78. Sūrat An-Naba · The Tidings

What are they asking one another about?

Whereof do they question one another?

ABOUT WHAT do they [most often] ask one another?

What they are questioning for among themselves?

What is (it) they are questioning about one another

About the momentous news,

(It is) of the awful tidings,

About the awesome tiding [of resurrection],

About the Great News.

(Are they asking) of the Great News

over which they disagree.

Concerning which they are in disagreement.

on which they [so utterly] disagree.

In which they differ.

About which they differ

But no! They will come to know.

Nay, but they will come to know!

Nay, but in time they will come to understand [it]!

Yes, they will now know.

(That News is) not at all (deniable). They will soon know (that reality)

Again, no! They will come to know.

Nay, again, but they will come to know!

And once again: Nay, but in time they will come to understand!

Again, yes, they will soon know.

(We) once more (assert: Dissent and denial are) in no way (right). They will come to know soon

Have We not smoothed out the earth ˹like a bed˺,

Have We not made the earth an expanse,

HAVE WE NOT made the earth a resting-place [for you],

Have We not made the earth a bed,

Have We not made the earth a place to stay for (life) and to earn living and deeds

and ˹made˺ the mountains as ˹its˺ pegs,

And the high hills bulwarks?

and the mountains [its] pegs?

And the mountains as stakes?

And (have We not) erected mountains raised (out of it)

and created you in pairs,

And We have created you in pairs,

And We have created you in pairs;

And We have made you pairs,

And (ponder:) We (have) created you in pairs (for reproduction)

and made your sleep for rest,

And have appointed your sleep for repose,

and We have made your sleep [a symbol of] death

And We have made your sleep a rest,

And We (have) made your sleep (a means of bodily) rest

and made the night as a cover,

And have appointed the night as a cloak,

and made the night [its] cloak

And We have made the night a covering.

And We (have) made the night a covering (by virtue of its darkness)

and made the day for livelihood,

And have appointed the day for livelihood.

and made the day [a symbol of] life.

And We have made the day for seeking livelihood.

And We (have) made the day (a time) for (earning) livelihood

and built above you seven mighty ˹heavens˺,

And We have built above you seven strong (heavens),

And We have built above you seven firmaments,

And We have built over you seven strong layers (firmaments).

And (now study the spatial universe as well). We built above you seven strong (firmaments)

and placed ˹in them˺ a shining lamp,

And have appointed a dazzling lamp,

and have placed [therein the sun,] a lamp full of blazing splendour.

And We have set therein a very bright lamp.

And We made (the sun a massive) fountainhead of light and heat

and sent down from rainclouds pouring water,

And have sent down from the rainy clouds abundant water,

And from the wind-driven clouds We send down waters pouring in abundance,

And We sent down then from the clouds water pouring forcefully.

And We poured water in torrents from rain-laden clouds

producing by it grain and ˹various˺ plants,

Thereby to produce grain and plant,

so that We might bring forth thereby grain, and herbs,

That We may bring forth therewith grains and vegetables.

So that by means of this (downpour), We bring forth (from the earth) grain and vegetation

and dense orchards?

And gardens of thick foliage.

and gardens dense with follage.

And thick gardens.

And (grow) thick gardens

Indeed, the Day of ˹Final˺ Decision is an appointed time—

Lo! the Day of Decision is a fixed time,

VERILY, the Day of Distinction [between the true and the false] has indeed its appointed time:

Undoubtedly, the Day of Decision has an appointed time.

(Observing these signs of Our Might, know that) the Day of Judgment (i.e., Resurrection too) is certainly a fixed time

˹it is˺ the Day the Trumpet will be blown, and you will ˹all˺ come forth in crowds.

A day when the trumpet is blown and ye come in multitudes,

the Day when the trumpet [of resurrection] is sounded and you all come forward in multitudes;

The day when the trumpet shall be blown, and you will come in hosts.

The Day when the Trumpet will be blown, you will flock (in the holy presence of Allah) in droves

The sky will be ˹split˺ open, becoming ˹many˺ gates,

And the heaven is opened and becometh as gates,

and when the skies are opened and become [as wide-flung] gates;

And the sky shall be opened up and it will become as doors.

And the (layers of) heaven will be torn, and (owing to the rip) they will become (as if) all doors

and the mountains will be blown away, becoming ˹like˺ a mirage.

And the hills are set in motion and become as a mirage.

and when the mountains are made to vanish as if they had been a mirage.

And the mountains shall be made to move and shall become as they were a mirage.

And the mountains (after being reduced to dust) will be blown off (into the atmosphere); so they will be (eliminated like) a mirage

Indeed, Hell is lying in ambush

Lo! hell lurketh in ambush,

[On that Day,] verily, hell will lie in wait [for those who deny the truth] –

Undoubtedly, Hell is watching.

Surely, Hell is a place of ambush

as a home for the transgressors,

A home for the rebellious.

a goal for all who are wont to transgress the bounds of what is right!

The destination of the contumacious.

(That) is the abode of rebels

where they will remain for ˹endless˺ ages.

They will abide therein for ages.

In it shall they remain for a long time.

For ages, they will abide therein.

They will abide there for recurrent, infinite periods

There they will not taste any coolness or drink,

Therein taste they neither coolness nor (any) drink

Neither coolness shall they taste therein nor any [thirst-quenching] drink –

They will not taste therein neither cool nor any drink.

They will taste in it neither coolness (of any sort) nor any drink

except boiling water and ˹oozing˺ pus—

Save boiling water and a paralysing cold:

only burning despair and ice-cold darkness:

But boiling water and a burning yellow liquid of the people of Hell.

Except boiling water and suppurated fluid oozing (from the wounds of the inmates of Hell)

a fitting reward.

Reward proportioned (to their evil deeds).

a meet requital [for their sins]!

A fitting recompense.

A compensation commensurate with (their revolt)

For they never expected any reckoning,

For lo! they looked not for a reckoning;

Behold, they were not expecting to be called to account,

Undoubtedly, they had no fear of reckoning.

For they had no fear of Reckoning (on the Last Day) in the least

and totally rejected Our signs.

They called Our revelations false with strong denial.

having given the lie to Our messages one and all:

And they belied Our signs fully.

And they used to utterly deny Our signs

And We have everything recorded precisely.

Everything have We recorded in a Book.

but We have placed on record every single thing [of what they did].

And We have already kept counted everything in a Book.

And We have preserved everything (major or minor) in writing

˹So the deniers will be told,˺ “Taste ˹the punishment˺, for all you will get from Us is more torment.”

So taste (of that which ye have earned). No increase do We give you save of torment.

[And so We shall say:] "Taste, then, [the fruit of your evil doings,] for now We shall bestow on you nothing but more and more suffering!"

Taste now, We shall not increase you but in torment.

(O disbelievers, you excelled in rebellion and disbelief in the world.) Now taste the outcome (of your actions). We shall keep increasing but the torment upon you

Indeed, the righteous will have salvation—

Lo! for the duteous is achievement -

[But,] verily for the God-conscious there is supreme fulfilment in store:

Undoubtedly, for the God fearing is the place of triumph.

Surely, the Godfearing will triumph

Gardens, vineyards,

Gardens enclosed and vineyards,

luxuriant gardens and vinyards,

Gardens and grapes.

(For them) there will be gardens and grapes

and full-bosomed maidens of equal age,

And voluptuous women of equal age;

and splendid companions well matched,

And rising breasted maidens of equal age.

And well-matched young maidens

and full cups ˹of pure wine˺,

And a full cup.

and a cup [of happiness] overflowing.

And overflowing cups.

And overflowing cups (of holy beverage)

never to hear any idle talk or lying therein—

There hear they never vain discourse, nor lying -

No empty talk will they hear in that [paradise], nor any lie.

Therein they will hear neither idle talk nor lying.

There, these (people) will neither hear any foolish talk nor belie (one another)

a ˹fitting˺ reward as a generous gift from your Lord,

Requital from thy Lord - a gift in payment -

[All this will be] a reward from thy Sustainer, a gift in accordance with [His Own] reckoning –

A recompense from your Lord, a bestowing sufficient.

From your Lord this is the reward which is an (amply) sufficient bestowal (in proportion to your works)

the Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything in between, the Most Compassionate. No one will dare speak to Him

Lord of the heavens and the earth, and (all) that is between them, the Beneficent; with Whom none can converse.

[a reward from] the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, the Most Gracious! [And] none shall have it in their power to raise their voices unto Him

From Him Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that in between them is, the Most Affectionate, they shall not have the power to speak to Him.

He is the Lord of (all) the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Most Kind. (But on the Last Day, the effect and impact of His mighty power and most high authority will be such that) none (from His creation) will dare converse with Him

on the Day the ˹holy˺ spirit and the angels will stand in ranks. None will talk, except those granted permission by the Most Compassionate and whose words are true.

On the day when the angels and the Spirit stand arrayed, they speak not, saving him whom the Beneficent alloweth and who speaketh right.

on the Day when all [human] souls and all the angels will stand up in ranks: none will speak but he to whom the Most Gracious will have given leave; and [everyone] will say [only] what is right.

On the day when the spirit (Jibril) and all angels will stand in rows, no one shall be able to speak, but he when the Most Affectionate will permit and who speaks aright.

That Day Gabriel (the Spirit of peace and security) and (all) angels will stand in ranks, none able to speak except he whom the Most Kind (Lord) would already have awarded sanction (to intercede) and who also said the right thing (in keeping with the teachings of Islam, during his life of the world)

That Day is the ˹ultimate˺ truth. So let whoever wills take the path leading back to their Lord.

That is the True Day. So whoso will should seek recourse unto his Lord.

That will be the Day of Ultimate Truth: whoever wills, then, let him take the path that leads towards his Sustainer!

That is the true day. Now let him who wills seek a way to his Lord.

This is the Day of truth. So, whoever longs may obtain an abode (of mercy and nearness) in the presence of his Lord

Indeed, We have warned you of an imminent punishment—the Day every person will see ˹the consequences of˺ what their hands have done, and the disbelievers will cry, “I wish I were dust.”

Lo! We warn you of a doom at hand, a day whereon a man will look on that which his own hands have sent before, and the disbeliever will cry: "Would that I were dust!"

Verily, We have warned you of suffering near at hand - [suffering] on the Day when man shall [clearly] see what his hands have sent ahead, and when he who has denied the truth shall say, "Oh, would that I were mere dust...!"

We warn you of a torment which is near at hand; a day when man will see whatsoever his hands have sent on before, and the infidels will say; would that I were dust'

We have, indeed, warned you of the impending torment. On that Day, everyone will see whatever (acts) he has sent ahead and (every) disbeliever will say: ‘Would that I were dust (and escaped this punishment)!