Chapter 70, 44 verses
A questioner asked about a Penalty to befall -
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم سأل سائل بعذاب واقع
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall
The Unbelievers, the which there is none to ward off, -
للكافرين ليس له دافع
Upon the disbelievers, which none can repel,
(A Penalty) from Allah, Lord of the Ways of Ascent.
من الله ذي المعارج
From Allah, Lord of the Ascending Stairways
The angels and the spirit ascend unto him in a Day the measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years:
تعرج الملائكة والروح إليه في يوم كان مقداره خمسين ألف سنة
(Whereby) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years.
Therefore do thou hold Patience, - a Patience of beautiful (contentment).
فاصبر صبرا جميلا
But be patient (O Muhammad) with a patience fair to see.
They see the (Day) indeed as a far - off (event):
إنهم يرونه بعيدا
Lo! they behold it afar off
But We see it (quite) near.
ونراه قريبا
While we behold it nigh:
The Day that the sky will be like molten brass,
يوم تكون السماء كالمهل
The day when the sky will become as molten copper,
And the mountains will be like wool,
وتكون الجبال كالعهن
And the hills become as flakes of wool,
And no friend will ask after a friend,
ولا يسأل حميم حميما
And no familiar friend will ask a question of his friend
Though they will be put in sight of each other, - the sinner's desire will be: Would that he could redeem himself from the Penalty of that Day by (sacrificing) his children,
يبصرونهم ۚ يود المجرم لو يفتدي من عذاب يومئذ ببنيه
Though they will be given sight of them. The guilty man will long to be able to ransom himself from the punishment of that day at the price of his children
His wife and his brother,
وصاحبته وأخيه
And his spouse and his brother
His kindred who sheltered him,
وفصيلته التي تؤويه
And his kin that harboured him
And all, all that is on earth, - so it could deliver him:
ومن في الأرض جميعا ثم ينجيه
And all that are in the earth, if then it might deliver him.
By no means! for it would be the Fire of Hell! -
كلا ۖ إنها لظى
But nay! for lo! it is the fire of hell
Plucking out (his being) right to the skull! -
نزاعة للشوى
Eager to roast;
Inviting (all) such as turn their backs and turn away their faces (from the Right).
تدعو من أدبر وتولى
It calleth him who turned and fled (from truth),
And collect (wealth) and hide it (from use)!
وجمع فأوعى
And hoarded (wealth) and withheld it.
Truly man was created very impatient; -
۞ إن الإنسان خلق هلوعا
Lo! man was created anxious,
Fretful when evil touches him;
إذا مسه الشر جزوعا
Fretful when evil befalleth him
And niggardly when good reaches him; -
وإذا مسه الخير منوعا
And, when good befalleth him, grudging;
Not so those devoted to Prayer; -
إلا المصلين
Save worshippers.
Those who remain steadfast to their prayer;
الذين هم على صلاتهم دائمون
Who are constant at their worship
And those in whose wealth is a recognised right.
والذين في أموالهم حق معلوم
And in whose wealth there is a right acknowledged
For the (needy) who asks and him who is prevented (for some reason from asking);
للسائل والمحروم
For the beggar and the destitute;
And those who hold to the truth of the Day of Judgment;
والذين يصدقون بيوم الدين
And those who believe in the Day of Judgment,
And those who fear the displeasure of their Lord, -
والذين هم من عذاب ربهم مشفقون
And those who are fearful of their Lord's doom -
For their Lord's displeasure is the opposite of Peace and Tranquillity; -
إن عذاب ربهم غير مأمون
Lo! the doom of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure -
And those who guard their chastity,
والذين هم لفروجهم حافظون
And those who preserve their chastity
Except with their wives and the (captives) whom their right hands possess, - for (then) they are not to be blamed,
إلا على أزواجهم أو ما ملكت أيمانهم فإنهم غير ملومين
Save with their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for thus they are not blameworthy;
But those who trespass beyond this are transgressors; -
فمن ابتغى وراء ذلك فأولئك هم العادون
But whoso seeketh more than that, those are they who are transgressors;
And those who respect their trusts and covenants;
والذين هم لأماناتهم وعهدهم راعون
And those who keep their pledges and their covenant,
And those who stand firm in their testimonies;
والذين هم بشهاداتهم قائمون
And those who stand by their testimony
And those who guard (the sacredness) of their worship; -
والذين هم على صلاتهم يحافظون
And those who are attentive at their worship.
Such will be the honoured ones in the Gardens (of Bliss).
أولئك في جنات مكرمون
These will dwell in Gardens, honoured.
Now what is the matter with the Unbelievers that they rush madly before thee -
فمال الذين كفروا قبلك مهطعين
What aileth those who disbelieve, that they keep staring toward thee (O Muhammad), open - eyed,
From the right and from the left, in crowds?
عن اليمين وعن الشمال عزين
On the right and on the left, in groups ?
Does every man of them long to enter the Garden of Bliss?
أيطمع كل امرئ منهم أن يدخل جنة نعيم
Doth every man among them hope to enter the Garden of Delight ?
By no means! For We have created them out of the (base matter) they know!
كلا ۖ إنا خلقناهم مما يعلمون
Nay, verily. Lo! We created them from what they know.
Now I do call to witness the Lord of all points in the East and the West that We can certainly -
فلا أقسم برب المشارق والمغارب إنا لقادرون
But nay! I swear by the Lord of the rising - places and the setting - places of the planets that We verily are Able
Substitute for them better (men) than they; And We are not to be defeated (in Our Plan).
على أن نبدل خيرا منهم وما نحن بمسبوقين
To replace them by (others) better than them. And we are not to be outrun.
So leave them to plunge in vain talk and play about, until they encounter that Day of theirs which they have been promised! -
فذرهم يخوضوا ويلعبوا حتى يلاقوا يومهم الذي يوعدون
So let them chat and play until they meet their Day which they are promised,
The Day whereon they will issue from their sepulchres in sudden haste as if they were rushing to a goal - post (fixed for them), -
يوم يخرجون من الأجداث سراعا كأنهم إلى نصب يوفضون
The day when they come forth from the graves in haste, as racing to a goal,
Their eyes lowered in dejection, - ignominy covering them (all over)! such is the Day the which they are promised!
خاشعة أبصارهم ترهقهم ذلة ۚ ذلك اليوم الذي كانوا يوعدون
With eyes aghast, abasement stupefying them: Such is the Day which they are promised.