يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ

O THOU [in thy solitude] enfolded! (1)

قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ

Arise and warn! (2)

وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ

And thy Sustainer's greatness glorify! (3)

وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ

And thine inner self purify! (4)

وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ

And all defilement shun! (5)

وَلَا تَمْنُنْ تَسْتَكْثِرُ

And do not through giving seek thyself to gain, (6)

فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِي النَّاقُورِ

And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded, (8)

فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ

that very Day shall be a day of anguish, (9)

عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍ

not of ease, for all who [now] deny the truth! (10)

ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا

LEAVE Me alone [to deal] with him whom I have created alone, (11)

وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالًا مَمْدُودًا

and to whom I have granted resources vast, (12)

وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا

and children as [love's] witnesses, (13)

وَمَهَّدْتُ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا

and to whose life I gave so wide a scope: (14)

ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ

and yet, he greedily desires that I give yet more! (15)

كَلَّا إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا

Nay, verily, it is against Our messages that he knowingly, stubbornly sets himself (16)

سَأُرْهِقُهُ صَعُودًا

[and so] I shall constrain him to endure a painful uphill climb! (17)

إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ

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] (18)

فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

and thus he destroys himself, the way he meditates: (19)

ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

yea, he destroys himself, the way he meditates! (20)

ثُمَّ نَظَرَ

and then he looks [around for new arguments], (21)

ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ

and then he frowns and glares, (22)

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ

and in the end he turns his back [on Our message], and glories in his arrogance, (23)

فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ

and says, "All this is mere spellbinding eloquence handed down [from olden times]! (24)

إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ

This is nothing but the word of mortal man!" (25)

سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ

[Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire [in the life to come]! (26)

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ

And what could make thee conceive what hell-fire is? (27)

لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ

It does not allow to live, and neither leaves [to die], (28)

لَوَّاحَةٌ لِلْبَشَرِ

making [all truth] visible to mortal man. (29)

عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ

Over it are nineteen [powers]. (30)

وَمَا جَعَلْنَا أَصْحَابَ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَائِكَةً وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِيمَانًا وَلَا يَرْتَابَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَلِيَقُولَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْكَافِرُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًا كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَمَا هِيَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ

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 they 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 Sustainer's forces save Him alone: and all this is but a reminder to mortal man. (31)