وَالنَّازِعَاتِ غَرْقًا (1)
By the angels who violently disembody the souls of those who die captivated by disbelief and discord |
وَالنَّاشِطَاتِ نَشْطًا (2)
and by the angels who tenderly disembody the souls of those who are with Allah in accord |
وَالسَّابِحَاتِ سَبْحًا (3)
and by the angels who convey an act of Allah's mercy, vouchsafed to His creatures |
فَالسَّابِقَاتِ سَبْقًا (4)
Then they press forward competing to be foremost |
فَالْمُدَبِّرَاتِ أَمْرًا (5)
Then they execute the Allah's commands, and conduct the affairs |
يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الرَّاجِفَةُ (6)
The day shall come when the trumpet is sounded and the universe goes into a violent convulsion |
تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ (7)
To be followed by the second sound when all shall go in extreme commotion |
قُلُوبٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاجِفَةٌ (8)
All hearts are then in extreme agitation |
أَبْصَارُهَا خَاشِعَةٌ (9)
All eyes are cast down in humble modesty and utter humiliation |
يَقُولُونَ أَإِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِي الْحَافِرَةِ (10)
Yet people in their doubt, wonder whether after interment they could be restored to their former state |
أَإِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا نَّخِرَةً (11)
They cannot perceive how! "when bones disintegrate |
قَالُوا تِلْكَ إِذًا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةٌ (12)
Should this be true", they say, "it will mean immeasurable loss and condign punishment |
فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجْرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ (13)
Indeed all it takes is only one single rallying cry |
فَإِذَا هُم بِالسَّاهِرَةِ (14)
and there they declare themselves on the surface of the earth |
هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰ (15)
Have you heard O Muhammad of the narrative of Mussa |
إِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى (16)
When Allah, his Creator, called him while he was in the sacred valley of Tuwa |
اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ (17)
Go to Pharaoh", Allah said, "for he has gone beyond all limits and all bounds he transgressed |
فَقُلْ هَل لَّكَ إِلَىٰ أَن تَزَكَّىٰ (18)
Say to him: "Would you like to follow a path that leads you to righteousness and purity |
وَأَهْدِيَكَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَتَخْشَىٰ (19)
I will guide you to the path of Allah your Creator, and thus you will find your innermost thoughts and being have become sensible of Him and your secret feelings will urge you to pay your duty to Him |
فَأَرَاهُ الْآيَةَ الْكُبْرَىٰ (20)
Then Mussa, showed him the great act featuring Allah's Omnipotence and Authority |
فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ (21)
But Pharaoh refused to admit the truth and favoured disobedience |
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَىٰ (22)
He turned his back to contend the truth with falsehood |
فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ (23)
He thronged the place with an audience and made a proclamation to satisfy his day dream |
فَقَالَ أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الْأَعْلَىٰ (24)
He said: "I am your lord supreme |
فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الْآخِرَةِ وَالْأُولَىٰ (25)
But Allah punished him in requital as a caution against further transgression and made of him an example in this world, and worse shall his punishment be in Day of Judgement and adjudication |
إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰ (26)
Indeed, in this event there is an instructive example to those who fear Allah and dread His indignation |
أَأَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا (27)
Are you people the more difficult to create, or the heaven which He constructed |
رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا (28)
He lifted it up so high and its vast dimensions did He perfect and with celestial bodies did He complete it and its realms did He actuate |
وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا (29)
Its night did He darken and the day did He pervade with light and illuminate |
وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا (30)
and the earth did He prepare for life at a later date |
أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا (31)
He exteriorized its water and out of it did He spring its vegetation |
وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا (32)
and the mountains He set and anchored for stabilization |
مَتَاعًا لَّكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ (33)
All being instrumental in supplying provisions for you and for your cattle |
فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الطَّامَّةُ الْكُبْرَىٰ (34)
Then when the calamitous eventful event comes to pass |
يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنسَانُ مَا سَعَىٰ (35)
Man will then remember all he did |
وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِمَن يَرَىٰ (36)
and Hell is brought in view for all to see |
فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَىٰ (37)
Then he who had transgressed |
وَآثَرَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا (38)
and chose to give himself to the life of this world and its vanities |
فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ (39)
Hell, for him, is the abode |
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ (40)
But he who feared the moment of audience of his Creator and endeavoured to make his pious principles and his words together accord, and restrained himself from vanities and discord |
فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ (41)
Paradise, for him, is certainly the abode |
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا (42)
They ask you O Muhammad as to when is the time of this proclaimed Hour |
فِيمَ أَنتَ مِن ذِكْرَاهَا (43)
But how could you satisfy their query when you yourself do not know |
إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ مُنتَهَاهَا (44)
It is only with Allah your Creator, that the knowledge of the appointed time rests |
إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُنذِرُ مَن يَخْشَاهَا (45)
You are only there as a spectacle and a warning to him who fears it and on the wings of righteousness he rode sublime |
كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَاهَا (46)
On the day they eye-witness the Event, it appears to them in retrospect as if it were only an afternoon or a forenoon that they actually spent |
