Chapter 89, 30 verses
By the break of Day
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم والفجر
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. By the dawn;
By the Nights twice five;
وليال عشر
By the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah) ,
By the even and odd (contrasted);
والشفع والوتر
And by the even and the odd (of all the creations of Allah).
And by the Night when it passeth away; -
والليل إذا يسر
And by the night when it departs.
Is there (not) in these an adjuration (or evidence) for those who understand?
هل في ذلك قسم لذي حجر
There is indeed in them (the above oaths) sufficient proofs for men of understanding (and that, they should avoid all kinds of sins and disbeliefs)!
Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the 'Ad (people), -
ألم تر كيف فعل ربك بعاد
Saw you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) not how your Lord dealt with 'Ad (people)
Of the (city of) Iram, with lofty pillars,
إرم ذات العماد
Of Iram (who were very tall) like (lofty) pillars,
The like of which were not produced in (all) the land?
التي لم يخلق مثلها في البلاد
The like of which were not created in the land?
And with the Thamud (people), who cut out (huge) rocks in the valley? -
وثمود الذين جابوا الصخر بالواد
And (with) Thamud (people), who hewed out rocks in the valley (to make dwellings)?
And with Pharaoh, lord of stakes?
وفرعون ذي الأوتاد
And (with) Fir'aun (Pharaoh) who had the stakes (to torture men by binding them to the stakes)?
(All) these transgressed beyond bounds in the lands,
الذين طغوا في البلاد
Who did transgress beyond bounds in the lands (in the disobedience of Allah).
And heaped therein mischief (on mischief).
فأكثروا فيها الفساد
And made therein much mischief.
Therefore did thy Lord pour on them a scourge of diverse chastisements:
فصب عليهم ربك سوط عذاب
So your Lord poured on them different kinds of severe torment.
For thy Lord is (as a Guardian) on a watch - tower.
إن ربك لبالمرصاد
Verily, your Lord is Ever Watchful (over them).
Now, as for man, when his Lord trieth him, giving him honour and gifts, then saith he, (puffed up), "My Lord hath honoured me."
فأما الإنسان إذا ما ابتلاه ربه فأكرمه ونعمه فيقول ربي أكرمن
As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honour and bounties, then he says (in exultation): "My Lord has honoured me."
But when He trieth him, restricting his subsistence for him, then saith he (in despair), "My Lord hath humiliated me!"
وأما إذا ما ابتلاه فقدر عليه رزقه فيقول ربي أهانن
But when He tries him by straitening his means of life, he says: "My Lord has humiliated me!"
Nay, nay! but ye honour not the orphans!
كلا ۖ بل لا تكرمون اليتيم
Nay! But you treat not the orphans with kindness and generosity (i.e. you neither treat them well, nor give them their exact right of inheritance)!
Nor do ye encourage one another to feed the poor! -
ولا تحاضون على طعام المسكين
And urge not one another on the feeding of Al-Miskin (the poor)!
And ye devour inheritance - all with greed,
وتأكلون التراث أكلا لما
And you devour the inheritance all with greed.
And ye love wealth with inordinate love!
وتحبون المال حبا جما
And you love wealth with much love.
Nay! When the earth is pounded to powder,
كلا إذا دكت الأرض دكا دكا
Nay! When the earth is ground to powder.
And thy Lord cometh, and His angels, rank upon rank,
وجاء ربك والملك صفا صفا
And your Lord comes with the angels in rows.
And Hell, that Day, is brought (face to face), - on that Day will man remember, but how will that remembrance profit him?
وجيء يومئذ بجهنم ۚ يومئذ يتذكر الإنسان وأنى له الذكرى
And Hell will be brought near that Day. On that Day will man remember, but how will that remembrance (then) avail him?
He will say: "Ah! Would that I had sent forth (good deeds) for (this) my (Future) Life!"
يقول يا ليتني قدمت لحياتي
He will say: "Alas! Would that I had sent forth (good deeds) for (this) my life!"
For, that Day, His Chastisement will be such as none (else) can inflict,
فيومئذ لا يعذب عذابه أحد
So on that Day none will punish as He will punish.
And His bonds will be such as none (other) can bind.
ولا يوثق وثاقه أحد
And none will bind (the wicked, disbelievers and polytheists) as He will bind.
(To the righteous soul will be said:) "O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction!
يا أيتها النفس المطمئنة
(It will be said to the pious believers of Islamic Monotheism): "O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction!
"Come back thou to thy Lord, - well pleased (thyself), and well - pleasing unto Him!
ارجعي إلى ربك راضية مرضية
"Come back to your Lord well-pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing (unto Him)!
"Enter thou, then, among My devotees!
فادخلي في عبادي
"Enter you then among My (honoured) slaves,
"Yea, enter thou My Heaven!
وادخلي جنتي
"And enter you My Paradise!"