69. Al-Haqqah

The Inevitable Reality -

The Inevitable Hour

The Inevitable Reality

What is the Inevitable Reality?

What is the Inevitable Hour

How awesome is the Inevitable Reality

And what can make you know what is the Inevitable Reality?

And what will make you realize what the Inevitable Hour is

Ah, what can give you an idea what the Inevitable Reality is

Thamūd and ʿAad denied the Striking Calamity [i.e., the Resurrection].

The tribes of Thamud and 'Ad denied that disaster would strike them

Thamud and Aad denied the oncoming Uproar

So as for Thamūd, they were destroyed by the overpowering [blast].

the Thamud were destroyed by a terrible storm of thunder and lightning

As for Thamud, they were destroyed by a thunderous blast

And as for ʿAad, they were destroyed by a screaming,1 violent wind

and the 'Ad were destroyed by a furious wind

And as for Aad, they were annihilated with raging hurricane winds

Which He [i.e., Allāh] imposed upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so you would see the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees.

which God let loose against them for seven nights and eight days unremittingly, so that you could have seen its people lying prostrate as though they were the hollow trunks of palm-trees which had fallen down

Which He made it rage upon them for seven long nights and eight long days. Such that you could imagine those people as uprooted hollow palm-trunks

Then do you see of them any remains?

Do you see any vestige left of them now

Now, can you see any remnants of them

And there came Pharaoh and those before him and the overturned cities1 with sin.

Pharoah and those before him and the inhabitants of the overthrown cities persistently committed grave sins

And there came Pharaoh, and many others before him, and the townships that were overthrown. All of them committed fault upon fault

And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a seizure exceeding [in severity].

They defied their Lord's messenger, so He seized them with an ever-tightening grip

For, they disobeyed the respective Messenger of their Lord. Consequently, He grasped them with a firm grasp

Indeed, when the water overflowed, We carried you [i.e., your ancestors] in the sailing ship1

But We bore you away in the Ark, when the waters rose high

Behold! When waters topped the levels, We carried you upon the watercraft

That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it.

so that We might make it a reminder for you and so that attentive ears might retain it

(These events are conveyed to you) so that We might make it a lesson for you, and that any attentive ear might take it to memory

Then when the Horn is blown with one blast

When a single blast is blown on the trumpet

Hence, think when the Trumpet will be sounded with a single Blast

And the earth and the mountains are lifted and leveled with one blow [i.e., stroke] -

and the earth and the mountains are lifted up and then crushed with a single blow

And the earth will be moved and the mountains, and struck with a stroke

Then on that Day, the Occurrence [i.e., Resurrection] will occur,

on that Day the Great Event will come to pass

Then, on that Day when the Episode will come to pass

And the heaven will split [open], for that Day it is infirm.1

And the sky will be rent asunder, for on that Day it will be so frail

And when the sky will be rent asunder, such that frail will it be that Day

And the angels are at its edges. And there will bear the Throne of your Lord above them, that Day, eight [of them].

The angels will appear by its sides and, on that Day, eight [angels] will bear your Lord's throne above them

And the Divine Laws in Nature will rally around and your Lord's Supreme Control will reign over eight Universes that Day. (Instead of the current seven)

That Day, you will be exhibited [for judgement]; not hidden among you is anything concealed.1

On that Day you will be brought to judgement and none of your secrets will remain hidden

On the Day you will be brought, not a single hidden deed of yours will remain hidden

So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, "Here, read my record!

Then he who is given his record in his right hand will exclaim, "Here is my record, read it

Then he who is given his record in his right hand, will say, "Come all of you around! Read this my record

Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account."

Surely, I knew that I should meet my reckoning

Behold, I always thought that my account would be given to me

So he will be in a pleasant life -

so he will live in a state of Bliss

Then he will be in a state of Bliss

In an elevated garden,

in a lofty garden

In a lofty Garden

Its [fruit] to be picked hanging near.

with clusters of fruit within easy reach

With its fruit at hand

[They will be told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth1 in the days past."

We shall say to him, "Eat and drink joyfully as a reward for the good deeds you did in days gone by

Eat and drink gleefully for what you did in the days past

But as for he who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, "Oh, I wish I had not been given my record

But he who is given his record in his left hand will say, "If only I had never been given my Record

But as for him who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, "Oh, I wish I was never given my record

And had not known what is my account.

and knew nothing of my reckoning

And knew not my account

I wish it [i.e., my death] had been the decisive one.1

How I wish my death had ended all

Oh, could this be the end of me

My wealth has not availed me.

My wealth has been of no use to me

Of no help is my wealth

Gone from me is my authority."1

I am bereft of power

Vanquished is all my control

[Allāh will say], "Seize him and shackle him.

Seize him and fetter him

Take him and shackle him! (Halt from further development)

Then into Hellfire drive him.

and then let him enter Hell

And then hurl him in the blazing flame of his deeds

Then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him."

Then fasten him with a chain seventy cubits long

And then make him a link in the very long chain of people like him. (Seventy cubits = Very long)

Indeed, he did not used to believe in Allāh, the Most Great,

for he did not believe in Almighty God

Behold, he failed to grace himself with faith in Allah, the Tremendous

Nor did he encourage the feeding of the poor.

nor did he feel any urge to feed the needy

And arranged not to feed the needy

So there is not for him here this Day any devoted friend

so today he has no friend here

And so, he has no friend here today

Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds;

and the only food he has is filth

Nor any food but the discarded shreds he gave to others

None will eat it except the sinners.

which no one will eat except the sinners

Which none eat but those who faulted through life

So I swear by what you see

But nay, I swear by all that you can see

But nay, I call to witness all that you see (that actions have consequences of their like)

And what you do not see

as well as all that you cannot see

And all that you see not (the subtle progression of the Law of Requital)

[That] indeed, it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is the word of a noble Messenger.

most surely, this is the word brought by a noble messenger

Behold, this is indeed the revealed Word in the dialect of a noble Messenger

And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.

it is not the word of a poet -- how little you believe

This is not the speech of a poet. Seldom do you reach conviction

Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember.

Nor is it the word of a soothsayer -- how little you reflect

Nor is it the word of a soothsayer. Little of your intellect do you bring to use

[It is] a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

It is a revelation sent down by the Sustainer of the Universe

It is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds

And if he [i.e., Muḥammad] had made up about Us some [false] sayings,

if he had invented any lies about Us

And if he had ascribed his sayings unto Us

We would have seized him by the right hand;1

We would indeed have seized him by his right hand

We would have taken him by the right hand

Then We would have cut from him the aorta.1

and would indeed have cut his life-vein

And would have cut off his Aorta

And there is no one of you who could prevent [Us] from him.

and none of you could have held Us off from him

And none of you could stop Us from doing that

And indeed, it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is a reminder for the righteous.

And surely it is an admonition to the God-fearing

But, verily, it is a Reminder and a giver of eminence to those who wish to walk aright

And indeed, We know that among you are deniers.

We know very well that there are some among you who reject Our signs

And behold, We know well that among you will be deniers

And indeed, it will be [a cause of] regret upon the disbelievers.

it will be a source of bitter regret for those who deny the truth

And behold, this denial will become a source of regret for the rejecters

And indeed, it is the truth of certainty.

it is the indubitable truth

For, verily, it is Truth Absolute

So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great.

So glorify the name of your Lord, the Almighty

Therefore, work hard to manifest the Glory of your Lord's Tremendous Name