سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ1
(1) A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen[1748]
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[1748]- In the Hereafter. Disbelievers had challenged the Prophet (ﷺ) by invoking Allāh to bring on His punishment. See 8:32.
لِلْكَافِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ2
(2) To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.
مِنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ3
(3) [It is] from Allāh, owner of the ways of ascent.
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ4
(4) The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.
فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا5
(5) So be patient with gracious patience.
إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا6
(6) Indeed, they see it [as] distant,
وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا7
(7) But We see it [as] near.
يَوْمَ تَكُونُ السَّمَاءُ كَالْمُهْلِ8
(8) On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,[1749]
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[1749]- Or "molten metal."
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ9
(9) And the mountains will be like wool,[1750]
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[1750]- i.e., in the process of disintegration.
وَلَا يَسْأَلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمًا10
(10) And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend,
يُبَصَّرُونَهُمْ ۚ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِي مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئِذٍ بِبَنِيهِ11
(11) They will be shown each other. The criminal will wish that he could be ransomed from the punishment of that Day by his children.
وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَأَخِيهِ12
(12) And his wife and his brother
وَفَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتِي تُؤْوِيهِ13
(13) And his nearest kindred who shelter him.
وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يُنْجِيهِ14
(14) And whoever is on earth entirely [so] then it could save him.
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ15
(15) No![1751] Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],
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[1751]- An emphatic refusal meaning "It is not to be."
نَزَّاعَةً لِلشَّوَىٰ16
(16) A remover of exteriors.[1752]
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[1752]- This refers to the skin of the head or of the body or to the body extremities - which will be burned away.
تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ17
(17) It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience]
وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ18
(18) And collected [wealth] and hoarded.
۞ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا19
(19) Indeed, mankind was created anxious:
إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا20
(20) When evil touches him, impatient,
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا21
(21) And when good touches him, withholding [of it],
إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ22
(22) Except the observers of prayer -
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ23
(23) Those who are constant in their prayer
وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَعْلُومٌ24
(24) And those within whose wealth is a known right[1753]
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[1753]- i.e., a specified share, meaning the obligatory zakāh.
لِلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ25
(25) For the petitioner and the deprived -
وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ26
(26) And those who believe in the Day of Recompense
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِمْ مُشْفِقُونَ27
(27) And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord -
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ28
(28) Indeed, the punishment of their Lord is not that from which one is safe -
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ29
(29) And those who guard their private parts
إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ30
(30) Except from their wives or those their right hands possess,[1754] for indeed, they are not to be blamed -
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[1754]- i.e., female slaves.
فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ31
(31) But whoever seeks beyond that, then they are the transgressors -
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ32
(32) And those who are to their trusts and promises attentive.
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِشَهَادَاتِهِمْ قَائِمُونَ33
(33) And those who are in their testimonies upright
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ34
(34) And those who [carefully] maintain their prayer:
أُولَٰئِكَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ مُكْرَمُونَ35
(35) They will be in gardens,[1755] honored.
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[1755]- In Paradise.
فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ36
(36) So what is [the matter] with those who disbelieve, hastening [from] before you, [O Muḥammad],
عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ37
(37) [To sit] on [your] right and [your] left in separate groups?[1756]
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[1756]- They sat at a distance in order to oppose and mock the Prophet (ﷺ), claiming that they would enter Paradise before the believers.
أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ38
(38) Does every person among them aspire to enter a garden of pleasure?
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُمْ مِمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ39
(39) No! Indeed, We have created them from that which they know.[1757]
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[1757]- i.e., a liquid disdained. So how can they expect to enter Paradise except by the will of their Creator?
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ40
(40) So I swear by the Lord of [all] risings and settings[1758] that indeed We are able
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[1758]- i.e., Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā), who determines the point at which the sun, moon and stars rise and set according to season and every position of observation.
عَلَىٰ أَنْ نُبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ41
(41) To replace them with better than them; and We are not to be outdone.
فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ42
(42) So leave them to converse vainly and amuse themselves until they meet their Day which they are promised -
يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ43
(43) The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening.[1759]
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[1759]- i.e., just as they used to race, whenever an idol was newly appointed, to be the first of its worshippers.
خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ44
(44) Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. That is the Day which they had been promised.
