Chapter 69, 52 verses
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. The Reality!
The Sure Reality!
The Inevitable Reality -
What is the Reality ?
What is the Sure Reality?
What is the Inevitable Reality?
Ah, what will convey unto thee what the reality is!
And what will make thee realise what the Sure Reality is?
And what can make you know what is the Inevitable Reality?
(The tribes of) Thamud and A'ad disbelieved in the judgment to come.
The Thamud and the 'Ad People (branded) as false the Stunning Calamity!
Thamud and 'Aad denied the Striking Calamity.
As for Thamud, they were destroyed by the lightning.
But the Thamud, - they were destroyed by a terrible Storm of thunder and lightning!
So as for Thamud, they were destroyed by the overpowering [blast].
And as for A'ad, they were destroyed by a fierce roaring wind,
And the 'Ad, they were destroyed by a furious Wind, exceedingly violent;
And as for 'Aad, they were destroyed by a screaming, violent wind
Which He imposed on them for seven long nights and eight long days so that thou mightest have seen men lying overthrown, as they were hollow trunks of palm - trees.
He made it rage against them seven nights and eight days in succession: so that thou couldst see the (whole) people lying prostrate in its (path), as they had been roots of hollow palm - trees tumbled down!
Which Allah imposed upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so you would see the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees.
Canst thou (O Muhammad) see any remnant of them ?
Then seest thou any of them left surviving?
Then do you see of them any remains?
And Pharaoh and those before him, and the communities that were destroyed, brought error,
And Pharaoh, and those before him, and the Cities Overthrown, committed habitual Sin.
And there came Pharaoh and those before him and the overturned cities with sin.
And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, therefor did He grip them with a tightening grip.
And disobeyed (each) the messenger of their Lord; so He punished them with an abundant Penalty.
And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a seizure exceeding [in severity].
Lo! when the waters rose, We carried you upon the ship
We, when the water (of Noah's Flood) overflowed beyond its limits, carried you (mankind), in the floating (Ark),
Indeed, when the water overflowed, We carried your ancestors in the sailing ship
That We might make it a memorial for you, and that remembering ears (that heard the story) might remember.
That We might make it a Message unto you, and that ears (that should hear the tale and) retain its memory should bear its (lessons) in remembrance.
That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it.
And when the trumpet shall sound one blast
Then, when one blast is sounded on the Trumpet,
Then when the Horn is blown with one blast
And the earth with the mountains shall be lifted up and crushed with one crash,
And the earth is moved, and its mountains, and they are crushed to powder at one stroke, -
And the earth and the mountains are lifted and leveled with one blow -
Then, on that day will the Event befall.
On that Day shall the (Great) Event come to pass.
Then on that Day, the Resurrection will occur,
And the heaven will split asunder, for that day it will be frail.
And the sky will be rent asunder, for it will that Day be flimsy,
And the heaven will split [open], for that Day it is infirm.
And the angels will be on the sides thereof, and eight will uphold the Throne of thy Lord that day, above them.
And the angels will be on its sides, and eight will, that Day, bear the Throne of thy Lord above them.
And the angels are at its edges. And there will bear the Throne of your Lord above them, that Day, eight [of them].
On that day ye will be exposed; not a secret of you will be hidden.
That Day shall ye be brought to Judgment: not an act of yours that ye hide will be hidden.
That Day, you will be exhibited [for judgement]; not hidden among you is anything concealed.
Then, as for him who is given his record in his right hand, he will say: Take, read my book!
Then he that will be given his Record in his right hand will say: "Ah here! Read ye my Record!
So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, "Here, read my record!
Surely I knew that I should have to meet my reckoning.
"I did really understand that my Account would (One Day) reach me!"
Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account."
Then he will be in blissful state
And he will be in a life of Bliss,
So he will be in a pleasant life -
In a high garden
In a Garden on high,
In an elevated garden,
Whereof the clusters are in easy reach.
The Fruits whereof (will hang in bunches) low and near.
Its [fruit] to be picked hanging near.
(And it will be said unto those therein): Eat and drink at ease for that which ye sent on before you in past days.
"Eat ye and drink ye, with full satisfaction; because of the (good) that ye sent before you, in the days that are gone!"
[They will be told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth in the days past."
But as for him who is given his record in his left hand, he will say: Oh, would that I had not been given my book
And he that will be given his Record in his left hand, will say: "Ah! Would that my Record had not been given to me!
But as for he who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, "Oh, I wish I had not been given my record
And knew not what my reckoning!
"And that I had never realised how my account (stood)!
And had not known what is my account.
Oh, would that it had been death!
"Ah! Would that (Death) had made an end of me!
I wish my death had been the decisive one.
My wealth hath not availed me,
"Of no profit to me has been my wealth!
My wealth has not availed me.
My power hath gone from me.
"My power has perished from me!"...
Gone from me is my authority."
(It will be said): Take him and fetter him
(The stern command will say): "Seize ye him, and bind ye him,
[Allah will say], "Seize him and shackle him.
And then expose him to hell - fire
"And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire.
Then into Hellfire drive him.
And then insert him in a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits.
"Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits!
Then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him."
Lo! He used not to believe in Allah the Tremendous,
"This was he that would not believe in Allah Most High.
Indeed, he did not used to believe in Allah, the Most Great,
And urged not on the feeding of the wretched.
"And would not encourage the feeding of the indigent!
Nor did he encourage the feeding of the poor.
Therefor hath he no lover here this day,
"So no friend hath he here this Day.
So there is not for him here this Day any devoted friend
Nor any food save filth
"Nor hath he any food except the corruption from the washing of wounds,
Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds;
Which none but sinners eat.
"Which none do eat but those in sin."
None will eat it except the sinners.
But nay! I swear by all that ye see
So I do call to witness what ye see,
So I swear by what you see
And all that ye see not
And what ye see not,
And what you do not see
That it is indeed the speech of an illustrious messenger.
That this is verily the word of an honoured messenger;
[That] indeed, the Qur'an is the word of a noble Messenger.
It is not poet's speech - little is it that ye believe!
It is not the word of a poet: little it is ye believe!
And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.
Nor diviner's speech - little is it that ye remember!
Nor is it the word of a soothsayer: little admonition it is ye receive.
Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember.
It is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.
(This is) a Message sent down from the Lord of the Worlds.
[It is] a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
And if he had invented false sayings concerning Us,
And if the messenger were to invent any sayings in Our name,
And if Muhammad had made up about Us some [false] sayings,
We assuredly had taken him by the right hand
We should certainly seize him by his right hand,
We would have seized him by the right hand;
And then severed his life - artery,
And We should certainly then cut off the artery of his heart:
Then We would have cut from him the aorta.
And not one of you could have held Us off from him.
Nor could any of you withhold him (from Our wrath).
And there is no one of you who could prevent [Us] from him.
And lo! it is a warrant unto those who ward off (evil).
But verily this is a Message for the Allah - fearing.
And indeed, the Qur'an is a reminder for the righteous.
And lo! We know that some among you will deny (it).
And We certainly know that there are amongst you those that reject (it).
And indeed, We know that among you are deniers.
And lo! it is indeed an anguish for the disbelievers.
But truly (Revelation) is a cause of sorrow for the Unbelievers.
And indeed, it will be [a cause of] regret upon the disbelievers.
And lo! it is absolute truth.
But verily it is Truth of assured certainty.
And indeed, it is the truth of certainty.
So glorify the name of thy Tremendous Lord.
So glorify the name of thy Lord Most High.
So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great.