Surah 56 of 114 · Makki · 96 ayat
Al-Waqi'ah الواقعة
The Inevitable
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ إِذَا وَقَعَتِ ٱلْوَاقِعَةُ
PickthallWhen the event befalleth -
Yusuf AliWhen the Event inevitable cometh to pass,
The agreed readingWhen the Event falls. The commentaries take the name from the verb itself: it is called the Event because it certainly falls, and what falls is the Resurrection. The sura opens on the moment of its arrival, not on an argument that it will arrive.
لَيْسَ لِوَقْعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ
PickthallThere is no denying that it will befall -
Yusuf AliThen will no (soul) entertain falsehood concerning its coming.
The agreed readingThere is nothing false about its falling. The commentaries read this two ways that come to one thing: no report of it is a lie, and on that day no soul will call it a lie as souls called it a lie in this world. The denial that was possible here becomes impossible there.
خَافِضَةٌ رَّافِعَةٌ
PickthallAbasing (some), exalting (others);
Yusuf Ali(Many) will it bring low; (many) will it exalt;
The agreed readingIt brings low and it lifts up. The commentaries of both traditions gloss it the same way and in the same pairing: it brings some down by putting them into the Fire and lifts others up by bringing them into the Garden. One event reverses every standing in a single stroke.
إِذَا رُجَّتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ رَجًّا
PickthallWhen the earth is shaken with a shock
Yusuf AliWhen the earth shall be shaken to its depths,
The agreed readingWhen the earth is shaken with a violent shaking. The commentaries read the word as force, not tremor - the ground moved hard, its parts driven against each other.
وَبُسَّتِ ٱلْجِبَالُ بَسًّا
PickthallAnd the hills are ground to powder
Yusuf AliAnd the mountains shall be crumbled to atoms,
The agreed readingAnd the mountains are crumbled to crumbs. The commentaries gloss the verb as breaking to pieces, the way a solid is rubbed down until nothing holds together.
فَكَانَتْ هَبَآءً مُّنۢبَثًّا
PickthallSo that they become a scattered dust,
Yusuf AliBecoming dust scattered abroad,
The agreed readingSo that they become scattered dust. The commentaries give the same picture for it: the motes that show in a shaft of sunlight coming through a window - matter still there and no longer anything at all.
وَكُنتُمْ أَزْوَٰجًا ثَلَٰثَةً
PickthallAnd ye will be three kinds:
Yusuf AliAnd ye shall be sorted out into three classes.
The agreed readingAnd you will be three kinds. The commentaries mark this as the sura's frame: at the Resurrection mankind is not one crowd but three sorted groups, and the rest of the passage names them one after another.
فَأَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ مَآ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ
Pickthall(First) those on the right hand; what of those on the right hand?
Yusuf AliThen (there will be) the Companions of the Right Hand;- What will be the Companions of the Right Hand?
The agreed readingThen those of the right hand - what of those of the right hand! The commentaries identify them by the record: those given their book in their right hands. The half-question is read as raising their standing, not asking about it.
وَأَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ مَآ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْمَشْـَٔمَةِ
PickthallAnd (then) those on the left hand; what of those on the left hand?
Yusuf AliAnd the Companions of the Left Hand,- what will be the Companions of the Left Hand?
The agreed readingAnd those of the left hand - what of those of the left hand! The same construction, read the opposite way: those given their book in their left hands, and the half-question lowers them rather than raising them.
وَٱلسَّٰبِقُونَ ٱلسَّٰبِقُونَ
PickthallAnd the foremost in the race, the foremost in the race:
Yusuf AliAnd those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter).
The agreed readingAnd the foremost, the foremost. The commentaries read the repetition as the point: those who went first in this world are the ones who go first there. Being early to good is what the word names.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلْمُقَرَّبُونَ
PickthallThose are they who will be brought nigh
Yusuf AliThese will be those Nearest to Allah:
The agreed readingThose are the ones brought near. The commentaries read this as the rank of the foremost, stated plainly after the repetition: nearness to God is the reward being described, and everything the passage then lists follows from it.
فِى جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ
PickthallIn gardens of delight;
Yusuf AliIn Gardens of Bliss:
The agreed readingIn Gardens of delight. The commentaries take the plural and the word for delight together - not one place but many, and every part of them made for pleasure.
ثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
PickthallA multitude of those of old
Yusuf AliA number of people from those of old,
The agreed readingA great number from those of old. The commentaries gloss the word as a large company, and read those of old as the communities that came before, from Adam onwards.
وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ
PickthallAnd a few of those of later time.
Yusuf AliAnd a few from those of later times.
The agreed readingAnd a few from the later ones. The commentaries read the later ones as the community of Muhammad, and the pairing as a plain statement of proportion - the foremost were many in the long stretch of earlier generations, and are few in this one.
عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مَّوْضُونَةٍ
PickthallOn lined couches,
Yusuf Ali(They will be) on Thrones encrusted (with gold and precious stones),
The agreed readingOn couches woven close. The commentaries gloss the word from weaving, and give the same materials for it: threaded with gold and set with pearl and jewel.
مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَيْهَا مُتَقَٰبِلِينَ
PickthallReclining therein face to face.
Yusuf AliReclining on them, facing each other.
The agreed readingReclining on them, facing one another. The commentaries note both words as describing the same people: settled at ease, and turned towards each other rather than sitting apart.
يَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ وِلْدَٰنٌ مُّخَلَّدُونَ
PickthallThere wait on them immortal youths
Yusuf AliRound about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness),
The agreed readingYouths who do not age go round among them. The commentaries agree on the service and on the word: they stay as they are, in the form and freshness of the young, and neither grow old nor pass.
بِأَكْوَابٍ وَأَبَارِيقَ وَكَأْسٍ مِّن مَّعِينٍ
PickthallWith bowls and ewers and a cup from a pure spring
Yusuf AliWith goblets, (shining) beakers, and cups (filled) out of clear-flowing fountains:
The agreed readingWith cups and jugs and a goblet from a flowing spring. The commentaries distinguish the three vessels: the cup with no handle, the jug with handle and spout, and the goblet that is the drinking vessel - and the spring is read as running and never cut off.
لَّا يُصَدَّعُونَ عَنْهَا وَلَا يُنزِفُونَ
PickthallWherefrom they get no aching of the head nor any madness,
Yusuf AliNo after-ache will they receive therefrom, nor will they suffer intoxication:
The agreed readingFrom which they get no headache and no loss of their senses. The commentaries make the contrast explicit and both traditions make it the same way: this is what the wine of this world does, and it is exactly what the drink there does not do.
وَفَٰكِهَةٍ مِّمَّا يَتَخَيَّرُونَ
PickthallAnd fruit that they prefer
Yusuf AliAnd with fruits, any that they may select:
The agreed readingAnd fruit of their own choosing. The commentaries gloss the verb as taking the best of a thing - what is brought is what they picked, not what was set before them.
وَلَحْمِ طَيْرٍ مِّمَّا يَشْتَهُونَ
PickthallAnd flesh of fowls that they desire.
Yusuf AliAnd the flesh of fowls, any that they may desire.
The agreed readingAnd the flesh of birds that they desire. The commentaries read it as desire answered on the spot: whatever bird they want, when they want it.
وَحُورٌ عِينٌ
PickthallAnd (there are) fair ones with wide, lovely eyes,
Yusuf AliAnd (there will be) Companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes,-
The agreed readingAnd fair companions with wide, dark eyes. The commentaries gloss the two words separately - the deep black and clear white of the eye, and the width of it - and read them as one description.
كَأَمْثَٰلِ ٱللُّؤْلُؤِ ٱلْمَكْنُونِ
PickthallLike unto hidden pearls,
Yusuf AliLike unto Pearls well-guarded.
The agreed readingLike hidden pearls. The commentaries gloss the word as kept safe, and read the likeness as being about what has never been handled: clearness and purity that nothing has yet touched.
جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
PickthallReward for what they used to do.
Yusuf AliA Reward for the deeds of their past (life).
The agreed readingA reward for what they used to do. The commentaries close the passage on this word: everything just listed is set against work already done, not given loose of it.
لَا يَسْمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغْوًا وَلَا تَأْثِيمًا
PickthallThere hear they no vain speaking nor recrimination
Yusuf AliNot frivolity will they hear therein, nor any taint of ill,-
The agreed readingThey hear no idle talk there, and nothing that brings sin. The commentaries take the first word as speech that is worthless or foul and the second as anything a person would be held to account for - the whole class of harmful speech is gone, not merely policed.
إِلَّا قِيلًا سَلَٰمًا سَلَٰمًا
Pickthall(Naught) but the saying: Peace, (and again) Peace.
Yusuf AliOnly the saying, "Peace! Peace".
The agreed readingOnly the saying: Peace, peace. The commentaries read the repetition as what the place sounds like: greeting passing between them and coming back, a word that leaves nothing to answer.
وَأَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْيَمِينِ مَآ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْيَمِينِ
PickthallAnd those on the right hand; what of those on the right hand?
Yusuf AliThe Companions of the Right Hand,- what will be the Companions of the Right Hand?
The agreed readingAnd those of the right hand - what of those of the right hand! The commentaries mark this as the sura turning from the foremost to the second group and asking about them in the same form, before answering it item by item in the lines that follow.
فِى سِدْرٍ مَّخْضُودٍ
PickthallAmong thornless lote-trees
Yusuf Ali(They will be) among Lote-trees without thorns,
The agreed readingAmong lote trees with no thorns. The commentaries gloss the second word as the thorns cut away, and note the tree is known for its shade - what could hurt in it has been taken out and what is good in it left.
وَطَلْحٍ مَّنضُودٍ
PickthallAnd clustered plantains,
Yusuf AliAmong Talh trees with flowers (or fruits) piled one above another,-
The agreed readingAnd talh trees layered with fruit. The commentaries agree on the second word and differ on the tree, so what they share is the picture the word gives: fruit stacked in tiers from the bottom of the tree to the top, one layer above another.
وَظِلٍّ مَّمْدُودٍ
PickthallAnd spreading shade,
Yusuf AliIn shade long-extended,
The agreed readingAnd shade spread long. The commentaries gloss the word as lasting rather than merely wide - shade that does not shorten and does not lift.
وَمَآءٍ مَّسْكُوبٍ
PickthallAnd water gushing,
Yusuf AliBy water flowing constantly,
The agreed readingAnd water poured out. The commentaries read it as water running always and never cut off, at hand rather than sought.
وَفَٰكِهَةٍ كَثِيرَةٍ
PickthallAnd fruit in plenty
Yusuf AliAnd fruit in abundance.
The agreed readingAnd abundant fruit. The commentaries take the word both ways at once: a great quantity of it, and more kinds of it than can be counted.
لَّا مَقْطُوعَةٍ وَلَا مَمْنُوعَةٍ
PickthallNeither out of reach nor yet forbidden,
Yusuf AliWhose season is not limited, nor (supply) forbidden,
The agreed readingNeither cut off nor withheld. The commentaries gloss the first as fruit whose season ends - the way fruit here comes and goes - and the second as fruit kept back from the one who wants it. Neither limit applies there.
وَفُرُشٍ مَّرْفُوعَةٍ
PickthallAnd raised couches;
Yusuf AliAnd on Thrones (of Dignity), raised high.
The agreed readingAnd couches raised high. The commentaries gloss the word as bedding lifted up, set on the couches already described.
إِنَّآ أَنشَأْنَٰهُنَّ إِنشَآءً
PickthallLo! We have created them a (new) creation
Yusuf AliWe have created (their Companions) of special creation.
The agreed readingWe have brought them into being, a new bringing into being. The commentaries read the pronoun as the companions just mentioned, and the point as their origin: they are made, not born.
فَجَعَلْنَٰهُنَّ أَبْكَارًا
PickthallAnd made them virgins,
Yusuf AliAnd made them virgin - pure (and undefiled), -
The agreed readingAnd made them virgins. The commentaries read the state as permanent rather than momentary - what is described is not a stage that passes.
عُرُبًا أَتْرَابًا
PickthallLovers, friends,
Yusuf AliBeloved (by nature), equal in age,-
The agreed readingLoving, and of one age. The commentaries gloss the first word as a wife devoted to her husband and the second as evenly matched in years, none older or younger than another.
لِّأَصْحَٰبِ ٱلْيَمِينِ
PickthallFor those on the right hand;
Yusuf AliFor the Companions of the Right Hand.
The agreed readingFor those of the right hand. The commentaries attach this line back to the making just described: all of it is said of the second group, not of the foremost.
ثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
PickthallA multitude of those of old
Yusuf AliA (goodly) number from those of old,
The agreed readingA great number from those of old. The commentaries read those of old here as the earlier communities, the same stretch of generations named of the foremost, and note that the sura repeats the phrase deliberately so the second group can be measured against the first.
وَثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ
PickthallAnd a multitude of those of later time.
Yusuf AliAnd a (goodly) number from those of later times.
The agreed readingAnd a great number from the later ones. The commentaries set this beside what was said of the foremost, where the later ones were few: here both are many, and the two lines together are read as one comparison rather than two statements.
وَأَصْحَٰبُ ٱلشِّمَالِ مَآ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلشِّمَالِ
PickthallAnd those on the left hand: What of those on the left hand?
Yusuf AliThe Companions of the Left Hand,- what will be the Companions of the Left Hand?
The agreed readingAnd those of the left hand - what of those of the left hand! The same form a third time, now for the third group, and the lines that follow answer it as the earlier ones were answered.
فِى سَمُومٍ وَحَمِيمٍ
PickthallIn scorching wind and scalding water
Yusuf Ali(They will be) in the midst of a Fierce Blast of Fire and in Boiling Water,
The agreed readingIn a scorching wind and scalding water. The commentaries gloss the first as a hot wind that goes in through the pores of the skin, and the second as water taken to the limit of heat.
وَظِلٍّ مِّن يَحْمُومٍ
PickthallAnd shadow of black smoke,
Yusuf AliAnd in the shades of Black Smoke:
The agreed readingAnd a shade of black smoke. The commentaries gloss the word as smoke of the deepest black, and read the word shade as the sura's irony: it is the one thing there that answers to the name.
لَّا بَارِدٍ وَلَا كَرِيمٍ
PickthallNeither cool nor refreshing.
Yusuf AliNothing (will there be) to refresh, nor to please:
The agreed readingNeither cool nor kind. The commentaries take both words as the answer to that: it does not do what shade does, and there is no good in it of any sort - the Arabs deny a thing all praise by denying it this word.
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَبْلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُتْرَفِينَ
PickthallLo! heretofore they were effete with luxury
Yusuf AliFor that they were wont to be indulged, before that, in wealth (and luxury),
The agreed readingBefore that they were people of ease. The commentaries gloss the word as living softly, and read it as the cause and not merely the background: comfort left them nothing to be shaken by and no reason to look.
وَكَانُوا۟ يُصِرُّونَ عَلَى ٱلْحِنثِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
PickthallAnd used to persist in the awful sin.
Yusuf AliAnd persisted obstinately in wickedness supreme!
The agreed readingAnd they persisted in the great sin. The commentaries take the word for persisting as the weight of the line - not a sin fallen into but one held to and never let go of.
وَكَانُوا۟ يَقُولُونَ أَئِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَٰمًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ
PickthallAnd they used to say: When we are dead and have become dust and bones, shall we then, forsooth, be raised again,
Yusuf AliAnd they used to say, "What! when we die and become dust and bones, shall we then indeed be raised up again?-
The agreed readingAnd they used to say: When we are dead and have become dust and bones, are we really to be raised? The commentaries read the question as refusal in the form of a question - the distance in it is the point, not the doubt.
أَوَءَابَآؤُنَا ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ
PickthallAnd also our forefathers?
Yusuf Ali"(We) and our fathers of old?"
The agreed readingAnd our forefathers of old as well? The commentaries read this as the same refusal pressed further, reaching for the case that seemed most absurd to them.
قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ
PickthallSay (unto them, O Muhammad): Lo! those of old and those of later time
Yusuf AliSay: "Yea, those of old and those of later times,
The agreed readingSay: those of old and the later ones. The commentaries read the answer as taking the objection at its widest and conceding nothing in it: the generations they named are exactly the ones included.
لَمَجْمُوعُونَ إِلَىٰ مِيقَٰتِ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ
PickthallWill all be brought together to the tryst of an appointed day.
Yusuf Ali"All will certainly be gathered together for the meeting appointed for a Day well-known.
The agreed readingAre to be gathered to the appointed time of a known day. The commentaries gloss it as a time already fixed and known to God - the answer is not that it will happen but that its hour is already set.
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ أَيُّهَا ٱلضَّآلُّونَ ٱلْمُكَذِّبُونَ
PickthallThen lo! ye, the erring, the deniers,
Yusuf Ali"Then will ye truly,- O ye that go wrong, and treat (Truth) as Falsehood!-
The agreed readingThen you, the astray, the deniers. The commentaries read the two words as one description of the same people: gone off the way, and calling false what they were told - the going wrong and the calling false are not separate charges.
لَـَٔاكِلُونَ مِن شَجَرٍ مِّن زَقُّومٍ
PickthallYe verily will eat of a tree called Zaqqum
Yusuf Ali"Ye will surely taste of the Tree of Zaqqum.
The agreed readingYou will surely eat from the tree of Zaqqum. The commentaries read the naming as deliberate: the food is specified, and it is the tree the Qur'an has already made the mark of that place.
فَمَالِـُٔونَ مِنْهَا ٱلْبُطُونَ
PickthallAnd will fill your bellies therewith;
Yusuf Ali"Then will ye fill your insides therewith,
The agreed readingAnd you will fill your bellies from it. The commentaries note the filling: not tasted under compulsion but eaten to the full, because there is nothing else.
فَشَٰرِبُونَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْحَمِيمِ
PickthallAnd thereon ye will drink of boiling water,
Yusuf Ali"And drink Boiling Water on top of it:
The agreed readingAnd drink scalding water on top of it. The commentaries read the order as the point - the drink follows the food, as a drink follows a meal, and it is the drink already described.
فَشَٰرِبُونَ شُرْبَ ٱلْهِيمِ
PickthallDrinking even as the camel drinketh.
Yusuf Ali"Indeed ye shall drink like diseased camels raging with thirst!"
The agreed readingDrinking as the beast maddened by thirst drinks. The commentaries gloss the word by the thirst in it: a drinking that never reaches the end of its own need.
هَٰذَا نُزُلُهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلدِّينِ
PickthallThis will be their welcome on the Day of Judgment.
Yusuf AliSuch will be their entertainment on the Day of Requital!
The agreed readingThis is their welcome on the Day of Judgement. The commentaries note the word for what is set before an arriving guest, and read its use here as the sura's irony: the reception is named in the language of hospitality.
نَحْنُ خَلَقْنَٰكُمْ فَلَوْلَا تُصَدِّقُونَ
PickthallWe created you. Will ye then admit the truth?
Yusuf AliIt is We Who have created you: why will ye not witness the Truth?
The agreed readingWe created you - will you not then hold it true? The commentaries make the argument explicit: the One who brought you out of nothing is able to bring you back, and the answer to the question of 56:47 begins here.
أَفَرَءَيْتُم مَّا تُمْنُونَ
PickthallHave ye seen that which ye emit?
Yusuf AliDo ye then see?- The (human Seed) that ye throw out,-
The agreed readingHave you considered what you emit? The commentaries gloss it as the seed cast into the womb, and mark this as the first of four things the sura sets before them, each one taken from their own daily lives.
ءَأَنتُمْ تَخْلُقُونَهُۥٓ أَمْ نَحْنُ ٱلْخَٰلِقُونَ
PickthallDo ye create it or are We the Creator?
Yusuf AliIs it ye who create it, or are We the Creators?
The agreed readingIs it you who create it, or are We the Creator? The commentaries put the weight on the gap the question opens: what a person does is to place it, and what happens after that is not his doing.
نَحْنُ قَدَّرْنَا بَيْنَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ
PickthallWe mete out death among you, and We are not to be outrun,
Yusuf AliWe have decreed Death to be your common lot, and We are not to be frustrated
The agreed readingWe have decreed death among you, and We are not to be outrun. The commentaries gloss the decreeing as apportioned - each one's time fixed - and the second clause as: nothing can get past Us and nothing can make Us unable.
عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ أَمْثَٰلَكُمْ وَنُنشِئَكُمْ فِى مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
PickthallThat We may transfigure you and make you what ye know not.
Yusuf Alifrom changing your Forms and creating you (again) in (forms) that ye know not.
The agreed readingThat We may put others like you in your place and bring you into being in what you do not know. The commentaries read the second clause as being about a state that is genuinely unknown to the hearer, which is why the sura says only that much about it.
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ ٱلنَّشْأَةَ ٱلْأُولَىٰ فَلَوْلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
PickthallAnd verily ye know the first creation. Why, then, do ye not reflect?
Yusuf AliAnd ye certainly know already the first form of creation: why then do ye not celebrate His praises?
The agreed readingAnd you have known the first bringing into being - will you not then remember? The commentaries take this as the argument closing on itself and both traditions phrase the wonder the same way: the one who denies the second creation is looking at the first.
أَفَرَءَيْتُم مَّا تَحْرُثُونَ
PickthallHave ye seen that which ye cultivate?
Yusuf AliSee ye the seed that ye sow in the ground?
The agreed readingHave you considered what you sow? The commentaries gloss it as breaking the ground and putting the seed into it - the second of the four, and again something the hearer does with his own hands.
ءَأَنتُمْ تَزْرَعُونَهُۥٓ أَمْ نَحْنُ ٱلزَّٰرِعُونَ
PickthallIs it ye who foster it, or are We the Fosterer?
Yusuf AliIs it ye that cause it to grow, or are We the Cause?
The agreed readingIs it you who make it grow, or are We the Grower? The commentaries put the line exactly where the first one was put: the sowing is yours, and the growing is not.
لَوْ نَشَآءُ لَجَعَلْنَٰهُ حُطَٰمًا فَظَلْتُمْ تَفَكَّهُونَ
PickthallIf We willed, We verily could make it chaff, then would ye cease not to exclaim:
Yusuf AliWere it Our Will, We could crumble it to dry powder, and ye would be left in wonderment,
The agreed readingIf We willed, We would make it broken chaff, and you would be left exclaiming. The commentaries gloss the first word as a dry crop with no grain in it, and the second as the talk that goes round afterwards, turning the loss over.
إِنَّا لَمُغْرَمُونَ
PickthallLo! we are laden with debt!
Yusuf Ali(Saying), "We are indeed left with debts (for nothing):
The agreed readingWe are burdened with a debt. The commentaries read this as the first thing said in that talk - the cost that went into the crop, counted up when the crop is gone.
بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ
PickthallNay, but we are deprived!
Yusuf Ali"Indeed are we shut out (of the fruits of our labour)"
The agreed readingRather, we are deprived. The commentaries read the correction as going further than the first line: not out of pocket but cut off, kept from the provision itself.
أَفَرَءَيْتُمُ ٱلْمَآءَ ٱلَّذِى تَشْرَبُونَ
PickthallHave ye observed the water which ye drink?
Yusuf AliSee ye the water which ye drink?
The agreed readingHave you considered the water you drink? The commentaries mark this as the third of the four, and the most ordinary of them.
ءَأَنتُمْ أَنزَلْتُمُوهُ مِنَ ٱلْمُزْنِ أَمْ نَحْنُ ٱلْمُنزِلُونَ
PickthallIs it ye who shed it from the raincloud, or are We the Shedder?
Yusuf AliDo ye bring it down (in rain) from the cloud or do We?
The agreed readingIs it you who bring it down from the raincloud, or are We the ones who bring it down? The commentaries gloss the word as the cloud, and read the question in the same shape as the two before it.
لَوْ نَشَآءُ جَعَلْنَٰهُ أُجَاجًا فَلَوْلَا تَشْكُرُونَ
PickthallIf We willed We verily could make it bitter. Why then, give ye not thanks?
Yusuf AliWere it Our Will, We could make it salt (and unpalatable): then why do ye not give thanks?
The agreed readingIf We willed, We would make it bitter - will you not then give thanks? The commentaries gloss the word as water gone undrinkable, and read the closing question as the point of the whole sequence: what is asked for is thanks, not assent.
أَفَرَءَيْتُمُ ٱلنَّارَ ٱلَّتِى تُورُونَ
PickthallHave ye observed the fire which ye strike out;
Yusuf AliSee ye the Fire which ye kindle?
The agreed readingHave you considered the fire you strike? The commentaries gloss the verb as drawing fire out with a firestick, and mark this as the last of the four.
ءَأَنتُمْ أَنشَأْتُمْ شَجَرَتَهَآ أَمْ نَحْنُ ٱلْمُنشِـُٔونَ
PickthallWas it ye who made the tree thereof to grow, or were We the grower?
Yusuf AliIs it ye who grow the tree which feeds the fire, or do We grow it?
The agreed readingIs it you who made its tree grow, or are We the ones who made it grow? The commentaries note that the fire is struck out of green wood, so the question reaches past the striking to the tree it was struck from.
نَحْنُ جَعَلْنَٰهَا تَذْكِرَةً وَمَتَٰعًا لِّلْمُقْوِينَ
PickthallWe, even We, appointed it a memorial and a comfort for the dwellers in the wilderness.
Yusuf AliWe have made it a memorial (of Our handiwork), and an article of comfort and convenience for the denizens of deserts.
The agreed readingWe have made it a reminder and a provision for those in the waste. The commentaries of both traditions gloss the reminder the same way - it puts the fire of the hereafter in mind - and the provision as the ordinary use of it, warmth and light and food.
فَسَبِّحْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
PickthallTherefor (O Muhammad), praise the name of thy Lord, the Tremendous.
Yusuf AliThen celebrate with praises the name of thy Lord, the Supreme!
The agreed readingSo glorify the name of your Lord, the Magnificent. The commentaries read this as what the whole argument was for: the four questions end not in a conclusion to be granted but in an act to be done.
فَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَٰقِعِ ٱلنُّجُومِ
PickthallNay, I swear by the places of the stars -
Yusuf AliFurthermore I call to witness the setting of the Stars,-
The agreed readingSo I swear by the setting places of the stars. The commentaries gloss the word as the places where they go down, and read the oath as opening the sura's last movement, about the Qur'an itself.
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَقَسَمٌ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ
PickthallAnd lo! that verily is a tremendous oath, if ye but knew -
Yusuf AliAnd that is indeed a mighty adjuration if ye but knew,-
The agreed readingAnd that is a mighty oath, if only you knew. The commentaries read the conditional as the sting of it: the greatness of what has been sworn by is there whether or not the hearer can see it, and the not-knowing is his, not the oath's.
إِنَّهُۥ لَقُرْءَانٌ كَرِيمٌ
PickthallThat (this) is indeed a noble Qur'an
Yusuf AliThat this is indeed a qur'an Most Honourable,
The agreed readingThat this is indeed a noble Qur'an. The commentaries take the word as worth rather than rank - a recitation carrying good in it, which is what the oath was sworn to establish.
فِى كِتَٰبٍ مَّكْنُونٍ
PickthallIn a Book kept hidden
Yusuf AliIn Book well-guarded,
The agreed readingIn a Book kept guarded. The commentaries differ over which written thing is meant and agree on what the word says of it: it is written, and it is kept safe from anything reaching it.
لَّا يَمَسُّهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلْمُطَهَّرُونَ
PickthallWhich none toucheth save the purified,
Yusuf AliWhich none shall touch but those who are clean:
The agreed readingNone touches it but the purified. The commentaries read the line as a statement carrying the force of a command, and both traditions draw the same ruling from it: the written text is not handled by one who is not in a state of purity.
تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
PickthallA revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.
Yusuf AliA Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.
The agreed readingA sending down from the Lord of the Worlds. The commentaries read the chain as now complete: sworn to, written, guarded, and sent down - and the source named last.
أَفَبِهَٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ أَنتُم مُّدْهِنُونَ
PickthallIs it this Statement that ye scorn,
Yusuf AliIs it such a Message that ye would hold in light esteem?
The agreed readingIs it this discourse that you make light of? The commentaries identify the discourse as the Qur'an, and gloss the verb as treating a thing softly - going easy with it, neither taking it up nor squarely refusing it.
وَتَجْعَلُونَ رِزْقَكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ تُكَذِّبُونَ
PickthallAnd make denial thereof your livelihood?
Yusuf AliAnd have ye made it your livelihood that ye should declare it false?
The agreed readingAnd make your share of it that you call it false? The commentaries of both traditions read the provision here as the rain, and the charge as what is done with the thanks owed for it: the rain is credited to a star, and the thanks owed for it comes out as denial.
فَلَوْلَآ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ ٱلْحُلْقُومَ
PickthallWhy, then, when (the soul) cometh up to the throat (of the dying)
Yusuf AliThen why do ye not (intervene) when (the soul of the dying man) reaches the throat,-
The agreed readingWhy then, when it reaches the throat. The commentaries gloss the pronoun as the soul at the moment it is drawn out, and mark this as the sura's last argument - put not at the Resurrection but at a deathbed.
وَأَنتُمْ حِينَئِذٍ تَنظُرُونَ
PickthallAnd ye are at that moment looking
Yusuf AliAnd ye the while (sit) looking on,-
The agreed readingAnd you at that moment are looking on. The commentaries read the looking as the whole of it: those around the dying man can see everything that is happening and can do nothing at all about it.
وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنكُمْ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تُبْصِرُونَ
Pickthall- And We are nearer unto him than ye are, but ye see not -
Yusuf AliBut We are nearer to him than ye, and yet see not,-
The agreed readingAnd We are nearer to him than you are, but you do not see. The commentaries gloss the nearness by knowledge and power rather than by place, and the not-seeing as not perceiving rather than not looking.
فَلَوْلَآ إِن كُنتُمْ غَيْرَ مَدِينِينَ
PickthallWhy then, if ye are not in bondage (unto Us),
Yusuf AliThen why do ye not,- If you are exempt from (future) account,-
The agreed readingWhy then, if you are not to be called to account. The commentaries read this as taking the deniers at their own word: the claim was that there is no reckoning, and the sura now asks what follows from it.
تَرْجِعُونَهَآ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
PickthallDo ye not force it back, if ye are truthful?
Yusuf AliCall back the soul, if ye are true (in the claim of independence)?
The agreed readingDo you not bring it back, if you are truthful? The commentaries read the challenge as unanswerable and meant to be: the one thing that would settle the claim is the one thing nobody standing at that bedside can do.
فَأَمَّآ إِن كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُقَرَّبِينَ
PickthallThus if he is of those brought nigh,
Yusuf AliThus, then, if he be of those Nearest to Allah,
The agreed readingThen if he is of those brought near. The commentaries note the sura returning to its three groups and taking them in the same order, now at the moment of death rather than at the Resurrection.
فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ وَجَنَّتُ نَعِيمٍ
PickthallThen breath of life, and plenty, and a Garden of delight.
Yusuf Ali(There is for him) Rest and Satisfaction, and a Garden of Delights.
The agreed readingThen rest, and fragrance, and a Garden of delight. The commentaries gloss the first word as ease and the second as good provision, and read the three together as what meets him at once, before anything else.
وَأَمَّآ إِن كَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَٰبِ ٱلْيَمِينِ
PickthallAnd if he is of those on the right hand,
Yusuf AliAnd if he be of the Companions of the Right Hand,
The agreed readingAnd if he is of those of the right hand. The commentaries note the second case put in the same form as the first, so the three deaths are set out in the sura's own order and the reader can hear which group he is being placed in.
فَسَلَٰمٌ لَّكَ مِنْ أَصْحَٰبِ ٱلْيَمِينِ
PickthallThen (the greeting) "Peace be unto thee" from those on the right hand.
Yusuf Ali(For him is the salutation), "Peace be unto thee", from the Companions of the Right Hand.
The agreed readingThen peace be to you, from those of the right hand. The commentaries read the greeting as coming to him from his own company, and as the guarantee inside it: he is safe, on the ground that he is one of them.
وَأَمَّآ إِن كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
PickthallBut if he is of the rejecters, the erring,
Yusuf AliAnd if he be of those who treat (Truth) as Falsehood, who go wrong,
The agreed readingBut if he is of the deniers, the astray. The commentaries note that the two words are the same pair used of the third group earlier in the sura, so the group is identified by what it did rather than by a new name.
فَنُزُلٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ
PickthallThen the welcome will be boiling water
Yusuf AliFor him is Entertainment with Boiling Water.
The agreed readingThen a welcome of scalding water. The commentaries note the sura using the word for a guest's reception a second time, in the same irony as before.
وَتَصْلِيَةُ جَحِيمٍ
PickthallAnd roasting at hell-fire.
Yusuf AliAnd burning in Hell-Fire.
The agreed readingAnd a roasting in the Blaze. The commentaries take the verb as being made to enter it and to stay, not to pass through it.
إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَهُوَ حَقُّ ٱلْيَقِينِ
PickthallLo! this is certain truth.
Yusuf AliVerily, this is the Very Truth and Certainly.
The agreed readingThis is the certain truth. The commentaries read the two words as put together for weight: what has been told of these three groups is the truth that has no doubt in it and the certainty that has no confusion in it.
فَسَبِّحْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
PickthallTherefor (O Muhammad) praise the name of thy Lord, the Tremendous.
Yusuf AliSo celebrate with praises the name of thy Lord, the Supreme.
The agreed readingSo glorify the name of your Lord, the Magnificent. The commentaries note that the sura ends on the same command it gave in the middle of it, so the whole of what stands between the two is bracketed by the same instruction.