Al-Muddaththir

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُدَّثِّرُ

O you covered [in your cloak]¹,

قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ

arise and warn,

وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ

and proclaim the greatness of your Lord,

وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ

and purify your garments,

وَٱلرُّجْزَ فَٱهْجُرْ

and shun idol worshiping²,

وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ

and do not do a favor for a greater return³,

وَلِرَبِّكَ فَٱصْبِرْ

and be patient for the sake of your Lord.

فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِى ٱلنَّاقُورِ

When the Trumpet is sounded⁴,

فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ

that Day will be a difficult day,

عَلَى ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍ

not easy for the disbelievers.

ذَرْنِى وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا

Leave me to deal with the one whom I created lonely⁵,

وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُۥ مَالًا مَّمْدُودًا

and gave him abundant wealth,

وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا

and sons by his side,

وَمَهَّدتُّ لَهُۥ تَمْهِيدًا

and gave him a life of comfort and power,

ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ

yet he aspires that I should give him more.

كَلَّآ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لِـَٔايَٰتِنَا عَنِيدًا

By no means! For he has been stubborn against Our verses.

سَأُرْهِقُهُۥ صَعُودًا

I will subject him to an unbearable punishment.

إِنَّهُۥ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ

For he reflected and plotted [against the Qur’an]⁶.

فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

May he perish, how he plotted!

ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

Again, may he perish, how he plotted!

ثُمَّ نَظَرَ

Then he looked around,

ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ

then he frowned and scowled,

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ

then turned away with arrogance,

فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ

then said, “This is nothing but magic from the past.

إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا قَوْلُ ٱلْبَشَرِ

This is nothing but the words of a man.”

سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ

Soon I will make him burn in the Scorching Fire⁷.

وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا سَقَرُ

How do you know what Scorching Fire is?

لَا تُبْقِى وَلَا تَذَرُ

It leaves nothing and spares no one,

لَوَّاحَةٌ لِّلْبَشَرِ

scorching the skin.

عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ

It is overseen by nineteen [angels].

وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَٰٓئِكَةً وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَيَزْدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنًا وَلَا يَرْتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًا كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَمَا هِىَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ

We have only appointed angels as keepers of the Fire, and We have only made their number as a test for the disbelievers⁸, so that those who were given the Scripture may have certainty and the believers may increase in faith; and neither those who were given the Scripture nor the believers may have any doubts; and so that those [hypocrites] in whose hearts is sickness and the disbelievers may say, “What does Allah mean by this number?” Thus Allah causes to stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills, and none knows the soldiers of your Lord but He. This is but a reminder to mankind.

كَلَّا وَٱلْقَمَرِ

No indeed! By the moon,

وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ

and by the night when it departs,

وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَآ أَسْفَرَ

and by the dawn when it brightens,

إِنَّهَا لَإِحْدَى ٱلْكُبَرِ

Hellfire is indeed one of the greatest matters,

نَذِيرًا لِّلْبَشَرِ

a warning to mankind,

لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ

to whoever among you chooses to advance or regress.

كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ

Every soul is held in pledge⁹ for its deeds,

إِلَّآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْيَمِينِ

except the People of the Right¹⁰,

فِى جَنَّٰتٍ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ

who will be in gardens, asking one another

عَنِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

about the wicked:

مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِى سَقَرَ

“What brought you to Hell?”

قَالُوا۟ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ

They will say, “We were not among those who prayed,

وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ

nor did we feed the poor,

وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ ٱلْخَآئِضِينَ

and we indulged in falsehood along with those who indulged in it,

وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

and we denied the Day of Judgment,

حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰنَا ٱلْيَقِينُ

until the certainty [of death] came to us.”

فَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ شَفَٰعَةُ ٱلشَّٰفِعِينَ

So the intercession of intercessors will not benefit them.

فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ ٱلتَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ

Then what is the matter with them that they turn away from the Reminder,

كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌ مُّسْتَنفِرَةٌ

as if they were terrified wild asses,

فَرَّتْ مِن قَسْوَرَةٍۭ

fleeing from a lion?

بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُؤْتَىٰ صُحُفًا مُّنَشَّرَةً

In fact, each one of them desires that open [divine] letters be sent to each of them¹¹.

كَلَّا بَل لَّا يَخَافُونَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ

By no means! They rather do not fear the Hereafter.

كَلَّآ إِنَّهُۥ تَذْكِرَةٌ

No indeed! This [Qur’an] is a reminder.

فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُۥ

So whoever wills may take heed.