An-Naazi'aat

By the forceful chargers

وَالنَّازِعَاتِ غَرْقًا

wal-nāziʿāti gharqan

raring to go,

وَالنَّاشِطَاتِ نَشْطًا

wal-nāshiṭāti nashṭan

sweeping ahead at full stretch,

وَالسَّابِحَاتِ سَبْحًا

wal-sābiḥāti sabḥan

overtaking swiftly

فَالسَّابِقَاتِ سَبْقًا

fal-sābiqāti sabqan

to bring the matter to an end,

فَالْمُدَبِّرَاتِ أَمْرًا

fal-mudabirāti amran

on the Day when the blast reverberates

يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الرَّاجِفَةُ

yawma tarjufu l-rājifatu

and the second blast follows,

تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ

tatbaʿuhā l-rādifatu

hearts will tremble

قُلُوبٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاجِفَةٌ

qulūbun yawma-idhin wājifatun

and eyes will be downcast.

أَبْصَارُهَا خَاشِعَةٌ

abṣāruhā khāshiʿatun

They say, ‘What? shall we be brought back to life,

يَقُولُونَ أَإِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِي الْحَافِرَةِ

yaqūlūna a-innā lamardūdūna fī l-ḥāfirati

after we have turned into decayed bones?’ and they say,

أَإِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا نَخِرَةً

a-idhā kunnā ʿiẓāman nakhiratan

‘Such a return is impossible!’

قَالُوا تِلْكَ إِذًا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةٌ

qālū til'ka idhan karratun khāsiratun

But all it will take is a single blast,

فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجْرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ

fa-innamā hiya zajratun wāḥidatun

and they will be back above ground.

فَإِذَا هُمْ بِالسَّاهِرَةِ

fa-idhā hum bil-sāhirati

Have you [Prophet] heard the story of Moses?

هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰ

hal atāka ḥadīthu mūsā

His Lord called out to him in the sacred valley of Tuwa:

إِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى

idh nādāhu rabbuhu bil-wādi l-muqadasi ṭuwan

‘Go to Pharaoh, for he has exceeded all bounds,

اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ

idh'hab ilā fir'ʿawna innahu ṭaghā

and ask him, “Do you want to purify yourself [of sin]?

فَقُلْ هَلْ لَكَ إِلَىٰ أَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ

faqul hal laka ilā an tazakkā

Do you want me to guide you to your Lord, so that you may hold Him in awe?” ’

وَأَهْدِيَكَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَتَخْشَىٰ

wa-ahdiyaka ilā rabbika fatakhshā

Moses showed him the great sign,

فَأَرَاهُ الْآيَةَ الْكُبْرَىٰ

fa-arāhu l-āyata l-kub'rā

but he denied it and refused [the faith].

فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ

fakadhaba waʿaṣā

He turned away and hastily

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَىٰ

thumma adbara yasʿā

gathered his people, proclaiming,

فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ

faḥashara fanādā

‘I am your supreme lord,’

فَقَالَ أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الْأَعْلَىٰ

faqāla anā rabbukumu l-aʿlā

so God condemned him to punishment in the life to come as well as in this life:

فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الْآخِرَةِ وَالْأُولَىٰ

fa-akhadhahu l-lahu nakāla l-ākhirati wal-ūlā

there truly is a lesson in this for anyone who stands in awe of God.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَىٰ

inna fī dhālika laʿib'ratan liman yakhshā

Which is harder to create: you people or the sky that He built,

أَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا

a-antum ashaddu khalqan ami l-samāu banāhā

raising it high and perfecting it,

رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا

rafaʿa samkahā fasawwāhā

giving darkness to its night and bringing out its morning brightness,

وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا

wa-aghṭasha laylahā wa-akhraja ḍuḥāhā

and the earth, too, He spread out,

وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا

wal-arḍa baʿda dhālika daḥāhā

bringing waters and pastures out of it,

أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا

akhraja min'hā māahā wamarʿāhā

and setting firm mountains [in it]

وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا

wal-jibāla arsāhā

for you and your animals to enjoy?

مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ

matāʿan lakum wali-anʿāmikum

When the great overwhelming event arrives

فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الطَّامَّةُ الْكُبْرَىٰ

fa-idhā jāati l-ṭāmatu l-kub'rā

on the Day that man remembers what he has done

يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا سَعَىٰ

yawma yatadhakkaru l-insānu mā saʿā

and Hell is there for all to see,

وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِمَنْ يَرَىٰ

waburrizati l-jaḥīmu liman yarā

for anyone who has transgressed

فَأَمَّا مَنْ طَغَىٰ

fa-ammā man ṭaghā

and preferred the present life

وَآثَرَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا

waāthara l-ḥayata l-dun'yā

Hell will be home;

فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ

fa-inna l-jaḥīma hiya l-mawā

for anyone who feared the meeting with his Lord and restrained himself from base desires,

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ

wa-ammā man khāfa maqāma rabbihi wanahā l-nafsa ʿani l-hawā

Paradise will be home.

فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ

fa-inna l-janata hiya l-mawā

They ask you [Prophet] about the Hour,

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا

yasalūnaka ʿani l-sāʿati ayyāna mur'sāhā

saying, ‘When will it arrive?’, but how can you tell [them that]?

فِيمَ أَنْتَ مِنْ ذِكْرَاهَا

fīma anta min dhik'rāhā

Its time is known only to your Lord;

إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ مُنْتَهَاهَا

ilā rabbika muntahāhā

you are only sent to warn those who fear it.

إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرُ مَنْ يَخْشَاهَا

innamā anta mundhiru man yakhshāhā

On the Day they see it, it will seem they lingered [in this life] an evening [at most,] or its morning.

كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَاهَا

ka-annahum yawma yarawnahā lam yalbathū illā ʿashiyyatan aw ḍuḥāhā