Dawn (Al-Fajr)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
I CALL TO witness the dawn 1 by the Ten Nights, 2 by the odd and even (8th and 9th Dhil-hajj) 3 And by the Night when it passeth away;- 4 Why is there an oath in this, for the intelligent? 5 Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with 'Aad - 6 Of the (city of) Iram, with lofty pillars, 7 the like of which was never created in the land, 8 And the tribe of Thamud, who hewed rocks in the valley. 9 And with Firaun, who used to crucify. 10 (All) these transgressed beyond bounds in the lands, 11 and exceeded in corruption therein. 12 So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment. 13 Lo! thy Lord is ever watchful. 14 As for man - when his Lord proveth him and so honoureth him and is bounteous unto him, then he saith: 'my Lord hath honoured me, 15 But whenever He trieth him by straitening his means of life, he saith: My Lord despiseth me. 16 Nay! But you treat not the orphans with kindness and generosity (i.e. you neither treat them well, nor give them their exact right of inheritance)! 17 And urge not on the feeding of AlMiskin (the poor)! 18 and you devour the inheritance [of others] with devouring greed, 19 And ye love wealth with inordinate love! 20 Nay! when the earth is made to crumble to pieces, 21 And comes your Lord, and angels row on row, 22 and when Hell is brought near that Day. On that Day will man understand, but of what avail will that understanding be? 23 He will say: "Alas the woe! Would that I had sent ahead something in my life." 24 But on that Day none will punish as He (Allah) will punish, 25 and none can bind with bonds like His. 26 [But unto the righteous God will say,] "O thou human being that hast attained to inner peace! 27 return unto thy Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing! 28 "Enter you, then, among My honoured slaves, 29 "And enter you My Paradise!" 30