Al Inshiqaq

1 When the heaven bursts asunder,

1 When the sky has split [open]

1 In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. When the heaven is split asunder

2 And obeys its Lord and it must.

2 And has responded to its Lord and was obligated [to do so]

2 And attentive to her Lord in fear,

3 And when the earth is stretched,

3 And when the earth has been extended

3 And when the earth is spread out

4 And casts forth what is in it and becomes empty,

4 And has cast out that within it and relinquished [it]

4 And hath cast out all that was in her, and is empty

5 And obeys its Lord and it must.

5 And has responded to its Lord and was obligated [to do so] -

5 And attentive to her Lord in fear!

6 O man! surely you must strive (to attain) to your Lord, a hard striving until you meet Him.

6 O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet it.

6 Thou, verily, O man, art working toward thy Lord a work which thou wilt meet (in His presence).

7 Then as to him who is given his book in his right hand,

7 Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand,

7 Then whoso is given his account in his right hand

8 He shall be reckoned with by an easy reckoning,

8 He will be judged with an easy account

8 He truly will receive an easy reckoning

9 And he shall go back to his people joyful.

9 And return to his people in happiness.

9 And will return unto his folk in joy.

10 And as to him who is given his book behind his back,

10 But as for he who is given his record behind his back,

10 But whoso is given his account behind his back,

11 He shall call for perdition,

11 He will cry out for destruction

11 He surely will invoke destruction

12 And enter into burning fire.

12 And [enter to] burn in a Blaze.

12 And be thrown to scorching fire.

13 Surely he was (erstwhile) joyful among his followers.

13 Indeed, he had [once] been among his people in happiness;

13 He verily lived joyous with his folk,

14 Surely he thought that he would never return.

14 Indeed, he had thought he would never return [to Allah].

14 He verily deemed that he would never return (unto Allah).

15 Yea! surely his Lord does ever see him.

15 But yes! Indeed, his Lord was ever of him, Seeing.

15 Nay, but lo! his Lord is ever looking on him!

16 But nay! I swear by the sunset redness,

16 So I swear by the twilight glow

16 Oh, I swear by the afterglow of sunset,

17 And the night and that which it drives on,

17 And [by] the night and what it envelops

17 And by the night and all that it enshroudeth,

18 And the moon when it grows full,

18 And [by] the moon when it becomes full

18 And by the moon when she is at the full,

19 That you shall most certainly enter one state after another.

19 [That] you will surely experience state after state.

19 That ye shall journey on from plane to plane.

20 But what is the matter with them that they do not believe,

20 So what is [the matter] with them [that] they do not believe,

20 What aileth them, then, that they believe not

21 And when the Quran is recited to them they do not make obeisance?

21 And when the Qur'an is recited to them, they do not prostrate [to Allah]?

21 And, when the Qur'an is recited unto them, worship not (Allah) ?

22 Nay! those who disbelieve give the lie to the truth.

22 But those who have disbelieved deny,

22 Nay, but those who disbelieve will deny;

23 And Allah knows best what they hide,

23 And Allah is most knowing of what they keep within themselves.

23 And Allah knoweth best what they are hiding.

24 So announce to them a painful punishment~

24 So give them tidings of a painful punishment,

24 So give them tidings of a painful doom,

25 Except those who believe and do good; for them is a reward that shall never be cut off.

25 Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds. For them is a reward uninterrupted.

25 Save those who believe and do good works, for theirs is a reward unfailing.