70Al-Ma'aarij

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ

A beseecher besought the visitation of chastisement,

لِلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ

(a chastisement meant) for the unbelievers, one which none can avert;

مِنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ

a chastisement from Allah, the Lord of the ascending steps,

تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ

by which the angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in one Day the duration of which is fifty thousand years.

فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا

So, (O Prophet), persevere with gracious perseverance.

إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا

Verily they think that the chastisement is far off,

وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا

while We think that it is near at hand.

يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ

It shall befall on a Day whereon the sky will become like molten brass,

وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ

and the mountains will become like dyed tufts of wool,

وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا

and no bosom friend will enquire about any of his bosom friends

يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ

although they shall be within sight of one another. The guilty one would fain ransom himself from the torment of that Day by offering his children,

وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ

and his spouse and his brother,

وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ

and his kinsfolk who had stood by him,

وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنْجِيهِ

and all persons of the earth, if only he could thus save himself.

كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ

By no means! It will be the fierce flame

نَزَّاعَةً لِلشَّوَىٰ

that will strip off the scalp.

تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ

It shall insistently summon him who turned his back and retreated,

وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ

and amassed wealth and covetously hoarded it.

۞ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا

Verily man is impatient by nature:

إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا

bewailing when evil befalls him,

وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا

and tight-fisted when good fortune visits him,

إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ

except those that pray,

الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ

and are constant in their Prayer;

وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَعْلُومٌ

and those in whose wealth there is a known right

لِلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ

for those that ask and those that are dispossessed,

وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ

those who firmly believe in the Day of Recompense,

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِمْ مُشْفِقُونَ

and fear the chastisement of their Lord –

إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ

surely the chastisement of their Lord is a thing none can feel secure from –

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ

and those who guard their private parts,

إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ

except in regard to their spouses and those whom their right hands possess, for in regard to them they are not reproachable,

فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ

but any who seeks to go beyond that, it is indeed they who are the transgressors,

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ

and those who fulfil their trusts and their covenants,

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِشَهَادَاتِهِمْ قَائِمُونَ

and those who are upright in their testimonies;

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ

and who take due care of their Prayer:

أُولَٰئِكَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُكْرَمُونَ

all these shall live honourably in the Gardens.

فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ

But what is the matter with the unbelievers who are hurrying towards you

عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ

in crowds, both on the right and on the left?

أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ

Does everyone of them wish to enter the Garden of Bliss?

كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُمْ مِمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ

By no means! They know that which We have created them from.

فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ

I swear by the Lord of the easts and the wests that We have the power

عَلَىٰ أَنْ نُبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ

to replace them by others who would be better than they; and We shall certainly not be overpowered.

فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ

So leave them to engage in vain talk and to amuse themselves until they come face to face with the Day which they are promised,

يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ

the Day on which they will hastily come forth from their graves, as though they were hurrying on to the altars of their deities.

خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ

Their eyes will be downcast and disgrace will overwhelm them. Such is the Day that they were promised.