التفسير المحرر

Al-Mulk

Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Most Capable of all things.

Blessed is Allah, in Whose Hands rests the dominion of the entire universe; He alone controls it as He wills with whatever He wills, and Allah alone possesses complete and perfect power to do all things, so nothing can prevent Him or render Him incapable.

Who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deeds, and He is the All-Mighty, the Most Forgiving.

He Who created death and life to test you, O mankind, through commands and prohibitions, desires and afflictions, to see which of you is best and most excellent in deeds—which are those most sincerely devoted to Allah Almighty, and most correct by being performed in accordance with His legislation—then He will recompense you for your deeds. And He is the Dominant Who is never overcome, the Unassailable in Majesty, the Subduer of all creatures, the All-Forgiving of the sins of His servants, concealing them for them, and protecting them from their punishment.

Who created seven heavens one above another; you will not see any imperfection[1] in the creation of the Most Compassionate. Look again; can you see any flaw?

He Who created seven heavens, one above another. You will not see any inconsistency or imperfection in the creation of the heavens, which the Most Compassionate originated. So return your vision to the sky, reflecting upon it: do you see in it any rifts or flaws?!

Then look again and again; your sight will turn back to you humbled and weary.

Then repeat looking at the sky time and again; your sight will return to you humbled and humiliated due to its inability to find any rifts in the sky, while your sight has reached the utmost limit of fatigue and is completely exhausted!

We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and have made them as missiles to stone the devils[2], and We have prepared for them the punishment of the Blazing Fire.

We have certainly adorned the sky nearest to the earth with shining stars, and We have stoned with those stars the devils who eavesdrop, and We have prepared for the devils in the Hereafter the punishment of the Fire, and the most intense blaze.

For those who disbelieve in their Lord there will be the punishment of Hell. What a terrible destination!

For all those who disbelieved in their Lord is the punishment of Hell in the Hereafter. What a terrible destination and return is Hell!

When they are thrown in it, they will hear its roaring as it boils up,

When the disbelievers are thrown into Hell, they will hear a loud and terrible sound from it, like the most hideous braying of donkeys, while it boils from the intensity of its blazing and burning.

almost bursting in fury. Every time a group is thrown in it, its keepers will ask them, "Did there not come to you a warner?"

Hell is about to tear apart, and its parts separate from one another due to the intensity of its rage against its inhabitants. Every time a group of disbelievers is thrown into Hell, the angels entrusted with it say to them in rebuke, "Did a messenger not come to you in the world warning you of the punishment of Allah Almighty?"

They will say, "Yes, a warner did come to us, but we denied and said, ‘Allah has not sent down anything; you are greatly misguided.’"

The disbelievers will say, "Yes, a messenger did come to us, warning us and frightening us of Allah's punishment, but we denied him, and we said to him: 'Allah has not sent down anything of revelation to anyone of the creation!'" And the disbelievers further said, "You, O assembly of messengers, are only far astray from the truth and the right path!"

And they will say, "If only we had listened or understood, we would not be among the dwellers of the Blazing Fire."

The disbelievers will say, "If only we had listened or reasoned in the worldly life in a way that would benefit us, we would not be today among the residents of the Fire, nor among those abiding eternally in its punishment!"

Thus they will confess their sins. So away[3] with the dwellers of the Blazing Fire!

Thus, they will confess their sin that condemned them to abide forever in the blazing Fire! So, away with the residents of the Fire—who are bound to it—from the mercy of Allah Almighty!

Indeed, those who fear their Lord unseen will have forgiveness and a great reward.

Indeed, those who fear Allah without seeing Him in this world, nor seeing His punishment, thus obeying Him and abandoning disobedience to Him even in their privacy, where no one among the people sees them, will have forgiveness from Allah for their sins, and a mighty reward.

Whether you speak secretly or openly, He is All-Knowing of that which is in the hearts.

: normal; background-color: rgb(249<mark class=" __search="" p-0"="">, 250, 251);">Whether you conceal your speech—O people—or reveal it, both are equal before Allah. Nothing is hidden from Him of the words you keep secret or declare openly. Indeed, Allah possesses complete and perfect knowledge of what is in the hearts of His servants—of beliefs, intentions, secrets, and thoughts that have not been spoken.

Does He not know His Own creation[4], when He is the Most Subtle, the All-Aware?

How could the secrets within the chests that He created be hidden from Him, the Exalted, while He is the Knower of the subtleties of all things, managing and conveying them to His servants gently and by hidden means, from where they do not perceive? For He, the Exalted, is the Knower of what He has instilled in the hearts, and He is the Knower of the innermost matters of things and their hidden aspects, such that no secret is hidden from Him?!

It is He Who made the earth smooth[5] for you, so travel through its regions and eat from His provisions. And to Him is the resurrection.

It is He Who made the earth subservient and smooth for you, such that you are able to benefit from it by treading and walking upon it, and so forth, and He did not make it difficult or inaccessible for those who desire to do so. So travel through its regions and surroundings, and journey wherever you wish throughout its tracts in pursuit of livelihood and earnings, and eat from Allah's lawful provisions that He has deposited therein and enabled you to extract from it. To Allah alone, and to none other, is the return after your death; thus, you will be resurrected from your graves on the Day of Resurrection for the recompense of your deeds.

Do you feel secure that He Who is above heaven will not cause the earth to sink with you, and then suddenly convulse[6]?

Do you feel secure—O disbelievers—that Allah, Who is high above, established upon His Throne above His heavens, will not cause the earth to swallow you up as a punishment for your disbelief in Him, and suddenly it would quake violently back and forth with you?!

Do you feel secure that He Who is in heaven will not send against you a storm of stones? Only then would you know how [serious] My warning was!

Or do you feel secure that Allah, Who is high above the heaven, will not send upon you a storm of stones to strike you with?! Then you will know, when the punishment descends, how My warning was, and the consequence of those who denied it!

Those who came before them rejected [the messengers]; then how severe was My response!

The disbelievers before the polytheists of Quraysh certainly denied their messengers, like the people of Noah, ‘Ād and Thamūd, the people of Lot, the people of Shu‘ayb, the people of Pharaoh, and others among the past nations that Allah destroyed with His punishment in this world. So how was My denunciation of them for their denial when I punished them?!

Do they not see the birds above them, spreading out and folding in their wings? None holds them up except the Most Compassionate. He is indeed All-Seeing of everything.

Have these polytheists who deny the truth not seen the birds flying above them in the open sky, mostly spreading out their wings, and sometimes folding them in when bringing them close to their sides? None holds these birds up from falling from the sky except the Most Compassionate, the Exalted. Indeed, Allah is All-Seeing of everything in His creation, so nothing is hidden from Him, and all are under His control according to what His wisdom dictates.

Which is your army that can come to your aid against the Most Compassionate? The disbelievers are in utter delusion.

Or who is he besides the Most Gracious that can be a support and a helper to you, O disbelievers, to protect you from the punishment?! The disbelievers in Allah are in nothing but a great delusion that has encompassed them, from which they have no escape. This is due to their persistence in their disbelief that they imagine to be right, and their delusion that their gods can benefit them.

Who is there to give you provision if He withholds His provision? Yet they persist in arrogance and aversion.

Or who is it that will bring you provision, O disbelievers, if Allah withholds it from you?! Yet they did not turn back from their denial and disbelief despite the evidence and proofs mentioned; rather, they persisted and went further in their transgression, stubbornness, and arrogance, and in their aversion to the truth and fleeing from it.

Who is better guided: the one who walks stumbling and falling on his face or the one who walks upright on a straight path?

Is the one who walks with his head bowed down, unable to see his way, stumbling and falling on his face, more guided, or the one who walks upright and straight, with his head raised and his face looking forward, safe from stumbling, seeing his way, and walking on a level, clear path with no crookedness?!

Say, "It is He Who brought you into being and gave you hearing, sight, and hearts; little do you give thanks."

Say, O Muhammad, to the denying polytheists, "Allah alone is the One Who brought you into existence from nothing, and He is the One Who gave you hearing so that you may hear the verses of Allah Almighty, and sight so that you may look at the creation of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and hearts so that you may reflect and take heed of what you have heard and seen. Yet, little do you thank Allah for these blessings by using them for what they were created for."

Say, "It is He Who has dispersed you throughout the earth, and to Him you will be gathered."

Say, O Muhammad, "It is Allah Who dispersed you throughout the regions and corners of the earth, and to Allah you will be gathered after this separation and dispersion, and He will resurrect you from your graves for reckoning and recompense."

They say: "When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful?"

The polytheists say, "When will what you promise us of the gathering to Allah come to pass, if you are truthful in this promise of yours?!"

Say, "That knowledge is with Allah alone, and I am only a clear warner."

Say, O Muhammad, to these questioners, "The knowledge of the time of the Resurrection's coming is only with Allah alone; no one knows it except Him. And I am only a warner to you of the punishment of Allah if you disbelieve, with a clear warning by which the proof is established against you."

Then when they see it[7] approaching closer, the faces of the disbelievers will be distressed, and it will be said, "This is what you were asking for[8]."

But when those disbelievers see what they were promised very close to them and witness it, it will distress and terrify them and unsettle their hearts, so their faces will change and become ugly, and gloom will cover them. And it will be said to them on the Day of Resurrection as a reprimand and rebuke, "This is the torment that you used to ask for and demand to be hastened, out of denial and deeming its occurrence unlikely."

Say, "What do you think[9], if Allah causes me and those who are with me to die or shows us mercy, who will save the disbelievers from a painful punishment?"

Say, O Muhammad, to these polytheists who wish for your destruction and the believers with you, "Have you considered, if Allah causes me and the believers with me to die by punishment or otherwise, or has mercy on us, the occurrence of the destruction you wish for us will not benefit you; for whether Allah destroys us or has mercy on us, there is no escape for you from His painful punishment as long as you persist in disbelieving in Him."

Say, "He is the Most Compassionate; we believe in Him and put our trust in Him. You will come to know who is clearly misguided."

Say to them, O Muhammad, "He is our Lord, the Most Compassionate; in Him we believe, and upon Him alone we rely. You will soon know, when the punishment comes, who is in clear error and manifest deviation from the truth: is it we or you?!"

Say, "What do you think, if your water were to sink deep into the earth, who can bring you flowing water?"

Say to them, O Muhammad, "Have you considered: if your water were to sink into the earth such that you are unable to reach it or extract it, then who could bring you flowing water, visible on the surface of the earth for the eyes to see?!" No one is capable of that except Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.

Al-Qalam

Nūn[1]. By the pen and what they [i.e., the angels] write [in the Records of deeds],

This Surah begins with this letter from the disjointed letters with which many Surahs of the Qur’an begin, to demonstrate its miraculous (inimitable) nature, as they show the inability of creation to challenge it with something similar, even though it is composed of these very Arabic letters with which they speak; and I swear by the pen and what they write.

By the grace of your Lord [O Prophet], you are not a madman.

You, O Muhammad, because of what Allah has bestowed upon you of guidance, revelation, and prophethood, are not insane, as the polytheists claim.

You will surely have a never-ending reward.

And indeed, for you—O Muhammad—will be a great, never-ending and undiminished reward.

Indeed, you are of a great moral character.

And indeed, you, O Muhammad, are of a noble nature and a great moral character through this upright religion and the Noble Qur’an.

Soon you will see and they will see,

So you will see and come to know, O Muhammad, and the disbelievers of the Quraysh will see and come to know with certainty.

which of you is afflicted with madness.

Who among you is afflicted with madness and straying from the truth?!

Indeed, your Lord alone knows best who has strayed from His way and those who are rightly guided.

Indeed, your Lord, O Muhammad, knows best who has gone astray from the path of truth, so he did not follow the religion of Allah Almighty, and He knows best those who are rightly guided, so they acknowledged the truth and followed it.

So do not obey the deniers.

So just as We have bestowed favor upon you, O Muhammad, with the upright religion and the great character, do not obey the deniers of the truth, for they are not worthy of being obeyed.

They wish that you would compromise so they would too compromise.

The polytheists of the Quraysh loved and wished, O Muhammad, that you would compromise with them in religion, agree with them, and accommodate their falsehood—such as abandoning the prohibition of polytheism or keeping silent about the faults of their gods—so that they too would compromise with you and accommodate the truth you call them to, such as refraining from attacking it, agreeing with it, and complying with some of it.

And do not obey every disgraceful swearer,

And do not obey, O Muhammad, every frequent swearer, weak and despicable, of mean soul, and lacking resolve.

backbiter, gossip-monger,

A frequent fault-finder of people, defaming them in their absence and spreading bad talk from some to others with the intention of causing dissension among them.

withholder of good, transgressor, sinful,

A stern withholder of all good, miserly with wealth and withholding it from being spent in its required ways, a transgressor of limits, and full of sins and misdeeds.

coarse, and furthermore, an illegitimate child[2].

Harsh and coarse in his appearance and character, fiercely quarrelsome, extremely harsh, and—on top of all that we have described him with—an illegitimate child, attached to a people to whom he does not belong.

Simply because he has wealth and children,

Because he possesses much wealth and children, he draws strength from them, acts tyrannically, and becomes arrogant!

When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Ancient fables!"

When the verses of the Qur’an are recited to this disbeliever, he says in denial, "These are the lies and fables of the former peoples, which they wrote down in their books."

We will soon brand him on the snout[3].

We will soon make a mark on his snout by which he will be known among people.

Indeed, We have tested them [i.e., the Makkans] as We tested the people of the garden when they swore to harvest its fruits in the early morning,

We have tested the people of Makkah just as We tested the owners of the garden, when they swore among themselves to harvest the fruits of their garden early in the morning before the poor came to it, so that they would not know about them, thus keeping all its fruits entirely for themselves and not giving anything from it in charity.

and made no exception [by saying: if Allah wills][4].

And the owners of the garden did not make an exception in their oath, so they did not say: Inshā’ Allah (If Allah wills).

Then it was struck by an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep,

So a punishment from your Lord fell upon their garden by night, O Muhammad, and it destroyed, annihilated, and completely ruined it, while its owners were sleeping and unaware of what had befallen it.

and it turned to ashes [as black as night].

So that garden was reduced to ashes, black like a pitch dark night.

Then in the early morning they called out to one another:

Then the owners of the garden called out to one another early in the morning to go harvest their fruit.

"Go early to your garden if you really wish to harvest."

They said, "Go out early to your garden if you are determined today to harvest its fruit before the poor come to it."

So they set out, whispering to one another,

So the owners of the garden departed to their garden, whispering to one another so that no one could hear their conversation.

"Not a single poor person should enter your garden today."

They said to one another secretly, "Do not let any poor person enter your garden today."

And they left early, fully determined to stick to their plan[5].

And they went out early in the morning, intending with firm resolve, anger, and severity to prevent the poor from their fruits, and capable of what they had resolved: to harvest the fruits and prevent the poor.

But when they saw the garden, they said, "We must have lost our way!

But when the owners of the garden saw their garden, they did not recognize it! They said to one another, "Indeed, we have lost our way and taken the wrong path to our garden."

Rather, we have been deprived."

They said: No, we did not lose the way to it, but the truth of the matter is that we have been deprived of benefiting from the garden, so we have no share in any of its fruits.

The best among them said, "Did I not say to you to glorify Allah[6]?"

The most just, wisest, and best of them said, "Did I not sincerely urge you to exalt Allah above imperfection by saying: Glory be to Allah?!"

They said, "Glory be to our Lord! We were truly wrongdoers."

They said, admitting their mistake, "We exalt our Lord above being unjust in what He did to our garden, but rather it is we who fell into wrongdoing and brought harm upon ourselves."

Then they turned to one another, throwing blame.

Then they approached one another, blaming themselves for the wrongdoing they had committed.

They said, "Woe to us! We were surely transgressors.

They cried, "Alas for us, and woe to us! Indeed, we have transgressed, rebelled, and exceeded the limits of Allah Almighty until there befell us what has befallen us!"

Our Lord may give us something better than this. We certainly turn to our Lord in hope[7]."

We hope from our Lord, after we have repented to Him, that He will compensate us with better than our garden, which was destroyed. Indeed, to our Lord alone we turn in hope and desire; therefore, we aspire that He will give us in exchange better than our garden.

Such is the punishment [in this world]; but the punishment of the Hereafter is far worse, if only they knew.

Like this worldly punishment that befell the owners of the garden, Allah Almighty also punishes everyone who disobeys His command, is stingy with what He has bestowed upon them, denies the needy, exchanges the blessing of Allah with ingratitude, transgresses, oppresses, and prefers the worldly life, for Allah Almighty strips them of His blessing and removes it from them. And indeed, the punishment of Allah in the Hereafter for those who deserve it is greater than the punishment of this world. If the disbelievers knew that, they would have repented and refrained from every cause that necessitates their punishment, but they do not know.

Indeed, the righteous will have gardens of bliss with their Lord.

Indeed, those who fear Allah Almighty by obeying His commands and by avoiding His prohibitions will have in the Hereafter with their Lord the gardens of everlasting bliss, free from everything that spoils or mars it.

Should We then treat Muslims like the wicked?

Shall We treat equally the Muslims who have submitted to Allah Almighty, complied with His commands, avoided His prohibitions, and humbled themselves in obedience and servitude to Him alone, and the wicked who have committed sins and violated Allah's commands and prohibitions?! Never! For Allah rewards the Muslims and punishes the wicked, as dictated by His wisdom, glory be to Him.

What is the matter with you that you make such a judgment?

What is the matter with you with such flawed thinking and corrupt reasoning? How do you make this unjust judgment, as if the matter of recompense in the Hereafter is delegated to you, judging in it as you wish?!

Or do you have a scripture in which you read

Do you have a book revealed from Allah in which you read what you say?

that you will be given whatever you choose?

Do you have in this book whatever rulings you choose and desire?!

Or do you have a solemn promise binding upon Us until the Day of Resurrection, that you will have whatever you decide for yourselves?

Or do you, O polytheists, have confirmed covenants and pledges that We have sworn to, which are eternal and continuous until the Day of Resurrection, that you shall have whatever judgment you choose?!

Ask them which of them can guarantee that.

Say—O Muhammad—to these polytheists among your people, "Who is the guarantor, the surety, and the one committed to claiming the validity of that?!"

Or do they have associate-gods? Then let them bring forth their associate-gods[8], if they are truthful.

Or do the disbelievers have partners with Allah in deserving worship?! Then let them bring them forward to make them equal to the Muslims in the Hereafter, if their claim that they are associate-gods with Allah is true, the Exalted.

On the Day when the Shin [of Allah] will be uncovered[9], and they are invited to prostrate, but they will not be able to do so.

The Day when the Lord, the Exalted, will reveal His noble Shin, and that is the Day of Resurrection, and they shall be called to prostrate themselves to Allah Almighty on that Day, but they shall not be able to do so.

Their eyes will be downcast, overwhelmed with humiliation, for they were invited to prostrate when they were capable[10] [but they refused].

Their eyes on the Day of Resurrection will be humbled and still, overwhelmed by severe humiliation, and they were commanded in the world to prostrate to Allah while they were healthy and sound, with nothing preventing them.

So leave to Me those who reject this message [O Prophet]. We will gradually lead them to their ruin in ways that they do not perceive[11].

So leave Me Alone—O Muhammad—to deal with those who deny the Qur’an. Leave them to Me and entrust their affair to Me, for I will suffice for you against them. So do not be in haste for their destruction, and let not your heart be preoccupied with them. We will gradually bring these deniers of the Qur’an closer to their punishment, step by step, from directions and causes they do not perceive that lead them to destruction.

I will give them respite, but My plan is firm.

I only delay their end for a while—without hastening their punishment. This is from My planning against them, and My planning is strong and severe.

Or are you asking them for a reward, so they find it too burdensome?

Or do you ask, O Muhammad, your people for a payment for conveying the truth to them, which overburdens them and becomes a hardship for them, so they refrain from accepting your advice and responding to you?!

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

Or do those polytheists have knowledge of what is hidden from creation, so they write it down?!

So be patient with the decree of your Lord, and do not be like the man of the Whale [i.e., Jonah], when he cried out in anguish[12].

So be patient, O Muhammad, with what Allah has decreed in both legislation and destiny: by conveying His message, fully submitting to His command, and enduring the harm of the disbelievers and polytheists in that path without discontent or despair over their respite. And do not be, in annoyance, anger, haste, and lack of patience with your people, like Yunus (Jonah), who was confined because of that in the belly of the whale when he called out to his Lord, saying, "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been one of the wrongdoers," while his chest was filled with anger, distress, and sorrow.

Had it not been for the grace that he received from his Lord, he would have surely been thrown onto the barren shore, blameworthy[13].

Had not a great mercy from his Lord reached Jonah, he would have been cast onto the empty land, devoid of people, trees, and buildings, while being blamed and reproached for the sin.

But his Lord chose him and made him one of the righteous.

So Allah chose Jonah and made him one of His obedient servants whom He favored—among those whose deeds, words, intentions, and conditions were righteous.

The disbelievers would almost strike you down with their malicious gazes when they hear the Reminder, and they say, "He is certainly mad."

Those who disbelieve almost make you slip and strike you down, O Muhammad, with their malicious gazes at you, a gaze of enmity, rage, and envy towards you, when they hear the words of Allah being recited to them, and they say, "Indeed, Muhammad is a madman, and this which he has brought to us is raving that he utters in his madness.

But it is nothing other than a reminder to the whole world.

But this Qur’an is nothing other than a reminder and an admonition from Allah to all mankind and jinn.

Al-Hāqqah

The Inevitable Hour!

The Resurrection, whose coming is inevitable and its occurrence is certain, in which realities become apparent, and the promise and threat of Allah Almighty are fulfilled.

What is the Inevitable Hour?

What is that Inevitable Hour of great magnitude? And what is its condition and description?

How do you know what the Inevitable Hour is?

What makes you know what the Inevitable Hour is, its description, its condition, and its horrors?!

Thamūd and ‘Ād denied the Striking Calamity of the Hour[1].

The tribe of Thamūd, the people of Sālih, and the tribe of ‘Ād, the people of Hūd, denied the Resurrection, which strikes the hearts with its horrors.

As for Thamūd, they were destroyed by a dreadful blast.

As for Thamūd, they were destroyed by the overpowering, terrible blast whose sound exceeded the measure of every loud sound, so the earth and hearts trembled from it, and they died from its intensity.

And as for ‘Ād, they were destroyed by a furious windstorm[2]

And as for ‘Ād, they were destroyed by a great, cold, and fiercely roaring wind, whose intensity surpassed every other storm, utterly destroying them.

which He unleashed against them for seven successive nights and eight days, so you would see the people lying dead as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees.

Allah unleashed that violent wind upon ‘Ād and sent it against them for seven nights and eight complete days, disastrous, continuing upon them until they perished. So you would see the people of ‘Ād during those nights and days lying dead on the ground, their corpses after their destruction becoming like fallen, hollow palm trunks.

Do you see any trace of them now?

Then do you see any remnants of the disbelievers of ‘Ād after Allah Almighty annihilated them?

Also, Pharaoh and those who came before him, and the overturned cities [of Lot] committed the grave sin,

Also, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and those before him among the disbelievers, and the people of Lot—the inhabitants of the overturned cities, which were turned upside down upon them—all of these committed the sin of disbelief, polytheism, denial, and wrongdoing, as well as the various types of immoralities and transgressions joined to that.

each disobeying the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a severe punishment.

So Pharaoh, those before him, and the people of Lot each disobeyed the messenger of their Lord whom He sent to them. Thus, We destroyed each of those nations with a severe and mighty destruction that exceeded all bounds, due to the excessive evil and wickedness of their deeds.

Indeed, when the floodwater overflowed, We carried you [O humans] in the sailing Ark[3],

Indeed, when the water increased and rose until it overflowed its known limits to drown the people of Noah, We carried your ancestors in Noah's Ark, floating upon the water.

so that We might make it a reminder for you, and that attentive ears may take heed.

That We might make it a reminder and an admonition for you, O believers, so that you may remember that Allah destroyed the disbelievers and saved the believers, and that you may take it as evidence of the perfection of Allah's power and wisdom, His subjugation of His enemies, and His mercy upon His allies, and that it may be retained by a conscious ear whose nature is to preserve and comprehend from Allah what it hears, benefit from it, and not waste it by neglecting to act upon it.

Then when the Trumpet is blown with a single blast,

Then when the angel blows the Trumpet entrusted to him with a single blast, requiring no repetition to achieve its intended purpose, for the command of Allah can neither be opposed nor resisted.

and the earth and mountains are lifted up and crushed with a single blow,

And when the earth and the mountains are lifted and removed from their places, then crushed with a single severe blow until they are shattered and broken.

on that Day the Inevitable Event will occur.

So on the Day the Trumpet will be blown, and the earth and the mountains will be crushed, the Hour will come to pass, and the Day of Resurrection will take place thereupon.

And the sky will split asunder and will be frail[4] on that day,

And the sky will crack and split apart, so on the Day of Resurrection it will be cracked, weak, and frail, unable to hold itself together.

with the angels on all its sides, and on that Day, eight [mighty angels] will bear the Throne of your Lord above them.

And the angels will be on the sides and edges of heaven when it splits, submitting to Allah and humbling themselves before His greatness, and eight of the angels will, on the Day of Resurrection, bear the Throne of your Lord above their heads.

On that day, you will be brought forth [before Allah], and none of your secrets will remain hidden.

On the Day of Resurrection, when all those events take place, you will be presented, O mankind, before Allah Almighty to be held accountable, with nothing of you being hidden from Him.

As for the one who is given his Record in his right hand, he will say, "Here is my Record, read it!

As for the one who is given his record in his right hand—which is a sign of his salvation—he will say happily and rejoicing, "Here, everyone! Read my record, and look at the good deeds in it."

I was sure that I would meet my reckoning."

Indeed, I knew and was certain in the worldly life that I would be resurrected and face my reckoning on the Day of Resurrection, so I strove to do righteous deeds in preparation for that Day.

So he will be in a pleasant life,

So he is in a pleasant life, deeply satisfied with it, having found in it a great reward, and safety and security from punishment.

in a lofty garden,

In an elevated garden, with lofty buildings, palaces, and trees.

with clustered fruit within his reach.

The fruits of the trees of that garden are close at hand, easy to reach for whoever wishes to pick them, so there is no trouble or hardship for them in taking them.

[They will be told,] "Eat and drink joyfully for what you did[5] in the days gone by."

It will be said to the people of Paradise: Eat from the food of Paradise and drink from its drink, enjoying your eating and drinking of the good and delicious things that are not accompanied by any harm, distress, or disturbance, and this is the reward presented to you because of the righteous deeds you put forth in the past days of the world.

As for the one who is given his Record in his left hand, he will say, "Would that I had not been given my Record,

And as for the one who is given his record of deeds in his left hand, he will say regretfully and sorrowfully, "Oh, I wish I had not been given my record of bad deeds.

nor had I known anything of my reckoning!

And I did not know what my account was

Would that it [i.e., death] had been the end of me[6]!

Oh, I wish my death in the world were the end of my life, and I were not resurrected for the reckoning and recompense.

My wealth has been of no avail to me.

My wealth that I amassed in the world did not avert from me anything of the punishment of the Hereafter.

My authority has vanished[7]."

My power and prestige have gone from me, and my argument has vanished."

[It will be said,] "Seize him and shackle him,

Allah says to His angels, "Seize this disbeliever and place the shackle around his neck.

then make him burn in the Blazing Fire,

Then plunge him and submerge him in the Fire.

then tie him up with a chain of seventy cubits long.

Then tie him up with a chain seventy cubits long, so he is tormented by it.

For he did not believe in Allah, the Most Great,

This disbeliever deserved that severe punishment because in this world he did not believe in Allah, the Possessor of complete and perfect greatness.

nor did he encourage feeding the needy.

And because he did not urge others to feed the needy.

So Today he will have no close friend here,

So this Day in the Hereafter, this disbeliever will have no close friend to benefit him and avert the torment of Allah from him.

nor any food except the discharge of wounds,

And this disbeliever has no food except from the pus of the people of the Fire.

none will eat it except the sinners."

None will eat this food except those who deliberately commit sins, from among the disbelievers in Allah Almighty and those who associate partners with Him.

I swear by what you can see.

I do swear by all that you see—O mankind—of all things, great and small.

and what you cannot see!

And all that you cannot see and what is hidden from you

Indeed, this is the word of a noble Messenger[8],

Indeed, this Qur’an is the word of a noble Messenger, and he is Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who recites it to the servants of Allah and conveys it to them.

and it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe!

And this Qur’an is not the word of a poet as the disbelievers of the Quraysh claim; little is your belief in what you are obligated to believe, O polytheists!

Nor is it the word of a soothsayer; little do you take heed!

Nor is this Qur’an the word of a lying soothsayer who claims knowledge of the unseen, as the disbelievers claim; little do you remember, so that you may reflect and take heed, O polytheists!

It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

This Qur’an is a revelation from Allah, the Lord of all worlds, to His servant and Messenger Muhammad, so it is truly the Word of Allah.

If he had falsely attributed something to Us,

Had Muhammad made some false claims about Allah Almighty, attributing to Him something He did not say

We would have surely seized him by the right hand[9],

We would have surely hastened his punishment and taken vengeance on him with Our power and might.

then severed his aorta[10],

Then We would have surely severed Muhammad's aorta, and caused him to die.

and none of you could have rescued him.

So no one among you—O people—can prevent Allah Almighty from punishing Muhammad if he lies about his Lord.

This [Qur’an] is indeed a reminder for those who are righteous.

Indeed, the Qur’an is a reminder for the righteous who obey the commands of Allah Almighty and avoid His prohibitions, so they take lessons from it and take heed.

And We surely know that some of you will be deniers,

And We certainly know that among you are deniers of this Qur’an despite the clarity of the truth in it, and We will recompense them for their denial.

and it[11] will certainly be a source of regret for the disbelievers.

And indeed, the Qur’an will be a source of regret for the disbelievers, as they will regret abandoning belief in it.

And this[12] is indeed the absolute truth.

And indeed, the Qur’an is the established and confirmed truth in which there is no doubt, nor in its revelation from Allah Almighty.

So glorify the name of your Lord, the Most Great.

So exalt your Lord, Who possesses perfect greatness, O Muhammad, above every deficiency and flaw, saying: Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent.

Al-Ma‘ārij

A challenger asked for a punishment bound to come[1]

A challenger from the disbelievers has demanded Allah's punishment, wishing to hasten it, while it is inevitably bound to come upon the disbelievers.

upon the disbelievers, which none can avert,

The punishment falling upon the disbelievers has no preventer to avert it from them.

from Allah, Lord of the pathways of ascent,

This punishment is bound to come from Allah, the Possessor of highness, ranks, bounties, and blessings, so no one can avert it.

by which the angels and the Spirit[2] will ascend to Him on a Day[3] the length of which is fifty thousand years.

The angels and Gabriel (peace be upon them) ascend to Him, the Exalted and Most High, in a single day, the measure of which is fifty thousand years.

So be patient [O Prophet] with beautiful patience.

So be patient—O Muhammad—over the polytheists' denial of you and their harm to you, with beautiful patience in which there is no panic or complaint, nor lack of contentment or haste. So do not hasten their punishment and the victory over them, and endure the hardships of calling them to Allah without annoyance or weariness.

Indeed, they see this [punishment] far off,

Indeed, the disbelievers see the punishment of the Hereafter as something that will not occur due to their lack of belief in the resurrection after death.

but We see it to be close at hand.

We see the punishment befalling them as imminent because whatever Allah has foretold will happen is inevitably coming, and everything that is coming is near.

On the Day when the sky will be like molten brass[4]

On the Day when the sky will be like molten metal at the utmost limit of intense heat.

and the mountains will be like dyed wool[5],

And the mountains on the Day of Resurrection will be like dyed wool.

and no close friend will ask about another,

And on the Day of Resurrection, no close relative or friend of utmost closeness and friendship will ask another close relative about his condition and affairs because every person will be preoccupied with himself rather than others, due to the severity of the horror and panic that overcomes him.

even though they will see one another. The wicked will wish he could ransom himself from the punishment of that Day by offering his children,

Every close friend will be shown his close friend until he recognizes him, and he will see the distress and hardship he is in. Yet, he will not ask about his condition or affairs due to his intense preoccupation with himself. On that Day, the disbeliever will desire and wish that his offering of his children be accepted from him to save himself from punishment, so that they would be punished instead of him, and he would be saved.

and his wife and his brother,

And he will wish that offering his wife and his siblings be accepted from him, so that they may be punished instead of him.

and his kindred who stood by him,

And he would wish that offering his relatives, who sheltered, supported, and aided him in worldly life, be accepted from him so that they would be punished instead of him.

and everyone on earth, just to save himself.

And he would wish to offer everyone on earth, his friends and others, so that they would be punished instead of him, and he would thereby be saved from the punishment of Allah.

By no means![6] It is a raging Flame,

The wicked will not have what he wished for to ransom himself from the punishment of Allah, for nothing will save him from the Fire; indeed, it is a blazing, burning, intensely hot fire.

that will strip off the scalps[7].

That Fire will tear off the extremities of the wickeds' bodies—such as the hands and the feet—and the skin of their heads.

It will call everyone who turned their backs and disobeyed,

That Hellfire will call to itself all those who turned their backs on the truth in the world, and turned away from it toward falsehood.

and amassed and hoarded wealth.

And he gathered wealth and hoarded it, and withheld the right of Allah in it, so he did not spend from it in what He commanded him.

Indeed, man was created impatient:

Indeed, people are by nature disposed to intense covetousness, which results in impatience and withholding; they neither thank Allah for His blessings nor are they patient during adversity.

when evil befalls him, he bewails,

When an affliction befalls a person—such as poverty, illness, or the loss of a loved one—he becomes intensely distressed and lacks patience.

but when good fortune comes his way, he becomes tight-fisted –

But when good fortune and blessing come his way, and he becomes rich with abundant wealth, he becomes exceedingly stingy with his wealth; he does not spend it in obedience to Allah, nor does he give from it to the needy among the servants of Allah.

except those who pray,

Except those who pray, who are characterized by the following qualities, for they are not like that; they are patient in adversity and grateful in prosperity.

who are steadfast in their prayers;

Those who are constant in performing their obligatory prayers properly, neither missing them nor abandoning them.

and who give a due share[8] of their wealth

And those in whose wealth there is a known share for those in need.

to the beggar and the dispossessed;

In their wealth, there is a known right for the beggar who asks people for charity, and the poor who does not ask people despite his need and severe poverty.

and who firmly believe in the Day of Judgment;

And those who believe in the coming of the Day of Resurrection, in which the reckoning and recompense take place.

and those who fear the punishment of their Lord –

And those who are fearful and cautious of the punishment of their Lord.

for none can feel secure from their Lord’s punishment –

Indeed, no one is secure from Allah's punishment; therefore, one must fear and be heedful of it by avoiding the violation of Allah's commands and prohibitions.

and those who guard their private parts[9],

And those who guard their private parts from all that Allah Almighty has forbidden them.

except from their wives or bondwomen[10] whom they own, for then they are not to be blamed.

They guard their private parts except from their wives or from their female slaves whom they possess, for there is no blame on them for having intercourse with them and lawfully enjoying them, and they are not to be blamed for that.

But whoever seeks beyond that, it is they who are the transgressors.

But whoever seeks enjoyment with anyone other than his wife and his female slave, then they are the transgressors, exceeding what Allah Almighty has made lawful into what He has forbidden.

and those who fulfill their trusts and pledges;

And those who are observant and steadfast in preserving what Allah and the people have entrusted them with, and their covenants with Allah and His servants. They do not betray trusts, nor do they break covenants.

and who are upright in their testimonies;

And those who are upright in delivering the testimony legally required of them, even if against their relatives, so they bear it, attend to it, and preserve it until they deliver it most completely, without addition or omission, and without alteration or concealment.

and who take due care of their prayers;

And those who maintain the performance of their prayers, establishing them in the correct manner required of them by Islamic law.

they will be honored in gardens[11].

Those who are characterized by these attributes will be in gardens, wherein Allah Almighty will honor them with various kinds of honors and types of delights.

What is the matter with the disbelievers that they are rushing towards you [O Prophet][12],

So what is the matter with the disbelievers of the Quraysh, O Muhammad, hastening towards you and approaching you, with their eyes staring at you?!

from the right and from the left, in crowds[13]?

On your right and on your left, O Muhammad, scattered.

Does everyone of them aspire to enter a garden of bliss?

Does every one of those polytheists hope that Allah will admit him into a Garden of Bliss on the Day of Resurrection?!

By no means! We have created them from what they know[14].

The matter is not as they hope, for they shall not enter Paradise with their disbelief in Allah and their associating partners with Him. Indeed, We created them from a sperm-drop, as they know.

I swear by the Lord of the sunrises and sunsets[15] that We are surely Capable

I swear by the Creator and Controller of the easts and the wests that We are indeed Capable.

to replace them with others better than them, and none can escape Our decree.

We are indeed Capable of destroying the polytheists and bringing forth a people better than them who obey their Lord and fear Him, and none of them can escape Us or frustrate Us by fleeing, for Allah Almighty is Capable of bringing forth those who are better than them, as nothing is impossible for Him, the Exalted.

So leave them to engage in their falsehood and amuse themselves until they meet their Day which they are promised;

So leave the polytheists—O Muhammad—to indulge in their falsehood and amuse themselves in their world with their desires, until they face the Day of Resurrection in which lies their punishment!

the Day when they will rush out of their graves as if they are racing towards an idol[16],

The Day when the polytheists will come forth from their graves swiftly towards the Place of Reckoning, as if racing hastily to their idols, which they had set up for worship, competing to see which of them will touch them first.

with their eyes downcast and overwhelmed with disgrace. That is the Day that they were promised.

On the Day of Resurrection, their eyes will be humbled and still, and humiliation will overwhelm them. That Day, described by those hardships, is the Day of Resurrection that the disbelievers were promised in worldly life through the tongues of the messengers (peace be upon them) and which they used to deny!

Nūh

Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment."

Indeed, We sent Noah to his people who associated others with Allah, saying, "Warn your people against persisting in their polytheism before there comes to them an extremely painful punishment."

He said: "O my people, indeed I am a clear warner to you,

Noah said, in obedience to what Allah Almighty commanded him, "O my people, indeed I am a clear warner to you, warning you of Allah's punishment if you worship other than Him, and clarifying to you what Allah has sent me with."

that you worship Allah and fear Him, and obey me;

Noah said to his people, "I command you to worship Allah alone, and do not associate anything with Him, and I command you to place a barrier between yourselves and Allah's wrath and punishment to protect you from it, by complying with what He has commanded and avoiding what He has forbidden, and I command you to obey me."

He will forgive you some of your sins and grant you respite until an appointed term[1]. Indeed, when Allah’s appointed term comes, it cannot be delayed, if you only knew!"

For if you worship Allah alone, fear Him, and obey me, He will forgive your sins and not hold you accountable for them, and Allah Almighty will not hasten upon you the punishment of annihilation that you deserve because of your polytheism. Rather, He will grant you respite until your predestined appointed times, if you believe and obey. Indeed, the appointed time that Allah has decreed for the death of every one of His creation cannot be delayed from its time. If you only knew this, you would have repented to Allah, the Exalted, from the polytheism you are engaged in.

He said, "My Lord, I have surely called my people night and day,

Noah complained to his Lord, saying, "My Lord! I have surely called my people night and day to Your Oneness, and warned them against associating partners with You and disobeying You."

but my call only drove them further away.

But my calling them to the truth so that they may follow it only increased them in fleeing and turning away from it.

Every time I call them so that You may forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears and cover their faces with their garments[2], and persist in obstinacy and grow extremely arrogant.

And indeed, every time I invited them to the means of forgiveness—which is belief in You, worshipping You alone, and obedience to You—that You might erase their sins thereby and overlook punishing them for them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, blocking them so as not to hear my words, and covered themselves up with their garments so as not to see me, going to extremes in turning away from me. And they persisted in their polytheism and did not repent, and magnified themselves in pride and grew extremely arrogant, refusing to accept the truth and follow it.

Then I called them openly,

Then I certainly called my people to the truth aloud, preaching openly.

then I addressed them in public and in private,

Then I proclaimed my invitation to them publicly, spreading it among them, and I invited them secretly in private.

I said, ‘Seek forgiveness from your Lord. Indeed, He is Most Forgiving.

I said to them: Ask your Lord to forgive your sins, so that He may erase them from you and overlook holding you accountable for them. Indeed, Allah is eternally and forever characterized by perfect forgiveness for the sins of His servants.

He will shower you with abundant rain from the sky,

For if you ask your Lord for forgiveness, He will send upon you continuous, successive rain.

and He will give you wealth and children, and bestow upon you gardens and rivers.

And your Lord will give you wealth and children, and increase them for you, and make for you in this world gardens containing various kinds of fruits, and make for you flowing rivers.

What is the matter with you that you do not fear the Majesty of Allah[3],

What is the matter with you that you do not revere Allah Almighty as He truly deserves, so that you affirm His Oneness and obey Him?!

when He has created you in stages[4]?

How can you forsake the magnification and veneration of Allah Almighty when He has placed within your selves a sign that points to His Oneness and leads to His magnification, which is His creation of you stage after stage, for you were a sperm drop, then a clinging clot, then a lump of flesh, until the completion of your creation?!

Do you not see how Allah has created seven heavens, one above another,

Do you not see how Allah created seven heavens, one above another, so you may take this as evidence of the perfection of Allah's power, and that He alone is worthy of worship to the exclusion of all else?!

and has placed the moon therein as a light and the sun as a burning lamp?

And Allah made the moon a light in the seven heavens, and Allah made the sun a shining lamp.

Allah has produced you from the earth like a plant[5],

And Allah began the creation of your father Adam from the dust of the earth, so the origin of your creation is from it.

then He will return you into it and then will bring you out again.

Then Allah will return you into the earth after your death, where you will be buried and become dust as you were before your creation; and Allah will bring you forth from the earth on the Day of Resurrection for reckoning and recompense, and you will come out from your graves alive.

Allah has made the earth widespread for you

And Allah has made the earth spread out and leveled for you like a bed.

so that you may tread its spacious paths[6].’"

So that you may take from it spacious, easy, and accessible paths to travel along.

Noah said, "My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed those whose wealth and children did not increase them except in loss[7].

Noah said, "My Lord, indeed my people have disobeyed what I commanded them and rejected what I called them to. They did not follow me upon the truth and followed the people of this world upon falsehood, whose abundance of wealth and children only increased them in ruin, distance from Allah, and deviation from the truth."

They have contrived a mighty plot,

They plotted a very great plot against Noah and those who believed with him.

They said, ‘Do not abandon your gods; and do not abandon Wadd, Suwā‘, Yaghūth, Ya‘ūq, and Nasr[8].’

They said to one another, "Never leave your idols, which Noah forbids you from worshipping, and never leave the worship of the pious men: Wadd, Suwā‘, Yaghūth, Ya‘ūq, and Nasr!"

They have led many astray. So [O Lord], do not increase the wrongdoers except in error."

And indeed they have led many people astray from the path of truth. And, O Lord, do not increase those wrongdoers—due to their polytheism, disbelief, and denial—except in error, straying farther away from the truth, until they die upon their misguidance and increase in sin and punishment for their falsehood.

Because of their sins, they were drowned and then were cast into the Fire, and they did not find any helpers against Allah.

Because of their sins, Allah drowned them, and they were made to enter a Fire to be punished therein. So the people of Noah, when they were drowned and made to enter the Fire, did not find any helpers or saviors to support them and protect them from the punishment of Allah.

Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave on earth a single disbeliever.

Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave a single disbeliever alive on earth."

For if You leave them, they will surely lead Your slaves astray and beget none but wicked disbelievers.

Indeed, if You leave them alive, they will mislead Your believing servants, turning them away from the truth and making falsehood appealing to them, and give birth only to those who will be wicked, highly corrupt, and staunch disbelievers in their Lord.

My Lord, forgive me and my parents, and whoever enters my house as a believer, and all the believing men and women, and do not increase the wrongdoers except in ruin."

Noah said, "My Lord, erase the sins from me and my parents, conceal them for us, and do not hold us accountable for them, and forgive whoever enters my house from among the believers, and forgive the sins of all the believing men and women. And do not increase those who wrong themselves with their disbelief except in destruction."

Al-Jinn

Say, "It has been revealed to me that a group of jinn listened [to the Qur’an,] and they said, ‘Indeed, we have heard a wondrous recitation

Say, O Muhammad, "Allah has revealed to me that a group of jinn listened to the Qur’an, and that group of jinn said: 'Indeed, we have heard a wondrous recitation, marvelous and extraordinary, and there is no speech like it.'"

that guides to the right way, so we have believed in it, and we will never associate anyone with our Lord.

And this Qur’an leads to the truth, goodness, the right way, and guidance, so we have believed in it, and we will never associate anyone of the creation with Allah Almighty, for He is unique in His Lordship.

And that He – our exalted and glorified Lord[1] – has neither taken a wife nor a child;

And that exalted is the greatness and majesty of our Lord; Allah Almighty has not taken a wife, nor has He taken a child.

and that the fool among us [i.e., Satan] used to say outrageous things about Allah[2],

And that the ignorant among us—the one persisting in recklessness and deviation—used to speak lies and outrageous falsehoods against Allah, far from justice and truth, and among that is claiming a partner, a wife, and a child for Allah, the Exalted and Most High.

although we thought that humans and jinn would never tell lies about Allah.

And that before hearing the Qur’an and believing in Allah, we thought that humans and jinn were truthful in their claims, and that they would not dare to lie about Allah Almighty by falsely and deceitfully claiming a partner, a consort, and a child for Him.

And there were some men who used to seek refuge with some jinn, but they only increased them in burden.

And that there were men from mankind who, when they halted at a place, would seek refuge and protection with the chief and master of that place from among the jinn, seeking safety and security from what they feared and dreaded; so mankind increased the jinn in transgression and arrogance when they saw mankind seeking refuge in them.

They thought, just like you [jinn] thought that Allah would never send any messenger.

And that the disbelievers among the jinn thought—just as the disbelievers among mankind thought—that Allah would never resurrect anyone on the Day of Resurrection for reckoning and recompense.

We have sought to reach heaven but found it filled with stern guards and flaming fire.

And we approached the heaven to listen to some of the news of the unseen as was our custom, but we found it filled with strong guards of angels protecting it from the devils, and filled with flaming meteors that strike and burn them if they attempt to eavesdrop.

We used to take up positions there for eavesdropping, but now anyone who eavesdrops will find a flaming fire waiting for him[3].

We used to sit in the past in positions in heaven in order to listen to some of what the angels converse about regarding what is to happen. So whoever among the devils wishes to listen now to the news of heaven is struck by a flaming meteor lying in wait for him, to prevent him from listening or to burn him.

We do not know whether evil is intended for those on earth, or their Lord intends good for them.

We do not know the purpose behind the guarding of heaven with the angels and flaming meteors: whether it is to send down punishment upon those on earth, or whether their Lord intends for them guidance, goodness, and righteousness.

Among us are some who are righteous and some who are otherwise, for we follow divergent ways[4].

Among us are those who are obedient to Allah, and among us are those who are less so; we are of various factions, divided opinions, and different inclinations.

We have realized that we can never escape Allah on earth, nor can we ever escape Him by fleeing.

We have become certain that we are completely under Allah's control, so we can never escape Him on earth and be saved from evil and punishment if He intends it for us. If we flee from Him, we will not escape, nor will we ever frustrate Him if He seeks us.

When we heard the guidance [of the Qur’an], we believed in it. Whoever believes in his Lord will have no fear of curtailment [from his reward] or injustice[5].

When we heard the Qur’an, which guides to the truth, we believed in it without hesitation. So whoever believes in his Lord does not fear that Allah will decrease anything from his good deeds, nor that He will add anything to his bad deeds.

Among us are some who are Muslims and some who are deviant[6]. Those who accepted Islam have sought the true guidance,

Among us are Muslims who are obedient to Allah, following His straight path, and among us are the deviant who have turned away from the upright path of truth. So whoever submits to Allah Almighty through monotheism and yields to Him in obedience, then it is they who have sought out the truth and the right course, and have followed His path leading to Paradise.

but those who are deviant, they will be fuel for Hell.’"

But those who deviate from Islam, who equate others with Allah Almighty, shall be fuel for Hell, which will be kindled with them, as a recompense for their deeds.

"If they had remained steadfast on the right way, We would have given them abundant rain,

If the wrongdoers had turned to the right path and remained steadfast on the way of truth, We would have given them to drink plentiful, abundant rain (water) of great benefit, with which We increase provision, adorn the earth, and make life prosperous.

as a test for them[7]. But whoever turns away from the remembrance of his Lord[8], He will make him suffer an arduous punishment.

As a test for them through the abundant provision We have bestowed upon them, so that the grateful may be distinguished from the ungrateful, and it becomes evident who among them persists in guidance and who reverts to misguidance! Whoever turns away from the Qur’an—neither following it nor acting upon it—Allah will subject him to a severe, arduous punishment that he cannot bear.

The mosques[9] are for Allah alone, so do not supplicate anyone along with Allah.

And all mosques, which are houses for the worship of Allah Almighty, belong to Him alone; so do not associate anyone of His creation with Allah therein, and single Him out alone in supplication and worship.

Yet when the slave of Allah stood up supplicating Him, they swarmed around him[10]."

Yet when Muhammad stood up supplicating to Allah, the jinn almost crowded around him in groups, piling on top of one another.

Say [O Prophet], "I only supplicate my Lord and I do not associate anyone with Him."

Say, O Muhammad, "I only invoke my Lord alone, and I do not associate with Him anyone of His creation."

Say, "I have no power to harm or benefit you[11]."

Say, O Muhammad, "I do not possess the power to cause you harm or bring you benefit, nor to lead you astray or guide you to the right path, for the ultimate authority in all of that belongs to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and I am but a servant who has no control over the matter."

Say, "None can ever protect me from Allah [if I should disobey Him], nor can I ever find refuge except in Him.

Say, O Muhammad, "Indeed, no one will save me from Allah if He intends to afflict me with harm, and I will never find any refuge besides Allah to turn to.

I only convey what I receive from Allah and His messages." And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger will certainly be in the Fire of Hell, abiding therein forever.

I will never find any refuge other than Allah, except by conveying from Him what I have been sent with, for indeed, in it are safety and salvation.

Until when they see what they were promised, they will realize who is weaker in helpers and fewer in number.

Until when the disbelievers see the punishment that Allah has promised them, witnessing it with their own eyes and being certain of its occurrence, then they will know who is weaker in helpers and protectors against the punishment, and less in number: they or the believers who affirm the oneness of Allah Almighty?

Say, "I do not know if what you are promised is near or my Lord has appointed a distant time for it.

Say—O Muhammad—to the polytheists, "I do not know if the time in which Allah has promised you the punishment will befall is near, or if my Lord will set it after a long period. For that is the unseen that Allah Almighty knows, and I do not know it."

[He is] the Knower of the unseen, He does not reveal His unseen to anyone,

He alone is the Knower of what is hidden from His creation, and He does not disclose the knowledge of the unseen—which He has reserved for Himself—to anyone of His creation.

except the messenger whom He chooses, then He appoints angel-guards before him and behind him[12]

Allah does not disclose the unseen to anyone except those whom He has approved as His messengers. For Allah sends angel-guards before and behind the messenger to whom He discloses some of the unseen, to protect him from the devils, so they cannot tamper with the revelation sent to him or steal anything from it.

to ensure[13] that the messengers fully conveyed the messages of their Lord. He encompasses in His knowledge all about them, and keeps count of all things."

Allah protected His messengers with His angels so that He may know—a knowledge of existence and manifestation—that the messengers have succeeded in conveying His messages exactly as they are, without being mixed with anything that would obscure or alter them. Allah Almighty's knowledge encompasses all that is with the messengers, and Allah, the Exalted, knows the exact number of everything in His creation, so nothing of that is hidden from Him.

Al-Muzzammil

O you the enwrapped one[1],

O you who wraps himself in garments and draws them around himself, meaning: the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Stand up in prayer at night except a little,

Stand up—O Muhammad—the whole night for prayer, except for a little of it, and make it for rest and sleep.

half of it, or a little less,

Stand up in prayer half the night, or a little less than half, so you pray about a third of the night.

or a little more, and recite the Qur’an at a measured pace.

Or increase your prayer beyond half the night, so that you pray two-thirds of it;  there is no blame on you in standing for prayer for half the night, or a little less than half, or more than half. And recite the Qur’an slowly, deliberately, and articulating its letters clearly without haste, so that this may help in reflecting upon it and understanding its meanings.

We will send down upon you a heavy Word[2].

Indeed, We will send down to you—O Muhammad—a weighty Qur’an because of what it contains of arduous obligations, and the gravity of its words, for they are replete with meanings along with their majesty, and its great status. It is heavy in the scales, and the disbeliever cannot refute it or impugn it in any way.

Indeed, worship at night is more effective[3] and more conducive to proper recitation[4].

Indeed, worship in the night after waking up from sleep is heavier upon the praying person and more difficult than daytime prayers—because the night is a time for sleep, rest, and tranquility—yet it is more suitable for recitation and more correct in speech, due to the calmness of people and the stillness of voices.

In the daytime, you have plenty of time for your worldly matters.

Indeed, you—O Muhammad—have ample time and long leisure during the day, in which you move about going and coming to fulfill your needs and for sleep. So devote yourself during the night to its prayer.

And remember the Name of your Lord, and devote yourself completely to Him.

And remember—O Muhammad—the Name of your Lord at all times, and devote yourself to Him wholeheartedly, turning away from everything that distracts you from obeying Him, by worshipping Him alone and seeking your needs from Him, not from anyone else.

[He is] Lord of the east and the west; none has the right to be worshiped except Him, so take Him as the Disposer of your affairs[5].

He is the Creator, the Master, and the Disposer of the affairs of the East and the West; there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, the Exalted alone. So take Him as the Trustee of your affairs, entrust them to Him, and rely upon Him alone, to the exclusion of all others.

Bear patiently what they say, and avoid them in a gracious manner.

And be patient—O Muhammad—with what the polytheists of your people say, such as denying or mocking you. And avoid your polytheist people for the sake of Allah with gracious avoidance, without reproach or harm. And turn away from seeking revenge against them, so do not respond to them with the like of what they say and do.

Leave to Me the deniers who are having a life of luxury, and bear with them for a little while.

And leave Me, O Muhammad, with the deniers of the truth who possess wealth and riches, and the people of luxury and affluence in this world. So leave the matter of their punishment to Me, do not worry about their denial, and do not busy yourself with taking revenge on them. And wait, O Muhammad, for a little while, so that the time of their punishment may come, and We will grant you victory over them; so do not hasten their punishment.

Indeed, We have heavy shackles and a Blazing Fire,

Indeed, We have in the Hereafter for those who deny Our signs heavy chains and shackles, and an intensely blazing Fire.

and food that chokes, and a painful punishment,

And We have for them food that is hard to swallow, which gets stuck in the throat of its eater, neither going down nor coming out, and We have for them a painful, agonizing, and severe punishment.

on the Day when the earth and the mountains will convulse, and the mountains will be like dunes of loose sand.

That will befall them on the Day the earth and the mountains quake and tremble, and the mountains become a heap of loose, pouring, and scattered sand.

Indeed, We have sent to you a Messenger to be a witness over you, just as We sent to Pharaoh a messenger.

Indeed, We have sent to you Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as a witness over the faith of those among you who respond to him and follow him, and the disbelief of those who oppose him and disobey him, just as We sent to Pharaoh a messenger calling him to the truth, who was Moses (peace and blessings be upon him).

But Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger, so We seized him with a severe punishment.

But Pharaoh disobeyed Moses (peace be upon him) and did not believe in him or in what he brought, so We destroyed Pharaoh and his soldiers with severe and heavy destruction by drowning them all. Therefore, beware of disobeying your Messenger Muhammad, lest Allah destroy you just as He destroyed Pharaoh and his people when they disobeyed their Messenger.

If you disbelieve, then how will you protect yourselves against a Day that will turn children’s hair gray?

Then how will you attain protection and salvation from the afflictions of the Day of Judgment, which will turn children’s hair grey from its terror and the severity of its horrors, if you persist in disbelief and do not believe and do righteous deeds?!

It will cause the sky to break asunder[6]. His promise will certainly be fulfilled.

The sky will split asunder on the Day of Judgment by the severity and magnitude of its terrors! And what Allah has promised His creation regarding the coming of the Resurrection must inevitably be fulfilled, for Allah Almighty does not break His promise.

Indeed, this is a reminder; so whoever wills may take a way to his Lord.

Indeed, this is a reminder by which the righteous take heed, an admonition, and a lesson. So whoever wills among the people may take a path to his Lord through faith in Him and obedience to Him in order to attain His pleasure and His mercy.

Indeed, your Lord knows that you [O Prophet] stand up in prayer for nearly two-thirds of the night, or half of it, or one-third of it, as do others among your companions. Allah determines the night and the day; He knows that you [Muslims] cannot keep an accurate count of it, so He pardoned you[7]. Recite then as much of the Qur’an as is easy for you [in the night prayers]. He knows that there are some among you who will be ill, and others traveling in the land, seeking the grace of Allah, and others fighting in Allah’s way. So recite as much of it as is easy for you; establish prayer and give zakah; and lend to Allah a goodly loan[8]. Whatever good you send forth for yourselves, you will find it with Allah, much better in condition and much greater in reward[9]. And seek forgiveness of Allah, for indeed Allah is All-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.

Indeed, your Lord, O Muhammad, knows that you pray during the night, sometimes less than two-thirds of it, sometimes you pray half of it, and at other times you pray a third of it, and a group of your believing Companions also pray that amount. Allah alone is the One Who determines the hours of the night and the day and their times, and He knows their measures. Allah Almighty knew—O believers—that you would not be able to endure calculating what was asked of you in knowledge and action without addition or subtraction, for that requires extra attention and hardship. Therefore, He has turned to you in forgiveness due to your inability and weakness, and He has lightened your burden by granting a concession to leave the specific night prayer mandated at the beginning of the Surah. He has removed the liability from you in that regard, and commanded you to do what is easy for you of it, whether it exceeds the estimated time or falls short. So pray—O believers—whatever is easy for you at night without restriction. Allah knew that there would be among you sick people who are too weak to pray at night, and Allah knew that there would be others among you traveling through the land seeking provision, thus becoming too weak for the night prayer, and others fighting the disbelievers in support of the religion of Allah Almighty and to make His Word supreme, as the night prayer becomes difficult for them. So pray—after Allah has lightened the burden of the night prayer for you—whatever is easy for you of the night prayer, and maintain the establishment of the obligatory prayers with their pillars, conditions, and obligations; and give the obligatory Zakah on your wealth to its deserving recipients; and give in charity from your good wealth with sincerity to Allah Almighty, without boasting or causing harm. Whatever you do in this world of any kind of good to benefit yourselves in the Hereafter, you will find it on the Day of Resurrection preserved for you with Allah, better than what you put forth and greater in reward than what you did. And ask Allah to erase your sins for you, their essence and their traces, so He may overlook them and conceal them. Indeed, Allah is Great in forgiveness for the sins of His servants and Profound in mercy towards them.

Al-Muddaththir

O you covered [in your cloak][1],

O you who covers himself with garments out of fear and panic—referring to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

arise and warn,

Arise and warn the polytheists, and caution them against the punishment of Allah if they do not affirm the oneness of Allah.

and proclaim the greatness of your Lord,

And proclaim the greatness of your Lord by words—which includes the statement, "Allāhu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest)—and by belief. This includes: worshipping Him alone, declaring Him free from imperfections, describing Him with attributes of perfection, and calling people to His Oneness and His magnification.

and purify your garments,

And purify your garments from impurities, and purify your soul from the defilement of sins, and purify your deeds from polytheism and disobedience.

and shun idol worshiping[2],

And shun idol worshiping.

and do not do a favor for a greater return[3],

Do not give anything hoping to receive more in return.

and be patient for the sake of your Lord.

And be patient for the sake of your Lord alone over the harm and hardship you encounter in the path of calling creation to Allah Almighty and conveying His message, and be patient over other painful decrees of Allah, as well as in obeying Allah and refraining from disobeying Him.

When the Trumpet is sounded[4],

So when the Trumpet is blown on the Day of Resurrection to resurrect the people alive from their graves for the reckoning and recompense.

that Day will be a difficult day,

That is a severely difficult day, of extreme hardship and great horrors.

not easy for the disbelievers.

It will be a difficult Day for those who disbelieved in Allah and His messengers, neither easy nor light for them.

Leave me to deal with the one whom I created lonely[5],

Leave Me, O Muhammad, with this disbeliever whom I created alone without wealth or children, and entrust his affair to Me.

and gave him abundant wealth,

And I granted him extensive, abundant wealth that increases and grows, so its benefit never ceases for him.

and sons by his side,

And I granted him sons always by his side, who are never absent from him nor do they part from him, so he finds comfort and pride in them, and seeks their help in fulfilling his needs.

and gave him a life of comfort and power,

And I provided for him an abundant livelihood, so he resided in his town in comfort and luxury, holding leadership, prominence, and extensive prestige.

yet he aspires that I should give him more.

Then he hopes, out of his intense greed and covetousness, that I should give him more wealth and children, despite his ingratitude for the blessings and his associating partners with Allah Almighty!

By no means! For he has been stubborn against Our verses.

I will never grant this disbeliever more, as he hopes; so he shall not have the increase in blessings he covets, because he was exceedingly obstinate in opposing the verses of Allah Almighty—Who bestowed upon him what He bestowed. Therefore, he does not submit to the truth, nor does he follow it; rather, he seeks to invalidate it despite his knowledge of it.

I will subject him to an unbearable punishment.

I will subject this disbeliever in Hell to a severe torment from which he will have no rest.

For he reflected and plotted [against the Qur’an][6].

Indeed, this disbeliever contemplated the matter of the Qur’an, determined within himself false descriptions with which to attack the Qur’an, and prepared his speech.

May he perish, how he plotted!

May this disbeliever perish and be cursed! How astonishing of him; how did he form this determination within himself to ascribe false descriptions to the Qur’an?!

Again, may he perish, how he plotted!

Then may he be destroyed and cursed once again! And how astonishing of him a second time; how he plotted that within himself?!

Then he looked around,

Then this disbeliever contemplated the matter of the Qur’an, searching for a false description with which to discredit it, in order to turn people away from it.

then he frowned and scowled,

Then he frowned, knitted his brows, and his color changed when he found no valid description to discredit the Qur’an therewith.

then turned away with arrogance,

Then he turned his back and acted arrogantly, refusing to accept the truth, despite recognizing the perfection of the Qur’an in its wording and meanings, and its freedom from any falsehood.

then said, "This is nothing but magic from the past.

And he said, "This Qur’an is nothing but magic transmitted by Muhammad from other magicians!"

This is nothing but the words of a man."

He said, "This Qur’an is nothing but human speech, and it is not the speech of Allah Almighty, so no one should be deceived by it or rely upon it!"

Soon I will make him burn in the Scorching Fire[7].

Allah Almighty says, "Soon I will cast him into Hellfire and immerse him in it, so it will surround him from all sides, where he will suffer from its severity and heat."

How do you know what Scorching Fire is?

And what will make you realize, O Muhammad, what Hell is?!

It leaves nothing and spares no one,

It does not let anyone who enters it live or die so that he may rest from its punishment. Rather, the bodies of its people will be replaced whenever they are burned, so its punishment continues!

scorching the skin.

That Fire will burn the skin of its inhabitants, turning their skin black.

It is overseen by nineteen [angels].

Over that Fire are nineteen angels in charge of its affairs.

We have only appointed angels as keepers of the Fire, and We have only made their number as a test for the disbelievers[8], so that those who were given the Scripture may have certainty and the believers may increase in faith; and neither those who were given the Scripture nor the believers may have any doubts; and so that those [hypocrites] in whose hearts is sickness and the disbelievers may say, "What does Allah mean by this number?" Thus Allah causes to stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills, and none knows the soldiers of your Lord but He. This is but a reminder to mankind.

We have not made the nineteen keepers of the Fire except angels, and We have made the mention of their number only as a trial for the disbelievers and a test for them. And We mentioned this number so that those who were given the Torah and the Gospel will be certain that the Qur’an is the truth and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, due to the agreement of their scriptures with the Qur’an that their number is nineteen; and so that the people of the Torah and the Gospel and the believers in Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) will not doubt what Allah has informed regarding the number of the keepers of the Fire. And so those in whose hearts is a disease of doubt and hypocrisy, and the disbelievers in Allah and His Messenger, will say, "What is the wisdom behind this number?!" Just as Allah Almighty leads the disbelievers astray by this number and guides the believers to accept it, He also leads astray whom He wills by what He reveals of the Qur’an, thereby forsaking them from following the truth, and guides whom He wills, thereby granting them success in following the truth. And to Allah belongs the perfect wisdom. And none knows the number of the soldiers of your Lord and their multitude, whether angels or others, except Allah alone. It is but a great reminder to humanity, so that they may take heed from it and be deterred from opposing the truth.

No indeed! By the moon,

The matter is not as the polytheists think regarding the number of the keepers of Hellfire. And I swear by the moon.

and by the night when it departs,

And I swear by the night at the time of its departure and withdrawal.

and by the dawn when it brightens,

And I swear by the morning when its light begins to appear at dawn.

Hellfire is indeed one of the greatest matters,

Indeed, Hellfire is one of the greatest matters that has no equal.

a warning to mankind,

A warning to mankind, striking fear in them and warning them with a profound warning.

to whoever among you chooses to advance or regress.

For whoever wills to accept the warning and be guided to the truth, thereby advancing towards faith and goodness, and for whoever wills to hold back from faith and goodness, not taking heed of its warning.

Every soul is held in pledge[9] for its deeds,

Every soul, for the evil deeds and sins it committed in this world, will be confined in the Fire.

except the People of the Right[10],

Except for the believers who are given the records of their deeds in their right hands, for they will not be detained in the Fire for their sins, because Allah forgives them.

who will be in gardens, asking one another

Indeed, the people of the right will be in Gardens of Bliss, asking.

about the wicked:

They ask about the dwellers of Hellfire, the wicked.

"What brought you to Hell?"

They say to them: What caused you to enter the Hellfire?

They will say, "We were not among those who prayed,

The wicked will say to them, "What caused us to enter the Fire is that we were not among those who prayed to Allah alone in the worldly life."

nor did we feed the poor,

Nor did we use to feed the poor, out of miserliness with what Allah has given us, and withholding what He has made obligatory upon us of Zakah and charity.

and we indulged in falsehood along with those who indulged in it,

And we used to indulge in falsehood in the worldly life with those who engaged in it, associating with them in their falsehood.

and we denied the Day of Judgment,

And we used to deny the Day of Reckoning and Recompense in worldly life, so we did not believe in the Hereafter, nor in Paradise and Hellfire.

until the certainty [of death] came to us."

And we persisted in our disbelief and deviance until death came to us.

So the intercession of intercessors will not benefit them.

So the intercession of intercessors from among the angels, the prophets, the martyrs, and the righteous will not benefit the disbelievers when Allah accepts their intercession for the monotheistic sinners.

Then what is the matter with them that they turn away from the Reminder,