الانشقاق

1 When the heaven bursts asunder,

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

1 In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. When the heaven is split asunder,

2 And obeys its Lord and it must.

2 And attentive to her Lord in fear,

2 And listens to and obeys its Lord - and it must do so.

3 And when the earth is stretched,

3 And when the earth is spread out

3 And when the earth is stretched forth,

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

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

4 And has cast out all that was in it and became empty.

5 And obeys its Lord and it must.

5 And attentive to her Lord in fear!

5 And listens to and obeys its Lord - and it must do so.

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

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

6 O man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions (good or bad), a sure returning, and you will meet (the results of your deeds which you did).

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

7 Then whoso is given his account in his right hand

7 Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand,

8 He shall be reckoned with by an easy reckoning,

8 He truly will receive an easy reckoning

8 He surely will receive an easy reckoning,

9 And he shall go back to his people joyful.

9 And will return unto his folk in joy.

9 And will return to his family in joy!

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

10 But whoso is given his account behind his back,

10 But whosoever is given his Record behind his back,

11 He shall call for perdition,

11 He surely will invoke destruction

11 He will invoke (for his) destruction,

12 And enter into burning fire.

12 And be thrown to scorching fire.

12 And he shall enter a blazing Fire, and be made to taste its burning.

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

13 He verily lived joyous with his folk,

13 Verily, he was among his people in joy!

14 Surely he thought that he would never return.

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

14 Verily, he thought that he would never come back (to Us)!

15 Yea! surely his Lord does ever see him.

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

15 Yes! Verily, his Lord has been ever beholding him!

16 But nay! I swear by the sunset redness,

16 Oh, I swear by the afterglow of sunset,

16 So I swear by the afterglow of sunset;

17 And the night and that which it drives on,

17 And by the night and all that it enshroudeth,

17 And by the night and whatever it gathers in its darkness,

18 And the moon when it grows full,

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

18 And by the moon when it is at the full.

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

19 That ye shall journey on from plane to plane.

19 You shall certainly travel from stage to stage (in this life and in the Hereafter).

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

20 What aileth them, then, that they believe not

20 What is the matter with them, 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 unto them, worship not (Allah) ?

21 And when the Qur'an is recited to them, they fall not prostrate.

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

22 Nay, but those who disbelieve will deny;

22 Nay, those who disbelieve belie (Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and whatever he brought, i.e. this Qur'an and Islamic Monotheism, etc.).

23 And Allah knows best what they hide,

23 And Allah knoweth best what they are hiding.

23 And Allah knows best what they gather (of good and bad deeds),

24 So announce to them a painful punishment~

24 So give them tidings of a painful doom,

24 So announce to them a painful torment.

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

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

25 Save those who believe and do righteous good deeds, for them is a reward that will never come to an end (i.e. Paradise).