Chapter 87, 19 verses
Glorify the name of thy Guardian - Lord Most High,
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم سبح اسم ربك الأعلى
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High,
Who hath created, and further, given order and proportion;
الذي خلق فسوى
Who has created (everything), and then proportioned it.
Who hath ordained laws. And granted guidance;
والذي قدر فهدى
And Who has measured (preordainments for everything even to be blessed or wretched); and then guided (i.e. showed mankind the right as well as the wrong paths, and guided the animals to pasture).
And Who bringeth out the (green and luscious) pasture,
والذي أخرج المرعى
And Who brings out the pasturage,
And then doth make it (but) swarthy stubble.
فجعله غثاء أحوى
And then makes it dark stubble.
By degrees shall We teach thee to declare (the Message), so thou shalt not forget,
سنقرئك فلا تنسى
We shall make you to recite (the Qur'an), so you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) shall not forget (it),
Except as Allah wills: For He knoweth what is manifest and what is hidden.
إلا ما شاء الله ۚ إنه يعلم الجهر وما يخفى
Except what Allah may will. He knows what is apparent and what is hidden.
And We will make it easy for thee (to follow) the simple (Path).
ونيسرك لليسرى
And We shall make easy for you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) the easy way (i.e. the doing of righteous deeds).
Therefore give admonition in case the admonition profits (the hearer).
فذكر إن نفعت الذكرى
Therefore remind (men) in case the reminder profits (them).
The admonition will be received by those who fear (Allah):
سيذكر من يخشى
The reminder will be received by him who fears (Allah),
But it will be avoided by those most unfortunate ones,
ويتجنبها الأشقى
But it will be avoided by the wretched,
Who will enter the Great Fire,
الذي يصلى النار الكبرى
Who will enter the great Fire (and will be made to taste its burning).
In which they will then neither die nor live.
ثم لا يموت فيها ولا يحيى
There he will neither die (to be in rest) nor live (a good living).
But those will prosper who purify themselves,
قد أفلح من تزكى
Indeed whosoever purifies himself (by avoiding polytheism and accepting Islamic Monotheism) shall achieve success,
And glorify the name of their Guardian - Lord, and (lift their hearts) in prayer.
وذكر اسم ربه فصلى
And remembers (glorifies) the Name of his Lord (worships none but Allah), and prays (five compulsory prayers and Nawafil - additional prayers).
Nay (behold), ye prefer the life of this world;
بل تؤثرون الحياة الدنيا
Nay, you prefer the life of this world,
But the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
والآخرة خير وأبقى
Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting.
And this is in the Books of the earliest (Revelation), -
إن هذا لفي الصحف الأولى
Verily, this is in the former Scriptures -
The Books of Abraham and Moses.
صحف إبراهيم وموسى
The Scriptures of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Musa (Moses) (عليهما السلام).