88. Sūrat Al-Ghashiyah · The Overwhelming

Has the news of the Overwhelming Event reached you ˹O Prophet˺?

Hath there come unto thee tidings of the Overwhelming?

HAS THERE COME unto thee the tiding of the Overshadowing Event?'

Undoubtedly, there has come to you the news of a calamity that shall over spread.

Has the news of the Calamity overwhelming (everything) reached you

On that Day ˹some˺ faces will be downcast,

On that day (many) faces will be downcast,

Some faces will on that Day be downcast,

Many faces on that day shall be cast down.

Many faces on that Day will be humiliated and degraded

˹totally˺ overburdened, exhausted,

Toiling, weary,

toiling [under burdens of sin], worn out [by fear],

Toiling, labouring hard;

(Forgetting Allah,) toiling (for worldly gains), sustaining (strenuous) rigours (for a fleeting luxury)

burning in a scorching Fire,

Scorched by burning fire,

about to enter a glowing fire,

They shall enter a blazing fire;

Will plunge into the Blazing Fire

left to drink from a scalding spring.

Drinking from a boiling spring,

given to drink from a boiling spring.

They are made to drink of a spring fiercely boiling.

(They will be) offered to drink (water) from a boiling spring

They will have no food except a foul, thorny shrub,

No food for them save bitter thorn-fruit

No food for them save the bitterness of dry thorns,

They will have no food, but fire thorns.

They will have no food except thorny and dry venomous herbage

neither nourishing nor satisfying hunger.

Which doth not nourish nor release from hunger.

which gives no strength and neither stills hunger.

which will neither fatten nor avail against hunger.

(This food) will neither nourish nor gratify hunger

On that Day ˹other˺ faces will be glowing with bliss,

In that day other faces will be calm,

[And] some faces will on that Day shine with bliss,

Many faces on that day are in pleasure.

(On the contrary) that Day a number of faces will be (pleasing to the eye,) glowing with joy and freshness

˹fully˺ pleased with their striving,

Glad for their effort past,

well-pleased with [the fruit of] their striving,

Pleased with their endeavour;

Delighted and rejoicing over their (righteous) travail

in an elevated Garden,

In a high Garden

in a garden sublime,

In a lofty garden.

(Abiding) in a magnificent Paradise

where no idle talk will be heard.

Where they hear no idle speech,

wherein thou wilt hear no empty talk.

Wherein they will hear no vain talk.

Where they will not hear anything absurd (as the disbelievers used to say to them in the world)

In it will be a running spring,

Wherein is a gushing spring,

Countless springs will flow therein,

Therein is a running spring,

In it there will be flowing springs

along with thrones raised high,

Wherein are couches raised

[and] there will be thrones [of happiness] raised high,

Therein are uplifted couches.

And raised-up couches (laid)

and cups set at hand,

And goblets set at hand

and goblets placed ready,

And arranged goblets.

And goblets (decently) set in place

and ˹fine˺ cushions lined up,

And cushions ranged

and cushions ranged,

And carpets spread out symmetrically.

And silken cushions orderly lined up

and ˹splendid˺ carpets spread out.

And silken carpets spread.

and carpets spread out…

And large white cloths spread over.

And soft and refined carpets and rugs (richly) spread

Do they not ever reflect on camels—how they were ˹masterfully˺ created;

Will they not regard the camels, how they are created?

DO, THEN, they [who deny resurrection] never gaze at the clouds pregnant with water, [and observe] how they are created?

Do they not look at the camel, how created?

(The disbelievers wonder how all that would be arranged in Paradise. So) do they not see how the camel has been created (in an unusual form)

and the sky—how it was raised ˹high˺;

And the heaven, how it is raised?

And at the sky, how it is raised aloft?

And at the heaven, how it has been raised high?

And (do they not observe) how the heaven is raised so high (with its vast expanse)

and the mountains—how they were firmly set up;

And the hills, how they are set up?

And at the mountains, how firmly they are reared?

And at the mountains, how they have been set up?

And (do they not see) how the mountains have been created (raised out of the earth)

and the earth—how it was levelled out?

And the earth, how it is spread?

And at the earth, how it is spread out?

And at the earth, how it has been spread out?

(Nor do they consider) how the earth has been spread out (besides its round shape)

So, ˹continue to˺ remind ˹all, O Prophet˺, for your duty is only to remind.

Remind them, for thou art but a remembrancer,

And so, [O Prophet,] exhort them; thy task is only to exhort:

Admonish you then; you are but an admonisher.

So, continuously admonish them, for you are but an admonisher

You are not ˹there˺ to compel them ˹to believe˺.

Thou art not at all a warder over them.

thou canst not compel them [to believe].

You are not superintendent over them.

You are not imposed upon them (as) an oppressor and persecutor

But whoever turns away, persisting in disbelief,

But whoso is averse and disbelieveth,

However, as for him who turns away, being bent on denying the truth,

But whoever turns away and disbelieves,

But anyone who turns away and becomes a disbeliever

then Allah will inflict upon them the major punishment.

Allah will punish him with direst punishment.

him will God cause to suffer the greatest suffering [in the life to come]:

Allah will torment him with great torment.

Allah will torment him with the greatest punishment

Surely to Us is their return,

Lo! unto Us is their return

for behold, unto Us will be their return,

Undoubtedly, they are to return to Us.

Indeed, it is to Us that they will return (in the end)

then surely with Us is their reckoning.

And Ours their reckoning.

and verily, It is for Us to call them to account.

Then, undoubtedly, it is for Us to take their account.

Then, surely, it is Our concern to call them to account