وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا
CONSIDER the sun and its radiant brightness, (1)
وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَاهَا
and the moon as it reflects the sun! (2)
وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّاهَا
Consider the day as it reveals the world, (3)
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَاهَا
and the night as it veils it darkly! (4)
وَالسَّمَاءِ وَمَا بَنَاهَا
Consider the sky and its wondrous make, (5)
وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَاهَا
and the earth and all its expanse! (6)
وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا
Consider the human self, and how it is formed in accordance with what it is meant to be, (7)
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا
and how it is imbued with moral failings as well as with consciousness of God! (8)
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا
To a happy state shall indeed attain he who causes this [self] to grow in purity, (9)
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسَّاهَا
and truly lost is he who buries it [in darkness]. (10)
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَاهَا
TO [THIS] TRUTH gave the lie, in their overweening arrogance, [the tribe of] Thamūd, (11)
إِذِ انْبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا
when that most hapless wretch from among them rushed forward [to commit his evil deed], (12)
فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا
although God's apostle had told them, "It is a she-camel belonging to God, so let her drink [and do her no harm]!" (13)
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا
But they gave him the lie, and cruelly slaughtered her – whereupon their Sustainer visited them with utter destruction for this their sin, destroying them all alike: (14)
وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا
for none [of them] had any fear of what might befall them. (15)
- for none [of them] had any fear of what might befall them.10
- 10 Implying that their total lack of compassion for God's creatures showed that they did not fear His retribution and, hence, did not really believe in Him.
- And for Him6158 is no fear of its consequences.
- 6158 This verse has been variously construed. I follow the general opinion in referring the pronoun "Him" to "their Lord" in the last verse and the pronoun "its" to the Punishment that was meted out to all, high and low, equally. In that case the meaning would be: God decreed the total destruction of Thamud; in the case of creatures any such destruction might cause a loss to them, and they might fear the consequences of such loss or destruction, but Allah has created and can create at will, and there can be no question of any such apprehension in His case. An alternative view is that "him" refers to the prophet Salih, mentioned in verse 13. Then the interpretation would be: Salih had no fear of the consequences for himself; he had warned the wicked according to his commission; he was saved by Allah's mercy as a just and righteous man, and he left them with regrets (7:79). Yet another alternative refers "him" to the wicked man (mentioned in verse 12) who hamstrung the she-camel: he feared not the consequences of his deed.
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And for Him is no fear of its consequences.
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
He dreadeth not the sequel (of events).
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
And He fears not its consequence.
— M. Habib Shakir -
And He (Allah) feared not the consequences thereof.
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
And He feared not the consequence thereof
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
He does not fear the result (of their destruction).
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
and He fears not the end-result thereof.
— Ayub Khan -
And He cared not for the consequences thereof.
— Sher Ali -
for none [of them] had any fear of what might befall them.
— Muhammad Asad -
and He fears not the issue thereof.
— Arthur Arberry -
He has no fear of its sequel.{{11}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi