Setting
Surah The cloaked one [Al-Muddathir] in English
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمُدَّثِّرُ ﴿١﴾
O the Cloaked One! (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him)
قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ ﴿٢﴾
Rise up and warn!
وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ ﴿٣﴾
And proclaim the Purity of your Lord.
وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ ﴿٤﴾
And keep your clothes clean.
وَٱلرُّجْزَ فَٱهْجُرْ ﴿٥﴾
And stay away from idols.
وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ ﴿٦﴾
And do not favour others in order to receive more.
وَلِرَبِّكَ فَٱصْبِرْ ﴿٧﴾
And for the sake of your Lord, patiently endure.
فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِى ٱلنَّاقُورِ ﴿٨﴾
So when the Trumpet will be blown.
فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ ﴿٩﴾
So that is a tough day.
عَلَى ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍۢ ﴿١٠﴾
Not easy upon the disbelievers.
ذَرْنِى وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًۭا ﴿١١﴾
Leave him to Me, the one whom I created single.
وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُۥ مَالًۭا مَّمْدُودًۭا ﴿١٢﴾
And gave him vast wealth.
وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًۭا ﴿١٣﴾
And gave him sons present before him.
وَمَهَّدتُّ لَهُۥ تَمْهِيدًۭا ﴿١٤﴾
And made several preparations for him.
ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ ﴿١٥﴾
Yet he desires that I should give more.
كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لِءَايَٰتِنَا عَنِيدًۭا ﴿١٦﴾
Never! For he is an enemy to Our signs!
سَأُرْهِقُهُۥ صَعُودًا ﴿١٧﴾
Soon I shall mount him on Saood, the hill of fire.
إِنَّهُۥ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ ﴿١٨﴾
Indeed he thought, and inwardly decided.
فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ﴿١٩﴾
So accursed be he, how evilly did he decide!
ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ﴿٢٠﴾
Again accursed be he, how evilly did he decide!
ثُمَّ نَظَرَ ﴿٢١﴾
He then dared to lift his gaze.
ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ ﴿٢٢﴾
Then frowned and grimaced.
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ ﴿٢٣﴾
Then he turned away, and was haughty.
فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحْرٌۭ يُؤْثَرُ ﴿٢٤﴾
And said, “This is nothing but magic learnt from earlier men.”
إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا قَوْلُ ٱلْبَشَرِ ﴿٢٥﴾
“This is nothing but the speech of a man.”
سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ ﴿٢٦﴾
I will soon fling him into hell.
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا سَقَرُ ﴿٢٧﴾
And what have you understood, what hell is!
لَا تُبْقِى وَلَا تَذَرُ ﴿٢٨﴾
It neither leaves, nor spares.
لَوَّاحَةٌۭ لِّلْبَشَرِ ﴿٢٩﴾
It strips away the hide of man.
عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ ﴿٣٠﴾
Above it are nineteen guards.
وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَٰٓئِكَةًۭ ۙ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةًۭ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَيَزْدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنًۭا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۙ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌۭ وَٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًۭا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَمَا هِىَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ ﴿٣١﴾
We have not appointed the guards of hell, except angels; and did not keep this number except to test the disbelievers – in order that the People given the Book(s) may be convinced, and to increase the faith of the believers – and so that the People given the Book(s) and the Muslims may not have any doubt – and so that those in whose hearts is a disease and the disbelievers, may say, “What does Allah mean by this amazing example?” This is how Allah sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills; and no one knows the armies of Allah except Him; and this is not but an advice to man.
كَلَّا وَٱلْقَمَرِ ﴿٣٢﴾
Yes, never!* By oath of the moon. (Hell will never spare the disbelievers).
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ ﴿٣٣﴾
And by oath of the night when it turns back.
وَٱلصُّبْحِ إِذَآ أَسْفَرَ ﴿٣٤﴾
And by oath of the morning, when it spreads light.
إِنَّهَا لَإِحْدَى ٱلْكُبَرِ ﴿٣٥﴾
Indeed hell is one of the greatest entities.
نَذِيرًۭا لِّلْبَشَرِ ﴿٣٦﴾
Warn the men.
لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ ﴿٣٧﴾
For the one among you who wishes to come forward or stay back.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ ﴿٣٨﴾
Every soul is mortgaged for its own deeds.
إِلَّآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْيَمِينِ ﴿٣٩﴾
Except those on the right side.
فِى جَنَّٰتٍۢ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾
In Gardens, they seek answers,
عَنِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿٤١﴾
- From the guilty.
مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِى سَقَرَ ﴿٤٢﴾
“What took you into the hell?”
قَالُوا۟ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٤٣﴾
They said, “We never used to offer the prayer.”
وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ ﴿٤٤﴾
“Nor used to feed the needy.”
وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ ٱلْخَآئِضِينَ ﴿٤٥﴾
“And used to dwell on evil matters with those who think evilly.”
وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ﴿٤٦﴾
“And used to deny the Day of Justice.”
حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰنَا ٱلْيَقِينُ ﴿٤٧﴾
“Till death overcame us.”
فَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ شَفَٰعَةُ ٱلشَّٰفِعِينَ ﴿٤٨﴾
So the intercession of the intercessors will not benefit them. (The disbelievers will not have any intercessor.)
فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ ٱلتَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ ﴿٤٩﴾
So what is the matter with them that they turn away from the advice?
كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌۭ مُّسْتَنفِرَةٌۭ ﴿٥٠﴾
As if they were startled donkeys –
فَرَّتْ مِن قَسْوَرَةٍۭ ﴿٥١﴾
Fleeing away from a lion.
بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أَن يُؤْتَىٰ صُحُفًۭا مُّنَشَّرَةًۭ ﴿٥٢﴾
Rather each one of them desires that he should be given open Books.
كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا يَخَافُونَ ٱلْءَاخِرَةَ ﴿٥٣﴾
Never! In fact they do not fear the Hereafter.
كَلَّآ إِنَّهُۥ تَذْكِرَةٌۭ ﴿٥٤﴾
Yes indeed, this is an advice.
فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُۥ ﴿٥٥﴾
So whoever wills may heed advice from it.
وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ هُوَ أَهْلُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ وَأَهْلُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ ﴿٥٦﴾
And what advice will they heed, except if Allah wills? Only He deserves to be feared, and His only is the greatness of forgiving.