Day

ثُمَّ فِى سِلْسِلَةٍ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًا فَٱسْلُكُوهُ

and [bind him] in a chain seventy metres long:

إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ

he would not believe in Almighty God,

وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ

he never encouraged feeding the hungry,

فَلَيْسَ لَهُ ٱلْيَوْمَ هَـٰهُنَا حَمِيمٌ

so today he has no real friend here,

وَلَا طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنْ غِسْلِينٍ

and the only food he has is the filth

لَّا يَأْكُلُهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلْخَـٰطِـُٔونَ

that only sinners eat.’

يَوْمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلْمُهْلِ

On a Day when the heavens will be like molten brass

وَتَكُونُ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَٱلْعِهْنِ

and the mountains like tufts of wool,

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

who believe in the Day of Judgement

يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَٱلْجِبَالُ وَكَانَتِ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَثِيبًا مَّهِيلًا

on the Day when the earth and the mountains will shake. The mountains will become a heap of loose sand.

فَكَيْفَ تَتَّقُونَ إِن كَفَرْتُمْ يَوْمًا يَجْعَلُ ٱلْوِلْدَٰنَ شِيبًا

So if you disbelieve, how can you guard yourselves against a Day that will turn children’s hair grey,

ٱلسَّمَآءُ مُنفَطِرٌۢ بِهِۦ ۚ كَانَ وَعْدُهُۥ مَفْعُولًا

a Day when the sky will be torn apart? God’s promise will certainly be fulfilled.

وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

we denied the Day of Judgement

لَآ أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ

By the Day of Resurrection

يَسْـَٔلُ أَيَّانَ يَوْمُ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ

he says, ‘So, when will this Day of Resurrection be?’

يُوفُونَ بِٱلنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا كَانَ شَرُّهُۥ مُسْتَطِيرًا

They fulfil their vows; they fear a day of widespread woes;

فَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ طُمِسَتْ

When the stars are dimmed

وَإِذَا ٱلسَّمَآءُ فُرِجَتْ

and the sky is torn apart,

وَإِذَا ٱلْجِبَالُ نُسِفَتْ

when the mountains are turned to dust

وَإِذَا ٱلرُّسُلُ أُقِّتَتْ

and the messengers given their appointed time––

لِيَوْمِ ٱلْفَصْلِ

The Day of Decision.

وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا يَوْمُ ٱلْفَصْلِ

What will explain to you what the Day of Decision is?

هَـٰذَا يَوْمُ ٱلْفَصْلِ ۖ جَمَعْنَـٰكُمْ وَٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

[They will be told], ‘This is the Day of Decision: We have gathered you and earlier generations.

إِنَّ يَوْمَ ٱلْفَصْلِ كَانَ مِيقَـٰتًا

A time has been appointed for the Day of Decision:

يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ فَتَأْتُونَ أَفْوَاجًا

a Day when the Trumpet will sound and you will come forward in crowds,

وَفُتِحَتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتْ أَبْوَٰبًا

when the sky will open up like wide portals,

وَسُيِّرَتِ ٱلْجِبَالُ فَكَانَتْ سَرَابًا

when the mountains will vanish like a mirage.

يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ ٱلرَّاجِفَةُ

on the Day when the blast reverberates

تَتْبَعُهَا ٱلرَّادِفَةُ

and the second blast follows,

قُلُوبٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاجِفَةٌ

hearts will tremble

أَبْصَـٰرُهَا خَـٰشِعَةٌ

and eyes will be downcast.

يَقُولُونَ أَءِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِى ٱلْحَافِرَةِ

They say, ‘What? shall we be brought back to life,

أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَـٰمًا نَّخِرَةً

after we have turned into decayed bones?’ and they say,

قَالُوا۟ تِلْكَ إِذًا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةٌ

‘Such a return is impossible!’

فَإِنَّمَا هِىَ زَجْرَةٌ وَٰحِدَةٌ

But all it will take is a single blast,

فَإِذَا هُم بِٱلسَّاهِرَةِ

and they will be back above ground.

فَإِذَا جَآءَتِ ٱلصَّآخَّةُ

When the Deafening Blast comes––

يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ ٱلْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ

the Day man will flee from his own brother,

وَأُمِّهِۦ وَأَبِيهِ

his mother, his father,

وَصَـٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَبَنِيهِ

his wife, his children:

لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ

each of them will be absorbed in concerns of their own on that Day-

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُّسْفِرَةٌ

on that Day some faces will be beaming,

ضَاحِكَةٌ مُّسْتَبْشِرَةٌ

laughing, and rejoicing,

وَوُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَيْهَا غَبَرَةٌ

but some faces will be dust-stained

تَرْهَقُهَا قَتَرَةٌ

and covered in darkness:

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْكَفَرَةُ ٱلْفَجَرَةُ

those are the disbelievers, the licentious.

إِذَا ٱلشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ

When the sun is shrouded in darkness,

وَإِذَا ٱلنُّجُومُ ٱنكَدَرَتْ

when the stars are dimmed,

وَإِذَا ٱلْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ

when the mountains are set in motion,

وَإِذَا ٱلْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ

when pregnant camels are abandoned,