Chapter 69, 52 verses
The sure calamity!
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. The Reality!
The Inevitable Reality -
What is the sure calamity!
What is the Reality ?
What is the Inevitable Reality?
And what would make you realize what the sure calamity is!
Ah, what will convey unto thee what the reality is!
And what can make you know what is the Inevitable Reality?
Samood and Ad called the striking calamity a lie.
(The tribes of) Thamud and A'ad disbelieved in the judgment to come.
Thamud and 'Aad denied the Striking Calamity.
Then as to Samood, they were destroyed by an excessively severe punishment.
As for Thamud, they were destroyed by the lightning.
So as for Thamud, they were destroyed by the overpowering [blast].
And as to Ad, they were destroyed by a roaring, violent blast.
And as for A'ad, they were destroyed by a fierce roaring wind,
And as for 'Aad, they were destroyed by a screaming, violent wind
Which He made to prevail against them for seven nights and eight days unremittingly, so that you might have seen the people therein prostrate as if they were the trunks of hollow palms.
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.
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.
Do you then see of them one remaining?
Canst thou (O Muhammad) see any remnant of them ?
Then do you see of them any remains?
And Firon and those before him and the overthrown cities continuously committed sins.
And Pharaoh and those before him, and the communities that were destroyed, brought error,
And there came Pharaoh and those before him and the overturned cities with sin.
And they disobeyed the Apostle of their Lord, so He punished them with a vehement punishment.
And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, therefor did He grip them with a tightening grip.
And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a seizure exceeding [in severity].
Surely We bore you up in the ship when the water rose high,
Lo! when the waters rose, We carried you upon the ship
Indeed, when the water overflowed, We carried your ancestors in the sailing ship
So that We may make it a reminder to you, and that the retaining ear might retain it.
That We might make it a memorial for you, and that remembering ears (that heard the story) might remember.
That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it.
And when the trumpet is blown with a single blast,
And when the trumpet shall sound one blast
Then when the Horn is blown with one blast
And the earth and the mountains are borne away and crushed with a single crushing.
And the earth with the mountains shall be lifted up and crushed with one crash,
And the earth and the mountains are lifted and leveled with one blow -
On that day shall the great event come to pass,
Then, on that day will the Event befall.
Then on that Day, the Resurrection will occur,
And the heaven shall cleave asunder, so that on that day it shall be frail,
And the heaven will split asunder, for that day it will be frail.
And the heaven will split [open], for that Day it is infirm.
And the angels shall be on the sides thereof; and above them eight shall bear on that day your Lord's power.
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 are at its edges. And there will bear the Throne of your Lord above them, that Day, eight [of them].
On that day you shall be exposed to view - - no secret of yours shall remain hidden.
On that day ye will be exposed; not a secret of you 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 book in his right hand, he will say: Lo! read my book:
Then, as for him who is given his record in his right hand, he will say: Take, read my book!
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 shall meet my account.
Surely I knew that I should have to meet my reckoning.
Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account."
So he shall be in a life of pleasure,
Then he will be in blissful state
So he will be in a pleasant life -
In a lofty garden,
In a high garden
In an elevated garden,
The fruits of which are near at hand:
Whereof the clusters are in easy reach.
Its [fruit] to be picked hanging near.
Eat and drink pleasantly for what you did beforehand in the days gone by.
(And it will be said unto those therein): Eat and drink at ease for that which ye sent on before you in past days.
[They will be told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth in the days past."
And as for him who is given his book in his left hand he shall say: O would that my book had never been given me:
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
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 I had not known what my account was:
And knew not what my reckoning!
And had not known what is my account.
O would that it had made an end (of me):
Oh, would that it had been death!
I wish my death had been the decisive one.
My wealth has availed me nothing:
My wealth hath not availed me,
My wealth has not availed me.
My authority is gone away from me.
My power hath gone from me.
Gone from me is my authority."
Lay hold on him, then put a chain on him,
(It will be said): Take him and fetter him
[Allah will say], "Seize him and shackle him.
Then cast him into the burning fire,
And then expose him to hell - fire
Then into Hellfire drive him.
Then thrust him into a chain the length of which is seventy cubits.
And then insert him in a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits.
Then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him."
Surely he did not believe in Allah, the Great,
Lo! He used not to believe in Allah the Tremendous,
Indeed, he did not used to believe in Allah, the Most Great,
Nor did he urge the feeding of the poor.
And urged not on the feeding of the wretched.
Nor did he encourage the feeding of the poor.
Therefore he has not here today a true friend,
Therefor hath he no lover here this day,
So there is not for him here this Day any devoted friend
Nor any food except refuse,
Nor any food save filth
Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds;
Which none but the wrongdoers eat.
Which none but sinners eat.
None will eat it except the sinners.
But nay! I swear by that which you see,
But nay! I swear by all that ye see
So I swear by what you see
And that which you do not see.
And all that ye see not
And what you do not see
Most surely, it is the Word brought by an honored Apostle,
That it is indeed the speech of an illustrious messenger.
[That] indeed, the Qur'an is the word of a noble Messenger.
And it is not the word of a poet; little is it that you believe;
It is not poet's speech - little is it that ye believe!
And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.
Nor the word of a soothsayer; little is it that you mind.
Nor diviner's speech - little is it that ye remember!
Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember.
It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
It is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.
[It is] a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
And if he had fabricated against Us some of the sayings,
And if he had invented false sayings concerning Us,
And if Muhammad had made up about Us some [false] sayings,
We would certainly have seized him by the right hand,
We assuredly had taken him by the right hand
We would have seized him by the right hand;
Then We would certainly have cut off his aorta.
And then severed his life - artery,
Then We would have cut from him the aorta.
And not one of you could have withheld Us from him.
And not one of you could have held Us off from him.
And there is no one of you who could prevent [Us] from him.
And most surely it is a reminder for those who guard (against evil).
And lo! it is a warrant unto those who ward off (evil).
And indeed, the Qur'an is a reminder for the righteous.
And most surely We know that some of you are rejecters.
And lo! We know that some among you will deny (it).
And indeed, We know that among you are deniers.
And most surely it is a great grief to the unbelievers.
And lo! it is indeed an anguish for the disbelievers.
And indeed, it will be [a cause of] regret upon the disbelievers.
And most surely it is the true certainty
And lo! it is absolute truth.
And indeed, it is the truth of certainty.
Therefore - glorify the name of your Lord, the Great.
So glorify the name of thy Tremendous Lord.
So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great.