The Heights (Al-Ma'aarej)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
A questioner asked concerning a torment about to befall 1 Upon the disbelievers – the punishment that none can avert. 2 From Allah, the Lord of the ways of ascent. 3 To Him the angels and the Spirit mount up, in a day whereof the measure is fifty thousand years. 4 So be thou patient with a sweet patience; 5 behold, men look upon that [reckoning] as something far away 6 but We see it near at hand. 7 On that Day the heaven shall become like molten copper, 8 The mountains like the tufts of (carded) wool, 9 And no friend will ask of a friend, 10 though they shall be within sight of each other. The guilty one will gladly ransom himself from the torment of that Day by sacrificing his own children, 11 his wife, his brother, 12 His kindred who sheltered him, 13 and of whoever [else] lives on earth, all of them - so that he could but save himself. 14 But no! There is a raging blaze 15 That would skin the scalp. 16 It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience] 17 and amass [wealth] and thereupon withhold [it from their fellow-men]. 18 ۞ Indeed, the human was created grudging and impatient. 19 when evil visits him, impatient, 20 and whenever good fortune comes to him, he selfishly withholds it [from others]. 21 except those who are steadfast 22 Those who are constant in their prayer 23 those in whose wealth is a right known 24 For the petitioner and the deprived - 25 And those who believe in the Day of Recompense, 26 And those who are fearful of their Lord's doom - 27 Indeed the punishment of their Lord is not a thing to be unafraid of! 28 And those who preserve their chastity 29 Except with their wives and the bondwomen in their possession, for there is no reproach on them. 30 whereas such as seek to go beyond that [limit] are truly transgressors; 31 who honor their trust and promises, 32 Who uphold their testimonies, 33 and who are constant in their prayers. 34 such people will receive due honor in Paradise. 35