74. al-Mudathir: The Clothed One

1 O thou enveloped in thy cloak,

2 Arise and warn!

3 Thy Lord magnify,

4 Thy raiment purify,

5 Pollution shun!

6 And show not favour, seeking wordly gain!

7 For the sake of thy Lord, be patient!

8 For when the trumpet shall sound,

9 Surely that day will be a day of anguish,

10 Not of ease, for disbelievers.

11 Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely,

12 And then bestowed upon him ample means,

13 And sons abiding in his presence

14 And made (life) smooth for him.

15 Yet he desireth that I should give more.

16 Nay! For lo! he hath been stubborn to Our revelations.

17 On him I shall impose a fearful doom.

18 For lo! he did consider; then he planned -

19 (Self-)destroyed is he, how he planned!

20 Again (self-)destroyed is he, how he planned! -

21 Then looked he,

22 Then frowned he and showed displeasure.

23 Then turned he away in pride

24 And said: This is naught else than magic from of old;

25 This is naught else than speech of mortal man.

26 Him shall I fling unto the burning.

27 - Ah, what will convey unto thee what that burning is! -

28 It leaveth naught; it spareth naught

29 It shrivelleth the man.

30 Above it are nineteen.

31 We have appointed only angels to be wardens of the Fire, and their number have We made to be a stumbling-block for those who disbelieve; that those to whom the Scripture hath been given may have certainty, and that believers may increase in faith; and that those to whom the Scripture hath been given and believers may not doubt; and that those in whose hearts there is disease, and disbelievers, may say: What meaneth Allah by this similitude ? Thus Allah sendeth astray whom He will, and whom He will He guideth. None knoweth the hosts of thy Lord save Him. This is naught else than a Reminder unto mortals.

32 Nay, by the Moon

33 And the night when it withdraweth

34 And the dawn when it shineth forth,

35 Lo! this is one of the greatest (portents)

36 As a warning unto men,

37 Unto him of you who will advance or hang back.

38 Every soul is a pledge for its own deeds;

39 Save those who will stand on the right hand.

40 In gardens they will ask one another

41 Concerning the guilty:

42 What hath brought you to this burning ?

43 They will answer: We were not of those who prayed

44 Nor did we feed the wretched.

45 We used to wade (in vain dispute) with (all) waders,

46 And we used to deny the Day of Judgment,

47 Till the Inevitable came unto us.

48 The mediation of no mediators will avail them then.

49 Why now turn they away from the Admonishment,

50 As they were frightened asses

51 Fleeing from a lion ?

52 Nay, but everyone of them desireth that he should be given open pages (from Allah).

53 Nay, verily. They fear not the Hereafter.

54 Nay, verily. Lo! this is an Admonishment.

55 So whosoever will may heed.

56 And they will not heed unless Allah willeth (it). He is the fount of fear. He is the fount of Mercy.