بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَٱلنَّٰزِعَٰتِ غَرْقًۭا

CONSIDER those [stars] that rise only to set,

وَٱلنَّٰشِطَٰتِ نَشْطًۭا

and move [in their orbits] with steady motion,

وَٱلسَّٰبِحَٰتِ سَبْحًۭا

and float [through space] with floating serene,

فَٱلسَّٰبِقَٰتِ سَبْقًۭا

and yet overtake [one another] with swift overtaking:

فَٱلْمُدَبِّرَٰتِ أَمْرًۭا

and thus they fulfil the [Creator's] behest!

يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ ٱلرَّاجِفَةُ

[HENCE, think of] the Day when a violent convulsion will convulse [the world],

تَتْبَعُهَا ٱلرَّادِفَةُ

to be followed by further [convulsions]!

قُلُوبٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ وَاجِفَةٌ

On that Day will [men's] hearts be throbbing,

أَبْصَٰرُهَا خَٰشِعَةٌۭ

[and] their eyes downcast...

يَقُولُونَ أَءِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِى ٱلْحَافِرَةِ

[And yet,] some say, "What! Are we indeed to be restored to our former state –

أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَٰمًۭا نَّخِرَةًۭ

even though we may have become [a heap of] crumbling bones?"

قَالُوا۟ تِلْكَ إِذًۭا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةٌۭ

[And] they add, "That, then, would be a return with loss!"

فَإِنَّمَا هِىَ زَجْرَةٌۭ وَٰحِدَةٌۭ

[But,] then, that [Last Hour] will be [upon them of a sudden, as if it were] but a single accusing cry -

فَإِذَا هُم بِٱلسَّاهِرَةِ

and then, lo, they will be fully awakened [to the truth]!

هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰٓ

HAS THE STORY of Moses ever come within thy ken.

إِذْ نَادَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ بِٱلْوَادِ ٱلْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى

Lo! His Sustainer called out to him in the twice-hallowed valley:

ٱذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُۥ طَغَىٰ

"Go unto Pharaoh - for, verily, he has transgressed all bounds of what is right -

فَقُلْ هَل لَّكَ إِلَىٰٓ أَن تَزَكَّىٰ

and say [unto him], 'Art thou desirous of attaining to purity?

وَأَهْدِيَكَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَتَخْشَىٰ

[If so,] then I shall guide thee towards [a cognition of] thy Sustainer, so that [henceforth] thou wilt stand in awe [of Him].’"

فَأَرَىٰهُ ٱلْءَايَةَ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ

And thereupon he [went to Pharaoh and] made him aware of the great wonder [of God's grace].

فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ

But [Pharaoh] gave him the lie and rebelliously rejected [all guidance],

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَىٰ

and brusquely turned his back [on Moses];

فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ

and then he gathered [his great ones], and called [unto his people],

فَقَالَ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ

and said, "I am your Lord All-Highest!"

فَأَخَذَهُ ٱللَّهُ نَكَالَ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ وَٱلْأُولَىٰٓ

And thereupon God took him to task, [and made him] a warning example in the life to come as well as in this world.

إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةًۭ لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰٓ

In this, behold, there is a lesson indeed for all who stand in awe [of God].

ءَأَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ ۚ بَنَىٰهَا

[O MEN!] Are you more difficult to create than the heaven which He has built?

رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّىٰهَا

High has He reared its vault and formed it in accordance with what it was meant to be;

وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَىٰهَا

and He has made dark its night and brought forth its light of day.

وَٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَىٰهَآ

And after that, the earth: wide has He spread its expanse,

أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَآءَهَا وَمَرْعَىٰهَا

and has caused its waters to come out of it, and its pastures,

وَٱلْجِبَالَ أَرْسَىٰهَا

and has made the mountains firm:

مَتَٰعًۭا لَّكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَٰمِكُمْ

[all this] as a means of livelihood for you and your animals.

فَإِذَا جَآءَتِ ٱلطَّآمَّةُ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ

AND SO, when the great overwhelming event [of, resurrection] comes to pass –

يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَا سَعَىٰ

on that Day man will [clearly] remember all that he has ever wrought;

وَبُرِّزَتِ ٱلْجَحِيمُ لِمَن يَرَىٰ

and the blazing fire [of hell] will be lad open before all who [are destined to] see it.

فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَىٰ

For, unto him who shall have transgressed the bounds of what is right,

وَءَاثَرَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا

and preferred the life of this world [to the good of his soul],

فَإِنَّ ٱلْجَحِيمَ هِىَ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰ

that blazing fire will truly be the goal!

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى ٱلنَّفْسَ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰ

But unto him who shall have stood in fear of his Sustainer's Presence, and held back his inner self from base desires,

فَإِنَّ ٱلْجَنَّةَ هِىَ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰ

paradise will truly be the goal!

يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلسَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَىٰهَا

THEY WILL ASK thee [O Prophet] about the Last Hour: "When will it come to pass?"

فِيمَ أَنتَ مِن ذِكْرَىٰهَآ

[But] how couldst thou tell anything about it,

إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ مُنتَهَىٰهَآ

[seeing that] with thy Sustainer alone rests the beginning and the end [of all knowledge] thereof?

إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُنذِرُ مَن يَخْشَىٰهَا

Thou art but [sent] to warn those who stand in awe of it.

كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوٓا۟ إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَىٰهَا

On the Day when they behold it, [it will seem to them] as if they had tarried [in this world] no longer than one evening or [one night, ending with] its morn!