Al-Muddaththir (Surah 74)

O you covered up (in your clothes)!

Arise and warn (all).

Revere your Lord (alone).

Purify your garments.

(Continue to) shun idols.

Do not do a favour expecting more (in return).

And persevere for (the sake of) your Lord.

(For) when the Trumpet will be sounded,

that will (truly) be a difficult Day—

far from easy for the disbelievers.

And leave to me (O Prophet) the one I created all by Myself,

and granted him abundant wealth,

and children always by his side,

and made life very easy for him.

Yet he is hungry for more.

But no! (For) he has been truly stubborn with Our revelations.

I will make his fate unbearable,

for he contemplated and determined (a degrading label for the Quran).

May he be condemned! How evil was what he determined!

May he be condemned even more! How evil was what he determined!

Then he re-contemplated (in frustration),

then frowned and scowled,

then turned his back (on the truth) and acted arrogantly,

saying, “This (Quran) is nothing but magic from the ancients.

This is no more than the word of a man.”

Soon I will burn him in Hell!

And what will make you realize what Hell is?

It does not let anyone live or die,

scorching the skin.

It is overseen by nineteen (keepers).

We have appointed only (stern) angels as wardens of the Fire. And We have made their number only as a test for the disbelievers, so that the People of the Book will be certain, and the believers will increase in faith, and neither the People of the Book nor the believers will have any doubts, and so that those (hypocrites) with sickness in their hearts and the disbelievers will argue, “What does Allah mean by such a number?” In this way Allah leaves whoever He wills to stray and guides whoever He wills. And none knows the forces of your Lord except He. And this (description of Hell) is only a reminder to humanity. Warning of Hell

But no! By the moon,

and the night as it retreats,

and the day as it breaks!

Surely Hell is one of the mightiest catastrophes—

a warning to humankind,

to whichever of you chooses to take the lead or lag behind.

Every soul will be detained for what it has done,

except the people of the right,

who will be in Gardens, asking one another

about the wicked (who will then be asked):

“What has landed you in Hell?”

They will reply, “We were not of those who prayed,

nor did we feed the poor.

We used to indulge (in falsehood) along with others,

and deny the Day of Judgment,

until the inevitable came to us.”

So the pleas of intercessors will be of no benefit to them.

Now, what is the matter with them that they are turning away from the reminder,

as if they were spooked zebras 51

fleeing from a lion?

In fact, each one of them wishes to be given a (personal) letter (from Allah) for all (to read).

But no! In fact, they do not fear the Hereafter.

Enough! Surely this (Quran) is a reminder.

So let whoever wills be mindful of it.

But they cannot do so unless Allah wills. He (alone) is worthy to be feared and entitled to forgive.