Chapter 70, 44 verses
One demanding, demanded the chastisement which must befall
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall
The unbelievers - - there is none to avert it - -
لِّلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ
Upon the disbelievers, which none can repel,
From Allah, the Lord of the ways of Ascent.
مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ
From Allah, Lord of the Ascending Stairways
To Him ascend the angels and the Spirit in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years.
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
(Whereby) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years.
Therefore endure with a goodly patience.
فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا
But be patient (O Muhammad) with a patience fair to see.
Surely they think it to be far off,
إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا
Lo! they behold it afar off
And We see it nigh.
وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا
While we behold it nigh:
On the day when the heaven shall be as molten copper
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ
The day when the sky will become as molten copper,
And the mountains shall be as tufts of wool
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ
And the hills become as flakes of wool,
And friend shall not ask of friend
وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا
And no familiar friend will ask a question of his friend
(Though) they shall be made to see each other. The guilty one would fain redeem himself from the chastisement of that day by (sacrificing) his children,
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ
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
And his wife and his brother
وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ
And his spouse and his brother
And the nearest of his kinsfolk who gave him shelter,
وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ
And his kin that harboured him
And all those that are in the earth, (wishing) then (that) this might deliver him.
وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ
And all that are in the earth, if then it might deliver him.
By no means! Surely it is a flaming fire
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ
But nay! for lo! it is the fire of hell
Dragging by the head,
نَزَّاعَةً لِّلشَّوَىٰ
Eager to roast;
It shall claim him who turned and fled (from truth),
تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
It calleth him who turned and fled (from truth),
And amasses (wealth) then shuts it up.
وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ
And hoarded (wealth) and withheld it.
Surely man is created of a hasty temperament
۞ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا
Lo! man was created anxious,
Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him
إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا
Fretful when evil befalleth him
And niggardly when good befalls him
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا
And, when good befalleth him, grudging;
Except those who pray,
إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ
Save worshippers.
Those who are constant at their prayer
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ
Who are constant at their worship
And those in whose wealth there is a fixed portion.
وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ
And in whose wealth there is a right acknowledged
For him who begs and for him who is denied (good)
لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ
For the beggar and the destitute;
And those who accept the truth of the judgment day
وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ
And those who believe in the Day of Judgment,
And those who are fearful of the chastisement of their Lord - -
وَالَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ
And those who are fearful of their Lord's doom -
Surely the chastisement of their Lord is (a thing) not to be felt secure of - -
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ
Lo! the doom of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure -
And those who guard their private parts,
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ
And those who preserve their chastity
Except in the case of their wives or those whom their right hands possess - - for these surely are not to be blamed,
إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ
Save with their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for thus they are not blameworthy;
But he who seeks to go beyond this, these it is that go beyond the limits - -
فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ
But whoso seeketh more than that, those are they who are transgressors;
And those who are faithful to their trusts and their covenant
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ
And those who keep their pledges and their covenant,
And those who are upright in their testimonies,
وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَادَاتِهِمْ قَائِمُونَ
And those who stand by their testimony
And those who keep a guard on their prayer,
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
And those who are attentive at their worship.
Those shall be in gardens, honored.
أُولَٰئِكَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ
These will dwell in Gardens, honoured.
But what is the matter with those who disbelieve that they hasten on around you,
فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ
What aileth those who disbelieve, that they keep staring toward thee (O Muhammad), open - eyed,
On the right hand and on the left, in sundry parties?
عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ
On the right and on the left, in groups ?
Does every man of them desire that he should be made to enter the garden of bliss?
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ
Doth every man among them hope to enter the Garden of Delight ?
By no means! Surely We have created them of what they know.
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
Nay, verily. Lo! We created them from what they know.
But nay! I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests that We are certainly able
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ
But nay! I swear by the Lord of the rising - places and the setting - places of the planets that We verily are Able
To bring instead (others) better than them, and We shall not be overcome.
عَلَىٰ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ
To replace them by (others) better than them. And we are not to be outrun.
Therefore leave them alone to go on with the false discourses and to sport until they come face to face with that day of theirs with which they are threatened;
فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ
So let them chat and play until they meet their Day which they are promised,
The day on which they shall come forth from their graves in haste, as if they were hastening on to a goal,
يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ
The day when they come forth from the graves in haste, as racing to a goal,
Their eyes cast down; disgrace shall overtake them; that is the day which they were threatened with.
خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ
With eyes aghast, abasement stupefying them: Such is the Day which they are promised.