Al-Muddaththir

yāayyuhā l-mudathiru

You, wrapped in your cloak,

qum fa-andhir

arise and give warning!

warabbaka fakabbir

Proclaim the greatness of your Lord;

wathiyābaka faṭahhir

cleanse yourself;

wal-ruj'za fa-uh'jur

keep away from all filth;

walā tamnun tastakthiru

do not be overwhelmed and weaken;

walirabbika fa-iṣ'bir

be steadfast in your Lord’s cause.

fa-idhā nuqira fī l-nāqūri

When the Trumpet sounds,

fadhālika yawma-idhin yawmun ʿasīrun

that will be a Day of anguish for the disbelievers.

ʿalā l-kāfirīna ghayru yasīrin

They will have no ease.

dharnī waman khalaqtu waḥīdan

[Prophet], leave Me to deal with the one I created helpless,

wajaʿaltu lahu mālan mamdūdan

then gave vast wealth,

wabanīna shuhūdan

and sons by his side,

wamahhadttu lahu tamhīdan

making everything easy for him––

thumma yaṭmaʿu an azīda

yet he still hopes I will give him more.

kallā innahu kāna liāyātinā ʿanīdan

No! He has been stubbornly hostile to Our revelation:

sa-ur'hiquhu ṣaʿūdan

I will inflict a spiralling torment on him.

innahu fakkara waqaddara

He planned and plotted––

faqutila kayfa qaddara

devilishly he plotted!

thumma qutila kayfa qaddara

ferociously he plotted!––

thumma naẓara

and looked

thumma ʿabasa wabasara

and frowned and scowled

thumma adbara wa-is'takbara

and turned away and behaved arrogantly

faqāla in hādhā illā siḥ'run yu'tharu

and said, ‘This is just old sorcery,

in hādhā illā qawlu l-bashari

just the talk of a mortal!’

sa-uṣ'līhi saqara

I will throw him into the scorching Fire.

wamā adrāka mā saqaru

What will explain to you what the scorching Fire is?

lā tub'qī walā tadharu

It spares nothing and leaves nothing;

lawwāḥatun lil'bashari

it scorches the flesh of humans;

ʿalayhā tis'ʿata ʿashara

there are nineteen in charge of it––

wamā jaʿalnā aṣḥāba l-nāri illā malāikatan wamā jaʿalnā ʿiddatahum illā fit'natan lilladhīna kafarū liyastayqina alladhīna ūtū l-kitāba wayazdāda alladhīna āmanū īmānan walā yartāba alladhīna ūtū l-kitāba wal-mu'minūna waliyaqūla alladhīna fī qulūbihim maraḍun wal-kāfirūna mādhā arāda l-lahu bihādhā mathalan kadhālika yuḍillu l-lahu man yashāu wayahdī man yashāu wamā yaʿlamu junūda rabbika illā huwa wamā hiya illā dhik'rā lil'bashari

none other than angels appointed by Us to guard Hellfire- and We have made their number a test for the disbelievers. So those who have been given the Scripture will be certain and those who believe will have their faith increased: neither those who have been given the Scripture nor the believers will have any doubts, but the sick at heart and the disbelievers will say, ‘What could God mean by this description?’ God leaves whoever He will to stray and guides whoever He will- no one knows your Lord’s forces except Him- this [description] is a warning to mortals.

kallā wal-qamari

Yes––by the moon!

wa-al-layli idh adbara

By the departing night!

wal-ṣub'ḥi idhā asfara

By the shining dawn!

innahā la-iḥ'dā l-kubari

It is one of the mightiest things,

nadhīran lil'bashari

a warning to all mortals,

liman shāa minkum an yataqaddama aw yata-akhara

to those of you who choose to go ahead and those who lag behind.

kullu nafsin bimā kasabat rahīnatun

Every soul is held in pledge for its deeds,

illā aṣḥāba l-yamīni

but the Companions of the Right will stay

fī jannātin yatasāalūna

in Gardens and ask

ʿani l-muj'rimīna

about the guilty.

mā salakakum fī saqara

‘What drove you to the Scorching Fire?’ [they will ask]

qālū lam naku mina l-muṣalīna

and they will answer, ‘We did not pray;

walam naku nuṭ'ʿimu l-mis'kīna

we did not feed the poor;

wakunnā nakhūḍu maʿa l-khāiḍīna

we indulged with others [in mocking the believers];

wakunnā nukadhibu biyawmi l-dīni

we denied the Day of Judgement

ḥattā atānā l-yaqīnu

until the Certain End came upon us.’

famā tanfaʿuhum shafāʿatu l-shāfiʿīna

No intercessor’s plea will benefit them now.

famā lahum ʿani l-tadhkirati muʿ'riḍīna

What is the matter with them? Why do they turn away from the warning,

ka-annahum ḥumurun mus'tanfiratun

like frightened asses

farrat min qaswaratin

fleeing from a lion?

bal yurīdu kullu im'ri-in min'hum an yu'tā ṣuḥufan munasharatan

Each one of them demands that a scripture be sent down to him and unrolled before his very eyes-

kallā bal lā yakhāfūna l-ākhirata

No! Truly they have no fear of the life to come-

kallā innahu tadhkiratun

but truly this is a reminder.

faman shāa dhakarahu

Let whoever wishes to take heed do so:

wamā yadhkurūna illā an yashāa l-lahu huwa ahlu l-taqwā wa-ahlu l-maghfirati

they will only take heed if God so wishes. He is the Lord who should be heeded, the Lord of forgiveness.