وَالنَّازِعَاتِ غَرْقًا
CONSIDER those [stars] that rise only to set, (1)
وَالنَّاشِطَاتِ نَشْطًا
and move [in their orbits] with steady motion, (2)
وَالسَّابِحَاتِ سَبْحًا
and float [through space] with floating serene, (3)
فَالسَّابِقَاتِ سَبْقًا
and yet overtake [one another] with swift overtaking: (4)
فَالْمُدَبِّرَاتِ أَمْرًا
and thus they fulfil the [Creator's] behest! (5)
يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الرَّاجِفَةُ
[HENCE, think of] the Day when a violent convulsion will convulse [the world], (6)
تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ
to be followed by further [convulsions]! (7)
قُلُوبٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاجِفَةٌ
On that Day will [men's] hearts be throbbing, (8)
أَبْصَارُهَا خَاشِعَةٌ
[and] their eyes downcast.... (9)
يَقُولُونَ أَإِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِي الْحَافِرَةِ
[And yet,] some say, "What! Are we indeed to be restored to our former state – (10)
أَإِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا نَخِرَةً
even though we may have become [a heap of] crumbling bones?" (11)
قَالُوا تِلْكَ إِذًا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةٌ
[And] they add, "That, then, would be a return with loss!" (12)
فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجْرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ
[But,] then, that [Last Hour] will be [upon them of a sudden, as if it were] but a single accusing cry – (13)
فَإِذَا هُمْ بِالسَّاهِرَةِ
and then, lo, they will be fully awakened [to the truth]! (14)
هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰ
HAS THE STORY of Moses ever come within thy ken? (15)
إِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى
Lo! His Sustainer called out to him in the twice-hallowed valley: (16)
اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ
"Go unto Pharaoh – for, verily, he has transgressed all bounds of what is right – (17)
فَقُلْ هَلْ لَكَ إِلَىٰ أَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ
and say [unto him], `Art thou desirous of attaining to purity? (18)
وَأَهْدِيَكَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَتَخْشَىٰ
[If so,] then I shall guide thee towards [a cognition of] thy Sustainer, so that [henceforth] thou wilt stand in awe [of Him].'" (19)
فَأَرَاهُ الْآيَةَ الْكُبْرَىٰ
And thereupon he [went to Pharaoh and] made him aware of the great wonder [of God's grace]. (20)
فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ
But [Pharaoh] gave him the lie and rebelliously rejected [all guidance], (21)
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَىٰ
and brusquely turned his back [on Moses]; (22)
فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ
and then he gathered [his great ones], and called [unto his people], (23)
فَقَالَ أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الْأَعْلَىٰ
and said, "I am your Lord All-Highest!" (24)
فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الْآخِرَةِ وَالْأُولَىٰ
And thereupon God took him to task, [and made him] a warning example in the life to come as well as in this world. (25)
إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَىٰ
In this, behold, there is a lesson indeed for all who stand in awe [of God]. (26)
- CONSIDER those [stars] that rise only to set,1
- 1 For my rendering of the adjurative particle wa as "Consider", see first half of note 23 on 74:32. - The early commentators differ widely in their explanations of verses 1-5 of this surah. The most popular interpretation is based on the view that the descriptive participles an-nazi'at, an-nashitat, as-sabihat, as-sabiqat and al-mudabbirat refer to angels and their activities with regard to the souls of the dying: an interpretation categorically rejected by Abu Muslim al-Isfahani, who - as mentioned by Razi - points out that the angels are never referred to in the Qur'an in the female gender, as is the case in the above five participles, and that the present passage cannot be an exception. Almost equally unconvincing - because somewhat laboured - are the explanations which link those five participles to the souls of the dying, or to warriors engaged in holy war, or to war-mounts, and so forth. The clearest and simplest interpretation is that advanced by Qatadah (as quoted by Tabari and Baghawi) and Al-Hasan al-Basri (quoted by Baghawi and Razi), who maintain that what is meant in this passage are the stars - including the sun and the moon - and their movements in space: and this interpretation is fully in tune with many other passages in the Qur'an in which the harmony of those celestial bodies in their multiform orbits and graded speeds is cited as an evidence of God's planning and creativeness. In accordance with this interpretation, the participle an-nazi'at occurring in the first verse denotes the daily "ascending" or "rising" of the stars, while their subsequent "setting" is indicated by the expression gharqan, which comprises the two concepts of "drowning" (i.e., disappearing) and, tropically, of the "completeness" of this daily phenomenon (Zamakhshari).
- By the (angels)5916 who tear out (the souls of the wicked) with violence;5917
- 5916 The beginning of this Surah may be compared with the beginning of S. 77. A translator's task in such passages is extremely difficult. He has to contend, again and again, with verities of a realm beyond man's normal range of experience expressed in elliptical language and he has to render them in another language with words of precision intelligible to readers. It is therefore necessary for him to put in part of the Commentary in the Translation in such cases. (R).<br/>The evidence of five things is here invoked in verses 1-5, in order to lead to the conclusion in verse 6 and those following. Or, if we treat verses 3-5 as three stages of the same thing, there are three things to be considered in five stages. What are they? And what is the conclusion? See the following notes.
- 5917 There is much difference of opinion among the Commentators as to the five things or beings mentioned in these verses. I follow the general opinion in my interpretation, which is that angels are referred to as the agency which in their dealings with mankind show clearly Allah's Justice, Power, and Mercy, which again point to the Judgement to come, as a certainty which none can evade. The first point, referred to in this verse, is that the souls of the wicked are loath to part with their material body at death, but their will will not count: their souls will be wrenched out into another world. Who will then deny Resurrection and Judgement?
-
By the (angels) who tear out (the souls of the wicked) with violence;
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
By those who drag forth to destruction,
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
I swear by the angels who violently pull out the souls of the wicked,
— M. Habib Shakir -
By those (angels) who pull out (the souls of the disbelievers and the wicked) with great violence;
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
By the angels who drag forth vehemently.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
By the pluckers (the angels of death), violently plucking (the souls of the unbelievers),
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
By those that pluck out forcibly,
— Ayub Khan -
By those who draw people to the true faith vigorously,
— Sher Ali -
CONSIDER those [stars] that rise only to set,
— Muhammad Asad -
By those that pluck out vehemently
— Arthur Arberry -
By those (angels) that pluck out the soul from depths,
— Abu'l Ala Maududi