Chapter 74, 56 verses
O you who covers himself [with a garment],
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم يا أيها المدثر
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O you (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) enveloped in garments!
Arise and warn
قم فأنذر
Arise and warn!
And your Lord glorify
وربك فكبر
And magnify your Lord (Allah)!
And your clothing purify
وثيابك فطهر
And purify your garments!
And uncleanliness avoid
والرجز فاهجر
And keep away from Ar-Rujz (the idols)!
And do not confer favor to acquire more
ولا تمنن تستكثر
And give not a thing in order to have more (or consider not your deeds of obedience to Allah as a favour to Him).
But for your Lord be patient.
ولربك فاصبر
And be patient for the sake of your Lord (i.e. perform your duty to Allah)!
And when the trumpet is blown,
فإذا نقر في الناقور
Then, when the Trumpet is sounded (i.e. the second blowing of the horn).
That Day will be a difficult day
فذلك يومئذ يوم عسير
Truly, that Day will be a Hard Day -
For the disbelievers - not easy.
على الكافرين غير يسير
Far from easy for the disbelievers.
Leave Me with the one I created alone
ذرني ومن خلقت وحيدا
Leave Me Alone (to deal) with whom I created lonely (without any wealth or children etc, i.e. Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah Al-Makhzumi)!
And to whom I granted extensive wealth
وجعلت له مالا ممدودا
And then granted him resources in abundance.
And children present [with him]
وبنين شهودا
And children to be by his side.
And spread [everything] before him, easing [his life].
ومهدت له تمهيدا
And made life smooth and comfortable for him.
Then he desires that I should add more.
ثم يطمع أن أزيد
After all that he desires that I should give more;
No! Indeed, he has been toward Our verses obstinate.
كلا ۖ إنه كان لآياتنا عنيدا
Nay! Verily, he has been opposing Our Ayat (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations).
I will cover him with arduous torment.
سأرهقه صعودا
I shall oblige him to (climb a slippery mountain in the Hell-fire called As-Sa'ud, or) face a severe torment!
Indeed, he thought and deliberated.
إنه فكر وقدر
Verily, he thought and plotted.
So may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.
فقتل كيف قدر
So let him be cursed: how he plotted!
Then may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.
ثم قتل كيف قدر
And once more let him be cursed: how he plotted!
Then he considered [again];
ثم نظر
Then he thought.
Then he frowned and scowled;
ثم عبس وبسر
Then he frowned and he looked in a bad tempered way;
Then he turned back and was arrogant
ثم أدبر واستكبر
Then he turned back, and was proud.
And said, "This is not but magic imitated [from others].
فقال إن هذا إلا سحر يؤثر
Then he said: "This is nothing but magic from that of old,
This is not but the word of a human being."
إن هذا إلا قول البشر
"This is nothing but the word of a human being!"
I will drive him into Saqar.
سأصليه سقر
I will cast him into Hell-fire.
And what can make you know what is Saqar?
وما أدراك ما سقر
And what will make you know (exactly) what Hell-fire is?
It lets nothing remain and leaves nothing [unburned],
لا تبقي ولا تذر
It spares not (any sinner), nor does it leave (anything unburnt)!
Blackening the skins.
لواحة للبشر
Burning and blackening the skins!
Over it are nineteen [angels].
عليها تسعة عشر
Over it are nineteen (angels as guardians and keepers of Hell).
And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allah intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And mention of the Fire is not but a reminder to humanity.
وما جعلنا أصحاب النار إلا ملائكة ۙ وما جعلنا عدتهم إلا فتنة للذين كفروا ليستيقن الذين أوتوا الكتاب ويزداد الذين آمنوا إيمانا ۙ ولا يرتاب الذين أوتوا الكتاب والمؤمنون ۙ وليقول الذين في قلوبهم مرض والكافرون ماذا أراد الله بهذا مثلا ۚ كذلك يضل الله من يشاء ويهدي من يشاء ۚ وما يعلم جنود ربك إلا هو ۚ وما هي إلا ذكرى للبشر
And We have set none but angels as guardians of the Fire. And We have fixed their number (19) only as a trial for the disbelievers, in order that the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) may arrive at a certainty [that this Qur'an is the truth as it agrees with their Books regarding the number (19) which is written in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] and that the believers may increase in Faith (as this Qur'an is the truth), and that no doubt may be left for the people of the Scripture and the believers, and that those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy) and the disbelievers may say: "What Allah intends by this (curious) example ?" Thus Allah leads astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none can know the hosts of your Lord but He. And this (Hell) is nothing else than a (warning) reminder to mankind.
No! By the moon
كلا والقمر
Nay! And by the moon
And [by] the night when it departs
والليل إذ أدبر
And by the night when it withdraws.
And [by] the morning when it brightens,
والصبح إذا أسفر
And by the dawn when it brightens.
Indeed, the Fire is of the greatest [afflictions]
إنها لإحدى الكبر
Verily, it (Hell, or their denial of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, or the Day of Resurrection) is but one of the greatest (signs).
As a warning to humanity -
نذيرا للبشر
A warning to mankind -
To whoever wills among you to proceed or stay behind.
لمن شاء منكم أن يتقدم أو يتأخر
To any of you that chooses to go forward (by working righteous deeds), or to remain behind (by committing sins).
Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained
كل نفس بما كسبت رهينة
Every person is a pledge for what he has earned,
Except the companions of the right,
إلا أصحاب اليمين
Except those on the Right, (i.e. the pious true believers of Islamic Monotheism).
[Who will be] in gardens, questioning each other
في جنات يتساءلون
In Gardens (Paradise) they will ask one another,
About the criminals,
عن المجرمين
About Al-Mujrimun (polytheists, criminals, disbelievers), (And they will say to them):
[And asking them], "What put you into Saqar?"
ما سلككم في سقر
"What has caused you to enter Hell?"
They will say, "We were not of those who prayed,
قالوا لم نك من المصلين
They will say: "We were not of those who used to offer the Salat (prayers),
Nor did we used to feed the poor.
ولم نك نطعم المسكين
"Nor we used to feed Al-Miskin (the poor);
And we used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged [in it],
وكنا نخوض مع الخائضين
"And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) with vain talkers.
And we used to deny the Day of Recompense
وكنا نكذب بيوم الدين
And we used to belie the Day of Recompense,
Until there came to us the certainty."
حتى أتانا اليقين
"Until there came to us (the death) that is certain."
So there will not benefit them the intercession of [any] intercessors.
فما تنفعهم شفاعة الشافعين
So no intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them.
Then what is [the matter] with them that they are, from the reminder, turning away
فما لهم عن التذكرة معرضين
Then what is wrong with them (i.e. the polytheists, the disbelievers) that they turn away from (receiving) admonition?
As if they were alarmed donkeys
كأنهم حمر مستنفرة
As if they were (frightened) wild donkeys.
Fleeing from a lion?
فرت من قسورة
Fleeing from a hunter, or a lion, or a beast of prey.
Rather, every person among them desires that he would be given scriptures spread about.
بل يريد كل امرئ منهم أن يؤتى صحفا منشرة
Nay, everyone of them desires that he should be given pages spread out (coming from Allah with a writing that Islam is the right religion, and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم has come with the truth from Allah, the Lord of the heavens and earth).
No! But they do not fear the Hereafter.
كلا ۖ بل لا يخافون الآخرة
Nay! But they fear not the Hereafter (from Allah's punishment).
No! Indeed, the Qur'an is a reminder
كلا إنه تذكرة
Nay, verily, this (Qur'an) is an admonition,
Then whoever wills will remember it.
فمن شاء ذكره
So whosoever will (let him read it), and receive admonition (from it)!
And they will not remember except that Allah wills. He is worthy of fear and adequate for [granting] forgiveness.
وما يذكرون إلا أن يشاء الله ۚ هو أهل التقوى وأهل المغفرة
And they will not receive admonition unless Allah wills; He (Allah) is the One, deserving that mankind should be afraid of, and should be dutiful to Him, and should not take any Ilah (god) along with Him, and He is the One Who forgives (sins).