سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ (1)
Some Pagan once asked: "When do we expect our turn to suffer that punitive punishment and the encounter with the promised Day of Judgement |
لِّلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ (2)
A retributive punishment stored for the infidels and there is just not any expedient nor anyone in the heaven's realm or on earth that can avert it |
مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ (3)
A retributive punishment which cannot be averted once it has been decided by Allah Who is the object of effort, ambition and destination; Allah the Provider of the various rates of motion suitable to the various objects |
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ (4)
To Him ascend the angels and the souls or the Spirit fast as they press their rate of motion to attain their purpose in a day of Allah's calendar that equals fifty thousand years of the earthly calendar |
فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا (5)
Therefore endure O Muhammad their attitude with composure, and quietly await the course of events |
إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا (6)
They -the infidels- see it (that is) that day of the Eventful Event far and away, remote in time |
وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا (7)
While We, and the believers, see it close at hand and near fulfilment |
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ (8)
That is the Day when the heavens shall look like a metallic substance melted in oil |
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ (9)
and the mountains shall be like carded wool |
وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا (10)
and no friend puts a question to a friend or asks about him. This is an endless moment of anxiety and fear to concern oneself even with the closest whom he or she had rendered dear |
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ (11)
All of them -the infidels- will see each other but they are dumbfounded, then and there shall the wicked wish he could be redeemed from that endless and severe punishment with the lives of his own children |
وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ (12)
With the lives of his own wife and brother |
وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ (13)
With the lives of his kindred who in life afforded him protection |
وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنجِيهِ (14)
And with the lives of all those on earth, just to escape the horror which doubles all his torment and his woe |
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ (15)
But never will he succeed in avoiding the tormenting Hell Fire |
نَزَّاعَةً لِّلشَّوَىٰ (16)
The Fire which, with its infernal hiss and crackle, shall burn into his inmost being, but reserves both his physical and mental feeling for the realization of pain and distress which will not abate nor expire |
تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ (17)
A fire with a magnet influence; it shall irresistibly draw to itself the feet of those who had denied Allah and rejected the truth |
وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ (18)
Who hoarded wealth and denied it those who deserved alms, for alms are but the vehicles of prayer |
۞ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا (19)
Man is wanting in moral strength for endurance, lacking courage and strength of purpose and will, and unduly swayed by grief. He is selfish and he is only concerned with his own advantage to the exclusion of regard for others |
إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا (20)
If he meets with a misfortune, or he is wedded to a calamity he becomes so full of misery nursing despair with additional notion of querulous utterances |
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا (21)
But if he has the luck and heaven prospers him, then he is niggardly, unwilling to give or spend in divine service and he says to his money "my god art thou |
إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ (22)
But benevolent are those who a. engage in the act of worship with a pious attitude of mind, being well disposed toward Allah |
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ (23)
They constantly surrender their very being to Allah and regularly observe their prayers |
وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ (24)
Who apportion a determinate share of their wealth for charitable contributions |
لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ (25)
To distribute among those who are needy, who make request for aid, and among those without the means for bare subsistence and among those who are indigent faint souls past corporal toil |
وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ (26)
Who recognize the Day of Judgment and hold it as true |
وَالَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ (27)
Who are moved by fear of their Creator’s punitive punishment, here and Hereafter where the flames and the sparks strike like a spear clean through |
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ (28)
Which punishment may hit suddenly and be difficult to appease |
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ (29)
Who guard their purity and refrain from unlawful congress |
إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ (30)
Except with their wives and with those of the captives in their hands; an act being then holy and incurs no blame |
فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ (31)
And who so goes beyond, then such persons are fornicators who have transgressed the commandment of Allah |
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ (32)
Who honour their trusts, and their promises they keep |
وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَادَاتِهِمْ قَائِمُونَ (33)
Whose testimonies are credited and their attestation is a witness of their honour |
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ (34)
who perform their prayers at the authoritatively determined time and- observe the prayer's sacred rites and solemnities |
أُولَٰئِكَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ (35)
These and such persons shall be honoured in Gardens of surpassing beauty featuring a state of supreme bliss and supreme felicity |
فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ (36)
What an incorrect notion and an unfavourable judgement these Pagans have, that without concern they rush to hear you O Muhammad and refuse to acknowledge the Divine truth and they ignore the voice from heaven;, unwilling to comprehend |
عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ (37)
They disperse right and left in inordinate self-esteem |
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ (38)
Do they really expect to take their abode in the Gardens of bliss, and enter into the joy of their Creator! Then they are staking their very lives on some dark hope |
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُم مِّمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ (39)
Never, but Hell shall be the place where they make abode, and their permanent residency shall be in abodes of pain. We created them from an insignificant fluid and raised them from dust which they very well know |
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ (40)
I swear by the Creator of all eastern cardinal points near which the sun rises in its apparent passage through the signs of the Zodiac and the Creator of all the western cardinal points lying opposite those in the east and near which the sun sets, that We are able to effect any changes at will |
عَلَىٰ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ (41)
We are able to replace them -these infidels- by better people and never are We incompetent |
فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ (42)
so let them O Muhammad keep denying the truth and continue to adhere to their own vain course, and be held by their own opinions and drown themselves in the nonsensical until they resolutely face the Day which they have been promised |
يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ (43)
the Day when they shall rush out of their graves as if contesting a race toward a specific goal |
خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ (44)
Drooping their heads in disgrace, gazing in humility and covered with ignominy in requital of their past behaviour and their ignominious role. This is the Day which they have been promised |
