Ash-Shams

وَٱلشَّمْسِ وَضُحَىٰهَا

By the sun and its brightness,

وَٱلْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَىٰهَا

and by the moon as it follows it¹,

وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّىٰهَا

and by the day as it displays it²,

وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰهَا

and by the night as it covers it³,

وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنَىٰهَا

and by the sky and how He made it,

وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَىٰهَا

and by the earth and how He spread it,

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا

and by the soul and how He fashioned it⁴,

فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَىٰهَا

then inspired it [to know] its wickedness and righteousness,

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا

Indeed, he who purifies his soul will attain success,

وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا

and he who corrupts it will be doomed.

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَىٰهَآ

Thamūd rejected [the messenger] because of their transgression,

إِذِ ٱنۢبَعَثَ أَشْقَىٰهَا

when the most wretched among them rose⁵.

فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ نَاقَةَ ٱللَّهِ وَسُقْيَٰهَا

Although the messenger of Allah warned them, “Hands off the she-camel of Allah and her drink!”

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنۢبِهِمْ فَسَوَّىٰهَا

Yet they rejected him and hamstrung her⁶. So their Lord destroyed them for their sin and leveled them to the ground.