By the Mount
and by a Book inscribe
on parchment outspread
by the house inhabited
by the canopy raised
and by the sea swelling over
truly thy Lord’s Punishment shall come to pass
None can avert it
On a day when the sky churns with [great] churning
and the mountains move with [great] motion
woe that Day to the denier
who play in idle talk
a day when they are thrust violently into the Fire of Hell
“This is the Fire that you used to deny
Is this sorcery, or do you not see
Burn therein! Be patient, or be not patient; it will be the same for you. You are only requited for that which you used to do.
Truly the reverent shall be in Gardens and bliss
rejoicing in what their Lord has given them. And their Lord has shielded them from the punishment of Hellfire
“Eat and drink in enjoyment for that which you used to do,
reclining upon couches arrayed, and We shall wed them to wide-eyed maidens
And those who believe and whose progeny followed them in faith, We shall cause their progeny to join them and will not stint aught of their deeds. Each man shall be held in pledge for that which he has earned
And We shall bestow upon them fruits and meat as they desire
Therein they shall pass to one another a cup wherein is no idle talk, nor incitement to sin
and there wait upon them youths, for them, as if they were hidden pearls
And they will turn to one another, questioning each other
saying, “Truly aforetime, when among our families, we were anxious
but God was gracious unto us and shielded us from the punishment of the scorching wind
Truly we did call upon Him aforetime. Truly He is the Righteous, the Merciful.
So remind, for thou art not, by the Blessing of thy Lord, a soothsayer or one possessed
Or do they say, “A poet—let us await the vagaries of fate for him.
Say, “Wait! For truly I am waiting along with you.
Do their minds command them to this, or are they a rebellious people
Or do they say, “He has invented it”? Nay, but they believe not
Then let them bring an account like unto it, if they are truthful
Were they created from naught? Or are they the creators
Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but they have no certainty
Do they possess the treasuries of your Lord? Or are they in control
Or do they have a ladder whereby they listen? Then let their listener bring a clear warrant
Does He have daughters while you have sons
Or dost thou ask a reward of them, such that they are burdened with debt
Or do they possess the Unseen, such that they write it down
Or do they desire to devise [a scheme]? Then those who disbelieve shall be the ones against whom a scheme is devised
Or do they have a god other than God? Glory be to God above the partners they ascribe
Were they to see a fragment falling from the sky, they would say, “A heap of clouds.
So leave them until they meet the Day when they will be thunderstruck
a day when their scheming will avail them naught and they will not be helped
And truly for those who do wrong there is punishment besides that. But most of them know not
Be patient with the judgment of thy Lord, for thou art before Our eyes; hymn the praise of thy Lord when thou dost rise
and at night glorify Him, and at the receding of the stars