Al-Muddaththir

You, wrapped in your cloak,

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ

yāayyuhā l-mudathiru

arise and give warning!

قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ

qum fa-andhir

Proclaim the greatness of your Lord;

وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ

warabbaka fakabbir

cleanse yourself;

وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ

wathiyābaka faṭahhir

keep away from all filth;

وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ

wal-ruj'za fa-uh'jur

do not be overwhelmed and weaken;

وَلَا تَمْنُنْ تَسْتَكْثِرُ

walā tamnun tastakthiru

be steadfast in your Lord’s cause.

وَلِرَبِّكَ فَاصْبِرْ

walirabbika fa-iṣ'bir

When the Trumpet sounds,

فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِي النَّاقُورِ

fa-idhā nuqira fī l-nāqūri

that will be a Day of anguish for the disbelievers.

فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ

fadhālika yawma-idhin yawmun ʿasīrun

They will have no ease.

عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍ

ʿalā l-kāfirīna ghayru yasīrin

[Prophet], leave Me to deal with the one I created helpless,

ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا

dharnī waman khalaqtu waḥīdan

then gave vast wealth,

وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالًا مَمْدُودًا

wajaʿaltu lahu mālan mamdūdan

and sons by his side,

وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا

wabanīna shuhūdan

making everything easy for him––

وَمَهَّدْتُ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا

wamahhadttu lahu tamhīdan

yet he still hopes I will give him more.

ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ

thumma yaṭmaʿu an azīda

No! He has been stubbornly hostile to Our revelation:

كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا

kallā innahu kāna liāyātinā ʿanīdan

I will inflict a spiralling torment on him.

سَأُرْهِقُهُ صَعُودًا

sa-ur'hiquhu ṣaʿūdan

He planned and plotted––

إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ

innahu fakkara waqaddara

devilishly he plotted!

فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

faqutila kayfa qaddara

ferociously he plotted!––

ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

thumma qutila kayfa qaddara

and looked

ثُمَّ نَظَرَ

thumma naẓara

and frowned and scowled

ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ

thumma ʿabasa wabasara

and turned away and behaved arrogantly

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ

thumma adbara wa-is'takbara

and said, ‘This is just old sorcery,

فَقَالَ إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ

faqāla in hādhā illā siḥ'run yu'tharu

just the talk of a mortal!’

إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ

in hādhā illā qawlu l-bashari

I will throw him into the scorching Fire.

سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ

sa-uṣ'līhi saqara

What will explain to you what the scorching Fire is?

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ

wamā adrāka mā saqaru

It spares nothing and leaves nothing;

لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ

lā tub'qī walā tadharu

it scorches the flesh of humans;

لَوَّاحَةٌ لِلْبَشَرِ

lawwāḥatun lil'bashari

there are nineteen in charge of it––

عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ

ʿalayhā tis'ʿata ʿashara

none other than angels appointed by Us to guard Hellfire- and We have made their number a test for the disbelievers. So those who have been given the Scripture will be certain and those who believe will have their faith increased: neither those who have been given the Scripture nor the believers will have any doubts, but the sick at heart and the disbelievers will say, ‘What could God mean by this description?’ God leaves whoever He will to stray and guides whoever He will- no one knows your Lord’s forces except Him- this [description] is a warning to mortals.

وَمَا جَعَلْنَا أَصْحَابَ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَائِكَةً ۙ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِيمَانًا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۙ وَلِيَقُولَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْكَافِرُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَـٰذَا مَثَلًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَمَا هِيَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ

wamā jaʿalnā aṣḥāba l-nāri illā malāikatan wamā jaʿalnā ʿiddatahum illā fit'natan lilladhīna kafarū liyastayqina alladhīna ūtū l-kitāba wayazdāda alladhīna āmanū īmānan walā yartāba alladhīna ūtū l-kitāba wal-mu'minūna waliyaqūla alladhīna fī qulūbihim maraḍun wal-kāfirūna mādhā arāda l-lahu bihādhā mathalan kadhālika yuḍillu l-lahu man yashāu wayahdī man yashāu wamā yaʿlamu junūda rabbika illā huwa wamā hiya illā dhik'rā lil'bashari

Yes––by the moon!

كَلَّا وَالْقَمَرِ

kallā wal-qamari

By the departing night!

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ

wa-al-layli idh adbara

By the shining dawn!

وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا أَسْفَرَ

wal-ṣub'ḥi idhā asfara

It is one of the mightiest things,

إِنَّهَا لَإِحْدَى الْكُبَرِ

innahā la-iḥ'dā l-kubari

a warning to all mortals,

نَذِيرًا لِلْبَشَرِ

nadhīran lil'bashari

to those of you who choose to go ahead and those who lag behind.

لِمَنْ شَاءَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ

liman shāa minkum an yataqaddama aw yata-akhara

Every soul is held in pledge for its deeds,

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ

kullu nafsin bimā kasabat rahīnatun

but the Companions of the Right will stay

إِلَّا أَصْحَابَ الْيَمِينِ

illā aṣḥāba l-yamīni

in Gardens and ask

فِي جَنَّاتٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ

fī jannātin yatasāalūna

about the guilty.

عَنِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ

ʿani l-muj'rimīna

‘What drove you to the Scorching Fire?’ [they will ask]

مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ

mā salakakum fī saqara

and they will answer, ‘We did not pray;

قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ

qālū lam naku mina l-muṣalīna

we did not feed the poor;

وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَ

walam naku nuṭ'ʿimu l-mis'kīna

we indulged with others [in mocking the believers];

وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِينَ

wakunnā nakhūḍu maʿa l-khāiḍīna

we denied the Day of Judgement

وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ

wakunnā nukadhibu biyawmi l-dīni

until the Certain End came upon us.’

حَتَّىٰ أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُ

ḥattā atānā l-yaqīnu

No intercessor’s plea will benefit them now.

فَمَا تَنْفَعُهُمْ شَفَاعَةُ الشَّافِعِينَ

famā tanfaʿuhum shafāʿatu l-shāfiʿīna

What is the matter with them? Why do they turn away from the warning,

فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ التَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ

famā lahum ʿani l-tadhkirati muʿ'riḍīna

like frightened asses

كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌ مُسْتَنْفِرَةٌ

ka-annahum ḥumurun mus'tanfiratun

fleeing from a lion?

فَرَّتْ مِنْ قَسْوَرَةٍ

farrat min qaswaratin

Each one of them demands that a scripture be sent down to him and unrolled before his very eyes-

بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُؤْتَىٰ صُحُفًا مُنَشَّرَةً

bal yurīdu kullu im'ri-in min'hum an yu'tā ṣuḥufan munasharatan

No! Truly they have no fear of the life to come-

كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ لَا يَخَافُونَ الْآخِرَةَ

kallā bal lā yakhāfūna l-ākhirata

but truly this is a reminder.

كَلَّا إِنَّهُ تَذْكِرَةٌ

kallā innahu tadhkiratun

Let whoever wishes to take heed do so:

فَمَنْ شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُ

faman shāa dhakarahu

they will only take heed if God so wishes. He is the Lord who should be heeded, the Lord of forgiveness.

وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَىٰ وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ

wamā yadhkurūna illā an yashāa l-lahu huwa ahlu l-taqwā wa-ahlu l-maghfirati