51. Surah Adh-Dhariyat, English Translation

and ˹the clouds˺ loaded with rain,

and ˹the ships˺ gliding with ease,

and ˹the angels˺ administering affairs by ˹Allah’s˺ command!

Indeed, what you are promised is true.

And the Judgment will certainly come to pass.

˹And˺ by the heavens in their marvellous design!¹

Surely you are ˹lost˺ in conflicting views ˹regarding the truth˺.¹

Only those ˹destined to be˺ deluded are turned away from it.¹

Condemned are the liars—

those who are ˹steeped˺ in ignorance, totally heedless.

They ask ˹mockingly˺, “When is this Day of Judgment?”

˹It is˺ the Day they will be tormented over the Fire.

˹They will be told,˺ “Taste your torment! This is what you sought to hasten.”

Indeed, the righteous will be amid Gardens and springs,

˹joyfully˺ receiving what their Lord will grant them. Before this ˹reward˺ they were truly good-doers ˹in the world˺:

they used to sleep only little in the night,

and pray for forgiveness before dawn.¹

And in their wealth there was a rightful share ˹fulfilled˺ for the beggar and the poor.

There are ˹countless˺ signs on earth for those with sure faith,

as there are within yourselves. Can you not see?

In heaven is your sustenance and whatever you are promised.

Then by the Lord of heaven and earth! ˹All˺ this is certainly as true as ˹the fact that˺ you can speak!

Has the story of Abraham’s honoured guests reached you ˹O Prophet˺?

˹Remember˺ when they entered his presence and greeted ˹him with˺, “Peace!” He replied, “Peace ˹be upon you˺!” ˹Then he said to himself,˺ “These people must be strangers!”

Then he slipped off to his family and brought a fat ˹roasted˺ calf,¹

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

˹They did not eat,˺ so he grew fearful of them.¹ They reassured ˹him˺, “Do not be afraid,” and gave him good news of a knowledgeable son.²

Then his wife came forward with a cry, clasping her forehead ˹in astonishment˺, exclaiming, “˹A baby from˺ a barren, old woman!”

They replied, “Such has your Lord decreed. He is truly the All-Wise, All-Knowing.”

˹Later,˺ Abraham asked, “What is your mission, O  messenger-angels?”

They replied, “We have actually been sent to a wicked people,

to send upon them stones of ˹baked˺ clay,

marked by your Lord for the transgressors.”

Then ˹before the torment˺ We evacuated the believers from the city.

But We only found one family that had submitted ˹to Allah˺.¹

And We have left a sign there¹ ˹as a lesson˺ for those who fear the painful punishment.

And in ˹the story of˺ Moses ˹was another lesson,˺ when We sent him to Pharaoh with compelling proof,

but Pharaoh was carried away by his power, saying ˹of Moses˺, “A magician or a madman!”

So We seized him and his soldiers, casting them into the sea while he was blameworthy.¹ 

And in ˹the story of˺ ’Âd ˹was another lesson,˺ when We sent against them the devastating wind.¹

There was nothing it came upon that it did not reduce to ashes.

And in ˹the story of˺ Thamûd ˹was another lesson,˺ when they were told, “Enjoy yourselves ˹only˺ for a ˹short˺ while.”¹

Still they persisted in defying the commands of their Lord, so they were overtaken by a ˹mighty˺ blast while they were looking on.

Then they were not able to rise up, nor were they helped.

And the people of Noah ˹had also been destroyed˺ earlier. They were truly a rebellious people.

We built the universe with ˹great˺ might, and We are certainly expanding ˹it˺.

As for the earth, We spread it out. How superbly did We smooth it out!¹

And We created pairs of all things¹ so perhaps you would be mindful.

So ˹proclaim, O  Prophet˺: “Flee to Allah! I am truly sent by Him with a clear warning to you.

And do not set up another god with Allah. I am truly sent by Him with a clear warning to you.”

Similarly, no messenger came to those before them without being told: “A magician or a madman!”