Chapter 70, 44 verses
A questioner asked about a Penalty to befall -
A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen
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, -
To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.
Upon the disbelievers, which none can repel,
(A Penalty) from Allah, Lord of the Ways of Ascent.
[It is] from Allah, owner of the ways of ascent.
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:
The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.
(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).
So be patient with gracious patience.
But be patient (O Muhammad) with a patience fair to see.
They see the (Day) indeed as a far - off (event):
Indeed, they see it [as] distant,
Lo! they behold it afar off
But We see it (quite) near.
But We see it [as] near.
While we behold it nigh:
The Day that the sky will be like molten brass,
On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,
The day when the sky will become as molten copper,
And the mountains will be like wool,
And the mountains will be like wool,
And the hills become as flakes of wool,
And no friend will ask after a friend,
And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend,
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,
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 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,
And his wife and his brother
And his spouse and his brother
His kindred who sheltered him,
And his nearest kindred who shelter him
And his kin that harboured him
And all, all that is on earth, - so it could deliver him:
And whoever is on earth entirely [so] then it could save him.
And all that are in the earth, if then it might deliver him.
By no means! for it would be the Fire of Hell! -
No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],
But nay! for lo! it is the fire of hell
Plucking out (his being) right to the skull! -
A remover of exteriors.
Eager to roast;
Inviting (all) such as turn their backs and turn away their faces (from the Right).
It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience]
It calleth him who turned and fled (from truth),
And collect (wealth) and hide it (from use)!
And collected [wealth] and hoarded.
And hoarded (wealth) and withheld it.
Truly man was created very impatient; -
Indeed, mankind was created anxious:
Lo! man was created anxious,
Fretful when evil touches him;
When evil touches him, impatient,
Fretful when evil befalleth him
And niggardly when good reaches him; -
And when good touches him, withholding [of it],
And, when good befalleth him, grudging;
Not so those devoted to Prayer; -
Except the observers of prayer -
Save worshippers.
Those who remain steadfast to their prayer;
Those who are constant in their prayer
Who are constant at their worship
And those in whose wealth is a recognised right.
And those within whose wealth is a known right
And in whose wealth there is a right acknowledged
For the (needy) who asks and him who is prevented (for some reason from asking);
For the petitioner and the deprived -
For the beggar and the destitute;
And those who hold to the truth of the Day of Judgment;
And those who believe in the Day of Recompense
And those who believe in the Day of Judgment,
And those who fear the displeasure of their Lord, -
And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord -
And those who are fearful of their Lord's doom -
For their Lord's displeasure is the opposite of Peace and Tranquillity; -
Indeed, the punishment of their Lord is not that from which one is safe -
Lo! the doom of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure -
And those who guard their chastity,
And those who guard their private parts
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,
Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed -
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; -
But whoever seeks beyond that, then they are the transgressors -
But whoso seeketh more than that, those are they who are transgressors;
And those who respect their trusts and covenants;
And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive
And those who keep their pledges and their covenant,
And those who stand firm in their testimonies;
And those who are in their testimonies upright
And those who stand by their testimony
And those who guard (the sacredness) of their worship; -
And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:
And those who are attentive at their worship.
Such will be the honoured ones in the Gardens (of Bliss).
They will be in gardens, honored.
These will dwell in Gardens, honoured.
Now what is the matter with the Unbelievers that they rush madly before thee -
So what is [the matter] with those who disbelieve, hastening [from] before you, [O Muhammad],
What aileth those who disbelieve, that they keep staring toward thee (O Muhammad), open - eyed,
From the right and from the left, in crowds?
[To sit] on [your] right and [your] left in separate groups?
On the right and on the left, in groups ?
Does every man of them long to enter the Garden of Bliss?
Does every person among them aspire to enter a garden of pleasure?
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!
No! Indeed, We have created them from that which they know.
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 -
So I swear by the Lord of [all] risings and settings that indeed We are able
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).
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.
So leave them to plunge in vain talk and play about, until they encounter that Day of theirs which they have been promised! -
So leave them to converse vainly and amuse themselves until they meet their Day which they are promised -
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), -
The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening.
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!
Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. That is the Day which they had been promised.
With eyes aghast, abasement stupefying them: Such is the Day which they are promised.