Exalted is He who holds all control in His hands; who has power over all things

who created death and life to test you [people] and reveal which of you does best––He is the Mighty, the Forgiving

who created the seven heavens, one above the other. You will not see any flaw in what the Lord of Mercy creates. Look again! Can you see any flaw

Look again! And again! Your sight will turn back to you, weak and defeated

We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and made them [missiles] for stoning devils for whom We have also prepared the torment of a blazing fire

For those who defy their Lord We have prepared the torment of Hell: an evil destination

They will hear it drawing in its breath when they are thrown in. It blazes forth

almost bursting with rage. Its keepers will ask every group that is thrown in, ‘Did no one come to warn you?’

They will reply, ‘Yes, a warner did come to us, but we did not believe him. We said, “God has revealed nothing: you are greatly misguided”.’

They will say, ‘If only we had listened, or reasoned, we would not be with the inhabitants of the blazing fire,’ and

they will confess their sins. Away with the inhabitants of the blazing fire

But there is forgiveness and a great reward for those who fear their Lord though they cannot see Him

Whether you keep your words secret or state them openly, He knows the contents of every heart

How could He who created not know His own creation, when He is the Most Subtle, the All Aware

It is He who has made the earth manageable for you––travel its regions; eat His provision- and to Him you will be resurrected

Are you sure that He who is in Heaven will not make the earth swallow you up with a violent shudder

Are you sure that He who is in Heaven will not send a whirlwind to pelt you with stones? You will come to know what My warning means

Those who went before them also disbelieved- how terrible was My condemnation

Do they not see the birds above them spreading and closing their wings? It is only the Lord of Mercy who holds them up: He watches over everything

What force can help you if the Lord of Mercy does not? The disbelievers are truly deluded

Who can provide for you if He withholds His provision? Yet they persist in their insolence and their avoidance of the Truth

Who is better guided: someone who falls on his face, or someone who walks steadily on a straight path

Say [Prophet], ‘It is He who brought you into being, He who endowed you with hearing, sight, and understanding- what small thanks you give!’

Say, ‘It is He who scattered you throughout the earth, He to whom you will be gathered.’

They say, ‘If what you say is true, when will this promise be fulfilled?’

Say, ‘God alone has knowledge of this: my only duty is to give clear warning.’

When they see it close at hand, the disbelievers’ faces will be gloomy, and it will be said, ‘This is what you were calling for.’

Say, ‘Just think- regardless of whether God destroys me and my followers or has mercy on us- who will protect the disbelievers from an agonizing torment?’

Say, ‘He is the Lord of Mercy; we believe in Him; we put our trust in Him. You will come to know in time who is in obvious error.’

Say, ‘Just think: if all your water were to sink deep into the earth who could give you flowing water in its place?’

Nun By the pen! By all they write

Your Lord’s grace does not make you [Prophet] a madman

you will have a never-ending reward––

truly you have a strong character––

and soon you will see, as will they

which of you is afflicted with madness

Your Lord knows best who strays from His path and who is rightly guided

So do not yield to those who deny the truth––

they want you to compromise with them and then they will compromise with you––

do not yield to any contemptible swearer

to any backbiter, slander-monger

or hinderer of good, to anyone who is sinful, aggressive

coarse, and on top of all that, an imposter

Just because he has wealth and sons

when our revelations are recited to him, he says, ‘These are just ancient fables.’

We shall brand him on the snout

We have tried them as We tried the owners of a certain garden, who swore that they would harvest its fruits in the morning

and made no allowance [for the Will of God]

a disaster from your Lord struck the garden as they slept

and by morning it was stripped bare, a desolate land

Still they called each other at daybreak

‘Go early to your field if you wish to gather all its fruits,’

and went off, whispering

‘Make sure no poor person enters the garden today!’––

they left early, bent on their purpose

but when they saw the garden, they said, ‘We must have lost our way

No- we are ruined!’

The wisest of them said, ‘Did I not say to you, “Will you not glorify God?”’

they said, ‘Glory be to God, Our Lord! Truly, we were doing wrong!’

and then they turned to each other in mutual reproach

They said, ‘Alas for us! We have done terrible wrong

but maybe our Lord will give us something better in its place: we truly turn to Him in hope.’

Such is the punishment [in this life], but greater still is the punishment in the Hereafter, if only they knew

There will be Gardens of bliss for those who are mindful of God

Should We treat those who submit to Us as We treat those who do evil

What is the matter with you? On what basis do you judge

Do you have a Scripture that tells you

that you will be granted whatever you choose

Have you received from Us solemn oaths, binding to the Day of Resurrection, that you will get whatever you yourselves decide

Ask them [Prophet] which of them will guarantee this

Do they have ‘partners’ [besides God]? Let them produce their ‘partners’, if what they say is true

On the Day when matters become dire, they will be invited to prostrate themselves but will be prevented from doing so

and their eyes will be downcast and they will be overwhelmed with shame: they were invited to prostrate themselves when they were safe [but refused]

So [Prophet] leave those who reject this revelation to Me: We shall lead them on, step by step, in ways beyond their knowledge

I will allow them more time, for My plan is powerful

Do you demand some reward from them that would burden them with debt

Do they have knowledge of the unseen that enables them to write it down

Wait patiently [Prophet] for your Lord’s judgement: do not be like the man in the whale who called out in distress

if his Lord’s grace had not reached him, he would have been left, abandoned and blameworthy, on the barren shore

but his Lord chose him and made him one of the Righteous

The disbelievers almost strike you down with their looks when they hear the Quran. They say, ‘He must be mad!’

but truly it is nothing other than a Reminder for all peoples

The Inevitable Hour

What is the Inevitable Hour

What will explain to you what the Inevitable Hour is

The people of Thamud and 'Ad denied that the crashing blowwould come

Thamud was destroyed by a deafening blast

Ad was destroyed by a furious wind

that God let loose against them for seven consecutive nights, eight consecutive days, so that you could have seen its people lying dead like hollow palm-trunks

Can you see any trace of them now

Pharaoh, too, and those before him, and the ruined cities: these people committed grave sins

and disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with an ever-tightening grip

But when the Flood rose high, We saved you in the floating ship

making that event a reminder for you: attentive ears may take heed

When the Trumpet is sounded a single time

when the earth and its mountains are raised high and then crushed with a single blow

on that Day the Great Event will come to pass

The sky will be torn apart on that Day, it will be so frail

The angels will be on all sides of it and, on that Day, eight of them will bear the throne of your Lord above them

On that Day you will be brought to judgement and none of your secrets will remain hidden

Anyone who is given his Record in his right hand will say, ‘Here is my Record, read it

I knew I would meet my Reckoning,’

and so he will have a pleasant life

in a lofty Garden

with clustered fruit within his reach

It will be said, ‘Eat and drink to your heart’s content as a reward for what you have done in days gone by.’

But anyone who is given his Record in his left hand will say, ‘If only I had never been given any Record

and knew nothing of my Reckoning

How I wish death had been the end of me

My wealth has been no use to me

and my power has vanished.’

‘Take him, put a collar on him

lead him to burn in the blazing Fire

and [bind him] in a chain seventy metres long

he would not believe in Almighty God

he never encouraged feeding the hungry

so today he has no real friend here

and the only food he has is the filth

that only sinners eat.’

So I swear by what you can see

and by what you cannot see

this [Quran] is the speech of an honoured messenger

not the words of a poet- how little you believe

nor the words of a soothsayer- how little you reflect

This [Quran] is a message sent down from the Lord of the Worlds

if [the Prophet] had attributed some fabrication to Us

We would certainly have seized his right hand

and cut off his lifeblood

and none of you could have defended him

This [Quran] is a reminder for those who are aware of God

We know that some of you consider it to be lies

this will be a source of bitter regret for the disbelievers

but it is in fact the certain Truth

So [Prophet] glorify the name of your Lord, the Almighty

A man [mockingly] demanded the punishment

It will fall on the disbelievers––none can deflect it––

from God, the Lord of the Ways of Ascent

by which the angels and the Spirit ascend to Him, on a Day whose length is fifty thousand years

So be patient, [Prophet], as befits you

The disbelievers think it is distant

but We know it to be close

On a Day when the heavens will be like molten brass

and the mountains like tufts of wool

when no friend will ask about his friend

even when they are within sight of one another. The guilty person will wish he could save himself from the suffering of that Day by sacrificing his sons

his spouse, his brother

the kinsfolk who gave him shelter

and everyone on earth, if it could save him

But no! There is a raging flame

that strips away the skin

and it will claim everyone who rejects the truth, turns away

amasses wealth and hoards it

Man was truly created anxious

he is fretful when misfortune touches him

but tight-fisted when good fortune comes his way

Not so those who pray

and are constant in their prayers

who give a due share of their wealth

to beggars and the deprived

who believe in the Day of Judgement

and fear the punishment of their Lord––

none may feel wholly secure from it––

who guard their chastity

from all but their spouses or their slave-girls––there is no blame attached to [relations with] these

but those whose desires exceed this limit are truly transgressors––

who are faithful to their trusts and their pledges

who give honest testimony

and are steadfast in their prayers

They will be honoured in Gardens of bliss

What is wrong with the disbelievers? Why do they rush to peer at you [Prophet]

from right and left, in crowds

Does every one of them expect to enter a Garden of bliss

No! We created them from the substance they know

and, by the Lord of every sunrise and sunset, We have the power

to substitute for them others better than they are- nothing can prevent Us from doing this

So leave them to wallow in idle talk, until they come face to face with their promised Day

the Day they will rush out of their graves as if rallying to a flag

eyes downcast and covered in shame: that is the Day of which they were warned

We sent Noah to his people: ‘Warn your people, before a painful punishment comes to them.’

And so he said, ‘My people, I am here to warn you plainly

Serve God, be mindful of Him and obey me

He will forgive you your sins and spare you until your appointed time––when God’s appointed time arrives it cannot be postponed. If only you understood!’

He said, ‘My Lord, I have called my people night and day

but the more I call them, the further they run away

every time I call them, so that You may forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, cover their heads with their garments, persist in their rejection, and grow more insolent and arrogant

I have tried calling them openly

I have tried preaching to them in public and speaking to them in private

I said, “Ask forgiveness of your Lord: He is ever forgiving

He will send down abundant rain from the sky for you

He will give you wealth and sons; He will provide you with gardens and rivers

What is the matter with you? Why will you not fear God’s majesty

when He has created you stage by stage

Have you ever wondered how God created seven heavens, one above the other

placed the moon as a light in them and the sun as a lamp

how God made you spring forth from the earth like a plant

how He will return you into it and then bring you out again

and how He has spread the Earth out for you

to walk along its spacious paths?” ’

Noah said, ‘My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed those whose riches and children only increase their ruin

who have made a grand plan

saying, “Do not renounce your gods

Do not renounce Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Yauq, or Nasr!” They have led many astray. Lord, bring nothing but destruction down on the evildoers!’

They were drowned and sent to Hell for their evildoings: they found no one to help them against God

And Noah said, ‘Lord, do not leave any of the disbelievers on the earth

if you leave them they will lead Your servants astray and beget only sinners and disbelievers

Lord, forgive me, my parents, and whoever enters my house as a believer. Forgive believing men and women but bring nothing but ruin down on the evildoers!’

Say [Prophet], ‘It has been revealed to me that a group of jinn once listened in and said, “We have heard a wondrous Quran

that gives guidance to the right path, and we have come to believe it––We shall never set up partners with our Lord––

and that He––exalted be the glory of our Lord!––has neither spouse nor child

Outrageous things have been said about God by the foolish among us

although we had thought that no man or jinn would [dare to] tell a lie about Him

Men have sought refuge with the jinn in the past, but they only misguided them further

They thought, as you did, that God would never raise anyone from the dead

We tried to reach heaven, but discovered it to be full of stern guards and shooting stars––

we used to sit in places there, listening, but anyone trying to listen now will find a shooting star lying in wait for him––

[so now] we do not know whether those who live on earth are due for misfortune, or whether their Lord intends to guide them

Some of us are righteous and others less so: we follow different paths

We know we can never frustrate God on earth; we can never escape Him

When we heard the guidance we came to believe: whoever believes in his Lord need fear no loss nor injustice

Some of us submit to Him and others go the wrong way: those who submit to God have found wise guidance

but those who go wrong will be fuel for Hellfire.” ’

If they had taken to the right way, We would have given them abundant water to drink

a test for them––but anyone who turns away from his Lord’s Revelation will be sent by Him to spiralling torment

Places of worship are for God alone- so do not pray to anyone other than God

yet when God’s Servant stood up to pray to Him, they pressed in on him

Say, ‘I pray to my Lord alone; I set up no partner with Him.’

Say, ‘I have no control over any harm or good that may befall you.’

Say, ‘No one can protect me from God: I have no refuge except in Him

I only deliver [what I receive] from God- only His messages.’ Whoever disobeys God and His Messenger will have Hell’s Fire as his permanent home

when they are confronted by what they have been warned about, they will realize who has the weaker protector and the smaller number

Say, ‘I do not know whether what you have been warned about is near, or whether a distant time has been appointed for it by my Lord.’

He is the One who knows what is hidden

He does not disclose it except to a messenger of His choosing. He sends watchers to go in front and behind

to ensure that each of His messengers delivers his Lord’s message: He knows all about them, and He takes account of everything

You [Prophet], enfolded in your cloak

Stay up throughout the night, all but a small part of it

half, or a little less

or a little more; recite the Quran slowly and distinctly

We shall send a momentous message down to you

Night prayer makes a deeper impression and sharpens words––

you are kept busy for long periods of the day––

so celebrate the name of your Lord and devote yourself wholeheart-edly to Him

He is Lord of the east and west, there is no god but Him, so take Him as your Protector

patiently endure what they say, ignore them politely

and leave to Me those who deny the truth and live in luxury. Bear with them for a little while

We have fetters, a blazing fire

food that chokes, and agonizing torment in store for them

on the Day when the earth and the mountains will shake. The mountains will become a heap of loose sand

We have sent a messenger to you [people] to be your witness, just as We sent a messenger to Pharaoh

but Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger and so We inflicted a heavy punishment on him

So if you disbelieve, how can you guard yourselves against a Day that will turn children’s hair grey

a Day when the sky will be torn apart? God’s promise will certainly be fulfilled

This is a reminder. Let whoever wishes take the way to his Lord

[Prophet], your Lord is well aware that you sometimes spend nearly two-thirds of the night at prayer––sometimes half, sometimes a third––as do some of your followers. God determines the division of night and day. He knows that you will not be able to keep a measure of it and He has relented towards all of you, so recite as much of the Quran as is easy for you. He knows that some of you will be sick, some of you travelling through the land seeking God’s bounty, some of you fighting in God’s way: recite as much as is easy for you, keep up the prayer, pay the prescribed alms, and make God a good loan. Whatever good you store up for yourselves will be improved and increased for you. Ask God for His forgiveness, He is most forgiving, most merciful

You, wrapped in your cloak

arise and give warning

Proclaim the greatness of your Lord

cleanse yourself

keep away from all filth

do not be overwhelmed and weaken

be steadfast in your Lord’s cause

When the Trumpet sounds

that will be a Day of anguish for the disbelievers

They will have no ease

[Prophet], leave Me to deal with the one I created helpless

then gave vast wealth

and sons by his side

making everything easy for him––

yet he still hopes I will give him more

No! He has been stubbornly hostile to Our revelation

I will inflict a spiralling torment on him

He planned and plotted––

devilishly he plotted

ferociously he plotted!––

and looked

and frowned and scowled

and turned away and behaved arrogantly

and said, ‘This is just old sorcery

just the talk of a mortal!’

I will throw him into the scorching Fire

What will explain to you what the scorching Fire is

It spares nothing and leaves nothing

it scorches the flesh of humans

there are nineteen in charge of it––

none other than angels appointed by Us to guard Hellfire- and We have made their number a test for the disbelievers. So those who have been given the Scripture will be certain and those who believe will have their faith increased: neither those who have been given the Scripture nor the believers will have any doubts, but the sick at heart and the disbelievers will say, ‘What could God mean by this description?’ God leaves whoever He will to stray and guides whoever He will- no one knows your Lord’s forces except Him- this [description] is a warning to mortals

Yes––by the moon

By the departing night

By the shining dawn

It is one of the mightiest things

a warning to all mortals

to those of you who choose to go ahead and those who lag behind

Every soul is held in pledge for its deeds

but the Companions of the Right will stay

in Gardens and ask

about the guilty

‘What drove you to the Scorching Fire?’ [they will ask]

and they will answer, ‘We did not pray

we did not feed the poor

we indulged with others [in mocking the believers]

we denied the Day of Judgement

until the Certain End came upon us.’

No intercessor’s plea will benefit them now

What is the matter with them? Why do they turn away from the warning

like frightened asses

fleeing from a lion

Each one of them demands that a scripture be sent down to him and unrolled before his very eyes

No! Truly they have no fear of the life to come

but truly this is a reminder

Let whoever wishes to take heed do so

they will only take heed if God so wishes. He is the Lord who should be heeded, the Lord of forgiveness

By the Day of Resurrection

and by the self-reproaching soul

Does man think We shall not put his bones back together

In fact, We can reshape his very fingertips

Yet man wants to deny what is ahead of him

he says, ‘So, when will this Day of Resurrection be?’

When eyes are dazzled

and the moon eclipsed

when the sun and the moon are brought together

on that Day man will say, ‘Where can I escape?’

Truly, there is no refuge

they will all return to your Lord on that Day

On that Day, man will be told what he put first and what he put last

Truly, man is a clear witness against himself

despite all the excuses he may put forward

[Prophet], do not rush your tongue in an attempt to hasten [your memorization of] the Revelation

We shall make sure of its safe collection and recitation

When We have recited it, repeat the recitation

and We shall make it clear

Truly you [people] love this fleeting world

and neglect the life to come

On that Day there will be radiant faces

looking towards their Lord

and on that Day there will be the sad and despairing faces

of those who realize that a great calamity is about to befall them

Truly, when the soul reaches the collarbone

when it is said, ‘Could any charm-healer save him now?’

when he knows it is the final parting

when his legs are brought together

on that day he will be driven towards your Lord

He neither believed nor prayed

but denied the truth and turned away

walking back to his people with a conceited swagger

Closer and closer it comes to you

Closer and closer still

Does man think he will be left alone

Was he not just a drop of spilt-out sperm

which became a clinging form, which God shaped in due proportion

fashioning from it the two sexes, male and female

Does He who can do this not have the power to bring the dead back to life

Was there not a period of time when man was nothing to speak of

We created man from a drop of mingled fluid to put him to the test; We gave him hearing and sight

We guided him to the right path, whether he was grateful or not

We have prepared chains, iron collars, and blazing Fire for the disbelievers, but

the righteous will have a drink mixed with kafur

a spring for God’s servants, which flows abundantly at their wish

They fulfil their vows; they fear a day of widespread woes

they give food to the poor, the orphan, and the captive, though they love it themselves

saying, ‘We feed you for the sake of God alone: We seek neither recompense nor thanks from you

We fear the Day of our Lord––a woefully grim Day.’

So God will save them from the woes of that Day, give them radiance and gladness

and reward them, for their steadfastness, with a Garden and silken robes

They will sit on couches, feeling neither scorching heat nor biting cold

with shady [branches] spread above them and clusters of fruit hanging close at hand

They will be served with silver plates

and gleaming silver goblets according to their fancy

and they will be given a drink infused with ginger

from a spring called Salsabil

Everlasting youths will attend them––if you could see them, you would think they were scattered pearls––

and if you were to look around, you would see bliss and great wealth

they will wear garments of green silk and brocade; they will be adorned with silver bracelets; their Lord will give them a pure drink

[It will be said], ‘This is your reward. Your endeavours are appreciated.’

We Ourself have sent down this Quran to you [Prophet] in gradual revelation

Await your Lord’s Judgement with patience; do not yield to any of these sinners or disbelievers

remember the name of your Lord at dawn and in the evening

bow down before Him, and glorify Him at length by night

These people love the fleeting life. They put aside [all thoughts of] a Heavy Day

Yet We created them; We strengthened their constitution; if We please, We can replace such people completely

This is a reminder. Let whoever wishes, take the way to his Lord

But you will only wish to do so if God wills- God is all knowing, all wise

He admits whoever He will into His Mercy and has prepared a painful torment for the disbelievers

By the [winds] sent forth in swift succession

violently storming

scattering far and wide

separating forcefully

delivering a reminder

as a proof or a warning

what you are promised will come to pass

When the stars are dimmed

and the sky is torn apart

when the mountains are turned to dust

and the messengers given their appointed time––

for what Day has all this been set

The Day of Decision

What will explain to you what the Day of Decision is

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

Did We not destroy the first [of them]

We shall make the last follow them

this is how We deal with the guilty

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

Did We not make you from an underrated fluid

which We housed in a safe lodging

for a determined period

We determine [it]: how excellently We determine

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

Did We not make the earth a home

for the living and the dead

Did We not place firm, lofty mountains on it and provide you with sweet water

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

They will be told, ‘Go to that which you used to deny

Go to a shadow of smoke!’ It rises in three columns

no shade does it give, nor relief from the flame

it shoots out sparks as large as treetrunks

and as bright as copper

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

On that Day they will be speechless

and they will be given no chance to offer any excuses

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

[They will be told], ‘This is the Day of Decision: We have gathered you and earlier generations

If you have any plots against Me, try them now.’

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

But those who took heed of God will enjoy cool shade, springs

and any fruit they desire

[they will be told], ‘Eat and drink to your hearts’ content as a reward for your deeds

this is how We reward those who do good.’

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

[You may] eat and enjoy yourselves for a short while, evildoers that you are

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

When they are told, ‘Bow down in prayer,’ they do not do so

Woe, on that Day, to those who denied the truth

In what revelation, after this, will they believe