Chapter 70, 44 verses
A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم سأل سائل بعذاب واقع
One demanding, demanded the chastisement which must befall
To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.
للكافرين ليس له دافع
The unbelievers - - there is none to avert it - -
[It is] from Allah, owner of the ways of ascent.
من الله ذي المعارج
From Allah, the Lord of the ways of Ascent.
The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.
تعرج الملائكة والروح إليه في يوم كان مقداره خمسين ألف سنة
To Him ascend the angels and the Spirit in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years.
So be patient with gracious patience.
فاصبر صبرا جميلا
Therefore endure with a goodly patience.
Indeed, they see it [as] distant,
إنهم يرونه بعيدا
Surely they think it to be far off,
But We see it [as] near.
ونراه قريبا
And We see it nigh.
On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,
يوم تكون السماء كالمهل
On the day when the heaven shall be as molten copper
And the mountains will be like wool,
وتكون الجبال كالعهن
And the mountains shall be as tufts of wool
And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend,
ولا يسأل حميم حميما
And friend shall not ask of friend
They will be shown each other. The criminal will wish that he could be ransomed from the punishment of that Day by his children
يبصرونهم ۚ يود المجرم لو يفتدي من عذاب يومئذ ببنيه
(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,
And his wife and his brother
وصاحبته وأخيه
And his wife and his brother
And his nearest kindred who shelter him
وفصيلته التي تؤويه
And the nearest of his kinsfolk who gave him shelter,
And whoever is on earth entirely [so] then it could save him.
ومن في الأرض جميعا ثم ينجيه
And all those that are in the earth, (wishing) then (that) this might deliver him.
No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],
كلا ۖ إنها لظى
By no means! Surely it is a flaming fire
A remover of exteriors.
نزاعة للشوى
Dragging by the head,
It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience]
تدعو من أدبر وتولى
It shall claim him who turned and fled (from truth),
And collected [wealth] and hoarded.
وجمع فأوعى
And amasses (wealth) then shuts it up.
Indeed, mankind was created anxious:
۞ إن الإنسان خلق هلوعا
Surely man is created of a hasty temperament
When evil touches him, impatient,
إذا مسه الشر جزوعا
Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him
And when good touches him, withholding [of it],
وإذا مسه الخير منوعا
And niggardly when good befalls him
Except the observers of prayer -
إلا المصلين
Except those who pray,
Those who are constant in their prayer
الذين هم على صلاتهم دائمون
Those who are constant at their prayer
And those within whose wealth is a known right
والذين في أموالهم حق معلوم
And those in whose wealth there is a fixed portion.
For the petitioner and the deprived -
للسائل والمحروم
For him who begs and for him who is denied (good)
And those who believe in the Day of Recompense
والذين يصدقون بيوم الدين
And those who accept the truth of the judgment day
And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord -
والذين هم من عذاب ربهم مشفقون
And those who are fearful of the chastisement of their Lord - -
Indeed, the punishment of their Lord is not that from which one is safe -
إن عذاب ربهم غير مأمون
Surely the chastisement of their Lord is (a thing) not to be felt secure of - -
And those who guard their private parts
والذين هم لفروجهم حافظون
And those who guard their private parts,
Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed -
إلا على أزواجهم أو ما ملكت أيمانهم فإنهم غير ملومين
Except in the case of their wives or those whom their right hands possess - - for these surely are not to be blamed,
But whoever seeks beyond that, then they are the transgressors -
فمن ابتغى وراء ذلك فأولئك هم العادون
But he who seeks to go beyond this, these it is that go beyond the limits - -
And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive
والذين هم لأماناتهم وعهدهم راعون
And those who are faithful to their trusts and their covenant
And those who are in their testimonies upright
والذين هم بشهاداتهم قائمون
And those who are upright in their testimonies,
And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:
والذين هم على صلاتهم يحافظون
And those who keep a guard on their prayer,
They will be in gardens, honored.
أولئك في جنات مكرمون
Those shall be in gardens, honored.
So what is [the matter] with those who disbelieve, hastening [from] before you, [O Muhammad],
فمال الذين كفروا قبلك مهطعين
But what is the matter with those who disbelieve that they hasten on around you,
[To sit] on [your] right and [your] left in separate groups?
عن اليمين وعن الشمال عزين
On the right hand and on the left, in sundry parties?
Does every person among them aspire to enter a garden of pleasure?
أيطمع كل امرئ منهم أن يدخل جنة نعيم
Does every man of them desire that he should be made to enter the garden of bliss?
No! Indeed, We have created them from that which they know.
كلا ۖ إنا خلقناهم مما يعلمون
By no means! Surely We have created them of what they know.
So I swear by the Lord of [all] risings and settings that indeed We are able
فلا أقسم برب المشارق والمغارب إنا لقادرون
But nay! I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests that We are certainly able
To replace them with better than them; and We are not to be outdone.
على أن نبدل خيرا منهم وما نحن بمسبوقين
To bring instead (others) better than them, and We shall not be overcome.
So leave them to converse vainly and amuse themselves until they meet their Day which they are promised -
فذرهم يخوضوا ويلعبوا حتى يلاقوا يومهم الذي يوعدون
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;
The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening.
يوم يخرجون من الأجداث سراعا كأنهم إلى نصب يوفضون
The day on which they shall come forth from their graves in haste, as if they were hastening on to a goal,
Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. That is the Day which they had been promised.
خاشعة أبصارهم ترهقهم ذلة ۚ ذلك اليوم الذي كانوا يوعدون
Their eyes cast down; disgrace shall overtake them; that is the day which they were threatened with.