بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُدَّثِّرُ

O THOU [in thy solitude] enfolded!

قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ

Arise and warn!

وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ

And thy Sustainer's greatness glorify!

وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ

And thine inner self purify!

وَٱلرُّجْزَ فَٱهْجُرْ

And all defilement shun!

وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ

And do not through giving seek thyself to gain,

وَلِرَبِّكَ فَٱصْبِرْ

but unto thy Sustainer turn in patience.

فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِى ٱلنَّاقُورِ

And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded,

فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ

that very Day shall be a day of anguish,

عَلَى ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍۢ

not of ease, for all who [now] deny the truth!

ذَرْنِى وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًۭا

LEAVE Me alone [to deal] with him whom I have created alone,

وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُۥ مَالًۭا مَّمْدُودًۭا

and to whom I have granted resources vast,

وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًۭا

and children as [love's] witnesses,

وَمَهَّدتُّ لَهُۥ تَمْهِيدًۭا

and to whose life I gave so wide a scope:

ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ

and yet, he greedily desires that I give yet more!

كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لِءَايَٰتِنَا عَنِيدًۭا

Nay, verily, it is against Our messages that he knowingly, stubbornly sets himself

سَأُرْهِقُهُۥ صَعُودًا

[and so] I shall constrain him to endure a painful uphill climb!

إِنَّهُۥ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ

Behold, [when Our messages are conveyed to one who is bent on denying the truth,] he reflects and meditates [as to how to disprove them] –

فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

and thus he destroys himself, the way he meditates:

ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

yea, he destroys himself, the way he meditates!

ثُمَّ نَظَرَ

and then he looks [around for new arguments],

ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ

and then he frowns and glares,

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ

and in the end he turns his back [on Our message], and glories in his arrogance,

فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحْرٌۭ يُؤْثَرُ

and says, "All this is mere spellbinding eloquence handed down [from olden times]!

إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا قَوْلُ ٱلْبَشَرِ

This is nothing but the word of mortal man!"

سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ

[Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire [in the life to come]!

وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا سَقَرُ

And what could make thee conceive what hell-fire is?

لَا تُبْقِى وَلَا تَذَرُ

It does not allow to live, and neither leaves [to die],

لَوَّاحَةٌۭ لِّلْبَشَرِ

making [all truth] visible to mortal man.

عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ

Over it are nineteen [powers].

وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَٰٓئِكَةًۭ ۙ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةًۭ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَيَزْدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنًۭا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۙ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌۭ وَٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًۭا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَمَا هِىَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ

For We have caused none but angelic powers to lord over the fire [of hell]; and We have not caused their number to be aught but a trial for those who are bent on denying the truth - to the end that they who have been granted revelation aforetime might be convinced [of the truth of this divine writ]; and that they who have attained to faith [in it] might grow yet more firm in their faith; and that [both] they who have been granted the earlier revelation and they who believe [in this one] might be freed of all doubt; and that they in whose hearts is disease and the who deny the truth outright might ask, "What does [your] God mean by this parable?" In this way God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides aright him that wills [to be guided]. And none can comprehend thy Sustainers forces save Him alone: and all this is but a reminder to mortal man.

كَلَّا وَٱلْقَمَرِ

NAY, but consider the moon!

وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ

Consider the night when it departs,

وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَآ أَسْفَرَ

and the morn when it dawns!

إِنَّهَا لَإِحْدَى ٱلْكُبَرِ

Verily, that [hell-fire) is Indeed one of the great [forewarnings] –

نَذِيرًۭا لِّلْبَشَرِ

a warning to mortal man –

لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ

to everyone of you, whether he chooses to come forward or to hang back!

كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ

[On the Day of Judgment,] every human being will be held in pledge for whatever [evil] he has wrought –

إِلَّآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْيَمِينِ

save those who shall have attained to righteousness:

فِى جَنَّٰتٍۢ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ

[dwelling] In gardens [of paradise], they will inquire

عَنِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

of those who were lost in sin:

مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِى سَقَرَ

"What has brought you into hell-fire?"

قَالُوا۟ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ

They will answer: "We were not among those who prayed;

وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ

and neither did we feed the needy;

وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ ٱلْخَآئِضِينَ

and we were wont to indulge in sinning together with all [the others] who indulged in it;

وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

and the Day of Judgment we were wont to call a lie –

حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰنَا ٱلْيَقِينُ

until certainty came upon us [in death]."

فَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ شَفَٰعَةُ ٱلشَّٰفِعِينَ

And so, of no benefit to them could be the intercession of any that would intercede for them.

فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ ٱلتَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ

WHAT, THEN, is amiss with them that they turn away from all admonition

كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌۭ مُّسْتَنفِرَةٌۭ

as though they were terrified asses

فَرَّتْ مِن قَسْوَرَةٍۭ

fleeing from a lion?

بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُؤْتَىٰ صُحُفًۭا مُّنَشَّرَةًۭ

Yea, everyone of them claims that he [himself] ought to have been given revelations unfolded!

كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا يَخَافُونَ ٱلْءَاخِرَةَ

Nay, but they do not [believe in and, hence, do not] fear the life to come.

كَلَّآ إِنَّهُۥ تَذْكِرَةٌۭ

Nay, verily, this is an admonition –

فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُۥ

and whoever wills may take it to heart.

وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ أَهْلُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ وَأَهْلُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ

But they [who do not believe in the life to come] will not take it to heart unless God so wills: [for] He is the Fount of all God-consciousness, and the Fount of all forgiveness.