Al-Muddaththir
إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ18
He planned and plotted––
فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ19
devilishly he plotted
ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ20
ferociously he plotted!––
ثُمَّ نَظَرَ21
and looked
ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ22
and frowned and scowled
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ23
and turned away and behaved arrogantly
فَقَالَ إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ24
and said, ‘This is just old sorcery
إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ25
just the talk of a mortal!’
سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ26
I will throw him into the scorching Fire
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ27
What will explain to you what the scorching Fire is
لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ28
It spares nothing and leaves nothing
لَوَّاحَةٌ لِلْبَشَرِ29
it scorches the flesh of humans
عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ30
there are nineteen in charge of it––
وَمَا جَعَلْنَا أَصْحَابَ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَائِكَةً ۙ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِيمَانًا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۙ وَلِيَقُولَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْكَافِرُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَـٰذَا مَثَلًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَمَا هِيَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ31
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
كَلَّا وَالْقَمَرِ32
Yes––by the moon
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ33
By the departing night
وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا أَسْفَرَ34
By the shining dawn
إِنَّهَا لَإِحْدَى الْكُبَرِ35
It is one of the mightiest things
نَذِيرًا لِلْبَشَرِ36
a warning to all mortals
لِمَنْ شَاءَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ37
to those of you who choose to go ahead and those who lag behind
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ38
Every soul is held in pledge for its deeds
إِلَّا أَصْحَابَ الْيَمِينِ39
but the Companions of the Right will stay
فِي جَنَّاتٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ40
in Gardens and ask
عَنِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ41
about the guilty
مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ42
‘What drove you to the Scorching Fire?’ [they will ask]
قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ43
and they will answer, ‘We did not pray
وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَ44
we did not feed the poor
وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِينَ45
we indulged with others [in mocking the believers]
وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ46
we denied the Day of Judgement
حَتَّىٰ أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُ47
until the Certain End came upon us.’