy Lord magnify,
And magnify your Lord (Allah)!
And thy Lord do thou magnify!
Thy raiment purify,
And purify your garments!
And thy garments keep free from stain!
Pollution shun!
And keep away from Ar-Rujz (the idols)!
And all abomination shun!
And show not favour, seeking wordly gain!
And give not a thing in order to have more (or consider not your deeds of obedience to Allah as a favour to Him).
Nor expect, in giving, any increase (for thyself)!
For the sake of thy Lord, be patient!
And be patient for the sake of your Lord (i.e. perform your duty to Allah)!
But, for thy Lord's (Cause), be patient and constant!
For when the trumpet shall sound,
Then, when the Trumpet is sounded (i.e. the second blowing of the horn).
Finally, when the Trumpet is sounded,
Surely that day will be a day of anguish,
Truly, that Day will be a Hard Day -
That will be - that Day - a Day of Distress, -
Not of ease, for disbelievers.
Far from easy for the disbelievers.
Far from easy for those without Faith.
Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely,
Leave Me Alone (to deal) with whom I created lonely (without any wealth or children etc, i.e. Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah Al-Makhzumi)!
Leave Me alone, (to deal) with the (creature) whom I created (bare and) alone! -
And then bestowed upon him ample means,
And then granted him resources in abundance.
To whom I granted resources in abundance,
And sons abiding in his presence
And children to be by his side.
And sons to be by his side! -
And made (life) smooth for him.
And made life smooth and comfortable for him.
To whom I made (life) smooth and comfortable!
Yet he desireth that I should give more.
After all that he desires that I should give more;
Yet is he greedy - that I should add (yet more); -
Nay! For lo! he hath been stubborn to Our revelations.
Nay! Verily, he has been opposing Our Ayat (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations).
By no means! For to Our Signs he has been refractory!
On him I shall impose a fearful doom.
I shall oblige him to (climb a slippery mountain in the Hell-fire called As-Sa'ud, or) face a severe torment!
Soon will I visit him with a mount of calamities!
For lo! he did consider; then he planned -
Verily, he thought and plotted.
For he thought and he plotted; -
(Self - )destroyed is he, how he planned!
So let him be cursed: how he plotted!
And woe to him! How he plotted! -
Again (self - )destroyed is he, how he planned! -
And once more let him be cursed: how he plotted!
Yea, Woe to him; How he plotted! -
Then looked he,
Then he thought.
Then he looked round;
Then frowned he and showed displeasure.
Then he frowned and he looked in a bad tempered way;
Then he frowned and he scowled;
Then turned he away in pride
Then he turned back, and was proud.
Then he turned back and was haughty;
And said: This is naught else than magic from of old;
Then he said: "This is nothing but magic from that of old,
Then said he: "This is nothing but magic, derived from of old;
This is naught else than speech of mortal man.
"This is nothing but the word of a human being!"
"This is nothing but the word of a mortal!"
Him shall I fling unto the burning.
I will cast him into Hell-fire.
Soon will I cast him into Hell - Fire!
- Ah, what will convey unto thee what that burning is! -
And what will make you know (exactly) what Hell-fire is?
And what will explain to thee what Hell - Fire is?
It leaveth naught; it spareth naught
It spares not (any sinner), nor does it leave (anything unburnt)!
Naught doth it permit to endure, and naught doth it leave alone! -
It shrivelleth the man.
Burning and blackening the skins!
Darkening and changing the colour of man!
Above it are nineteen.
Over it are nineteen (angels as guardians and keepers of Hell).
Over it are Nineteen.
We have appointed only angels to be wardens of the Fire, and their number have We made to be a stumbling - block for those who disbelieve; that those to whom the Scripture hath been given may have certainty, and that believers may increase in faith; and that those to whom the Scripture hath been given and believers may not doubt; and that those in whose hearts there is disease, and disbelievers, may say: What meaneth Allah by this similitude ? Thus Allah sendeth astray whom He will, and whom He will He guideth. None knoweth the hosts of thy Lord save Him. This is naught else than a Reminder unto mortals.
And We have set none but angels as guardians of the Fire. And We have fixed their number (19) only as a trial for the disbelievers, in order that the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) may arrive at a certainty [that this Qur'an is the truth as it agrees with their Books regarding the number (19) which is written in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] and that the believers may increase in Faith (as this Qur'an is the truth), and that no doubt may be left for the people of the Scripture and the believers, and that those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy) and the disbelievers may say: "What Allah intends by this (curious) example ?" Thus Allah leads astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none can know the hosts of your Lord but He. And this (Hell) is nothing else than a (warning) reminder to mankind.
And We have set none but angels as Guardians of the Fire; and We have fixed their number only as a trial for Unbelievers, - in order that the People of the Book may arrive at certainty, and the Believers may increase in Faith, - and that no doubts may be left for the People of the Book and the Believers, and that those in whose hearts is a disease and the Unbelievers may say, "What symbol doth Allah intend by this?" Thus doth Allah leave to stray whom He pleaseth, and guide whom He pleaseth: and none can know the forces of thy Lord, except He and this is no other than a warning to mankind.
Nay, by the Moon
Nay! And by the moon
Nay, verily: By the Moon,
And the night when it withdraweth
And by the night when it withdraws.
And by the Night as it retreateth,
And the dawn when it shineth forth,
And by the dawn when it brightens.
And by the Dawn as it shineth forth, -
Lo! this is one of the greatest (portents)
Verily, it (Hell, or their denial of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, or the Day of Resurrection) is but one of the greatest (signs).
This is but one of the mighty (portents),
As a warning unto men,
A warning to mankind -
A warning to mankind, -
Unto him of you who will advance or hang back.
To any of you that chooses to go forward (by working righteous deeds), or to remain behind (by committing sins).
To any of you that chooses to press forward, or to follow behind; -
Every soul is a pledge for its own deeds;
Every person is a pledge for what he has earned,
Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds.
Save those who will stand on the right hand.
Except those on the Right, (i.e. the pious true believers of Islamic Monotheism).
Except the Companions of the Right Hand.
In gardens they will ask one another
In Gardens (Paradise) they will ask one another,
(They will be) in Gardens (of Delight): they will question each other,
Concerning the guilty:
About Al-Mujrimun (polytheists, criminals, disbelievers), (And they will say to them):
And (ask) of the Sinners:
What hath brought you to this burning ?
"What has caused you to enter Hell?"
"What led you into Hell Fire?"
They will answer: We were not of those who prayed
They will say: "We were not of those who used to offer the Salat (prayers),
They will say: "We were not of those who prayed;
Nor did we feed the wretched.
"Nor we used to feed Al-Miskin (the poor);
"Nor were we of those who fed the indigent;
We used to wade (in vain dispute) with (all) waders,
"And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) with vain talkers.
"But we used to talk vanities with vain talkers;
And we used to deny the Day of Judgment,
And we used to belie the Day of Recompense,
"And we used to deny the Day of Judgment,
Till the Inevitable came unto us.
"Until there came to us (the death) that is certain."
"Until there came to us (the Hour) that is certain."
The mediation of no mediators will avail them then.
So no intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them.
Then will no intercession of (any) intercessors profit them.
Why now turn they away from the Admonishment,
Then what is wrong with them (i.e. the polytheists, the disbelievers) that they turn away from (receiving) admonition?
Then what is the matter with them that they turn away from admonition? -
As they were frightened asses
As if they were (frightened) wild donkeys.
As if they were affrighted asses,
Fleeing from a lion ?
Fleeing from a hunter, or a lion, or a beast of prey.
Fleeing from a lion!
Nay, but everyone of them desireth that he should be given open pages (from Allah).
Nay, everyone of them desires that he should be given pages spread out (coming from Allah with a writing that Islam is the right religion, and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم has come with the truth from Allah, the Lord of the heavens and earth).
Forsooth, each one of them wants to be given scrolls (of revelation) spread out!
Nay, verily. They fear not the Hereafter.
Nay! But they fear not the Hereafter (from Allah's punishment).
By no means! But they fear not the Hereafter,
Nay, verily. Lo! this is an Admonishment.
Nay, verily, this (Qur'an) is an admonition,
Nay, this surely is an admonition:
So whosoever will may heed.
So whosoever will (let him read it), and receive admonition (from it)!
Let any who will, keep it in remembrance!
And they will not heed unless Allah willeth (it). He is the fount of fear. He is the fount of Mercy.
And they will not receive admonition unless Allah wills; He (Allah) is the One, deserving that mankind should be afraid of, and should be dutiful to Him, and should not take any Ilah (god) along with Him, and He is the One Who forgives (sins).
But none will keep it in remembrance except as Allah wills: He is the Lord of Righteousness, and the Lord of Forgiveness.