HALLOWED be He in whose hand all dominion rests, since He has the power to will anything:

He who has created death as well as life, so that He might put you to a test [and thus show] which of you is best in conduct, and [make you realize that] He alone is almighty, truly forgiving.

[Hallowed be] He who has created seven heavens in full harmony with one another: no fault will thou see in the creation of the Most Gracious. And turn thy vision [upon it] once more: canst thou see any flaw?

Yea, turn thy vision [upon it] again and yet again: [and every time] thy vision will fall back upon thee, dazzled and truly defeated….

And, indeed, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with lights, and have made them the object of futile guesses for the evil ones [from among men]: and for them have We readied suffering through a blazing flame –

for, suffering in hell awaits all who are [thus] bent on blaspheming against their Sustainer: and how vile a journey's end!

When they are cast into that [hell], they will hear its breath indrawing as it boils up,

well-nigh bursting with fury; [and] every time a host [of such sinners] is flung into it, its keepers will ask them, "Has no warner ever come to you?"

They will reply: "Yea, a warner did indeed come unto us, but we gave him the lie and said, 'Never has God sent down anything [by way of revelation]! You [self-styled warners] are but lost in a great delusion!"'

And they will add: "Had we but listened [to those warnings], or [at least] used our own reason, we would not [now] be among those who are destined for the blazing flame!"

Thus will they come to realize their sins: but [by that time,] remote will have become all good from those who are destined for the blazing flame.

[As against this,] behold, for those who stand in awe of God although He is beyond the reach of their perception, there is forgiveness in store and a great reward.

AND [know, O men, that] whether you keep your beliefs secret or state them openly, He has full knowledge indeed of all that is in [your] hearts.

How could it be that He who has created [all] should not know [all]? Yea, He alone is unfathomable [in His wisdom], aware!

He it is who has made the earth easy to live upon: go about, then, in all its regions, and partake the sustenance which He provides: but [always bear in mind that] unto Him you shall be resurrected.

Can you ever feel secure that He who is in heaven will not cause the earth to swallow you up when, lo and behold, it begins to quake?

Or can you ever feel secure that He who is in heaven will not let loose against you a deadly stormwind, whereupon you would come to know how [true] My warning was?

And, indeed, [many of] those who lived aforetime did give the lie [to My warnings]: and how awesome was My rejection [of them]!

Have they, then, never beheld the birds above them, spreading their wings and drawing them in? None but the Most Gracious upholds them: for, verily, He keeps all things in His sight.

[And] is there any, besides the Most Gracious, that could be a shield for you, and could succour you [against danger]? They who deny this truth are but lost in self- delusion!

Or is there any that could provide you with sustenance if He should withhold His provision [from you]? Nay, but they [who are bent on denying the truth] stubbornly persist in their disdain [of God's messages] and in their headlong flight [from Him]!

But then, is he that goes along with his face close to the ground better guided than he that walks upright on a straight way?

SAY: "[God is] He who has brought you [all] into being, and has endowed you with hearing, and sight, and hearts: [yet] how seldom are you grateful!"

Say: "It is He who has multiplied you on earth; and it is unto Him that you shall be gathered [on resurrection]."

But they [only] ask, "When is this promise to be fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who believe in it,] if you are men of truth!"

Say thou, [O Prophet:] "Knowledge thereof rests with God alone; and I am only a plain warner."

Yet in the end, when they shall see that [fulfilment] close at hand, the faces of those who were bent on denying the truth will be stricken with grief; and they will be told, "This it is that you were [so derisively] calling for!"

SAY [O Prophet]: "What do you think? Whether God destroys me and those who follow me, or graces us with His mercy - is there anyone that could protect [you] deniers of the truth from grievous suffering [in the life to come]?"

Say: "He is the Most Gracious: we have attained to faith in Him, and in Him have we placed our trust; and in time you will come to know which of us was lost in manifest error."

Say [unto those who deny the truth]: "What do you think? If of a sudden all your water were to vanish underground, who [but God] could provide you with water from [new] unsullied springs?"

Nun. CONSIDER the pen, and all that they write [therewith]!

Thou art not, by thy Sustainer's grace, a madman!

And, verily, thine shall be a reward neverending –

for, behold, thou keepest indeed to a sublime way of life;

and [one day] thou shalt see, and they [who now deride thee] shall see,

which of you was bereft of reason.

Verily, thy Sustainer alone is fully aware as to who has strayed from His path, Just as He alone is fully aware of those who have found the right way.

Hence, defer not to [the likes and dislikes of] those who give the lie to the truth:

they would like thee to be soft [with them], so that they might be soft [with thee].

Furthermore, defer not to the contemptible swearer of oaths,

[or to] the slanderer that goes about with defaming tales,

[or] the withholder of good, [or] the sinful aggressor,

[or] one who is cruel, by greed possessed, and, in addition to all this, utterly useless [to his fellow-men].

Is it because he is possessed of worldly goods and children

that, whenever Our messages are conveyed to him, such a one says, "Fables of ancient times"?

[For this] We shall brand him with indelible disgrace!

[As for such sinners,] behold, We [but] try them as We tried the owners of a certain garden who vowed that they would surely harvest its fruit on the morrow,

and made no allowance [for the will of God]:

whereupon a visitation for thy Sustainer came upon that [garden] while they were asleep,

so that by the morrow it became barren and bleak.

Now when they rose at early morn, they called unto one another,

"Go early to your tilth if you want to harvest the fruit!"

Thus they launched forth, whispering unto one another,

"Indeed, no needy person shall enter it today [and come] upon you [unawares],"

– and early they went, strongly bent upon their purpose.

But as soon as they beheld [the garden and could not recognize] it, they exclaimed, "Surely we have lost our way!"

- [and then,] "Nay, but we have been rendered destitute!"

Said the most right-minded among them: "Did I not tell you, 'Will you not extol God's limitless glory?’"

They answered: "Limitless in His glory is our Sustainer! Verily, we were doing wrong!"

- and then they turned upon one another with mutual reproaches.

[In the end] they said: "Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we did behave outrageously!

[But] it may be that our Sustainer will grant us something better instead: for, verily, unto our Sustainer do we turn with hope!"

SUCH is the suffering [with which We try some people in this world]; but greater by far will be the suffering [which sinners shall have to bear] in the life to come - if they but knew it!

For, behold, it is the God-conscious [alone] whom gardens of bliss await with their Sustainer:

or should We, perchance, treat those who surrender themselves unto Us as [We would treat] those who remain lost in sin?

What is amiss with you? On what do you base your judgment [of right and wrong]?

Or have you, perchance, a [special] divine writ which you study,

and in which you find all that you may wish to find?

Or have you received a solemn promise, binding on Us till Resurrection Day, that yours will assuredly be whatever you judge [to be your rightful due]?

Ask them which of them is able to vouch for this!

Or have they, perchance, any sages to support their views? Well, then, if they are sincere in this their claim, let them produce those supporters of theirs

on the Day when man's very being shall be bared to the bone, and when they [who now deny the truth] shall be called upon to prostrate themselves [before God], and shall be unable to do so:

downcast will be their eyes, with ignominy overwhelming them - seeing that they had been called upon [in vain] to prostrate themselves [before Him] while they were yet sound [and alive].

Hence, leave Me alone with such as give the lie to this tiding. We shall bring them low, step by step, without their perceiving how it has come about:

for, behold, though I may give them rein for a while, My subtle scheme is exceedingly firm!

Or is it that [they fear lest] thou ask them for a reward, [O Prophet,] so that they would be burdened with debt [if they listened to thee]?

Or [do they think] that the hidden reality [of all that exists] is within their grasp, so that [in time] they can write it down?

BEAR THEN with patience thy Sustainer's will and be not like him of the great fish, who cried out [in distress] after having given in to anger.

[And remember:] had not grace from his Sustainer reached him, he would indeed have been cast forth upon that barren shore in a state of disgrace:

but [as it was,] his Sustainer had elected him and placed him among the righteous.

Hence, [be patient,] even though they who are bent on denying the truth would all but kill thee with their eyes whenever they hear this reminder, and [though] they say, "[As for Muhammad,] behold, most surely he is a madman!"

[Be patient:] for this is nought else but a reminder [from God] to all mankind.

OH, THE LAYING-BARE of the truth!

How awesome that laying-bare of the truth!

And what could make thee conceive what that laying-bare of the truth will be?

THE LIE gave [the tribes of] Thamud and ‘Ad to [all tidings of] that sudden calamity!

Now as for the Thamud - they were destroyed by a violent upheaval [of the earth];

and as for the ‘Ad - they were destroyed by a storm wind furiously raging,

which He willed against them for seven nights and eight days without cease, so that in the end thou couldst see those people laid low [in death], as though they were so many [uprooted] trunks of hollow palm trees:

and dost thou now see any remnant of them?

And there was Pharaoh, too, and [many of] those who lived before him, and the cities that were overthrown - [all of them] indulged in sin upon sin

and rebelled against their Sustainer's apostles: and so He took them to task with a punishing grasp exceedingly severe!

[And] behold: when the waters [of Noah's flood] burst beyond all limits, it was We who caused you to be borne [to safety] in that floating ark,

so that We might make all this a [lasting] reminder to you all, and that every wide-awake ear might consciously take it in.

Hence, [bethink yourselves of the Last Hour,] when the trumpet [of judgment] shall be sounded with a single blast,

and the earth and the mountains shall be lifted up and crushed with a single stroke!

And so, that which must come to pass will on that day have come to pass;

and the sky will be rent asunder - for, frail will it have become on that Day -;

and the angels [will appear] at its ends, and, above them, eight will bear aloft on that Day the throne of thy Sustainer’s almightiness…

On that Day you shall be brought to judgment: not [even] the most hidden of your deeds will remain hidden.

Now as for him whose record shall be placed in his right hand, he will exclaim: "Come you all!" Read this my record!

Behold, I did know that [one day] I would have to face my account!

And so he will find himself in a happy state of life,

in a lofty paradise,

with its fruits within easy reach.

[And all who are thus blest will be told:] "Eat and drink with good cheer in return for all [the good deeds] that you have sent ahead in days gone by!"

But as for him whose record shall be placed in his left hand, he will exclaim: "Oh, would that I had never been shown this my record,

and neither known this my account!

Oh, would that this [death of mine] had been the end of me!

Of no avail to me is all that I have [ever] possessed,

[and] all my power of argument has died away from me!"

Thereupon the command will go forth:] "Lay hold of him, and shackle him,

and then let him enter hell,

and then thrust him into a chain [of other sinners like him - a chain] the length whereof is seventy cubits:

for, behold, he did not believe in God, the Tremendous,

and did not feel any urge to feed the needy:

and so, no friend has here today,

nor any food save the filth

which none but the sinners eat!"

BUT NAY! I call to witness an that you can see,

as well as all that you cannot see!

Behold, this [Qur’an] is indeed the [inspired] word of a noble apostle,

and is not – however little you may [be prepared to] believe it - the word of a poet;

and neither is it - however little you may [be prepared to] take it to heart - the word of a soothsayer:

[it is] a revelation from the Sustainer of all the worlds.

Now if he [whom We have entrusted with it] had dared to attribute some [of his own] sayings unto Us,

We would indeed have seized him by his right hand,

and would indeed have cut his life-vein.

and none of you could have saved him!

And, verily, this [Qur’an] is a reminder to all the God-conscious!

And, behold, well do We know that among you are such as will give the lie to it:

yet, behold, this [rejection] will indeed become a source of bitter regret for all who deny the truth [of God's revelation] –

for, verily, it is truth absolute!

Extol, then the limitless glory of thy Sustainer's mighty name!

ONE who is minded to ask might ask about the suffering which [in the hereafter] is bound to befall

those who deny the truth. [Know, then, that] nothing can ward it off,

[since it will come] from God, unto whom there are many ways of ascent:

all the angels and all the inspiration [ever granted to man] ascend unto Him [daily,] in a day the length whereof is [like] fifty thousand years…

Therefore, [O believer,] endure all adversity with goodly patience:

behold, men look upon that [reckoning] as something far away –

but, We see it as near!

[It will take place] on a Day when the sky will be like molten lead,

and the mountains will be like tufts of wool,

and [when] no friend will ask about his friend,

though they may be in one another's sight: [for,] everyone who was lost in sin will on that Day but desire to ransom himself from suffering at the price of his own children,

and of his spouse, and of his brother,

and of all the kinsfolk who ever sheltered him,

and of whoever [else] lives on earth, all of them - so that he could but save himself.

But nay! Verily, all [that awaits him] is a raging flame,

tearing away his skin!

It will claim all such as turn their backs [on what is right], and turn away [from the truth],

and amass [wealth] and thereupon withhold [it from their fellow-men].

VERILY, man is born with a restless disposition.

[As a rule,] whenever misfortune touches him, he is filled with self-pity;

and whenever good fortune comes to him, he selfishly withholds it [from others].

Not so, however, those who consciously turn towards God in prayer.

[and] who incessantly persevere in their prayer

and in whose possessions there is a due share, acknowledged [by them],

for such as ask [for help] and such as are deprived [of what is good in life];

and who accept as true the [coming of the] Day of Judgment;

and who stand in dread of their Sustainer's chastisement –

for, behold, of their Sustainer's chastisement none may ever feel [wholly] secure;

and who are mindful of their chastity,

[not giving way to their desires] with any but their spouses - that is, those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock] -: for then, behold, they are free of all blame,

whereas such as seek to go beyond that [limit] are truly transgressors;

and who are faithful to their trusts and to their pledges:

and who stand firm whenever they bear witness;

and who guard their prayers [from all worldly intent].

These it is who in the gardens [of paradise] shall be honoured!

WHAT, THEN, is amiss with such as are bent on denying the truth, that they run about confusedly to and fro before thee,

[coming upon thee] from the right and from the left, in crowds?

Does every one of them hope to enter [by this means] a garden of bliss?

Never! For, behold, We have created them out of something that they know [only too well]!

But nay! I call to witness [Our being] the Sustainer of all the points of sunrise and sunset: verily, well able are We

to replace them with [people] better than they are; for there is nothing to prevent Us [from doing what We will].

Hence, leave them to indulge in idle talk and play [with words] until they face that [Judgment] Day of theirs which they have been promised –

the Day when they shall come forth in haste from their graves, as if racing towards a goal-post,

with downcast eyes, with ignominy overwhelming them: that Day which they were promised again and…

BEHOLD. We sent Noah unto his people. [saying:] "Warn thy people ere grievous suffering befall them!

[And Noah] said: "O my people! I am but a plain warner to you, [sent to tell you]

that you should worship God [alone] and be conscious of Him. "Now do pay heed unto me,

so that He may forgive you some of your sins, and grant you respite until a term known [to Him alone]: but, behold, when the term appointed by God does come, it can never be put back - if you but knew it!"

[And after a time, Noah] said: "O my Sustainer! Verily, I have been calling unto my people night and day

but my call has only caused them to flee farther and farther away [from Thee].

And behold, whenever I called unto them with a view to Thy granting them forgiveness, they put their fingers into their ears, and wrapped themselves up in their garments [of sin]; and grew obstinate, and became [yet more] arrogant in their false pride.

"And behold I called unto them openly;

and, behold I preached to them in public; and I spoke to them secretly, in private;

and I said: "'Ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins - for, verily, He is all-forgiving!

He will shower upon you heavenly blessings abundant,

and will aid you with worldly goods and children, and will bestow upon you gardens, and bestow upon you running waters.

"'What is amiss with you that you cannot look forward to God's majesty,

seeing that He has created [every one of] you in successive stages?

"'Do you not see how God has created seven heavens in full harmony with one another,

and has set up within them the moon as a light [reflected] and set up the sun as a [radiant] lamp?

"'And God has caused you to grow out of the earth in [gradual] growth; and thereafter He will return you to it [in death]:

and [then] He will bring you forth [from It] in resurrection.

"'And God has made the earth a wide expanse for you,

so that you might walk thereon on spacious paths.’"

[And] Noah continued: "O my Sustainer! Behold, they have opposed me [throughout], for they follow people whose wealth and children lead them increasingly into ruin,

and who have devised a most awesome blasphemy [against Thee],

inasmuch as they said [to their followers], 'Do not ever abandon your gods: abandon neither Wadd nor Suwa', and neither Yaghuth nor Ya’uq nor Nasr!'

"And so they have led many a one astray: hence, ordain Thou that these evildoers stray but farther and farther away [from all that they may desire]!"

And so, because of their sins, they were drowned [in the great flood], and were doomed to suffer the fire [of the hereafter]; and they found none who could succour them against God.

And Noah prayed: "O my Sustainer! Leave not on earth any of those who deny the truth:

for, behold, If Thou dost leave them, they will [always try to] lead astray those who worship Thee, and will give birth to nothing but wickedness and stubborn ingratitude.

"O my Sustainer! Grant Thy forgiveness unto me and unto my parents, and unto everyone who enters my house as a believer, and unto all believing men and believing women [of later times]; and grant Thou that the doers of evil shall increasingly meet with destruction!"'

SAY: "It has been revealed to me that some of the unseen beings gave ear [to this divine writ], and thereupon said [unto their fellow-beings]: "'Verily, we have heard a wondrous discourse,

guiding towards consciousness of what is right; and so We have come to believe in it. And we shall never ascribe divinity to anyone beside our Sustainer,

for [we know] that sublimely exalted is our Sustainer's majesty: no consort has He ever taken unto Himself, nor a son!

"'And [now we know] that the foolish among us were wont to say outrageous things about God,

and that [we were mistaken when] we thought that neither man nor [any of] the invisible forces would ever tell a lie about God.

Yet [it has always happened] that certain kinds of humans would seek refuge with certain kinds of [such] invisible forces: but these only increased their confusion –

so much so that they came to think, as you [once] thought, that God would never [again] send forth anyone [as His apostle].

"'And [so it happened] that we reached out towards heaven: but we found it filled with mighty guards and flames,

notwithstanding that we were established in positions [which we had thought well-suited] to listening to [whatever secrets might be in] it: and anyone who now [or ever] tries to listen will [likewise] find a flame lying in wait for him!

"'And [now we have become aware] that we [created beings] may not know whether evil fortune is intended for [any of] those who live on earth, or whether it is their Sustainer’s will to endow them with consciousness of what is right:

Just as [we do not know how it happens] that some from among us are righteous, while some of us are [far] below that: we have always followed widely divergent paths.

"'And, withal, we have come to know that we can never elude God [while we live] on earth, and that we can never elude Him by escaping [from life].

Hence, as soon as we heard this [call to His] guidance, we came to believe in it: and he who believes in his Sustainer need never have fear of loss or injustice.

"'Yet [it is true] that among us are such as have surrendered themselves to God - just as there are among us such as have abandoned themselves to wrongdoing. Now as for those who surrender themselves to Him - it is they that have attained to consciousness of what is right;

but as for those who abandon themselves to wrongdoing - they are indeed but fuel for [the fires of] hell!’"

[KNOW,] THEN, that if they [who have heard Our call] keep firmly to the [right] path, We shall certainly shower them with blessings abundant,

so as to test them by this means: for he who shall turn away from the remembrance of his Sustainer, him will He cause to undergo suffering most grievous.

And [know] that all worship is due to God [alone]: hence, do not invoke anyone side by side with God!

Yet [thus it is] that whenever a servant of God stands up in prayer to Him, they [who are bent on denying the truth] would gladly overwhelm him with their crowds.

Say: "I invoke my Sustainer alone, for I do not ascribe divinity to anyone beside Him."

Say: "Verily, it is not in my power to cause you harm or to endow you with consciousness of what is right."

Say: "Verily, no one could ever protect me from God, nor could I ever find a place to hide from Him

if I should fail to convey [to the world whatever illumination comes to me] from God and His messages." Now as for him who rebels against God and His Apostle - verily, the fire of hell awaits him, therein to abide beyond the count of time.

[Let them, then, wait] until the time when they behold that [doom] of which they were forewarned: for then they will come to understand which [kind of man] is more helpless and counts for less!

Say: "I do not know whether that [doom] of which you were forewarned is near, or whether my Sustainer has set for it a distant term."

He [alone] knows that which is beyond the reach of a created being's perception, and to none does He disclose aught of the mysteries of His Own unfathomable knowledge,

unless it be to an apostle whom He has been pleased to elect [there for]: and then He sends forth [the forces of heaven] to watch over him in whatever lies open before him and in what is beyond his ken –

so as to make manifest that it is indeed [but] their Sustainer's messages that these [apostles] deliver: for it is He who encompasses [with His knowledge] all that they have [to say], just as He takes count, one by one, of everything [that exists].

O THOU enwrapped one!

Keep awake [in prayer] at night, all but a small part

of one-half thereof - or make it a little less than that,

or add to it [at will]; and [during that time] recite the Qur’an calmly and distinctly, with thy mind attuned to its meaning.

Behold, We shall bestow upon thee a weighty message –

[and,] verily, the hours of night the mind most strongly and speak with the clearest voice,

whereas by day a long chain of doings is thy portion.

But [whether by night or by day,] remember thy Sustainer's name, and devote thyself unto Him with utter devotion.

The Sustainer of the east and the west [is He]: there is no deity save Him: hence, ascribe to Him alone the power to determine thy fate,

and endure with patience whatever people may say [against thee], and avoid them with a comely avoidance.

And leave Me alone [to deal] with those who give the lie to the truth - those who enjoy the blessings of life [without any thought of God] - and bear thou with them for a little while:

for, behold, heavy fetters [await them] with Us, and a blazing fire,

and food that chokes, and grievous suffering

on the Day when the earth and the mountains will be convulsed and the mountains will [crumble and] become like a sand-dune on the move!

BEHOLD, [O men,] We have sent unto you an apostle who shall bear witness to the truth before you, even as We sent an apostle unto Pharaoh:

and Pharaoh rebelled against the apostle, whereupon We took him to task with a crushing grip.

How, then, if you refuse to acknowledge the truth, will you protect yourselves on that Day which shall turn the hair of children grey,

[the Day] on which the skies shall be rent asunder, [and] His promise [of resurrection] fulfilled?

This, verily, is a reminder: let him who wills, then set out on a way to his Sustainer!

BEHOLD, [O Prophet,] thy Sustainer knows that thou keepest awake [in prayer] nearly two-thirds of the night, or one-half of it, or a third of it, together with some of those who follow thee. And God who determines the measure of night and day, is aware that you would never grudge it: and therefore He turns towards you in His grace. Recite, then, as much of the Qur’an as you may do with ease. He knows that in time there will be among you sick people, and others who will go about the land in search of God's bounty, and others who will fight in God’s cause. Recite, then, [only] as much of it as you may do with ease, and be constant in prayer, and spend in charity, and [thus] lend unto God a goodly loan: for whatever good deed you may offer up in your own behalf, you shall truly find it with God - yea, better, and richer in reward. And [always] seek God's forgiveness: behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

O THOU [in thy solitude] enfolded!

Arise and warn!

And thy Sustainer's greatness glorify!

And thine inner self purify!

And all defilement shun!

And do not through giving seek thyself to gain,

but unto thy Sustainer turn in patience.

And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded,

that very Day shall be a day of anguish,

not of ease, for all who [now] deny the truth!

LEAVE Me alone [to deal] with him whom I have created alone,

and to whom I have granted resources vast,

and children as [love's] witnesses,

and to whose life I gave so wide a scope:

and yet, he greedily desires that I give yet more!

Nay, verily, it is against Our messages that he knowingly, stubbornly sets himself

[and so] I shall constrain him to endure a painful uphill climb!

Behold, [when Our messages are conveyed to one who is bent on denying the truth,] he reflects and meditates [as to how to disprove them] –

and thus he destroys himself, the way he meditates:

yea, he destroys himself, the way he meditates!

and then he looks [around for new arguments],

and then he frowns and glares,

and in the end he turns his back [on Our message], and glories in his arrogance,

and says, "All this is mere spellbinding eloquence handed down [from olden times]!

This is nothing but the word of mortal man!"

[Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire [in the life to come]!

And what could make thee conceive what hell-fire is?

It does not allow to live, and neither leaves [to die],

making [all truth] visible to mortal man.

Over it are nineteen [powers].

For We have caused none but angelic powers to lord over the fire [of hell]; and We have not caused their number to be aught but a trial for those who are bent on denying the truth - to the end that they who have been granted revelation aforetime might be convinced [of the truth of this divine writ]; and that they who have attained to faith [in it] might grow yet more firm in their faith; and that [both] they who have been granted the earlier revelation and they who believe [in this one] might be freed of all doubt; and that they in whose hearts is disease and the who deny the truth outright might ask, "What does [your] God mean by this parable?" In this way God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides aright him that wills [to be guided]. And none can comprehend thy Sustainers forces save Him alone: and all this is but a reminder to mortal man.

NAY, but consider the moon!

Consider the night when it departs,

and the morn when it dawns!

Verily, that [hell-fire) is Indeed one of the great [forewarnings] –

a warning to mortal man –

to everyone of you, whether he chooses to come forward or to hang back!

[On the Day of Judgment,] every human being will be held in pledge for whatever [evil] he has wrought –

save those who shall have attained to righteousness:

[dwelling] In gardens [of paradise], they will inquire

of those who were lost in sin:

"What has brought you into hell-fire?"

They will answer: "We were not among those who prayed;

and neither did we feed the needy;

and we were wont to indulge in sinning together with all [the others] who indulged in it;

and the Day of Judgment we were wont to call a lie –

until certainty came upon us [in death]."

And so, of no benefit to them could be the intercession of any that would intercede for them.

WHAT, THEN, is amiss with them that they turn away from all admonition

as though they were terrified asses

fleeing from a lion?

Yea, everyone of them claims that he [himself] ought to have been given revelations unfolded!

Nay, but they do not [believe in and, hence, do not] fear the life to come.

Nay, verily, this is an admonition –

and whoever wills may take it to heart.

But they [who do not believe in the life to come] will not take it to heart unless God so wills: [for] He is the Fount of all God-consciousness, and the Fount of all forgiveness.

NAY! I call to witness the Day of Resurrection!

But nay! I call to witness the accusing voice of man's own conscience!

Does man think that We cannot [resurrect him and] bring his bones together again?

Yea indeed, We are able to make whole his very finger-tips!

None the less man chooses to deny what lies ahead of him,

asking [derisively], "When is that Resurrection Day to be?"

But [on that Day,] when the eyesight is by fear confounded,

and the moon is darkened,

and the sun and the moon are brought together

on that Day will man exclaim "Whither to flee?"

But nay: no refuge [for thee, O man]!

With thy Sustainer, on that Day, the journey's end will be!

Man will be apprised, on that Day, of what he has done and what he has left undone:

nay, but man shall against himself be an eye-witness,

even though he may veil himself in excuses.

MOVE NOT thy tongue in haste, [repeating the words of the revelation:]

for, behold, it is for Us to gather it [in thy heart,] and to cause it to be read [as it ought to be read].

Thus, when We recite it, follow thou its wording [with all thy mind]:

and then, behold, it will be for Us to make its meaning clear.

NAY, but [most of] you love this fleeting life,

and give no thought to the life to come [and to Judgment Day]!

Some faces will on that Day be bright with happiness,

looking up to their Sustainer;

and some faces will on that Day be overcast with despair,

knowing that a crushing calamity is about to befall them.

NAY, but when [the last breath] comes up to the throat [of a dying man],

and people ask, "Is there any wizard [that could save him]?"

the while he [himself] knows that this is the parting,

and is enwrapped in the pangs of death

at that time towards thy Sustainer does he feel impelled to turn!

[Useless, though, will be his repentance: for [as long as he was alive] he did not accept the truth, nor did he pray [for enlightenment],

but, on the contrary, he gave the lie to the truth and turned away [from it],

and then went arrogantly back to what he had come from.

[And yet, O man, thine end comes hourly] nearer unto thee, and nearer –

and ever nearer unto thee, and nearer!

DOES MAN, then, think that he is to be left to himself to go about at will?

Was he not once a [mere] drop of sperm that had been spilt,

and thereafter became a germ-cell - whereupon He created and formed [it] in accordance with what [it] was meant to be,

and fashioned out of it the two sexes, the male and the female?

Is not He, then; able to bring the dead back to life?

HAS THERE [not] been an endless span of time before man [appeared - a time] when he was not yet a thing to be thought of?

Verily, it is We who have created man out of a drop of sperm intermingled, so that We might try him [in his later life]: and therefore We made him a being endowed with hearing and sight.

Verily, We have shown him the way: [and it rests with him to prove himself] either grateful or ungrateful.

[Now,] behold, for those who deny the truth We have readied chains and shackles, and a blazing flame

[whereas,] behold, the truly virtuous shall drink from a cup flavoured with the calyx of sweet-smelling flowers:

a source [of bliss] whereof God's servants shall drink, seeing it flow in a flow abundant.

[The truly virtuous are] they [who] fulfil their vows, and stand in awe of a Day the woe of which is bound to spread far and wide,

and who give food - however great be their own want of it - unto the needy, and the orphan, and the captive,

[saying, in their hearts,] "We feed you for the sake of God alone: we desire no recompense from you, nor thanks:

behold, we stand in awe of our Sustainer's judgment on a distressful, fateful Day!"

And so, God will preserve them from the woes of that Day, and will bestow on them brightness and joy,

and will reward them for all their patience in adversity with a garden [of bliss] and with [garments of] silk.

In that [garden] they will on couches recline, and will know therein neither [burning] sun nor cold severe,

since its [blissful] shades will come down low over them, and low will hang down its clusters of fruit, most easy to reach.

And they will be waited upon with vessels of silver and goblets that will [seem to] be crystal –

crystal-like, [but] of silver - the measure whereof they alone will determine.

And in that [paradise] they will be given to drink of a cup flavoured with ginger,

[derived from] a source [to be found] therein, whose name is "Seek Thy Way".

And immortal youths will wait upon them: when thou seest them, thou wouldst deem them to be scattered pearls;

and when thou seest [anything that is] there thou wilt see [only] bliss and a realm transcendent

Upon those [blest] will be garments of green silk and brocade; and they will be adorned with bracelets of silver. And their Sustainer will them to drink of a drink most pure.

[And they will be told:] "Verily, all this is your reward since Your endeavour [in life] has met [God's] goodly acceptance!"

VERILY, [O believer,] it is We who have bestowed from on high this Qur’an upon thee, step by step - truly a bestowal from on high!

Await, then, in all patience thy Sustainer's judgment, and pay no heed to any of them, who is a wilful sinner or an ingrate;

and bear in mind thy Sustainer's name at morn and evening

and during some of the night, and prostrate thyself before Him, and extol His limitless glory throughout the long night.

Behold, they [who are unmindful of God] love this fleeting life, and leave behind them [all thought of] a grief-laden Day.

[They will not admit to themselves that] it We who have created them and strengthened their make - and [that] if it be Our will We can replace them entirely with others of their kind.

VERILY, all this is an admonition: whoever, then, so wills, may unto his Sustainer find a way.

But you cannot will it unless God wills [to show you that way]: for, behold, God is indeed all-seeing, wise.

He admits unto His grace everyone who wills [to be admitted]; but as for the evildoers - for them has He readied grievous suffering [in the life to come].

CONSIDER these [messages,] sent forth in waves

and then storming on with a tempest's force!

Consider these [messages] that spread [the truth] far and wide,

thus separating [right and wrong] with all clarity,

and then giving forth a reminder,

[promising] freedom from blame or [offering] a warning!

BEHOLD, all that you are told to expect will surely come to pass.

Thus, [it will come to pass] when the stars are effaced,

and when the sky is rent asunder,

and when the mountains are scattered like dust,

and when all the apostles are called together at a time appointed...

For what day has the term [of all this] been set?

For the Day of Distinction [between the true and the false]!

And what could make thee conceive what that Day of Distinction will be?

Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth!

Did We not destroy [so many of] those [sinners] of olden days?

And We shall let them be followed by those of later times:

[for] thus do We deal with such as are lost in sin.

Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth!

Did We not create you out of a humble fluid

which We then let remain in [the womb's] firm keeping

for a term pre-ordained?

Thus have We determined [the nature of man's creation]: and excellent indeed is Our power to determine [what is to be]!

Woe, on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth!

Have We not caused the earth to hold within itself

the living and the dead?

and have We not set on it proud, firm mountains, and given you sweet water to drink?

Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth!

GO ON towards that [resurrection] which you were wont to call a lie!

Go on towards the threefold shadow

that will offer no [cooling] shade and will be of no avail against the flame

which – behold!- will throw up sparks like [burning] logs,

like giant fiery ropes!

Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth –

that Day on which they will not [be able to] utter a word,

nor be allowed to proffer excuses!

Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth –

that Day of Distinction [between the true and the false, when they will be told]: "We have brought you together with those [sinners] of olden times;

and if you [think that you] have a subterfuge left, try to outwit Me!"

Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth!

[AS AGAINST this,] behold, the God-conscious shall dwell amidst [cooling] shades and springs,

and [partake of] whatever fruit they may desire;

[and they will be told:] "Eat and drink in good cheer in return for what you did [in life]!"

Thus, behold, do We reward the doers of good;

[but] woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth!

EAT [your fill] and enjoy your life for a little while, O you who are lost in sin!

[But] woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth,

and when they are told, "Bow down [before God]", do not bow down:

woe on that Day unto those who give the to the truth!

In what other tiding, then, will they, after this, believe?