In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.
1. Blessed be He
In Whose hands
Is Dominion;
And He over all things
Hath Power;—
2. He Who created Death
And Life, that He
May try which of you
Is best in deed:
And He is the Exalted
In Might, Oft-Forgiving;—
3. He Who created
The seven heavens
One above another:
No want of proportion
Wilt thou see
In the Creation
Of (God) Most Gracious.
So turn thy vision again:
Seest thou any flaw?
4. Again turn thy vision
A second time: (thy) vision
Will come back to thee
Dull and discomfited,
In a state worn out.
5. And We have,
(From of old),
Adorned the lowest heaven
With Lamps, and We
Have made such (Lamps)
(As) missiles to drive
Away the Evil Ones,
And have prepared for them
The Penalty
Of the Blazing Fire.
6. For those who reject
Their Lord (and Cherisher)
Is the Penalty of Hell:
And evil is (such) destination.
7. When they are cast therein,
They will hear
The (terrible) drawing in
Of its breath
Even as it blazes forth,
8. Almost bursting with fury:
Every time a Group
Is cast therein, its Keepers
Will ask, "Did no Warner
Come to you?"
9. They will say: "Yes indeed;
A Warner did come to us,
But we rejected him
And said, "God never
Sent down any (Message):
Ye are innothing but
An egregious delusion!"
10. They will further say:
"Had we but listened
Or used our intelligence,
We should not (now)
Be among the Companions
Of the Blazing Fire!"
11. They will then confess
Their sins: but far
Will be (Forgiveness)
From the Companions
Of the Blazing Fire!
12. As for those who
Fear their Lord unseen,
For them is Forgiveness
And a great Reward.
13. And whether ye hide
Your word or publish it,
He certainly has (full) knowledge,
Of the secrets of (all) hearts.
14. Should He not know,—
He that created?
And He is the One
That understands the finest
Mysteries (and) is
Well-acquainted (with them).
15. It is He Who has
Made the earth manageable
For you, so traverse
Ye through its tracts
And enjoy of the Sustenance
Which He furnishes: but
Unto Him is the Resurrection.
16. Do ye feel secure that
He Who is in Heaven
Will not cause you
To be swallowed up
By the earth when it
Shakes (as in an earthquake)?
17. Or do ye feel secure
That He Who is in Heaven
Will not send against you
A violent tornado
(With showers of stones),
So that ye shall
Know how (terrible)
Was My warning?
18. But indeed men before them
Rejected (My warning):
Then how (terrible) was
My rejection (of them)?
19. Do they not observe
The birds above them,
Spreading their wings
And folding them in?
None can uphold them
Except (God) Most Gracious:
Truly it is He
That watches over all things.
20. Nay, who is there
That can help you,
(Even as) an army,
Besides (God) Most Merciful?
In nothing but delusion
Are the Unbelievers.
21. Or who is there
That can provide you
With Sustenance if He
Were to withhold His provision?
Nay, they obstinately persist
In insolent impiety
And flight (from the Truth).
22. Is then one who
Walks headlong, with his face
Grovelling, better guided,—
Or one who walks
Evenly on a Straight Way?
23. Say: "It is He Who
Has created you (and made
You grow), and made
For you the faculties
Of hearing, seeing,
Feeling and understanding:
Little thanks it is ye give.
24. Say: "It is He Who
Has multiplied you
Through the earth,
And to Him shall ye
Be gathered together."
25. They ask: When will
This promise be (fulfilled)?—
If ye are telling
The truth.
26. Say: "As to the knowledge
Of the time, it is
With God alone:
I am (sent) only
To warn plainly in public."
27. At length, when they
See it close at hand,
Grieved will be the faces
Of the Unbelievers,
And it will be said
(To them): "This is
(The promise fulfilled),
Which ye were calling for!"
28. Say: "See ye?—
If God were
To destroy me,
And those with me,
Or if He bestows
His Mercy on us,—
Yet who can deliver
The Unbelievers from
A grievous Penalty?"
29. Say: "He is (God)
Most Gracious: we have
Believed in Him,
And on Him have we
Put our trust:
So, soon will ye know
Which (of us) it is
That is in manifest error."
30. Say: "See ye?—
If your stream be
Some morning lost
(In the underground earth),
Who then can supply you
With clear-flowing water?"