بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ

NAY! I call to witness the Day of Resurrection!

وَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلنَّفْسِ ٱللَّوَّامَةِ

But nay! I call to witness the accusing voice of man's own conscience!

أَيَحْسَبُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُۥ

Does man think that We cannot [resurrect him and] bring his bones together again?

بَلَىٰ قَٰدِرِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّسَوِّىَ بَنَانَهُۥ

Yea indeed, We are able to make whole his very finger-tips!

بَلْ يُرِيدُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ لِيَفْجُرَ أَمَامَهُۥ

None the less man chooses to deny what lies ahead of him,

يَسْـَٔلُ أَيَّانَ يَوْمُ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ

asking [derisively], "When is that Resurrection Day to be?"

فَإِذَا بَرِقَ ٱلْبَصَرُ

But [on that Day,] when the eyesight is by fear confounded,

وَخَسَفَ ٱلْقَمَرُ

and the moon is darkened,

وَجُمِعَ ٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ

and the sun and the moon are brought together

يَقُولُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَيْنَ ٱلْمَفَرُّ

on that Day will man exclaim "Whither to flee?"

كَلَّا لَا وَزَرَ

But nay: no refuge [for thee, O man]!

إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْمُسْتَقَرُّ

With thy Sustainer, on that Day, the journey's end will be!

يُنَبَّؤُا۟ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ

Man will be apprised, on that Day, of what he has done and what he has left undone:

بَلِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِۦ بَصِيرَةٌۭ

nay, but man shall against himself be an eye-witness,

وَلَوْ أَلْقَىٰ مَعَاذِيرَهُۥ

even though he may veil himself in excuses.

لَا تُحَرِّكْ بِهِۦ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهِۦٓ

MOVE NOT thy tongue in haste, [repeating the words of the revelation:]

إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُۥ وَقُرْءَانَهُۥ

for, behold, it is for Us to gather it [in thy heart,] and to cause it to be read [as it ought to be read].

فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَٰهُ فَٱتَّبِعْ قُرْءَانَهُۥ

Thus, when We recite it, follow thou its wording [with all thy mind]:

ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُۥ

and then, behold, it will be for Us to make its meaning clear.

كَلَّا بَلْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱلْعَاجِلَةَ

NAY, but [most of] you love this fleeting life,

وَتَذَرُونَ ٱلْءَاخِرَةَ

and give no thought to the life to come [and to Judgment Day]!

وُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ نَّاضِرَةٌ

Some faces will on that Day be bright with happiness,

إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌۭ

looking up to their Sustainer;

وَوُجُوهٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بَاسِرَةٌۭ

and some faces will on that Day be overcast with despair,

تَظُنُّ أَن يُفْعَلَ بِهَا فَاقِرَةٌۭ

knowing that a crushing calamity is about to befall them.

كَلَّآ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ ٱلتَّرَاقِىَ

NAY, but when [the last breath] comes up to the throat [of a dying man],

وَقِيلَ مَنْ ۜ رَاقٍۢ

and people ask, "Is there any wizard [that could save him]?"

وَظَنَّ أَنَّهُ ٱلْفِرَاقُ

the while he [himself] knows that this is the parting,

وَٱلْتَفَّتِ ٱلسَّاقُ بِٱلسَّاقِ

and is enwrapped in the pangs of death

إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْمَسَاقُ

at that time towards thy Sustainer does he feel impelled to turn!

فَلَا صَدَّقَ وَلَا صَلَّىٰ

[Useless, though, will be his repentance: for [as long as he was alive] he did not accept the truth, nor did he pray [for enlightenment],

وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ

but, on the contrary, he gave the lie to the truth and turned away [from it],

ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦ يَتَمَطَّىٰٓ

and then went arrogantly back to what he had come from.

أَوْلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوْلَىٰ

[And yet, O man, thine end comes hourly] nearer unto thee, and nearer –

ثُمَّ أَوْلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوْلَىٰٓ

and ever nearer unto thee, and nearer!

أَيَحْسَبُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى

DOES MAN, then, think that he is to be left to himself to go about at will?

أَلَمْ يَكُ نُطْفَةًۭ مِّن مَّنِىٍّۢ يُمْنَىٰ

Was he not once a [mere] drop of sperm that had been spilt,

ثُمَّ كَانَ عَلَقَةًۭ فَخَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ

and thereafter became a germ-cell - whereupon He created and formed [it] in accordance with what [it] was meant to be,

فَجَعَلَ مِنْهُ ٱلزَّوْجَيْنِ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰٓ

and fashioned out of it the two sexes, the male and the female?

أَلَيْسَ ذَٰلِكَ بِقَٰدِرٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يُحْۦِىَ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ

Is not He, then; able to bring the dead back to life?