وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ

And what could make thee conceive what it is that comes in the night? (2)

النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ

It is the star that pierces through [life's] darkness: (3)

إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ

[for] no human being has ever been left unguarded. (4)

فَلْيَنْظُرِ الْإِنْسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ

LET MAN, then, observe out of what he has been created: (5)

خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ

he has been created out of a seminal fluid (6)

يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ

issuing from between the loins [of man] and the pelvic arch [of woman]. (7)

إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَجْعِهِ لَقَادِرٌ

Now, verily, He [who thus creates man in the first instance] is well able to bring him back [to life] (8)

يَوْمَ تُبْلَى السَّرَائِرُ

on the Day when all secrets will be laid bare, (9)

فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَلَا نَاصِرٍ

and [man] will have neither strength nor helper! (10)

وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ

Consider the heavens, ever-revolving, (11)

وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ

and the earth, bursting forth with plants! (12)

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ

BEHOLD, this [divine writ] is indeed a word that cuts between truth and falsehood, (13)

وَمَا هُوَ بِالْهَزْلِ

and is no idle tale. (14)

إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا

Behold, they [who refuse to accept it] devise many a false argument [to disprove its truth]; (15)

وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا

but I shall bring all their scheming to nought. (16)

فَمَهِّلِ الْكَافِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًا

Let, then, the deniers of the truth have their will: let them have their will for a little while! (17)