إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ (1)
When once the sun is contracted and loses light and becomes dim |
وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انكَدَرَتْ (2)
The stars emit no light, lose aspect, contribute to cosmic catastrophes and they are no longer in trim |
وَإِذَا الْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ (3)
The mountains are put in motion and vanish |
وَإِذَا الْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ (4)
The precious pregnant she - camels are forsaken |
وَإِذَا الْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ (5)
The wild beasts are thronged |
وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْ (6)
The seas boil and become inundated |
وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ (7)
The like are consorted with the like, joined in companionship and associated (or the souls embodied) |
وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ (8)
The entombed - alive female infant is asked |
بِأَيِّ ذَنبٍ قُتِلَتْ (9)
For what guilt was she made to suffer infanticide |
وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ (10)
And when the records are laid open and are open wide |
وَإِذَا السَّمَاءُ كُشِطَتْ (11)
And when the heaven is erased |
وَإِذَا الْجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتْ (12)
And when Hell is blazed |
وَإِذَا الْجَنَّةُ أُزْلِفَتْ (13)
And when Paradise is brought close at hand |
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا أَحْضَرَتْ (14)
Then, every soul becomes fully cognizant of what she brought along of deeds imprinted with wisdom and piety or works imprinted with iniquity and impiety |
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالْخُنَّسِ (15)
I swear by the heavenly bodies that recede |
الْجَوَارِ الْكُنَّسِ (16)
The planets which in a retrograde motion do proceed |
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ (17)
And by the night when she feels her way and then softly moves away |
وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ (18)
And by the morn when it draws the breath of relief and heyday |
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ (19)
That it -the Quran- is the word of Allah conveyed by a distinguished Messenger Jibril (Gabriel) who is regarded with honour |
ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ (20)
He is quite powerful and he is endued from the Throne of grace with high esteem |
مُّطَاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍ (21)
And he is obeyed in the realm and to his trust he is faithfully supreme |
وَمَا صَاحِبُكُم بِمَجْنُونٍ (22)
Nor is your companion the -Prophet Muhammad- possessed by an evil spirit |
وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ بِالْأُفُقِ الْمُبِينِ (23)
For he certainly saw him -the angel Jibril- at the clear horizon |
وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ (24)
Nor should he be accused of withholding any heavenly or divine knowledge of the unseen |
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَيْطَانٍ رَّجِيمٍ (25)
Nor is it -the Quran- the word of an accursed spirit |
فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ (26)
How could you think this way and where can you turn |
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ (27)
This Quran is but a universal message and an admonition of great concern |
لِمَن شَاءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَسْتَقِيمَ (28)
For him who, among you, wishes to follow the path of rectitude which is the path in the main |
وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ (29)
But even then you cannot exercise your will unless it be Allah's will; He is the Creator of the worlds |
