Chapter 70, 44 verses
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall
A questioner asked about a Penalty to befall -
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ
Upon the disbelievers, which none can repel,
The Unbelievers, the which there is none to ward off, -
لِّلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ
From Allah, Lord of the Ascending Stairways
(A Penalty) from Allah, Lord of the Ways of Ascent.
مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ
(Whereby) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years.
The angels and the spirit ascend unto him in a Day the measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years:
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
But be patient (O Muhammad) with a patience fair to see.
Therefore do thou hold Patience, - a Patience of beautiful (contentment).
فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا
Lo! they behold it afar off
They see the (Day) indeed as a far - off (event):
إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا
While we behold it nigh:
But We see it (quite) near.
وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا
The day when the sky will become as molten copper,
The Day that the sky will be like molten brass,
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ
And the hills become as flakes of wool,
And the mountains will be like wool,
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ
And no familiar friend will ask a question of his friend
And no friend will ask after a friend,
وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا
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
Though they will be put in sight of each other, - the sinner's desire will be: Would that he could redeem himself from the Penalty of that Day by (sacrificing) his children,
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ
And his spouse and his brother
His wife and his brother,
وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ
And his kin that harboured him
His kindred who sheltered him,
وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ
And all that are in the earth, if then it might deliver him.
And all, all that is on earth, - so it could deliver him:
وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ
But nay! for lo! it is the fire of hell
By no means! for it would be the Fire of Hell! -
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ
Eager to roast;
Plucking out (his being) right to the skull! -
نَزَّاعَةً لِّلشَّوَىٰ
It calleth him who turned and fled (from truth),
Inviting (all) such as turn their backs and turn away their faces (from the Right).
تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
And hoarded (wealth) and withheld it.
And collect (wealth) and hide it (from use)!
وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ
Lo! man was created anxious,
Truly man was created very impatient; -
۞ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا
Fretful when evil befalleth him
Fretful when evil touches him;
إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا
And, when good befalleth him, grudging;
And niggardly when good reaches him; -
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا
Save worshippers.
Not so those devoted to Prayer; -
إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ
Who are constant at their worship
Those who remain steadfast to their prayer;
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ
And in whose wealth there is a right acknowledged
And those in whose wealth is a recognised right.
وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ
For the beggar and the destitute;
For the (needy) who asks and him who is prevented (for some reason from asking);
لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ
And those who believe in the Day of Judgment,
And those who hold to the truth of the Day of Judgment;
وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ
And those who are fearful of their Lord's doom -
And those who fear the displeasure of their Lord, -
وَالَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ
Lo! the doom of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure -
For their Lord's displeasure is the opposite of Peace and Tranquillity; -
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ
And those who preserve their chastity
And those who guard their chastity,
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ
Save with their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for thus they are not blameworthy;
Except with their wives and the (captives) whom their right hands possess, - for (then) they are not to be blamed,
إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ
But whoso seeketh more than that, those are they who are transgressors;
But those who trespass beyond this are transgressors; -
فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ
And those who keep their pledges and their covenant,
And those who respect their trusts and covenants;
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ
And those who stand by their testimony
And those who stand firm in their testimonies;
وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَادَاتِهِمْ قَائِمُونَ
And those who are attentive at their worship.
And those who guard (the sacredness) of their worship; -
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
These will dwell in Gardens, honoured.
Such will be the honoured ones in the Gardens (of Bliss).
أُولَٰئِكَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ
What aileth those who disbelieve, that they keep staring toward thee (O Muhammad), open - eyed,
Now what is the matter with the Unbelievers that they rush madly before thee -
فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ
On the right and on the left, in groups ?
From the right and from the left, in crowds?
عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ
Doth every man among them hope to enter the Garden of Delight ?
Does every man of them long to enter the Garden of Bliss?
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ
Nay, verily. Lo! We created them from what they know.
By no means! For We have created them out of the (base matter) they know!
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
But nay! I swear by the Lord of the rising - places and the setting - places of the planets that We verily are Able
Now I do call to witness the Lord of all points in the East and the West that We can certainly -
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ
To replace them by (others) better than them. And we are not to be outrun.
Substitute for them better (men) than they; And We are not to be defeated (in Our Plan).
عَلَىٰ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ
So let them chat and play until they meet their Day which they are promised,
So leave them to plunge in vain talk and play about, until they encounter that Day of theirs which they have been promised! -
فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ
The day when they come forth from the graves in haste, as racing to a goal,
The Day whereon they will issue from their sepulchres in sudden haste as if they were rushing to a goal - post (fixed for them), -
يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ
With eyes aghast, abasement stupefying them: Such is the Day which they are promised.
Their eyes lowered in dejection, - ignominy covering them (all over)! such is the Day the which they are promised!
خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ