91Ash-Shams

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا

By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour;

وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَاهَا

By the Moon as she follows him;

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّاهَا

By the Day as it shows up (the Sun's) glory;

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَاهَا

By the Night as it conceals it;

وَالسَّمَاءِ وَمَا بَنَاهَا

By the Firmament and its (wonderful) structure;

وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَاهَا

By the Earth and its (wide) expanse:

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا

By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it;

فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا

And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right;-

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا

Truly he succeeds that purifies it,

وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسَّاهَا

And he fails that corrupts it!

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَاهَا

The Thamud (people) rejected (their prophet) through their inordinate wrong-doing,

إِذِ انْبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا

Behold, the most wicked man among them was deputed (for impiety).

فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا

But the Messenger of Allah said to them: "It is a She-camel of Allah! And (bar her not from) having her drink!"

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا

Then they rejected him (as a false prophet), and they hamstrung her. So their Lord, on account of their crime, obliterated their traces and made them equal (in destruction, high and low)!

وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا

And for Him is no fear of its consequences.