Abasa

He frowned and turned away

عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ

ʿabasa watawallā

when the blind man came to him––

أَنْ جَاءَهُ الْأَعْمَىٰ

an jāahu l-aʿmā

for all you know, he might have grown in spirit,

وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُ يَزَّكَّىٰ

wamā yud'rīka laʿallahu yazzakkā

or taken note of something useful to him.

أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنْفَعَهُ الذِّكْرَىٰ

aw yadhakkaru fatanfaʿahu l-dhik'rā

For the self-satisfied one

أَمَّا مَنِ اسْتَغْنَىٰ

ammā mani is'taghnā

you go out of your way––

فَأَنْتَ لَهُ تَصَدَّىٰ

fa-anta lahu taṣaddā

though you are not to be blamed for his lack of spiritual growth––

وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّىٰ

wamā ʿalayka allā yazzakkā

but from the one who has come to you full of eagerness

وَأَمَّا مَنْ جَاءَكَ يَسْعَىٰ

wa-ammā man jāaka yasʿā

and awe

وَهُوَ يَخْشَىٰ

wahuwa yakhshā

you allow yourself to be distracted.

فَأَنْتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّىٰ

fa-anta ʿanhu talahhā

No indeed! This [Quran] is a lesson

كَلَّا إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ

kallā innahā tadhkiratun

from which those who wish to be taught should learn,

فَمَنْ شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُ

faman shāa dhakarahu

[written] on honoured,

فِي صُحُفٍ مُكَرَّمَةٍ

fī ṣuḥufin mukarramatin

exalted, pure pages,

مَرْفُوعَةٍ مُطَهَّرَةٍ

marfūʿatin muṭahharatin

by the hands of

بِأَيْدِي سَفَرَةٍ

bi-aydī safaratin

noble and virtuous scribes.

كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ

kirāmin bararatin

Woe to man! How ungrateful he is!

قُتِلَ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا أَكْفَرَهُ

qutila l-insānu mā akfarahu

From what thing does God create him?

مِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ

min ayyi shayin khalaqahu

He creates him from a droplet, He proportions him,

مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ خَلَقَهُ فَقَدَّرَهُ

min nuṭ'fatin khalaqahu faqaddarahu

He makes the way easy for him,

ثُمَّ السَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُ

thumma l-sabīla yassarahu

then He causes him to die and be buried.

ثُمَّ أَمَاتَهُ فَأَقْبَرَهُ

thumma amātahu fa-aqbarahu

When He wills, He will raise him up again.

ثُمَّ إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْشَرَهُ

thumma idhā shāa ansharahu

Yet man does not fulfil God’s commands.

كَلَّا لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَا أَمَرَهُ

kallā lammā yaqḍi mā amarahu

Let man consider the food he eats!

فَلْيَنْظُرِ الْإِنْسَانُ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِهِ

falyanẓuri l-insānu ilā ṭaʿāmihi

We pour down abundant water

أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا الْمَاءَ صَبًّا

annā ṣababnā l-māa ṣabban

and cause the soil to split open.

ثُمَّ شَقَقْنَا الْأَرْضَ شَقًّا

thumma shaqaqnā l-arḍa shaqqan

We make grain grow,

فَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبًّا

fa-anbatnā fīhā ḥabban

and vines, fresh vegetation,

وَعِنَبًا وَقَضْبًا

waʿinaban waqaḍban

olive trees, date palms,

وَزَيْتُونًا وَنَخْلًا

wazaytūnan wanakhlan

luscious gardens,

وَحَدَائِقَ غُلْبًا

waḥadāiqa ghul'ban

fruits, and fodder:

وَفَاكِهَةً وَأَبًّا

wafākihatan wa-abban

all for you and your livestock to enjoy.

مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ

matāʿan lakum wali-anʿāmikum

When the Deafening Blast comes––

فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الصَّاخَّةُ

fa-idhā jāati l-ṣākhatu

the Day man will flee from his own brother,

يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ الْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ

yawma yafirru l-maru min akhīhi

his mother, his father,

وَأُمِّهِ وَأَبِيهِ

wa-ummihi wa-abīhi

his wife, his children:

وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَبَنِيهِ

waṣāḥibatihi wabanīhi

each of them will be absorbed in concerns of their own on that Day-

لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ

likulli im'ri-in min'hum yawma-idhin shanun yugh'nīhi

on that Day some faces will be beaming,

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُسْفِرَةٌ

wujūhun yawma-idhin mus'firatun

laughing, and rejoicing,

ضَاحِكَةٌ مُسْتَبْشِرَةٌ

ḍāḥikatun mus'tabshiratun

but some faces will be dust-stained

وَوُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَيْهَا غَبَرَةٌ

wawujūhun yawma-idhin ʿalayhā ghabaratun

and covered in darkness:

تَرْهَقُهَا قَتَرَةٌ

tarhaquhā qataratun

those are the disbelievers, the licentious.

أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَفَرَةُ الْفَجَرَةُ

ulāika humu l-kafaratu l-fajaratu