ruinous torment upon him.
17If you disbelieve, then,
how can you be mindful
of a day that will turn
the hair of children gray,
18when the sky is torn asunder,
and the promise of God fulfilled?
19This is a reminder—
so, let those who desire it
take a path to their Lord.
SECTION 2
20Your Lord knows that you
stand in prayer almost two-thirds
of the night, and sometimes a half
or a third of it, along with a group
of those with you. God determines
night and day in due measure.
He knows that you cannot
keep count, so He turns to you,
relenting. Recite, then, as much
of the Quran as you can with ease.
He knows that some of you are ill,
or traveling the earth seeking
the bounty of God, or fighting
in God’s cause.° So read as much as
you can with ease, be steadfast
in prayer, and give what is due
in charity—lend to God a beautiful
loan.° For whatever good you accrue
in your deeds, you shall find it
there with God—better, and greater,
in reward. And seek God’s forgiveness,
for He is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
SURA 74
The One Enfolded (Al-Muddaththir)
The opening verse from this very early Meccan sura of 56 verses refers to the Prophet as wearing a dithar or mantle. It enjoins him to patience (v. 7) but also excoriates one who opposes him (vv. 11–31), detailing the punishment of hellfire with reference to its nineteen custodians (v. 30). The remainder of the sura expands the warning to humankind, with a decisive reminder that God alone is “the Source of Mindfulness, the Source of Forgiveness” (v. 56).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1You who are enfolded
in your mantle,°
2arise and warn!
3And magnify your Lord,
4keeping your garments
pure,
5shunning uncleanliness.
6Do not give
in order to seek gain,
7but be patient in the cause
of your Lord.
8When the trumpet is sounded,
9that day will be a harsh day
10with no ease
for those who disbelieve.
11Leave me to deal with
the person I created,° alone,
12to whom I granted
extensive wealth,
13and children by his side,
14he for whom I laid out
a path of ease,
15still, he wishes that I give more!
16No—for he has stubbornly
defied Our signs.
17Soon I will place him
in steep hardship,
18for he pondered
and plotted—
19may he perish
for the way he plotted,
20yes, may he perish
for how he plotted.
21First, he looked,
22then he frowned and scowled,
23then turned away
in his pride,
24saying, “This [Quran]
is but old-style sorcery,
25“it is nothing but
the speech of a mortal.”
26Soon I shall burn him
in the fire of hell.
27And what would make you grasp
what the fire of hell is?
28It spares none,
and it leaves none,
29scorching the flesh of humans.
30Nineteen guardians stand over it.°
31And We have placed none
but angels as guardians of the fire;
We have fixed their number
only as a trial for disbelievers,
so that those given the Book
will be certain, and that believers
might be stronger in faith.
Neither those given the Book
nor the believers will harbor doubt,
but those whose hearts are diseased
and the disbelievers will say,
“What does God mean by this parable?”
In this way, God lets stray whom
He will, and guides whom He will—
and none knows your Lord’s forces
but He; and this is nothing less
than a message for all humankind.
SECTION 2
32No—by the moon,
33and by the night
as it recedes,
34by the dawn
as it rises into light,
35This is one of the greatest signs,
36a warning to humankind,
37to any among you who
advances or retreats,
38Every soul will be bound
by its deeds,
39except for those on the right,
40who will be in gardens—
asking one another
41concerning the sinners,
42“What led you into
the fire of hell?”
43They will answer, “We were
not among those who prayed,
44“nor did we feed the poor,
45“rather, we indulged
with others in idle talk,
46“and denied the day
of reckoning,
47“until there came upon us
the certainty [of death].”°
48Then no intercession
by any intercessors
shall help them.
49What is wrong with them—
what makes them turn away
from the message?
50As if they were
frightened wild asses
51in flight from a lion?
52Yes, each one of them
wants to be furnished with
scrolls, unfurled.°
53No—they have no fear
of the hereafter.
54Yes—this is a reminder—
55Let those who will
keep it in mind.
56Yet none will keep it
in mind, except as God wills—
He is the Source of Mindfulness,
the Source of Forgiveness.°
SURA 75
Resurrection (Al-Qiyama)
A series of short passages, this early Meccan sura of 40 verses deals with familiar themes of resurrection (vv. 1–15) and judgment (vv. 20–30). It also contains instruction on Quran recitation (vv. 16–19) and the rebuke of a denier (vv. 31–35), with reminders for all humankind (vv. 36–40).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1Indeed, I swear by the day
of resurrection,
2and indeed I swear by the
self-reproaching soul—
3do humans think We won’t
reunite their bones?
4In fact, We’re able to remold
their very fingertips.
5Yet humans want to deny
what lies before them,
6asking, “When is the day
of resurrection?”
7When their sight is dazzled,
8and the moon eclipsed,
9and the sun and moon
are joined together—
10that day, people will say,
“Where is any escape?”
11But no—there will be no refuge.
12That day, the only repose
will be with your Lord.
13That day humans will be told
what they did and did not do.°
14Yes, humans will
witness against themselves,
15though they offer
their excuses.
16Prophet, do not scramble
your tongue, hurrying
[to recite the Quran];
17it is We who will ensure its
collection and recitation.
18When We recite it,° follow
the recital precisely;
19then it is for Us
to make it clear.°
20Yet you still love the now,
all of you,
21and neglect the hereafter.
22Some faces, that day,
will be gleaming,
23as they look toward their Lord,
24and other faces, that day,
will be filled with gloom,
25imagining the calamity
about to crush them.
26When the soul rises up
to the throat
[on its way out of the body],
27and it is asked,
“Who can convey him?”°
28and when he grasps that
this is the parting
[of soul from body]
29his legs locked together—
30on that day, he will be driven
toward your Lord.
SECTION 2
31He neither believed
the truth nor prayed.
32Rather, he denied the truth
and turned away,
33going back to his people,
swaggering,
34Closer and closer
to you is woe,
35closer still and closer.°
36Do humans think
they will be left unquestioned?
37Were they not at first
a drop of ejected sperm
38that became a clot?
God created and shaped it,
39making from it two sexes,
male and female.
40Is He, then, not Able
to bring the dead back to life?
SURA 76
Humankind (Al-Insan)
A middle Meccan sura of 31 verses, this extols creation and reprimands the disbeliever (vv. 1–5) before detailing how the righteous will be rewarded (vv. 5–22). It closes with a firm reminder of the Prophet “to wait patiently for your Lord’s judgment” (v. 24) and to trust the will of God, Who is “All Knowing, All Wise” (v. 30).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1Was there not a time when
when humankind was nothing
to speak of?
2We created humankind
from a drop of mingled sperm,
to try them. We gave them
hearing and sight.
3We have shown them the way—
whether they are grateful or not.
4For the disbelievers
We have prepared chains,
shackles, and a blazing fire.
5The righteous shall drink
from a cup tinged with camphor,
6a fountain where God’s
servants drink, flowing
freely at their will.
7They fulfill their vows, and fear
a day whose misery shall be
spread far and wide;
8and, despite their love of it,
they donate [their] food
to the poor, the orphan,
and the prisoner of war,
9saying, “We feed you,
seeking only the Face of God;
we desire from you
neither reward nor thanks.
10“We only fear, from our Lord,
a day of wrath and distress.”
11But God will save them
from the misery of that day,
and will cast over them
radiance and joy.
12He will reward them
for their patience—with a garden
and robes of silk.
13Reclining there on couches,
they shall know neither burning sun
nor biting cold.
14The shades of the gardens
shall spread over them, its fruits
lowered before them.
15And there shall be passed
among them vessels of silver
and goblets of crystal—
16crystal clear, silver,
in what measure they will—
17they will be given drink
from a cup flavored with ginger
18from a fountain there
called Salsabil.°
19And there shall pass among them,
immortal youths to serve—
to see them, you would think
they were pearls, scattered.
20And when you look,
you will see there only bliss
and a glorious kingdom.
21They shall be robed
in garments of green silk
and rich brocade, adorned
with bracelets of silver;
and their Lord will give them
a pure drink,
22[saying,] “This is your reward,
your endeavor is commended.”
SECTION 2
23It is We Who have revealed
to you the Quran in stages.°
24So, wait patiently
for your Lord’s judgment;
take no heed of the sinners
and disbelievers among them.
25And remember the Name
of your Lord, morning and evening;
26bow down to Him
in the night, glorifying Him
during the long hours of night.
27These people love
the life here, leaving aside
all thought of a coming day
that shall weigh heavily.
28It is We Who created them
and strengthened their forms;
but whenever We will,
We can replace them.
29This is but a reminder—
let those who will, take a path
toward their Lord.
30Yet you do not will
except as God wills—for God
is All Knowing, All Wise.
31He will admit into His mercy
whom He will; but for wrongdoers
He has prepared a painful torment.
SURA 77
Those Sent Out (Al-Mursalat)
An early Meccan sura, its 50 verses set forth the signs and certainty of the day of decision (v. 13), before elaborating on the calamities that will befall schemers, deniers, and liars on that day (vv. 14–50).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1By the [winds] sent out,
one after another,
2which storm violently,
3scattering widely,
4and those who distinguish
by a criterion,°
5bringing down a reminder
6forestalling all excuse or
issuing warning—
7what you are promised
shall come to pass.
8When the stars are
extinguished,
9when the sky is
torn asunder,
10when the mountains are
blown away in dust,
11when the messengers are
gathered at a chosen time—
12for which day
are these events held back?
13For the day of decision.
14And what would make you grasp
what the day of decision is?
15Woe, that day, to those
who deny the truth.
16Did We not destroy
earlier peoples?
17And shall We not make
later peoples follow them?
18This is how We deal
with sinners.
19Woe, that day, to those
who deny the truth.
20Did We not create you
from a lowly fluid
21which We lodged in a
secure home
22for a decreed time?
23It is We Who decree—and
how superlatively!
24Woe, that day, to those
who deny the truth.
25Did We not make
the earth a vessel
26for the living and the dead,
27and place there sturdy,
high mountains, and give you
sweet water to drink?
28Woe, that day, to those
who deny the truth.
29They will be told, “Go—
to what you always denied.
30“Go—to the shadow of smoke
rising in three pillars,°
31“that yields no shade,
and will be of no help
against the flame.
32“It throws out
