بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ1
You, wrapped in your cloak
قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ2
arise and give warning
وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ3
Proclaim the greatness of your Lord
وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ4
cleanse yourself
وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ5
keep away from all filth
وَلَا تَمْنُنْ تَسْتَكْثِرُ6
do not be overwhelmed and weaken
وَلِرَبِّكَ فَاصْبِرْ7
be steadfast in your Lord’s cause
فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِي النَّاقُورِ8
When the Trumpet sounds
فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ9
that will be a Day of anguish for the disbelievers
عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍ10
They will have no ease
ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا11
[Prophet], leave Me to deal with the one I created helpless
وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالًا مَمْدُودًا12
then gave vast wealth
وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا13
and sons by his side
وَمَهَّدْتُ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا14
making everything easy for him––
ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ15
yet he still hopes I will give him more
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا16
No! He has been stubbornly hostile to Our revelation
سَأُرْهِقُهُ صَعُودًا17
I will inflict a spiralling torment on him
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.’
فَمَا تَنْفَعُهُمْ شَفَاعَةُ الشَّافِعِينَ48
No intercessor’s plea will benefit them now
فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ التَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ49
What is the matter with them? Why do they turn away from the warning
كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌ مُسْتَنْفِرَةٌ50
like frightened asses
فَرَّتْ مِنْ قَسْوَرَةٍ51
fleeing from a lion
بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُؤْتَىٰ صُحُفًا مُنَشَّرَةً52
Each one of them demands that a scripture be sent down to him and unrolled before his very eyes
كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ لَا يَخَافُونَ الْآخِرَةَ53
No! Truly they have no fear of the life to come
كَلَّا إِنَّهُ تَذْكِرَةٌ54
but truly this is a reminder
فَمَنْ شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُ55
Let whoever wishes to take heed do so
وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَىٰ وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ56
they will only take heed if God so wishes. He is the Lord who should be heeded, the Lord of forgiveness