التفسير المحرر

Abraham said, "Then what is your mission, O messengers?"

Abraham said to the angels, "So what is the serious mission for which Allah has sent you?"

They said, "We have been sent to a wicked people,

They said to him, "Allah has sent us to a disbelieving and corrupt people, and they are the people of Lot (peace be upon him).

to send down upon them stones of clay,

To rain down upon them from the sky stones of baked clay and pelt them with them.

marked by your Lord for the transgressors."

Stones, marked by Allah Almighty and prepared for those people who have transgressed the limits of Allah.

We brought out those believers who were there,

When We intended to destroy the people of Lot, We brought out those who were in their town among those who believed in Allah Almighty.

but We only found in it one Muslim household[8].

But we did not find any in that town except one household of Muslims.

And We left there a sign[9] for those who fear the painful punishment.

And We have left in that town a sign indicating the terrible fate of its people for those who fear Allah’s painful punishment, so they may infer from it the power of Allah Almighty and His vengeance upon the criminals, and take heed and learn a lesson.

And [there is a sign in the story of] Moses when We sent him to Pharaoh with compelling proofs,

And in the story of Moses, there is a sign and a lesson when We sent him to Pharaoh with a clear and manifest, compelling proof of his truthfulness.

But he and his supporters turned away, and he said about [Moses], "A magician or a madman!"

But Pharaoh turned away from the truth and from following it, relying on his army upon whom he depended and turned to in times of hardship. Pharaoh said: "Either Moses is a magician who bewitches people, or he is a madman who must be insane!"

So We seized him and his soldiers and cast them into the sea while he was blameworthy[10].

So We seized Pharaoh and his soldiers, and We cast them into the sea, so they drowned, while Pharaoh had committed what he is blamed for: disbelief and oppression, thus deserving the punishment of Allah Almighty.

And [there is a sign in the story of] ‘Ād, when We sent against them the devastating barren wind[11].

And in the story of ‘Āad there is a sign and a lesson: when We sent against them the severe wind in which there is no good or blessing, it neither pollinates trees, nor drives rain.

It spared nothing it came upon except that it reduced it to ruin and decay.

That barren wind leaves nothing it passes over without turning it into something decayed, dry, and crumbled!

And [there is a sign in the story of] Thamūd, when they were told, "Enjoy yourselves for a while[12]."

And in the story of Thamūd is a sign and a lesson when their prophet Sālih said to them, "Enjoy yourselves in this world until the end of your lifespans!"

But they rebelled against the command of their Lord, so the thunderbolt seized them, while they were looking on.

So the disbelievers of Thamūd abandoned the Command of Allah and turned away from obeying it out of their insolence, so the thunderbolt of punishment seized them while they were looking on at the punishment of Allah descending upon them!

They could not withstand it, nor could they ward it off.

So they were unable to escape the punishment of Allah, nor could they avert it from themselves! The disbelievers of Thamūd were not capable of defending themselves by any means whatsoever!

And the people of Noah [were also destroyed] before them. They were indeed a rebellious people.

And We destroyed the people of Noah before those nations, for they were the first to deny the truth. Indeed, they were a disbelieving and disobedient people, departing from the obedience of Allah Almighty.

We built the heaven with might[13], and We are indeed expanding it.

We built the heaven with might and great power, and We are indeed expanding the reaches of the heaven, extending abundant provision to Our creation, and We are Able to create whatever We will to create.

And We spread out the earth. How well did We smooth it out[14]!

And We spread out the earth and made it like a bed, so that the creation may easily benefit from it. How superbly did We smooth it out, as We made the earth a resting place for its inhabitants by leveling it and making it habitable!

And We have created everything in pairs[15], so that you may take heed.

And We created pairs of all things, so perhaps you would be mindful thereby of the Oneness of Allah Almighty, the perfection of His power, His wisdom, and so forth.

So flee to Allah[16]. Indeed, I am a clear warner to you from Him.

Say, O Muhammad, to your people, "Therefore, flee to Allah Almighty by believing in Him, acting in obedience to Him, repenting to Him, and relying on Him. Indeed, I am a clear warner to you from Allah, warning you of His punishment for disbelieving in Him and disobeying Him.

And do not set up another god with Allah. Indeed, I am a clear warner to you from Him."

And do not set up another god with Allah, but devote your worship sincerely to Him. Indeed, I am sent to you from Allah as a clear warner, so I warn you and caution you against worshiping anything besides Him."

Likewise, no messenger came to those before them without being told: "A magician, or a madman!"

Just as the Quraysh denied their prophet and described him with false attributes, the disbelievers of past nations before the Quraysh denied their messengers. So every nation among them said to their messenger, "He is a magician or a madman!"

Did they suggest this to one another[17]? Rather they are transgressing people.

Have the disbelievers passed this saying down to one another so their word is united upon rejecting their messengers and describing them with magic or madness?! The disbelievers did not pass this down to one another; rather, their words agreed in this matter because they share the trait of transgression, for they all transgress the command of Allah, exceeding His limits.

So turn away from them [O Prophet], for you are not to blame[18].

So turn away—O Muhammad—from these deniers who stubbornly oppose the truth despite its clarity and the establishment of the proof against them, for you will not be blamed by Allah; you have indeed conveyed to them the message of their Lord, advised them sincerely, and there has been no negligence on your part in calling them.

But keep reminding them, for reminder benefits the believers.

And remind—O Muhammad—for indeed, the reminder truly benefits the people of faith.

I have not created the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

I have not created the jinn and mankind except to worship Me alone, so that they may humble themselves and submit to Me in obedience.

I seek no provision from them, nor do I want them to feed Me.

I seek no provision from the jinn and mankind, neither for Myself, nor for themselves, nor for others. Nor do I want them to feed Me, for I am exalted far above eating, nor that they should feed themselves or others. Therefore, let them occupy themselves with My worship.

Indeed, it is Allah Who is the All-Provider[19], Lord of Power, the Mighty.

Indeed, Allah alone is the Supreme Provider for all His creation; they need Him in all their affairs.

Indeed, those who do wrong will have a share [of punishment] like that of their predecessors, so let them not ask Me to hasten it.

Indeed, for those who have done wrong and associated partners with Allah, from the Quraysh or others, there is an ample share of the punishment of Allah Almighty, like the share of their counterparts among the disbelievers of past nations. So let them not ask Me to hasten the punishment, for it will inevitably descend upon them at its appointed time.

So woe to those who disbelieve from [the punishment of] the Day which they are promised.

So may the punishment and destruction descend upon those who disbelieved in the truth, from the Day on which Allah promised them the descent of punishment!

At-Toor

By the mount of Tūr[1],

I swear by Mount Tūr in Sinai, upon which Allah spoke to Moses (peace be upon him).

and by the Book inscribed[2]

And I swear by an inscribed and written Book.

on an unrolled parchment[3],

And by the inscribed Book, on spread-out, unfolded paper, which is the Qur’an.

and by the much-frequented House[4],

And I swear by the House frequented by angels in heaven.

and by the canopy raised high,

And I swear by the heaven whose structure Allah raised, and made it a roof for the earth from all its sides.

and by the sea set on fire[5].

And I swear by the sea filled with water, prevented from overflowing onto the face of the earth and drowning its inhabitants.

The punishment of your Lord will surely come to pass;

I swear by those things that the punishment of your Lord, O Muhammad, will surely come to pass and inevitably befall those who deserve it.

there is none who can avert it.

There is no one to avert that punishment from its people and save them from it!

On the Day when the heaven will convulse violently[6],

On the Day when the heaven will move and shake violently, moving back and forth, and that will happen on the Day of Resurrection!

and the mountains will move a horrible movement[7].

And the mountains will be blown away from their places and become dust!

Then woe to the deniers on that Day,

There is such severe punishment and destruction on that Day for the deniers of the truth!

those who amuse themselves in falsehood.

Those who are immersed in falsehood in this worldly life, floundering in it with their words and deeds, heedless of the Hereafter.

On the Day when they will be shoved into the Fire forcefully,

The Day they will be fiercely and violently shoved into the Fire of Hell!

[They will be told,] "This is the Fire which you used to deny.

They will be told, "This is the Fire which you used to deny in the worldly life."

Is this [punishment] magic, or do you not see?

Is this what you see now—magic with no reality, or do you not see it with your eyes?!

Burn in it, whether you bear it patiently or impatiently, it makes no difference to you[8]; you are recompensed only for what you used to do."

Enter the Fire and taste its heat, for it is the same for you whether you are patient or impatient; you will not benefit in any case from patience or impatience! You are only being punished in the Fire because of what you used to do in the world of disbelief and denial; thus, the matter is executed upon you with justice, and Allah has not wronged you in the least!

Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and bliss,

Indeed, those who fear the wrath of Allah and His punishment, by complying with what He commanded and avoiding what He prohibited, will be in gardens and great bliss in the Hereafter.

enjoying what their Lord has given them, and their Lord protected them from the punishment of the Blazing Fire.

Delighted with what their Lord has given them of bliss in Paradise, enjoying it, happy and joyful with that, and Allah has saved them from the punishment of the Fire.

"Eat and drink pleasantly for what you used to do,

It will be said to the righteous, "Eat from the food of Paradise and drink from its drink, enjoying it without any harm or distress and without misery or sorrow, because of the righteous deeds you used to do in the worldly life."

reclining on couches all lined up". And We will marry them to houris with wide beautiful eyes.

They will be reclining on thrones lined up in rows. And We will pair the righteous with fair maidens, the blackness and whiteness of whose eyes will be intense, with wide and lovely eyes and perfect beauty.

As for those who believe and their offspring follow them in faith, We will cause their offspring to join them, and will not detract anything from [the reward of] their deeds. Everyone will be accountable for what he earned[9].

As for those who believed, We will join with them their offspring who followed them in faith, placing them with them in their rank in Paradise, even if they did not perform deeds like those of their fathers. We will not decrease the reward of the fathers' righteous deeds in anything when We join their offspring with them in Paradise! Every soul will receive its reward according to what it did in this world, and every person will be punished for his sins, and will not be held accountable for the sin of another, even if they are among his relatives.

And We will provide them with whatever fruit and meat they desire.

And We will increase the believers in Paradise from Our bounty, and We have given them fruit and meat from whatever they desire and delight in.

They will pass around to one another a glass [of pure wine] which does not lead to idle talk or sin.

They will pass around a filled cup of wine to one another, which leads to no delirium or idle talk. Its drinker will incur no sin by drinking it, nor will anyone accuse him of sin, nor will drinking it lead him to the commission of sin, unlike the wine of this world.

They will be served by their servant boys, as if they were well-protected pearls.

The believers will be served in Paradise by their servant boys, who will be in their beauty, fairness, purity, radiance, and cleanliness, like well-preserved pearls in their shells.

They will turn to one another with questions[10].

And some of the people of Paradise will turn to one another, conversing among themselves and asking each other about the conditions they were in during worldly life.

They will say, "Before this, we used to be in awe [of Allah] when we were living among our people.

They will say to one another, "Indeed, we were in the world among our people fearful and cautious of the punishment of Allah on the Day of Resurrection!"

Therefore Allah conferred favor upon us and protected us from the punishment of the Scorching Fire.

So Allah bestowed His favor upon us by His grace and guided us, and saved us from the torment of the Fire.

Indeed, we used to call upon Him before. He is indeed the Most Kind, the Most Merciful."

Indeed, we used to call upon Allah Almighty alone in the worldly life with the supplication of worship and the supplication of request, and we would beseech Him, so He answered our supplication and protected us from the punishment of the scorching Fire, and admitted us into the Home of Bliss. Indeed, Allah Almighty is the Most Kind to His servants, the Most Beneficent towards them, the Profoundly Merciful to them.

So keep exhorting [O Prophet], for you are not, by the grace of your Lord, a soothsayer or a madman.

So remind the people, O Muhammad, with the Qur’an, for you are not—by the grace of Allah upon you—a soothsayer claiming knowledge of the unseen, nor are you a madman devoid of reason as they claim, but rather what you say is a revelation from Allah Almighty.

Or do they say: "He is a poet for whom we await a misfortune[11]"?

Or do the polytheists of the Quraysh say, "Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is a poet for whom we await the calamities and misfortunes of time, so he will die and perish just as the poets before him perished, and we will be relieved of him and his affair!?"

Say, "Wait, I too am waiting with you."

Say, O Muhammad, to those polytheists, "Wait for the destruction to befall me, for I too am among those who are waiting for the punishment of Allah to befall you, and we will know who will have the good end!"

Do their minds[12] prompt them to say such things, or are they transgressing people?

Do their minds command them to this denial of the Messenger and attributing falsehood to him?! Or are they people who have transgressed the limits of Allah, such that this transgression has driven them to deny the Messenger and accuse him of falsehood?!

Or do they say, "He has made this [Qur’an] up"? Rather, they are not willing to believe.

Or do they say, "Muhammad has fabricated the Qur’an of his own accord and falsely attributed it to Allah?!" The matter is not as they claim; rather, they do not believe in the truth that has come to them from Allah Almighty. Had they believed, they would not have said what they said.

Then let them produce a discourse like this, if they are truthful[13].

Then let the polytheists produce the like of this Qur’an if they are truthful in their claim that Muhammad has fabricated it and made it up himself. If they are unable to do so, then they are liars.

Were they created by none, or were they the creators [of themselves]?

Or were those polytheists created without a creator to create them?! Or were they the creators of themselves or of other created beings?!

Or did they create the heavens and earth? Rather, they are not certain in faith.

Or did they create the heavens and earth?! The polytheists did not create them. Rather, it is their lack of firm belief in the truth that led them to abandon it and fall into falsehood.

Or do they possess the treasures of your Lord, or do they have full control [of everything]?

Or do those polytheists possess the treasuries of Allah—O Muhammad—of mercy, provisions, and other things?! Or are they the ones in control in this world, managing affairs, subjugating people, and having the authority to give and withhold from them?!

Or do they have a stairway [to the heaven] by which they eavesdrop? Then let those who eavesdrop produce a compelling proof.

Or do they have a stairway by which they ascend to heaven to listen to the revelation or the unseen?! Then let those of them who listen bring manifest proof showing that they are upon the truth in what they claim.

Or does He have daughters while you have sons[14]?

Or does Allah, the Exalted, have daughters, as you claimed and alleged that the angels are the daughters of Allah, while you have the sons whom you prefer over daughters, thus attributing to Allah Almighty what you consider inferior?!

Or are you asking them [O Prophet] for a reward so they are overburdened by debt?

Or do you ask them, O Muhammad, for payment in return for your calling them to the truth or their submission to it, so they are in hardship from the financial burden you imposed on them and do not respond to you?!

Or do they have [the knowledge of] the unseen so they are writing it down?

Or do the polytheists have knowledge of the unseen so they write it down?!

Or do they intend a plot [against the Prophet]? But the plot of the disbelievers will rebound against themselves.

Or do they intend to devise a plot by which they nullify the truth?! But those who disbelieve are the ones who are actually plotted against, and the evil consequence of their plot will rebound against themselves.

Or do they have a god other than Allah? Glory be to Allah far above what they associate with Him.

Or do they have another god other than Allah worthy of worship, so they worship it?! Allah is far exalted above having any partner in worship.

If they were to see pieces of the sky falling down[15], they would still say, "[This is only] a mass of clouds."

If the polytheists were to see a piece of the sky falling down upon them, they would say, "This is just a pile of clouds," and they would not believe that it is a punishment from Allah Almighty!

So leave them alone until they encounter their Day in which they will be struck down[16],

So leave—O Muhammad—these obstinate polytheists until they face the Day in which they will die and perish.

the Day their plots will not avail them in the least, nor will they be helped.

The Day when their plotting, with which they plotted against the truth, will not benefit them at all! And no one will help them, to save them and rescue them from the torment!

And for the wrongdoers, there will be another punishment before that[17], but most of them do not know.

And for those who have wronged themselves by disbelieving in Allah Almighty, there is a punishment before that Day, but most of the disbelievers do not know the inevitable punishment that will befall them!

Be patient [O Prophet] with your Lord’s decree, for indeed you are under Our [Watchful] Eyes. And glorify the praises of your Lord when you rise.

Be patient, O Muhammad, with the predestined decree of your Lord—from what He has decreed for you of injustice that afflicts you and harm that reaches you—and with His legislative decree; by adhering to it, being steadfast upon it, and conveying the message of Allah, for indeed, you are under Our Watchful Eyes, We protect you and guard you from every evil and plot. And exalt your Lord, O Muhammad, above any imperfections, an exaltation coupled with describing Him with the attributes of perfection, out of love and reverence for Him, when you arise.

And glorify Him at night and when the stars fade away[18].

And glorify your Lord, O Muhammad, during some parts of the night, and glorify Him also at the setting of the stars.

An-Najm

By the star when it sets,

I swear by the star when it falls.

Your companion [i.e., the Prophet] has neither strayed nor is he deluded.

Your companion Muhammad—O Quraysh—has not strayed from the truth, nor has he deviated from his belief and faith in it, nor has he become misguided following his desires; rather, he is rightly guided in his knowledge, and righteous in his deeds.

Nor does he speak out of his own desire.

Nor does the speech of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) emanate from his own desire.

It is but a revelation sent down [to him].

Whatever Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) uttered concerning the religion is nothing but a revelation revealed to him by Allah, which he himself follows and conveys to others without any addition or omission.

He was taught by [an angel of] mighty power[1],

Gabriel (peace be upon him), of mighty power, taught Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) this Qur’an.

and of great perfection[2], who manifested himself [in his true form][3]

And Gabriel possesses a strong, sound body, free from imperfection, well-formed, and beautiful outwardly and inwardly, so he rose and ascended into heaven in his true form.

when he was on the higher horizon[4].

When Gabriel was in the highest part of the heaven.

Then he approached [the Prophet] and descended,

Then Gabriel approached Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and came down to him, drawing even closer to him when he descended to him from heaven to the earth, to reveal to him what Allah willed.

until he was only two bow-lengths away or even closer.

The distance of Gabriel's proximity to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the measure of two bow lengths, or even closer to him than that!

Then he revealed to His slave[5] what he had to reveal.

Then Gabriel revealed to the servant of Allah, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), what he revealed to him from Allah, the Most High.

The [Prophet’s] heart[6] did not deny what he saw.

The heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not lie about what he saw with his sight; rather, it confirmed it, verified it, and knew it with certainty.

Do you dispute with him concerning what he saw?

How can you—O disbelievers of the Quraysh—then dispute with Muhammad regarding what he told you that he saw on the night of Al-Isrā’?!

He certainly saw him a second time[7]

Muhammad certainly saw Gabriel a second time in his true form, which Allah created him in.

at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary [in the seventh heaven]

Muhammad saw Gabriel at a great lote tree in the heaven called the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.

near which is the Garden of Abode,

At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary is the Paradise in which the believers will take refuge and to which they will end up on the Day of Judgment.

when the Lote Tree was overwhelmed with [divine] splendors.

Muhammad saw Gabriel when the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary was overwhelmed with divine splendors from the command of Allah Almighty!

His gaze did not wander, nor did it look beyond the limit.

The sight of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not swerve right or left, nor did it exceed the limit of what he saw.

He certainly saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord.

Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) certainly saw on the night of Isrā’ and Mi‘rāj some of the greatest signs of his Lord and the wonders of His dominion.

Have you [O disbelievers] thought about [the idols of] Lāt and ‘Uzzā,

Have you considered—O disbelievers—the idols of Lāt and ‘Uzzā

and Manāt, the third one as well[8]?

And the third one, Manāt, as well, that you worship besides Allah, and claim that they are the daughters of Allah?

Do you choose for yourselves males and for Him females?

Do you choose for yourselves—O polytheists—male children, preferring them over females, and ascribe to Allah Almighty the females whom you hate and do not accept as daughters for yourselves?!

That is then an unfair division!

That division of yours—O polytheists—is unfair and unjust, deviating from the truth and correctness!

These [idols] are no more than names you and your forefathers have made up[9], for which Allah has not sent down any authority. They follow nothing but conjecture and what their souls desire, although there has come to them guidance from their Lord.

These names, which you have given to your idols—Lāt, ‘Uzzā, and Manāt—are nothing but mere names with no underlying meaning and no reality to them. You and your forefathers have made them up, claiming them to be gods and alleging that they are the daughters of Allah! Allah has sent down no evidence or proof to support what you have claimed and alleged about them! The polytheists follow nothing but illusions and whatever their souls incline toward of falsehood, without knowledge or certainty, nor evidence or proof, although true guidance has already come to those polytheists from their Lord, as He has sent down the Qur’an to them, containing the command to worship Allah alone and clarifying the truth from falsehood.

Is it that man can get whatever he wishes for[10]?

Or does man have whatever good he wishes for and desires?!

Rather, to Allah belongs the Hereafter and this world.

Rather, to Allah alone belongs the dominion of the Hereafter and this world, and to Him alone belongs absolute control over them both; He gives whom He wills whatever He wills, and He withholds from whom He wills whatever He wills; so the matter is as the Most Merciful wills, not as man wishes.

How many angels there are in the heavens whose intercession will be of no avail except after Allah’s permission to whom He wills and pleases.

How numerous are the angels in the heavens, and their intercession does not avail anything except after Allah gives permission for intercession to whom He wills among them, and after He is pleased with those interceded for, who are the people of monotheism!

Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter give the angels female names.

Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter give the angels female names and claim that they are the daughters of Allah, the Exalted!

They have no knowledge about it. They only follow conjecture, but conjecture is of no avail against the truth.

The polytheists have no sound knowledge to rely upon in proving the validity of their claim that the angels are the daughters of Allah, such as witnessing their creation, reading about it in one of the Books of Allah, or hearing a messenger confirm the truth of their claim. In this claim of theirs, they follow nothing but false conjecture, without knowledge or certainty! And indeed, assumption based on conjecture avails nothing against the truth, nor can it take its place.

So pay no heed to those who turn away from Our message[11] and who only seek the life of this world.

So turn away—O Muhammad—from whoever turns away from the Qur’an and seeks nothing but the life of this world and its pleasures.

That is the limit of their knowledge. Indeed, your Lord knows best who has strayed from His Way, and He knows best who is guided.

Seeking the worldly life and striving for it is the limit of their knowledge and its ultimate goal, for they have no knowledge beyond that. Indeed, your Lord, O Muhammad, knows best who has strayed from His path and did not follow the truth, and He knows best those who are guided to the truth.

To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, so that He may recompense the evildoers for what they did, and reward those who do good with the best reward[12],

To Allah alone belongs the dominion of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, so that Allah may recompense the evildoers according to what they did of disbelief or disobedience, and that Allah may reward those who do good, by believing in Him and obeying Him, with the best reward, which is Paradise.

those who avoid major sins and shameful acts, except for minor lapses. Indeed, your Lord is ample in forgiveness. He knows you best, as He created you from the earth[13] and when you were fetuses in the wombs of your mothers[14]. So do not claim purity for yourselves, for He knows best who is truly righteous.

Those who avoid major sins and shameful acts, such as adultery, except minor sins without persisting in them are pardoned, and this does not exclude their doer from among the righteous. Indeed, your Lord—O Muhammad—is vast in forgiveness for the sins of His servants; He conceals them for them and overlooks holding them accountable for them. And your Lord knows you best when He created your father Adam from the earth before you existed, and He knew you when you were hidden fetuses in the wombs of your mothers before you were born. So do not claim innocence for yourselves from sins and misdeeds, nor praise yourselves for good deeds, for Allah knows best who among you fears His wrath and punishment, thereby obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions.

Have you seen the one who turned away [from Islam],

Have you seen, O Muhammad, the one who turned away from the truth?

who gave a little, and then stopped?

And gave a little good, and then stopped, and did not continue doing so!

Does he have knowledge of the unseen, so he has insight[15]?

Does he have knowledge of what is hidden from people, so he sees it?!

Or has he not been informed of what is in the Scriptures of Moses,

Or has this disbeliever not been informed of what is in the Torah, which Allah revealed to Moses?

and of Abraham, who fulfilled his duty?

Or has he not also been informed of what was in the scriptures of Abraham, who was obedient to Allah Almighty in all His commands and prohibitions, and fulfilled the laws of Islam, which Allah enjoined upon him, without omitting anything from them?

That no bearer of burden will bear the burden of another,

That which is in the scriptures of Abraham and Moses is that no sinful soul shall bear the sin of another, for every person is recompensed for their own deeds, and shall not bear the sin of another.

and that man will not receive except what he strives for,

And that man can have nothing in the Hereafter but what he did in this worldly life.

and that his efforts will be examined,

And that the deeds of every doer will be seen and witnessed on the Day of Resurrection.

then he will be recompensed in full,

Then Allah will recompense him for his striving with the fullest and complete recompense.

and that to your Lord is the final return,

And that to your Lord, O Muhammad, is the return and final destination of all servants, not to anyone else.

and that He is the One Who makes people laugh and weep[16],

And that Allah Almighty is the One Who makes laugh and makes weep whom He wills to make them laugh or make them weep.

and that He is the One Who causes death and gives life,

And that Allah Almighty is the One Who causes whom He wills among His creation to die, and gives life to whom He wills among them.

and that He created the pairs, male and female,

And that Allah Almighty is He Who created the pairs: male and female.

from a drop of sperm when it is emitted,

Allah created the pairs—male and female—from a drop of semen when it is poured and emitted into the wombs.

and it is upon Him to bring about the second creation.

And that it is upon Allah Almighty to create people after their death, bringing them back to life on the Day of Resurrection.

And He is the One Who enriches and bestows wealth,

And that Allah Almighty is the One who enriches whom He wills of His servants, and grants to whom He wills among them what they acquire and save beyond their needs.

and that He is the Lord of Sirius[17].

And that Allah Almighty is the Creator of the bright star Sirius, its Owner, and the Disposer of its affairs.

And that He destroyed the earlier ‘Ād[18],

And that Allah Almighty destroyed the tribe of ‘Ād, the people of Hūd!

and Thamūd[19], sparing none,

And that Allah Almighty destroyed the tribe of Thamūd; the people of Sālih, and spared none of them!

and [He destroyed] the people of Noah before them; they were indeed more wicked and more rebellious.

And that Allah Almighty destroyed the people of Noah by drowning before 'Ād and Thamūd! Indeed, the people of Noah were truly far worse in wrongdoing, and greater in disbelief and transgression than others.

And He toppled the cities[20] upside down,

And Gabriel brought down the town of the people of Lot and turned it upside down.

and they were utterly covered [by stones][21].

How overwhelming was what covered that town of the stones that were rained down on them.

Then which of the favors of your Lord do you doubt?

So which of the favors of your Lord—O man—do you doubt and question, and deny and dispute?!

This [Prophet] is a warner like the earlier warners.

This Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is a warner to mankind, of the same kind as the messengers who preceded him.

The imminent Hour has drawn near,

The imminent Day of Resurrection has approached and drawn near to you, O people!

none but Allah can disclose it.

None besides Allah can avert it, and none has knowledge of it except Him.

Do you find this discourse astonishing,

Do you find this Qur’an astonishing, O polytheists?!

and you laugh [at it] and not weep,

And you laugh at the Qur’an in mockery, and do not weep out of admonition and fear?!

while heedlessly lost in amusement?

While you are heedless and playing.

So prostrate to Allah and worship [Him].

So prostrate to Allah alone in submission to Him, and worship Him alone with sincere devotion to Him.

Al-Qamar

The Hour has drawn near and the moon has split asunder[1].

The Day of Judgment, on which Allah will resurrect His servants for reckoning and recompense, has drawn near! And the moon has split, becoming two halves by the permission of Allah, in support of His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Whenever they see a sign[2], they turn away and say, "Same old magic!"

Whenever the polytheists of the Quraysh see a dazzling sign indicating to them the truthfulness of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), they turn away from believing in it and say in denial, "What Muhammad shows us of miracles—like the splitting of the moon—is passing, false magic with no permanence, and an illusion with no reality!

They deny [the truth] and follow their desires, but every matter will reach its inevitable end.

They denied the truth and followed what they desired and chose falsehood without evidence or proof. Every matter must eventually settle at its ultimate end in this world or in the Hereafter; thus, the truth is established, and falsehood is bound to perish, and the people of good will settle in Paradise, and the people of evil will settle in the Hellfire.

There have already come to them stories [of destroyed nations] that are sufficient to deter them,

There has come to the polytheists of the Quraysh, from the stories of the nations that denied their messengers and the destruction that befell them—a sufficient deterrent from disbelief in Allah and the denial of His signs and His messengers.

which contain extensive wisdom, but the warnings are of no avail.

Perfect, complete wisdom—having reached the utmost perfection, with no deficiency or flaw in it—reaches its intended purpose, but warnings do not benefit them while they turn away from the signs.

So turn away from them [O Prophet]. On the Day when the caller[3] will summon them to a horrific event[4],

So turn away, O Muhammad, from these stubborn deniers on the Day the caller of Allah calls people to a horrific situation of severe hardship, full of horrors, the likes of which people have never seen.

with eyes downcast, they will come out of the graves like scattered locusts,

They will emerge from their graves with their eyes downcast and submissive due to the intensity of their fear and dread! They will emerge from the graves, proceeding to the place of reckoning, as if in their spread and multitudes they were swarming locusts.

rushing headlong towards the caller. The disbelievers will say, "This is a hard Day!"

They will emerge from their graves, advancing and rushing towards the Caller in response to his call. The disbelievers in Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection, "This is a day of extreme hardship, difficulty, and severity."

The people of Noah rejected [the truth] before them; they rejected Our slave and said, "He is a madman," and he was intimidated.

Before the disbelievers of the Quraysh, the people of Noah denied. They denied Our servant Noah when We sent him to them, and they said about him, "He is a madman." And they rebuked him with severity and violence.

So he called upon his Lord, "I am overpowered, so help me!"

So Noah called upon his Lord, saying, "Indeed, my people have overpowered me with their rebellion and disbelief and their denial and intimidation; so help me against them!"

So We opened the gates of the sky with water pouring down in torrents,

So We answered Noah's prayer against his people, and We opened the gates of heaven with water pouring down heavily and intensely.

and We caused the earth to burst forth with springs, then the waters met for a preordained purpose.

And We caused the water to gush forth from the earth with force and abundance, so the water of the sky and the water of the earth met for a matter that Allah Almighty had already written and decreed!

We carried him on an [Ark made] of planks and nails,

And We carried Noah on an Ark made of planks of wood, and nails with which those planks were fastened.

sailing under Our [Watchful] Eyes; as a reward for the one [they] denied.

Noah's ark sails on the water before Our eyes, and with Our protection and care. So We drowned the people of Noah and saved him and those with him as a reward for Noah for his patience over the harm of his people, and their denial and disbelief in him.

We have certainly left it[5] as a sign; is there anyone to take heed?

We have left what We did to the people of Noah and Our destruction of them as a lesson and an admonition for those after them, so that they may desist from disbelief in Allah and the denial of His messengers, lest their end be like the end of the people of Noah. And We have kept ships as a sign of Allah's mercy and His care for His creation, the perfection of His power, and His wondrous making, and as a lesson of what happened to Noah with his people. So is there anyone who will remember what was done to that nation that disbelieved in its Lord and disobeyed His messenger Noah, so that they may take heed and learn a lesson?

Then how were My punishment and My warnings[6]?

Then how was My punishment for those disbelievers from the people of Noah? And how were My warnings?

We have certainly made the Qur’an easy to understand and remember; is there anyone to take heed?

We have certainly made the Qur’an easy to remember, understand, and take heed from. So is there anyone who will remember, and thereby take heed and be mindful of what is in the Noble Qur’an?

‘Ād disbelieved. Then how were My punishment and My warnings?

The tribe of ‘Ād denied their messenger Hūd, so how was My punishment for them as a recompense for their denial? And how was My warning?

We sent against them a furious wind[7] on a day of continuous misfortune,

Indeed, We sent against them, when they persisted in their disbelief, a cold, fiercely blowing wind with a howling sound, on a day of continuous misfortune and evil for ‘Ād, which continued against them with its ill omen.

sweeping people away[8], as if they were trunks of uprooted palm trees.

The wind violently and fiercely uproots the disbelievers of ‘Ād, lifting them up, then throwing them and casting them to the ground, striking them dead, and after their destruction, their corpses become like the trunks of palm trees uprooted from their roots!

Then how were My punishment and My warnings?

Then how was My punishment upon ‘Ād for their disbelief?! And how was My warning?!

We have certainly made the Qur’an easy to understand and remember; is there anyone to take heed?

We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, attaining understanding, and taking heed from it. So is there anyone who will remember, and thus take heed and draw lessons from what is in the Noble Qur’an?

Thamūd rejected the warnings,

The tribe of Thamūd—the people of Sālih—denied the warnings that came to them from Allah, which warned them of His punishment!

They said, "Shall we follow a single human being[9] from among us? Then we would surely be in error and insanity!

So the disbelievers of Thamud said, in their denial of the Prophet of Allah, Salih, peace be upon him, "He is a human being like us, and just a single man, so how can we follow him?! Indeed, if we were to follow him, we would surely be straying from the truth and what is right, and in misery and torment!

Has the revelation been sent down upon him out of all of us? Rather, he is an insolent liar."

They said, "Has the revelation been sent down upon this man, singling him out for prophethood from among us?! How can that be? And what merit does he have over us to deserve that?! He is nothing but a liar, full of insolence, tyranny, and arrogance; he is conceited, claiming what is not his!

Tomorrow they will know who the insolent liar is.

Allah Almighty said, "They will soon know when the punishment comes to them: who is the liar, the excessively exultant, tyrannical, and arrogant? Is it Sālih or his people?!

We are sending the she-camel as a test for them, so watch them [O Sālih] and be patient,

Indeed, We are sending the she-camel as a test and trial for Thamūd; so either they will believe in Allah and follow His Prophet Sālih, or they will deny him and disbelieve in Allah Almighty. So watch, O Sālih, and see what trial befalls them when the she-camel appears, and what they will do to her, and be patient with them with a strong and profound patience.

and tell them that the water is to be shared between them[10]; each should take its drink in turn.

And tell them that the water of the town is divided between them and the she-camel; she has a day on which she drinks from that water, and they have a day on which they drink from it. So when it is the she-camel's day, she comes to her share of the water, and when it is Thamūd's day, they come to their share of the water.

But they called their companion[11], and he undertook the task[12] and hamstrung her.

So the disbelievers of Thamūd called a companion of theirs, the most wretched of them, to hamstring the she-camel, and he proceeded to kill her himself.

Then how [terrible] My punishment and My warnings were!

So how was My punishment of Thamūd for their disbelief? And how was My warning which leaves no excuse for anyone?

We sent against them a single blast, leaving them like trampled hedge-building twigs[13].

Indeed, We sent against Thamūd a single great blast, and it destroyed them! So they became like the crushed plants and broken dry twigs gathered by fence-builders.

We have certainly made the Qur’an easy to understand and remember; is there anyone to take heed?

We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, attaining understanding, and taking heed from it. So is there anyone who will remember, so as to take heed and learn lessons from what is in the Qur’an?

The people of Lot rejected the warnings.

The people of Lot denied the warnings that came to them from Allah, which warned them of His punishment.

We sent against them a storm of pebbles, except the family of Lot whom We saved before dawn,

Indeed, We sent upon the people of Lot stones rained down upon them to destroy them, except Lot and those who followed his religion and believed in him. We surely saved them from the punishment at dawn, in the last hour of the night.

as a blessing from Us. Thus do We reward those who give thanks.

As a blessing from Us upon them and an honor for them from Us! Just as We saved Lot and his family from the punishment because of their obedience to Allah Almighty—We also save everyone who gives thanks to Us for the blessings We have bestowed upon them, and thus believes in Allah and obeys Him.

He had already warned them of Our punishing assault, but they doubted the warnings.

Lot had already warned his people and cautioned them of Our severe assault before its occurrence, but they doubted his warnings and denied them.

They even demanded that he let them have their way with his angel-guests[14], so We blinded their eyes, [saying], "Taste My punishment and My warnings!"

The people of Lot demanded that he enable them to commit the obscene act with his guests, and they persisted in their demand repeatedly. So We obliterated their eyes so they became like the rest of the face without an opening, and they could not see! They were told, "Taste then—O people of Lot—My punishment which has befallen you, and the consequence of My warnings with which you were warned!"

By the early morning a lasting torment overtook them.

And indeed, a lasting punishment that does not cease struck the people of Lot early in the morning.

Taste My punishment and My warnings!

So taste—O assembly of the people of Lot—My punishment that has befallen you and the consequence of my warnings with which you were warned.

We have certainly made the Qur’an easy to understand and remember; is there anyone to take heed?

And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, attaining understanding, and taking heed from it. So is there anyone who will remember, and thus take heed and draw lessons from what is in the Noble Qur’an?

Indeed, warnings came to the people of Pharaoh.

And indeed, the warnings came to Pharaoh and his people, warning them of the punishment of Allah Almighty.

But they rejected all of Our signs, so We seized them with the grip of the All-Mighty, Most Powerful.

But Pharaoh and his people rejected all the signs of Allah Almighty indicating the truth, so We seized them with the grip of One Who is Severe, All-Strong, Who cannot be overcome; the Most Powerful, Who is never incapable of whatever He wills!

Are your disbelievers [O Makkans] superior to those[15] or have you been granted immunity in divine Scriptures?

Are your disbelievers—O assembly of the Quraysh—better than those whom I destroyed for their disbelief and denial, such as the people of Noah, ‘Ād, Thamūd, the people of Lot, and the family of Pharaoh? No! They are not better than them, so beware of the punishment of Allah if you persist in your disbelief and denial. Or do you—O disbelievers of the Quraysh—have a written absolution in the pages of the former divine scriptures, so that you are absolved from the consequences of your disbelief and denial, and safe from the punishment of your Lord?!

Or do they say, "We are a united front, bound to prevail."?

Or do the disbelievers of the Quraysh say, "We are a large group bound to prevail, so we will defeat Muhammad and those with him"?!

Soon their united front will be defeated, and they will flee[16].

The gathering of the disbelievers of the Quraysh will be defeated, and they will scatter and flee from the Muslims, turning their backs in retreat!

But the Hour is their appointed time, and the Hour is more catastrophic and more bitter.

The matter is not as the polytheists claim, for they will inevitably be resurrected after their death and recompensed with a complete punishment for their disbelief; the Hour is the appointed time for their ultimate torment, and whatever befalls them in this world is merely a prelude to it. The Hour is far more horrendous and devastating, and more painful and bitter than killing or any other worldly punishment that may afflict them!

Indeed, the wicked are in error and blazes[17].

Indeed, the polytheists are in error, and in hardship, misery, and torment.

On the Day when they will be dragged into the Fire on their faces, [they will be told], "Taste the agony of Hell[18]!"

The Day those criminals will be dragged into the Fire on their faces, which are the most honorable visible parts of their bodies, thereby being humiliated and disgraced! And it will be said to them, "Taste the pain of the Fire and its torment."

We have surely created everything in a determined measure[19].

Indeed, We have created everything perfectly preordained, according to a determined measure.

Our command is but a single word[20], which is fulfilled in the blink of an eye.

Our command when We intend a thing is but that We say to it once, "Be," and what We willed comes into being in the blink of an eye, without delay!

We have destroyed many like you [O Makkans][21]; is there anyone to take heed?

We have certainly destroyed your likes and counterparts in disbelief—O people of the Quraysh—from the former nations that disbelieved in Allah and denied their messengers. So is there anyone who will take heed, knowing that the way of Allah for the former and the latter peoples is the same, and taking a lesson from Allah's destruction of the past disbelievers, so as to beware of becoming like them?!

Everything they did is in the written records,

Everything they did is found in the scrolls and records wherein the guardian angels enumerate their deeds.

and everything, small or big, is written down.

And everything, small and big, is written and recorded.

Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and rivers[22],

Indeed, those who feared the wrath of Allah and His punishment by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions will be in gardens with rivers flowing therein.

seated in honor in the presence of the Most Powerful Sovereign.

In a seat of honor, firm and everlasting, perfect in its bliss, with no falsehood, idle talk, or sins therein, in the presence of a Great King of absolute sovereignty, the Most Powerful over all things, and He is Allah, the Exalted and Most High!

Ar-Rahmān

The Most Compassionate,

Allah: The Extensively Merciful, the Bestower of abundant blessings upon His servants in their religion, their worldly life, and their Hereafter.

has taught the Qur’an,

Ar-Rahmān (the Most Compassionate)—the Exalted—taught His servants the words of the Qur’an and its meanings, and made them easy for them.

He created man,

The Most Compassionate created Adam and his progeny.

and taught him speech.

The Most Compassionate taught man speech and understanding, and how to express what is within himself through words.

The sun and the moon follow their precise courses,

The sun and the moon run according to a precise and perfect calculation that neither varies nor falters, and they do not exceed their phases, nor do they delay in their course, so people calculate by them the years, months, days, and times.

and the stars[1] and trees prostrate [to Allah][2].

And all the stars and the trees prostrate to the Most Compassionate.

He raised the heaven and enjoined justice

And the Most Merciful raised the heaven above the earth, and set justice among His creation on the earth and the instrument by which justice is known.

so that you may not transgress the limits of justice.

So that you may not transgress the limits and act unjustly.

Therefore establish weights in justice, and do not give short measure.

And establish the weight of things with perfect justice, and do not decrease the weight, but rather give rights fully and completely.

He has spread out the earth for all creatures,

And the earth, the Most Compassionate, lowered it and leveled it for His creation.

in which there are fruits and palm trees with date stalks,

On the earth are various fruits, different in their colors, tastes, and scents, and on the earth are palm trees whose fruits are covered by sheaths that split open, from which emerge date stalks.

and grain having chaff, and fragrant plants.

And on the earth are edible grains—such as wheat, barley, and the like—with dry leaves and husks, and in the earth are fragrant plants, which are plants with a beautiful scent, smelled for their pleasant fragrance.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you[3] deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?

He created man from dry clay like pottery,

Allah created Adam, the father of humankind, from intensely hard, dry clay that had a ringing sound when tapped, like pottery, which is clay baked by fire.

and He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire.

And Allah created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?

[He is] Lord of the two sunrises and Lord of the two sunsets[4].

Allah is the Creator, Owner, and Controller of the sunrise in winter and summer, and the sunset in winter and summer.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

He merges the two seas meeting together[5],

Allah releases the salty sea and the fresh sea and lets them meet without mixing.

yet between them is a barrier so that they do not cross[6].

Between the salty sea and the fresh sea is a barrier that prevents one from mixing with the other and changing its taste and characteristics.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

Out of both of them emerge pearls and coral.

Out of the two bodies of water—the salty and the fresh—come forth pearls and coral, which people use as jewelry and ornaments.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

To Him belong the sailing ships raised up in the sea like mountains.

And to Allah belong—in ownership, management, and subjugation—the sailing ships that people have built, appearing on the seas like mountains.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

Everyone on earth will perish,

Everyone on earth, whether human, jinn, or others, will perish and not remain.

but there will remain the Face of your Lord[7], full of Majesty and Honor.

And the Face of your Lord remains, O Muhammad, characterized by Majesty and Honor, deserving of magnification and love, and affirming the attributes of perfection and beauty, for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is the Ever-Living Who never dies.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

All those in the heavens and earth ask of Him; every day He is engaged in some matters[8].

All those in the heavens and earth turn to Allah, asking Him for their needs. Every day, Allah Almighty brings about a great affair, such as giving life to some and causing others to die, relieving a distress, forgiving a sin, answering a supplication, healing a sick person, enriching a poor person, teaching an ignorant person, guiding a misguided person, or giving honour to a people and disgrace to others!

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

We will attend to you, O two multitudes [of men and jinn].

We will attend to your reckoning on the Day of Resurrection—O assembly of humans and jinn—and recompense you with reward or punishment according to your deeds.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

O assembly of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the realms of the heavens and earth, then pass; you cannot pass without [Our] authority.

O assembly of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the boundaries of the heavens and earth and their vast regions, exiting them to flee from your Lord so that He cannot overpower you, then do so! You do not have—O assembly of jinn and mankind—the ability to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and earth except by power, subjugation, and dominance, which you do not possess!

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

There will be sent against you a flame of fire and smoke[9], and you will not be able to defend yourselves.

There will be sent against you both—O assembly of jinn and humans—immense, spreading smokeless flames of fire, and there will be sent against you smoke with flying sparks, and molten copper, and you will not be able to defend yourselves—O assembly of jinn and humans! You will neither be able to protect yourselves from His punishment on your own, nor by any helper besides yourselves.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

When the heaven is split asunder and becomes crimson like [burnt] oil[10].

Then when the heaven is rent asunder on the Day of Judgment, and it becomes red like a rose, like oil.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

On that Day no human or jinn will be asked about his sin[11].

On that Day no human or jinn will be asked about the sin he committed!

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

The wicked will be known by their marks and will be seized by their forelocks and their feet.

The criminals will be recognized on the Day of Resurrection by marks that distinguish them from others, then they will be seized by their forelocks and feet, and thrown into Hell.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

[They will be told] "This is the Hell that the wicked used to deny."

They will be told, "This is the Hell whose existence the wicked denied in the worldly life; here it is present, and they witness it in the Hereafter with their own eyes!"

They will go round between it and scalding water.

The wicked will go back and forth between the Fire of Hell and boiling water that has reached the utmost limit in its heat!

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny[12]?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

For those who fear of standing before their Lord[13] will be two Gardens.

And for everyone who fears—from mankind and jinn—standing before Allah for the reckoning on the Day of Resurrection, and thus fears Him in this world by carrying out His commands and shunning His prohibitions, there will be two Gardens in the Hereafter.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

Shaded by spreading branches.

These two Gardens have many branches.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

In each there are two flowing springs.

In these two Gardens are two flowing springs.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

In each there are two kinds of every fruit.

In the two gardens are two different types of every kind of fruit.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

They will recline on couches lined with rich brocade, with the fruits of both gardens within reach.

Blissfully reclining on beds whose inner linings facing the ground are made of thick, shiny silk. So what about their outer surfaces that touch their skin?! And the fruit of these two Gardens will be close to their inhabitants so they can pick it easily and effortlessly.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

In them there will be maidens of restrained gaze[14], untouched[15] before them by any man or jinn.

Therein will be women who have restricted their gaze to their husbands, so they do not look at anyone but them, nor do they desire anyone other than them. No one from mankind or jinn has had intercourse with them to break their virginity before their husbands.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

As if they were rubies and pearls[16].

Those Houris of wide and beautiful eyes are like rubies and coral in purity and color.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

Is the reward for goodness anything but goodness?

What is the reward for those who do good in this world except that Allah rewards them with bliss in the Hereafter?!

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

And besides these two there will be two other gardens.

And besides the two Gardens—previously mentioned—are two other gardens, lower than both in rank and excellence.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

Both of the deepest green.

These two gardens are dark green from the intensity of their greenness.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

In each there are two gushing springs.

In these two gardens are two springs gushing with water forcefully.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

In each there are fruits, palm trees, and pomegranates.

In these two gardens are fruits, date palms, and pomegranates.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

In them there are beautiful noble women.

In them are women of the best qualities, morals, and traits, and beautiful in faces and bodies; they are at the utmost peak of beauty in both physical form and character!

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

Maidens with gorgeous eyes, reserved in pavilions.

Among their descriptions is that they are fair-skinned with intensely black and white eyes, secluded and confined in houses of hollow pearls.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

No human or jinn has ever touched them before.

No human or jinn has ever had intercourse with them and deflowered them before their husbands.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

[They will be] reclining on green cushions and splendid carpets.

They will delight in reclining on fine, rich green garments hanging down from their couches, and reclining on mattresses of surpassing beauty, exquisite craftsmanship, and lovely appearance!

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?

Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O assembly of humans and jinn?!

Blessed is the Name of your Lord, the Lord of Majesty and Honor.

Blessed is the Name of your Lord, O Muhammad, for all blessings are from Him, and everything upon which it is mentioned is blessed, the Possessor of magnificent greatness, Who is worthy of magnification and worship, Who honours His servants with His bounties, and Who is deserving of honour and love from all His creation.

Al-Wāqi‘ah

When the Inevitable Event comes to pass,

When the Resurrection occurs, and its occurrence is confirmed.

there will be none to deny its occurrence;

There will be none to deny its occurrence, for it is an absolute truth, occurring with certainty, inevitably!

it will bring some low and raise others up[1].

It will bring down some people to Hellfire, so they will enter Hell, even if they were noble in this worldly life; and it will raise others to Paradise, so they will attain bliss, even if they were lowly in this worldly life!

When the earth is shaken violently,

When the earth, despite its vastness and heaviness, is quaked, and is violently shaken, so it convulses and trembles!

and the mountains crushed to pieces,

And the mountains, despite their greatness and solidity, will be crushed to pieces!

and turn to scattered dust,

And the mountains will become tiny particles of dust, floating and dispersing, like those seen in the reflection of sun rays in a dark place!

then you are sorted into three groups:

And you—O people—will be divided into three categories according to your deeds in the worldly life.

the people of the right – how blessed will be the people of the right[2]!

The first category: the people of the right who will enter Paradise—and how great is the status of the people of the right!

The people of the left – how miserable will be the people of the left[3]!

And the second group: the people of the left who will enter the Fire, and how terrible is the condition of the people of the left!

And the forerunners [in faith] are the forerunners [in Paradise].

Then Allah mentioned the third category, saying: Those who are foremost in faith and righteous deeds, and hasten to perform good deeds—they will be the foremost to enter the Gardens and attain honors.

They are the nearest ones [to Allah],

Those are the ones whom Allah Almighty brings near to Him.

in Gardens of Bliss,

In Gardens of Bliss, enjoying an everlasting and uninterrupted delight, both physical and spiritual.

many from the early generations,

They are a large group of the former generations.

and a few from the later generations.

And a small number of the later generations.

[They will be seated] on jeweled couches,

Their seats will be on couches woven with gold and other gems and pearls!

reclining on them, facing one another.

Reclining on those couches, facing each other, none looking at the back of another, for none of them will be behind another!

They will be served by immortal youths

They will be waited on by young boys who will never grow old nor die!

with cups, pitchers, and glasses [of wine] from a flowing spring,

They will be waited on by youths with round cups having no spouts or handles, and pitchers whose color sparkles from their clarity, having spouts and handles. And the youths will pass around to them cups of pure, flowing wine, springing forth just as water springs, without interruption!

which will neither cause any headache nor intoxication,

Drinking from that wine will cause them no headache, nor will its drinkers be intoxicated by it and lose their minds, nor will their drink be exhausted.

along with fruits of their choice,

And the boys will go around them with fruits of their choice from the wide variety of fruits in Paradise.

and flesh of birds that they may desire.

And the youths will go around them with the meat of birds that they desire to eat.

And [they will have] maidens with wide gorgeous eyes,

And they will have fair maidens, with intense blackness and whiteness of their eyes, with wide and gorgeous eyes.

like pristine pearls,

In their whiteness, beauty, and purity, those maidens resemble pristine, white, glistening pearls, well-protected from the touch of hands and exposure to dust, sun, and winds!

as a reward for what they used to do.

The Gardens of Bliss were only a reward for those foremost, brought near, because of the righteous deeds that they used to do in the worldly life.

They will not hear therein any idle talk or sinful speech,

They will not hear in those Gardens any idle speech that lacks benefit, nor will they hear therein any sinful talk that harms them.

except the words of peace, peace[4].

The people of Paradise will hear therein only greetings of peace, and speech that is free from idle speech and sin.

The people of the right – how blessed will be the people of the right!

The people of the right—how great is their status, and how excellent is their condition!

[They will be] in the midst of thornless lote trees,

They will be among thornless lote trees, whose branches are weighed down with abundant fruit.

and clusters of bananas,

And among "talh" (thornless trees), having arranged fruit, layered and closely packed together, in a most beautiful arrangement.

and extended shade,

And they are in constant and everlasting shade that neither recedes nor disappears.