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
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ
To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.
Upon the disbelievers, which none can avert,
لِّلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ
[It is] from Allah, owner of the ways of ascent.
From Allah, the Lord of the ways of ascent.
مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ
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.
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
So be patient with gracious patience.
So be patient (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), with a good patience.
فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا
Indeed, they see it [as] distant,
Verily, they see it (the torment) afar off.
إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا
But We see it [as] near.
But We see it (quite) near.
وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا
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).
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ
And the mountains will be like wool,
And the mountains will be like flakes of wool.
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ
And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend,
And no friend will ask a friend (about his condition),
وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا
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,
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ
And his wife and his brother
And his wife and his brother,
وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ
And his nearest kindred who shelter him
And his kindred who sheltered him,
وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ
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.
وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ
No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],
By no means! Verily, it will be the Fire of Hell,
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ
A remover of exteriors.
Taking away (burning completely) the head skin!
نَزَّاعَةً لِّلشَّوَىٰ
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)
تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
And collected [wealth] and hoarded.
And collect (wealth) and hide it (from spending it in the Cause of Allah).
وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ
Indeed, mankind was created anxious:
Verily, man () was created very impatient;
۞ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا
When evil touches him, impatient,
Irritable (discontented) when evil touches him;
إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا
And when good touches him, withholding [of it],
And niggardly when good touches him.
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا
Except the observers of prayer -
Except those who are devoted to Salat (prayers).
إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ
Those who are constant in their prayer
Those who remain constant in their Salat (prayers);
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ
And those within whose wealth is a known right
And those in whose wealth there is a recognised right
وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ
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).
لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ
And those who believe in the Day of Recompense
And those who believe in the Day of Recompense.
وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ
And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord -
And those who fear the torment of their Lord.
وَالَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ
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. -
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ
And those who guard their private parts
And those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts from illegal sexual acts).
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ
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.
إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ
But whoever seeks beyond that, then they are the transgressors -
But whosoever seeks beyond that, then it is those who are trespassers.
فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ
And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive
And those who keep their trusts and covenants.
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ
And those who are in their testimonies upright
And those who stand firm in their testimonies.
وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَادَاتِهِمْ قَائِمُونَ
And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:
And those who guard their Salat (prayers) well.
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
They will be in gardens, honored.
Such shall dwell in the Gardens (i.e. Paradise), honoured.
أُولَٰئِكَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ
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)].
فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ
[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)?
عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ
Does every person among them aspire to enter a garden of pleasure?
Does every man of them hope to enter the Paradise of Delight?
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ
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!
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
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
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ
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.
عَلَىٰ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ
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 -
فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ
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,
يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ
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!
خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ