Chapter 70, 44 verses
A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. A questioner asked concerning a torment about to befall
One demanding, demanded the chastisement which must befall
To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.
Upon the disbelievers, which none can avert,
The unbelievers - - there is none to avert it - -
[It is] from Allah, owner of the ways of ascent.
From Allah, the Lord of the ways of ascent.
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.
The angels and the Ruh [Jibril (Gabriel)] ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years.
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.
So be patient (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), with a good patience.
Therefore endure with a goodly patience.
Indeed, they see it [as] distant,
Verily, they see it (the torment) afar off.
Surely they think it to be far off,
But We see it [as] near.
But We see it (quite) near.
And We see it nigh.
On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,
The Day that the sky will be like the boiling filth of oil, (or molten copper or silver or lead).
On the day when the heaven shall be as molten copper
And the mountains will be like wool,
And the mountains will be like flakes of wool.
And the mountains shall be as tufts of wool
And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend,
And no friend will ask a friend (about his condition),
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
Though they shall be made to see one another [(i.e. on the Day of Resurrection), there will be none but see his father, children and relatives, but he will neither speak to them nor will ask them for any help]. The Mujrim, (criminal, sinner, ) would desire to ransom himself from the punishment of that Day by his children,
(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
And his wife and his brother,
And his wife and his brother
And his nearest kindred who shelter him
And his kindred who sheltered him,
And the nearest of his kinsfolk who gave him shelter,
And whoever is on earth entirely [so] then it could save him.
And all that are in the earth, so that it might save him.
And all those that are in the earth, (wishing) then (that) this might deliver him.
No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],
By no means! Verily, it will be the Fire of Hell,
By no means! Surely it is a flaming fire
A remover of exteriors.
Taking away (burning completely) the head skin!
Dragging by the head,
It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience]
Calling (all) such as turn their backs and turn away their faces (from Faith) [picking and swallowing them up from that great gathering of mankind on the Day of Resurrection just as a bird picks up a food-grain from the earth with its beak and swallows it up] (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi)
It shall claim him who turned and fled (from truth),
And collected [wealth] and hoarded.
And collect (wealth) and hide it (from spending it in the Cause of Allah).
And amasses (wealth) then shuts it up.
Indeed, mankind was created anxious:
Verily, man () was created very impatient;
Surely man is created of a hasty temperament
When evil touches him, impatient,
Irritable (discontented) when evil touches him;
Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him
And when good touches him, withholding [of it],
And niggardly when good touches him.
And niggardly when good befalls him
Except the observers of prayer -
Except those who are devoted to Salat (prayers).
Except those who pray,
Those who are constant in their prayer
Those who remain constant in their Salat (prayers);
Those who are constant at their prayer
And those within whose wealth is a known right
And those in whose wealth there is a recognised right
And those in whose wealth there is a fixed portion.
For the petitioner and the deprived -
For the beggar who asks, and for the unlucky who has lost his property and wealth, (and his means of living has been straitened).
For him who begs and for him who is denied (good)
And those who believe in the Day of Recompense
And those who believe in the Day of Recompense.
And those who accept the truth of the judgment day
And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord -
And those who fear the torment of their Lord.
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 -
Verily, the torment of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure. -
Surely the chastisement of their Lord is (a thing) not to be felt secure of - -
And those who guard their private parts
And those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts from illegal sexual acts).
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 -
Except from their wives or the (women slaves) whom their right hands possess - for (then) they are not blameworthy.
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 -
But whosoever seeks beyond that, then it is those who are trespassers.
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
And those who keep their trusts and covenants.
And those who are faithful to their trusts and their covenant
And those who are in their testimonies upright
And those who stand firm in their testimonies.
And those who are upright in their testimonies,
And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:
And those who guard their Salat (prayers) well.
And those who keep a guard on their prayer,
They will be in gardens, honored.
Such shall dwell in the Gardens (i.e. Paradise), honoured.
Those shall be in gardens, honored.
So what is [the matter] with those who disbelieve, hastening [from] before you, [O Muhammad],
So what is the matter with those who disbelieve that they hasten to listen from you [O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), in order to belie you and to mock at you, and at Allah's Book (this Qur'an)].
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?
(Sitting) in groups on the right and on the left (of you, O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم)?
On the right hand and on the left, in sundry parties?
Does every person among them aspire to enter a garden of pleasure?
Does every man of them hope to enter the Paradise of Delight?
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.
No, that is not like that! Verily, We have created them out of that which they know!
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
So I swear by the Lord of all the [three hundred and sixty-five (365)] points of sunrise and sunset in the east and the west that surely We are Able
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.
To replace them by (others) better than them; and We are not to be outrun.
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 -
So leave them to plunge in vain talk and play about, until they meet their Day which they are promised -
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.
The Day when they will come out of the graves quickly as racing to a goal,
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.
With their eyes lowered in fear and humility, ignominy covering them (all over)! That is the Day which they were promised!
Their eyes cast down; disgrace shall overtake them; that is the day which they were threatened with.