Chapter 69, 52 verses
The sure calamity!
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. The Reality!
The Sure Reality!
What is the sure calamity!
What is the Reality ?
What is the Sure Reality?
And what would make you realize what the sure calamity is!
Ah, what will convey unto thee what the reality is!
And what will make thee realise what the Sure Reality is?
Samood and Ad called the striking calamity a lie.
(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!
Then as to Samood, they were destroyed by an excessively severe punishment.
As for Thamud, they were destroyed by the lightning.
But the Thamud, - they were destroyed by a terrible Storm of thunder and lightning!
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 the 'Ad, they were destroyed by a furious Wind, exceedingly violent;
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.
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!
Do you then see of them one remaining?
Canst thou (O Muhammad) see any remnant of them ?
Then seest thou any of them left surviving?
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 Pharaoh, and those before him, and the Cities Overthrown, committed habitual 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 disobeyed (each) the messenger of their Lord; so He punished them with an abundant Penalty.
Surely We bore you up in the ship when the water rose high,
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),
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 a Message unto you, and that ears (that should hear the tale and) retain its memory should bear its (lessons) in remembrance.
And when the trumpet is blown with a single blast,
And when the trumpet shall sound one blast
Then, when one blast is sounded on the Trumpet,
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 is moved, and its mountains, and they are crushed to powder at one stroke, -
On that day shall the great event come to pass,
Then, on that day will the Event befall.
On that Day shall the (Great) Event come to pass.
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 sky will be rent asunder, for it will that Day be flimsy,
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 will be on its sides, and eight will, that Day, bear the Throne of thy Lord above 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 shall ye be brought to Judgment: not an act of yours that ye hide will be hidden.
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!
Then he that will be given his Record in his right hand will say: "Ah here! Read ye my Record!
Surely I knew that I shall meet my account.
Surely I knew that I should have to meet my reckoning.
"I did really understand that my Account would (One Day) reach me!"
So he shall be in a life of pleasure,
Then he will be in blissful state
And he will be in a life of Bliss,
In a lofty garden,
In a high garden
In a Garden on high,
The fruits of which are near at hand:
Whereof the clusters are in easy reach.
The Fruits whereof (will hang in bunches) low and 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.
"Eat ye and drink ye, with full satisfaction; because of the (good) that ye sent before you, in the days that are gone!"
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
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!
And I had not known what my account was:
And knew not what my reckoning!
"And that I had never realised how my account (stood)!
O would that it had made an end (of me):
Oh, would that it had been death!
"Ah! Would that (Death) had made an end of me!
My wealth has availed me nothing:
My wealth hath not availed me,
"Of no profit to me has been my wealth!
My authority is gone away from me.
My power hath gone from me.
"My power has perished from me!"...
Lay hold on him, then put a chain on him,
(It will be said): Take him and fetter him
(The stern command will say): "Seize ye him, and bind ye him,
Then cast him into the burning fire,
And then expose him to hell - fire
"And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire.
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.
"Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits!
Surely he did not believe in Allah, the Great,
Lo! He used not to believe in Allah the Tremendous,
"This was he that would not believe in Allah Most High.
Nor did he urge the feeding of the poor.
And urged not on the feeding of the wretched.
"And would not encourage the feeding of the indigent!
Therefore he has not here today a true friend,
Therefor hath he no lover here this day,
"So no friend hath he here this Day.
Nor any food except refuse,
Nor any food save filth
"Nor hath he any food except the corruption from the washing of wounds,
Which none but the wrongdoers eat.
Which none but sinners eat.
"Which none do eat but those in sin."
But nay! I swear by that which you see,
But nay! I swear by all that ye see
So I do call to witness what ye see,
And that which you do not see.
And all that ye see not
And what ye see not,
Most surely, it is the Word brought by an honored Apostle,
That it is indeed the speech of an illustrious messenger.
That this is verily the word of an honoured 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!
It is not the word of a poet: little it is ye believe!
Nor the word of a soothsayer; little is it that you mind.
Nor diviner's speech - little is it that ye remember!
Nor is it the word of a soothsayer: little admonition it is ye receive.
It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
It is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.
(This is) a Message sent down 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 the messenger were to invent any sayings in Our name,
We would certainly have seized him by the right hand,
We assuredly had taken him by the right hand
We should certainly seize him by his right hand,
Then We would certainly have cut off his aorta.
And then severed his life - artery,
And We should certainly then cut off the artery of his heart:
And not one of you could have withheld Us from him.
And not one of you could have held Us off from him.
Nor could any of you withhold him (from Our wrath).
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).
But verily this is a Message for the Allah - fearing.
And most surely We know that some of you are rejecters.
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 most surely it is a great grief to the unbelievers.
And lo! it is indeed an anguish for the disbelievers.
But truly (Revelation) is a cause of sorrow for the Unbelievers.
And most surely it is the true certainty
And lo! it is absolute truth.
But verily it is Truth of assured certainty.
Therefore - glorify the name of your Lord, the Great.
So glorify the name of thy Tremendous Lord.
So glorify the name of thy Lord Most High.