سُورَةُ الذَّارِيَاتِ

وَٱلذَّ ٰ⁠رِیَـٰتِ ذَرۡوࣰا (۱)

CONSIDER the winds that scatter the dust far and wide,

فَٱلۡحَـٰمِلَـٰتِ وِقۡرࣰا (۲)

and those that carry the burden [of heavy clouds],

فَٱلۡجَـٰرِیَـٰتِ یُسۡرࣰا (۳)

and those that speed along with gentle ease,

فَٱلۡمُقَسِّمَـٰتِ أَمۡرًا (۴)

and those that apportion [the gift of life] at [God’s] behest!

إِنَّمَا تُوعَدُونَ لَصَادِقࣱ (۵)

Verily, that which you are promised is true indeed,

وَإِنَّ ٱلدِّینَ لَوَ ٰ⁠قِعࣱ (۶)

and, verily, judgment is bound to come!

وَٱلسَّمَاۤءِ ذَاتِ ٱلۡحُبُكِ (۷)

CONSIDER the firmament full of starry paths!

إِنَّكُمۡ لَفِی قَوۡلࣲ مُّخۡتَلِفࣲ (۸)

Verily, [O men,] you are deeply at variance as to what to believe:

یُؤۡفَكُ عَنۡهُ مَنۡ أُفِكَ (۹)

perverted in his views thereon is he who would deceive himself!

قُتِلَ ٱلۡخَرَّ ٰ⁠صُونَ (۱۰)

They but destroy themselves, they who are given to guessing at what they cannot ascertain –

ٱلَّذِینَ هُمۡ فِی غَمۡرَةࣲ سَاهُونَ (۱۱)

they who blunder along, in ignorance lost –

یَسۡـَٔلُونَ أَیَّانَ یَوۡمُ ٱلدِّینِ (۱۲)

they who [mockingly] ask, “When is that Day of Judgment to be?”

یَوۡمَ هُمۡ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ یُفۡتَنُونَ (۱۳)

[It will be] a Day when they will be sorely tried by the fire,

ذُوقُوا۟ فِتۡنَتَكُمۡ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِی كُنتُم بِهِۦ تَسۡتَعۡجِلُونَ (۱۴)

[and will be told:] “Taste this your trial! It is this that you were so hastily asking for!”

إِنَّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِینَ فِی جَنَّـٰتࣲ وَعُیُونٍ (۱۵)

[But,] behold, the God-conscious will find themselves amid gardens and springs,

ءَاخِذِینَ مَاۤ ءَاتَىٰهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡۚ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُوا۟ قَبۡلَ ذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ مُحۡسِنِینَ (۱۶)

enjoying all that their Sustainer will have granted them [because], verily, they were doers of good in the past:

كَانُوا۟ قَلِیلࣰا مِّنَ ٱلَّیۡلِ مَا یَهۡجَعُونَ (۱۷)

they would lie asleep during but a small part of the night,

وَبِٱلۡأَسۡحَارِ هُمۡ یَسۡتَغۡفِرُونَ (۱۸)

and would pray for forgiveness from their innermost hearts;

وَفِیۤ أَمۡوَ ٰ⁠لِهِمۡ حَقࣱّ لِّلسَّاۤىِٕلِ وَٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ (۱۹)

and [would assign] in all that they possessed a due share unto such as might ask [for help] and such as might suffer priva­tion.

وَفِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ءَایَـٰتࣱ لِّلۡمُوقِنِینَ (۲۰)

AND ON EARTH there are signs [of God’s exis­tence, visible] to all who are endowed with inner certainty,

وَفِیۤ أَنفُسِكُمۡۚ أَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُونَ (۲۱)

just as [there are signs thereof] within your own selves: can you not, then, see?

وَفِی ٱلسَّمَاۤءِ رِزۡقُكُمۡ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ (۲۲)

And in heaven is [the source of] your sus­tenance [on earth] and [of] all that you are promised [for your life after death]:

فَوَرَبِّ ٱلسَّمَاۤءِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِنَّهُۥ لَحَقࣱّ مِّثۡلَ مَاۤ أَنَّكُمۡ تَنطِقُونَ (۲۳)

for, by the Sustainer of heaven and earth, this [life after death] is the very truth - as true as that you are endowed with speech!

هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِیثُ ضَیۡفِ إِبۡرَ ٰ⁠هِیمَ ٱلۡمُكۡرَمِینَ (۲۴)

AND HAS the story of Abraham’s honoured guests ever come within thy ken?

إِذۡ دَخَلُوا۟ عَلَیۡهِ فَقَالُوا۟ سَلَـٰمࣰاۖ قَالَ سَلَـٰمࣱ قَوۡمࣱ مُّنكَرُونَ (۲۵)

When those [heavenly messengers] came unto him and bade him peace, he answered, “[And upon you be] peace!” - [saying to himself,] “They are strangers.”

فَرَاغَ إِلَىٰۤ أَهۡلِهِۦ فَجَاۤءَ بِعِجۡلࣲ سَمِینࣲ (۲۶)

Then he turned quietly to his household, and brought forth a fat [roasted] calf,

فَقَرَّبَهُۥۤ إِلَیۡهِمۡ قَالَ أَلَا تَأۡكُلُونَ (۲۷)

and placed it before them, saying, “Will you not eat?”

فَأَوۡجَسَ مِنۡهُمۡ خِیفَةࣰۖ قَالُوا۟ لَا تَخَفۡۖ وَبَشَّرُوهُ بِغُلَـٰمٍ عَلِیمࣲ (۲۸)

[And when he saw that the guests would not eat,] he became apprehensive of them; [but] they said, “Fear not” - and gave him the glad tiding of [the birth of] a son who would be endowed with deep knowledge.

فَأَقۡبَلَتِ ٱمۡرَأَتُهُۥ فِی صَرَّةࣲ فَصَكَّتۡ وَجۡهَهَا وَقَالَتۡ عَجُوزٌ عَقِیمࣱ (۲۹)

Thereupon his wife approached [the guests] with a loud cry, and struck her face [in astonishment] and exclaimed: “A barren old woman [like me]!”

قَالُوا۟ كَذَ ٰ⁠لِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِۖ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡحَكِیمُ ٱلۡعَلِیمُ (۳۰)

They answered: “Thus has thy Sustainer decreed; and, verily, He alone is truly wise, all- knowing!”

۞ قَالَ فَمَا خَطۡبُكُمۡ أَیُّهَا ٱلۡمُرۡسَلُونَ (۳۱)

Said [Abraham]: “And what [else] may you have in view, O you [heavenly] messengers?”

قَالُوۤا۟ إِنَّاۤ أُرۡسِلۡنَاۤ إِلَىٰ قَوۡمࣲ مُّجۡرِمِینَ (۳۲)

They answered: “Behold, we have been sent unto a people lost in sin,

لِنُرۡسِلَ عَلَیۡهِمۡ حِجَارَةࣰ مِّن طِینࣲ (۳۳)

to let loose upon them stone-hard blows of chastisement,

مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ لِلۡمُسۡرِفِینَ (۳۴)

marked out in thy Sustainer’s sight for [the punishment of] such as have wasted their own selves.”

فَأَخۡرَجۡنَا مَن كَانَ فِیهَا مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ (۳۵)

And in the course of time We brought out [of Lot ’s city] such [few] believers as were there:

فَمَا وَجَدۡنَا فِیهَا غَیۡرَ بَیۡتࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِینَ (۳۶)

for apart from one [single] house We did not find there any who had surrendered themselves to Us.

وَتَرَكۡنَا فِیهَاۤ ءَایَةࣰ لِّلَّذِینَ یَخَافُونَ ٱلۡعَذَابَ ٱلۡأَلِیمَ (۳۷)

And so We left therein a message for those who fear the grievous suffering [which awaits all evildoers].

وَفِی مُوسَىٰۤ إِذۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَـٰهُ إِلَىٰ فِرۡعَوۡنَ بِسُلۡطَـٰنࣲ مُّبِینࣲ (۳۸)

AND IN [the story of Pharaoh and] Moses, too, [We left the same message: for] when We sent him unto Pharaoh with [Our] manifest authority,

فَتَوَلَّىٰ بِرُكۡنِهِۦ وَقَالَ سَـٰحِرٌ أَوۡ مَجۡنُونࣱ (۳۹)

and he turned away in [the pride of] his power and said, “A sorcerer [is this Moses], or a madman!” –

فَأَخَذۡنَـٰهُ وَجُنُودَهُۥ فَنَبَذۡنَـٰهُمۡ فِی ٱلۡیَمِّ وَهُوَ مُلِیمࣱ (۴۰)

We seized him and his hosts, and cast them all into the sea: and [none but Pharaoh] himself was to blame [for what happened].

وَفِی عَادٍ إِذۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَیۡهِمُ ٱلرِّیحَ ٱلۡعَقِیمَ (۴۱)

And [you have the same message] in [what happened to the tribe of] Ad, when We let loose against them that life-destroying wind

مَا تَذَرُ مِن شَیۡءٍ أَتَتۡ عَلَیۡهِ إِلَّا جَعَلَتۡهُ كَٱلرَّمِیمِ (۴۲)

which spared nothing of what it came upon, but caused [all of] it to become like bones dead and decayed.

وَفِی ثَمُودَ إِذۡ قِیلَ لَهُمۡ تَمَتَّعُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ حِینࣲ (۴۳)

And in [the story of the tribe of] Thamud, too, when they were told, “You shall enjoy your life for [but] a little while,”

فَعَتَوۡا۟ عَنۡ أَمۡرِ رَبِّهِمۡ فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ وَهُمۡ یَنظُرُونَ (۴۴)

after they had turned with disdain from their Sustainer’s commandment - whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment overtook them while they were [helplessly] looking on:

فَمَا ٱسۡتَطَـٰعُوا۟ مِن قِیَامࣲ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُنتَصِرِینَ (۴۵)

for they were unable even to rise, and could not defend themselves.

وَقَوۡمَ نُوحࣲ مِّن قَبۡلُۖ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُوا۟ قَوۡمࣰا فَـٰسِقِینَ (۴۶)

And [thus, too, We destroyed] Noah’s people aforetime: for they were iniquitous folk.

وَٱلسَّمَاۤءَ بَنَیۡنَـٰهَا بِأَیۡی۟دࣲ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ (۴۷)

AND IT IS We who have built the universe with [Our creative] power; and, verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it.

وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فَرَشۡنَـٰهَا فَنِعۡمَ ٱلۡمَـٰهِدُونَ (۴۸)

And the earth have We spread out wide - and how well have We ordered it!

وَمِن كُلِّ شَیۡءٍ خَلَقۡنَا زَوۡجَیۡنِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَذَكَّرُونَ (۴۹)

And in everything have We created oppos­ites, so that you might bear in mind [that God alone is One].

فَفِرُّوۤا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِۖ إِنِّی لَكُم مِّنۡهُ نَذِیرࣱ مُّبِینࣱ (۵۰)

And so, [O Muhammad, say unto them:] “Flee unto God [from all that is false and evil]! Verily, I am a plain warner to you from Him!

وَلَا تَجۡعَلُوا۟ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَۖ إِنِّی لَكُم مِّنۡهُ نَذِیرࣱ مُّبِینࣱ (۵۱)

And do not ascribe divinity to aught side by side with God: verily, I am a plain warner to you from Him!”

كَذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ مَاۤ أَتَى ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِهِم مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا قَالُوا۟ سَاحِرٌ أَوۡ مَجۡنُونٌ (۵۲)

[But] thus it is: never yet came any apostle to those who lived before their time but they said, “A spellbinder [Lit., "sorcerer".] [is he], or a madman!”

أَتَوَاصَوۡا۟ بِهِۦۚ بَلۡ هُمۡ قَوۡمࣱ طَاغُونَ (۵۳)

Have they, perchance, handed down this [way of thinking] as a legacy unto one another? Nay, they are people filled with overweening ar­rogance!

فَتَوَلَّ عَنۡهُمۡ فَمَاۤ أَنتَ بِمَلُومࣲ (۵۴)

Turn, then, away from them, and thou shalt incur no blame;

وَذَكِّرۡ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ (۵۵)

yet go on reminding [all who would listen]: for, verily, such a reminder will profit the believers.

وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِیَعۡبُدُونِ (۵۶)

And [tell them that] I have not created the invisible beings and men to any end other than that they may [know and] worship Me.

مَاۤ أُرِیدُ مِنۡهُم مِّن رِّزۡقࣲ وَمَاۤ أُرِیدُ أَن یُطۡعِمُونِ (۵۷)

[But withal,] no sustenance do I ever demand of them, nor do I demand that they feed Me:

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلرَّزَّاقُ ذُو ٱلۡقُوَّةِ ٱلۡمَتِینُ (۵۸)

for, verily, God Himself is the Provider of all sustenance, the Lord of all might, the Eternal!

فَإِنَّ لِلَّذِینَ ظَلَمُوا۟ ذَنُوبࣰا مِّثۡلَ ذَنُوبِ أَصۡحَـٰبِهِمۡ فَلَا یَسۡتَعۡجِلُونِ (۵۹)

And, verily, they who are bent on doing evil shall have their share [of evil] like unto the share of their fellows [of old]: so let them not ask Me to hasten [their doom]!

فَوَیۡلࣱ لِّلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن یَوۡمِهِمُ ٱلَّذِی یُوعَدُونَ (۶۰)

For, woe unto those who are bent on denying the truth - [woe] on the Day which they have been promised