WHEN THAT which must come to pass [at last] comes to pass
there will be nought that could give the lie to its having come to pass
abasing [some], exalting [others]
When the earth is shaken with a shaking [severe]
and the mountains are shattered into [countless] shards
so that they become as scattered dust –
[on that Day,] then, shall you be [divided into] three kinds
Thus, there shall be such as will have attained to what is right: oh, how [happy] will be they who have attained to what is right
And there shall be such as will have lost themselves in evil: oh, how [unhappy] will be they who have lost themselves in evil
But the foremost shall be [they who in life were] the foremost [in faith and good works]
they who were [always] drawn close unto God
In gardens of bliss [will they dwell]
a good many of those of olden times
but [only] a few of later times
[They will be seated] on gold-encrusted thrones of happiness
reclining upon them, facing one another [in love]
Immortal youths will wait upon the
with goblets, and ewers, and cups filled with water from unsullied spring
by which their minds will not be clouded and which will not make them drunk
and with fruit of any kind that they may choose
and with the flesh of any fowl that they may desire
And [with them will be their] companions pure, most beautiful of eye
like unto pearls [still] hidden in their shells
[And this will be] a reward for what they did [in life]
No empty talk will they hear there, nor any call to sin
but only the tiding of inner soundness and peace
NOW AS FOR those who have attained to righteousness - what of those who have attained to righteousness
[They, too, will find themselves] amidst fruit- laden lote-trees
and acacias flower-clad
and shade extended
and waters gushing
and fruit abounding
never-failing and never out of reach
And [with them will be their] spouses, raised high
for, behold, We shall have brought them into being in a life renewed
having resurrected them as virgins
full of love, well-matche
with those who have attained to righteousness
a good many of olden times
and a good many of later times
BUT AS FOR those who have persevered in evil - what of those who have persevered in evil
[They will find themselves] in the midst of scorching winds, and burning despair
and the shadows of black smoke
[shadows] neither cooling nor soothing
For, behold, in times gone by they were wont to abandon themselves wholly to the pursuit of pleasures
and would persist in heinous sinning
and would say, “What! After we have died and become mere dust and bones, shall we, forsooth, be raised from the dead?
and perhaps, too, our forebears of old?”
Say: “Verily, those of olden times and those of later time
will indeed be gathered together at an appointed time on a Day known [only to God]
and then, verily, O you who have gone astray and called the truth a lie
you will indeed have to taste of the tree of deadly fruit
and will have to fill your bellies therewith
and will thereupon have to drink [many a draught] of burning despair
drink it as the most insatiably thirsty camels drink!”
Such will be their welcome on Judgment Day
WE who have created you, [O men:] why, then, do you not accept the truth
Have you ever considered that [seed] which you emit
Is it you who create it - or are We the source of its creation
We have [indeed] decreed that death shall be [ever-present] among you: but there is nothing to prevent Us
from changing the nature of your existence and bringing you into being [anew] in a manner [as yet] unknown to you
And [since] you are indeed aware of the [miracle of your] coming into being in the first instance - why, then, do you not bethink yourselves [of Us]
Have you ever considered the seed which you cast upon the soil
Is it you who cause it to grow - or are We the cause of its growth
[For,] were it Our will, We could indeed turn it into chaff, and you would be left to wonder [and to lament]
“Verily, we are ruined
Nay, but we have been deprived [of our livelihood]!”
Have you ever considered the water which you drink
Is it you who cause it to come down from the clouds - or are We the cause of its coming down
[It comes down sweet - but] were it Our will, We could make it burningly salty and bitter: why, then, do you not give thanks [unto Us]
Have you ever considered the fire which you kindle
Is it you who have brought into being the tree that serves as its fuel - or are We the cause of its coming into being
It is We who have made it a means to remind [you of Us], and a comfort for all who are lost and hungry in the wilderness [of their lives]
Extol, then, the limitless glory of thy Sustainer’s mighty name
NAY, I call to witness the coming-down in parts [of this Qur’an]
and, behold, this is indeed a most solemn affirmation, if you but knew it
Behold, it is a truly noble discourse
[conveyed unto man] in a well-guarded divine writ
which none but the pure [of heart] can touch
a revelation from the Sustainer of all the worlds
Would you, now, look down with disdain on a tiding like this
and make it your daily bread [as it were] to call the truth a lie
Why, then, when [the last breath] comes up to the throat [of a dying man]
the while you are [helplessly] looking on
and while We are closer to him than you, although you see [Us] not -
why, then, if [you think that] you are not truly dependent [on Us]
can you not cause that [ebbing life] to return - if what you claim is true
[ALL OF YOU are destined to die.] Now if one happens to be of those who are drawn close unto God
happiness [awaits him in the life to come], and inner fulfillment, and a garden of bliss
And if one happens to be of those who have attained to righteousness
[he, too, will be welcomed into paradise with the words,] “Peace be unto thee [that art] of those who have attained to righteousness!”
But if one happens to be of those who are wont to call the truth a lie, and [thus] go astray
a welcome of burning despair [awaits him in the life to come,]
and the heat of a blazing fire
Verily, this is indeed the truth of truths
Extol, then, the limitless glory of thy Sustainer’s mighty name