74. Sūrat Al-Muddaththir · The Cloaked One

O you covered up ˹in your clothes˺!

O thou enveloped in thy cloak,

O THOU [in thy solitude] enfolded!

'O the mantled (a coverlet) one;

O enwrapped (Beloved!

Arise and warn ˹all˺.

Arise and warn!

Arise and warn!

Stand up, then warn;

Rise and give warning (to the people)

Revere your Lord ˹alone˺.

Thy Lord magnify,

And thy Sustainer's greatness glorify!

And magnify your Lord alone;

And glorify the Greatnesss (and Majesty) of your Lord

Purify your garments.

Thy raiment purify,

And thine inner self purify!

And keep clean your clothes;

And (always) keep your (visible and spiritual) attire purified and cleansed (as before)

˹Continue to˺ shun idols.

Pollution shun!

And all defilement shun!

And remain away from the idols;

And keep away from the idols (and sins as usual)

Do not do a favour expecting more ˹in return˺.

And show not favour, seeking wordly gain!

And do not through giving seek thyself to gain,

And bestow not favours to anyone seeking increase;

And do not do a favour (to anyone with the purpose of) seeking more from him

And persevere for ˹the sake of˺ your Lord.

For the sake of thy Lord, be patient!

but unto thy Sustainer turn in patience.

And be patient for the sake of your Lord.

And observe patience for the sake of your Lord

˹For˺ when the Trumpet will be sounded,

For when the trumpet shall sound,

And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded,

For when the trumpet shall be blown;

Then when the Trumpet will be blown (a second time)

that will ˹truly˺ be a difficult Day—

Surely that day will be a day of anguish,

that very Day shall be a day of anguish,

That day is then a harsh day;

So that Day (the Day of Resurrection) will be an extremely hard day

far from easy for the disbelievers.

Not of ease, for disbelievers.

not of ease, for all who [now] deny the truth!

For the infidels it is not easy.

Not at all easy for the disbelievers

And leave to me ˹O Prophet˺ the one I created all by Myself,

Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely,

LEAVE Me alone [to deal] with him whom I have created alone,

Leave him when I created alone to Me;

Leave Me (to take revenge) on him whom I have created alone

and granted him abundant wealth,

And then bestowed upon him ample means,

and to whom I have granted resources vast,

And bestowed him ample wealth.;

And I provided him wealth in abundance

and children always by his side,

And sons abiding in his presence

and children as [love's] witnesses,

And sons present before him;

And (gave) him sons remaining present (before him)

and made life very easy for him.

And made (life) smooth for him.

and to whose life I gave so wide a scope:

And I prepared for him numerous preparations;

And granted him affluence (in sources of luxury)

Yet he is hungry for more.

Yet he desireth that I should give more.

and yet, he greedily desires that I give yet more!

Then he covets that I may give him more;

Yet he desires that I should give him more

But no! ˹For˺ he has been truly stubborn with Our revelations.

Nay! For lo! he hath been stubborn to Our revelations.

Nay, verily, it is against Our messages that he knowingly, stubbornly sets himself

Never, he is hostile to Our signs.

No way! He has certainly been inimical to Our Revelations

I will make his fate unbearable,

On him I shall impose a fearful doom.

[and so] I shall constrain him to endure a painful uphill climb!

Soon, I shall cause him to ascend to the mountain of fire sand.

Soon I shall afflict him with (the punishment of) a severe toil

for he contemplated and determined ˹a degrading label for the Quran˺.

For lo! he did consider; then he planned -

Behold, [when Our messages are conveyed to one who is bent on denying the truth,] he reflects and meditates [as to how to disprove them] –

Certainly, he reflected and determined;

Surely, he reflected and devised a plot

May he be condemned! How evil was what he determined!

(Self-)destroyed is he, how he planned!

and thus he destroys himself, the way he meditates:

Then be he cursed how he determined;

So let (Allah’s) curse be on him! How he plotted

May he be condemned even more! How evil was what he determined!

Again (self-)destroyed is he, how he planned! -

yea, he destroys himself, the way he meditates!

Again, be he cursed, how he determined;

Let again (Allah’s) curse be on him! How he plotted

Then he re-contemplated ˹in frustration˺,

Then looked he,

and then he looks [around for new arguments],

Then he looked about;

Then he pondered (over his scheme again)

then frowned and scowled,

Then frowned he and showed displeasure.

and then he frowns and glares,

Then he frowned and scowled;

Then he frowned and twisted his face

then turned his back ˹on the truth˺ and acted arrogantly,

Then turned he away in pride

and in the end he turns his back [on Our message], and glories in his arrogance,

Then he turned his back and waxed pround.

Then he turned back (from the truth) and showed arrogance

saying, “This ˹Quran˺ is nothing but magic from the ancients.

And said: This is naught else than magic from of old;

and says, "All this is mere spellbinding eloquence handed down [from olden times]!

And said, 'this is the same magic learnt from old ones'.

Then he said: ‘This (Qur’an) is nothing but magic which is being transmitted from the past (magicians)

This is no more than the word of a man.”

This is naught else than speech of mortal man.

This is nothing but the word of mortal man!"

'This is not but the word of man'.

This (Qur’an) is nothing (else) but the words of a human being.

Soon I will burn him in Hell!

Him shall I fling unto the burning.

[Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire [in the life to come]!

I shall soon thrust him into the Hell.

I will soon cast him into Hell

And what will make you realize what Hell is?

- Ah, what will convey unto thee what that burning is! -

And what could make thee conceive what hell-fire is?

And what did you know what the hell is?

And who has told you what Saqar (the Fire of Hell) is

It does not let anyone live or die,

It leaveth naught; it spareth naught

It does not allow to live, and neither leaves [to die],

It leaves not and spares none.

That (is the Fire which) does not spare, nor does it leave out

scorching the skin.

It shrivelleth the man.

making [all truth] visible to mortal man.

It takes out the skin of man.

(That) scorches the skin and blackens it

It is overseen by nineteen ˹keepers˺.

Above it are nineteen.

Over it are nineteen [powers].

Over it, there are nineteen guards.

There are nineteen (angels appointed as guards) over it

We have appointed only ˹stern˺ angels as wardens of the Fire. And We have made their number only as a test for the disbelievers, so that the People of the Book will be certain, and the believers will increase in faith, and neither the People of the Book nor the believers will have any doubts, and so that those ˹hypocrites˺ with sickness in their hearts and the disbelievers will argue, “What does Allah mean by such a number?” In this way Allah leaves whoever He wills to stray and guides whoever He wills. And none knows the forces of your Lord except He. And this ˹description of Hell˺ is only a reminder to humanity.

We have appointed only angels to be wardens of the Fire, and their number have We made to be a stumbling-block for those who disbelieve; that those to whom the Scripture hath been given may have certainty, and that believers may increase in faith; and that those to whom the Scripture hath been given and believers may not doubt; and that those in whose hearts there is disease, and disbelievers, may say: What meaneth Allah by this similitude? Thus Allah sendeth astray whom He will, and whom He will He guideth. None knoweth the hosts of thy Lord save Him. This is naught else than a Reminder unto mortals.

For We have caused none but angelic powers to lord over the fire [of hell]; and We have not caused their number to be aught but a trial for those who are bent on denying the truth - to the end that they who have been granted revelation aforetime might be convinced [of the truth of this divine writ]; and that they who have attained to faith [in it] might grow yet more firm in their faith; and that [both] they who have been granted the earlier revelation and they who believe [in this one] might be freed of all doubt; and that they in whose hearts is disease and the who deny the truth outright might ask, "What does [your] God mean by this parable?" In this way God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides aright him that wills [to be guided]. And none can comprehend thy Sustainers forces save Him alone: and all this is but a reminder to mortal man.

And We have not made the guards of the hell but the angels, and We have not kept their calculation but as a test of the infidels, in order that those who are men of the Book may be convinced and the faith of the believers may increase, and those who are men of the Book and the muslims may not doubt, and that those in whose hearts is a disease and the infidels may say, "what does, Allah mean by such a strange illustration? In this way Allah leads astray whom He will and He guides whom He will. And none knows the hosts of your Lord save He. And this is nothing but an admonition for man.

And We have appointed only angels as guards of Hell. And We have fixed their number only as a trial for the disbelievers so that the People of the Book may believe with certitude (that the Qur’an and the Prophethood of Muhammad [blessings and peace be upon him] is a truth because the same number was given in their scriptures as well), and that the faith of the believers may further be strengthened (with this confirmation), and that the People of the Book and the believers may not doubt (its veracity), and that those having a disease (of hypocrisy) in their hearts and the disbelievers may say: ‘What does Allah intend by this example (of number)?’ In this way, Allah holds astray whom He wills, and guides aright whom He wills (with the same stroke). And no one knows the armies of your Lord except Him. And this (description of Hell is nothing else) but an admonition to mankind

But no! By the moon,

Nay, by the Moon

NAY, but consider the moon!

Yes, by the moon.

Yes! By the moon (whose increase, decrease and disappearance is evidence)

and the night as it retreats,

And the night when it withdraweth

Consider the night when it departs,

And the night when it retreats.

And by the night when it backs away to depart

and the day as it breaks!

And the dawn when it shineth forth,

and the morn when it dawns!

And by the morning when it shines.

And by the morning when it brightens

Surely Hell is one of the mightiest catastrophes—

Lo! this is one of the greatest (portents)

Verily, that [hell-fire) is Indeed one of the great [forewarnings] –

Undoubtedly, the hell is one of the greatest things

Surely, this (Hell) is one of the greatest calamities

a warning to humankind,

As a warning unto men,

a warning to mortal man –

A warning to man.

It is a warning to mankind

to whichever of you chooses to take the lead or lag behind.

Unto him of you who will advance or hang back.

to everyone of you, whether he chooses to come forward or to hang back!

For any one of you, who wishes to advance or to fall back.

For any of you who seeks to advance forward (in piety) or who lags behind (trapped in evil)

Every soul will be detained for what it has done,

Every soul is a pledge for its own deeds;

[On the Day of Judgment,] every human being will be held in pledge for whatever [evil] he has wrought –

Every soul is pledged for what it has done.

Everyone is held in pledge for (the deeds) that he has earned

except the people of the right,

Save those who will stand on the right hand.

save those who shall have attained to righteousness:

But those on the right hand.

Except for those on the Right Side

who will be in Gardens, asking one another

In gardens they will ask one another

[dwelling] In gardens [of paradise], they will inquire

In Gardens, they ask;

(They) will be in Gardens and will be asking one another

about the wicked ˹who will then be asked˺:

Concerning the guilty:

of those who were lost in sin:

From the culprits;

About the evildoers

“What has landed you in Hell?”

What hath brought you to this burning?

"What has brought you into hell-fire?"

What brought you into the Hell.

(And they will say:) ‘What has brought you into Hell?

They will reply, “We were not of those who prayed,

They will answer: We were not of those who prayed

They will answer: "We were not among those who prayed;

They said, We used not to offer prayer.

They will say: ‘We were not of those who used to offer Prayers

nor did we feed the poor.

Nor did we feed the wretched.

and neither did we feed the needy;

And we used not to feed the needy ones.

Nor did we feed the poor

We used to indulge ˹in falsehood˺ along with others,

We used to wade (in vain dispute) with (all) waders,

and we were wont to indulge in sinning together with all [the others] who indulged in it;

And we used to indulge in objectionable talk with those who indulge therein;

And we indulged in vain activities with those who had cast themselves into vain activities

and deny the Day of Judgment,

And we used to deny the Day of Judgment,

and the Day of Judgment we were wont to call a lie –

And we used to belie the Day of judgement.

And we rejected the Day of Reward and Punishment

until the inevitable came to us.”

Till the Inevitable came unto us.

until certainty came upon us [in death]."

Until death over took us.

Until that (death), which was certain to come, came upon us.

So the pleas of intercessors will be of no benefit to them.

The mediation of no mediators will avail them then.

And so, of no benefit to them could be the intercession of any that would intercede for them.

So the intercession of the intercessors will be of no use to them.

So (now) the intercession of the intercessors will not be of any benefit to them

Now, what is the matter with them that they are turning away from the reminder,

Why now turn they away from the Admonishment,

WHAT, THEN, is amiss with them that they turn away from all admonition

Now what happened to them that they turn their faces from admonition.

Then what is the matter with these (disbelievers that even then) they turn away from the Reminder

as if they were spooked zebras

As they were frightened asses

as though they were terrified asses

As if they are frightened asses.

As if they were startled (wild) donkeys

fleeing from a lion?

Fleeing from a lion?

fleeing from a lion?

Fleeing from a lion.

Fleeing away from a lion

In fact, each one of them wishes to be given a ˹personal˺ letter ˹from Allah˺ for all ˹to read˺.

Nay, but everyone of them desireth that he should be given open pages (from Allah).

Yea, everyone of them claims that he [himself] ought to have been given revelations unfolded!

Nay, rather every one of them wishes that he may be given open sheets of revelation;

In fact, every one of them desires that he should be given (directly) open scrolls of (heavenly) scriptures

But no! In fact, they do not fear the Hereafter.

Nay, verily. They fear not the Hereafter.

Nay, but they do not [believe in and, hence, do not] fear the life to come.

Never, but rather they fear not the Hereafter.

That is not possible at all. Rather (the fact is that) they fear not the Last Day

Enough! Surely this ˹Quran˺ is a reminder.

Nay, verily. Lo! this is an Admonishment.

Nay, verily, this is an admonition –

Yes, no doubt this is an admonition.

There is no doubt that this (Qur’an) is a Reminder

So let whoever wills be mindful of it.

So whosoever will may heed.

and whoever wills may take it to heart.

So that, whoever wishes may take admonition thereof.

So whoever wills may remember it

But they cannot do so unless Allah wills. He ˹alone˺ is worthy to be feared and entitled to forgive.

And they will not heed unless Allah willeth (it). He is the fount of fear. He is the fount of Mercy.

But they [who do not believe in the life to come] will not take it to heart unless God so wills: [for] He is the Fount of all God-consciousness, and the Fount of all forgiveness.

And they will not accept admonition unless Allah so Please. He alone is worthy to be feared and He alone is worthy to forgive

And they will not remember (it) unless Allah so wills. He is the One to Whom fear (and righteousness) is due, and He alone is the Lord of forgiveness