Dawn (Al-Fajr)
Allah - beginning with the name of - the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
I CALL TO witness the dawn 1 and ten nights (of pilgrimage or the last ten days of Ramadan), 2 by the odd and even (8th and 9th Dhil-hajj) 3 And by the night when it departeth, 4 There surely is an oath for thinking man. 5 Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the 'Ad (people),- 6 Who were very tall like lofty pillars, 7 The like of which was not built in the cities, 8 And Thamood, who hewed out the rocks of the valley? 9 and with Pharaoh of the stakes? 10 They were tyrants in the land 11 And who then spread a lot of turmoil in them. 12 Thus, your Lord afflicted them with torment; 13 for, verily, thy Sustainer is ever on the watch! 14 As for man, when his Lord tests him, through honour and blessings, he says, "My Lord has honoured me," 15 whereas, whenever He tries him by straitening his means of livelihood, he says, "My Sustainer has disgraced me!" 16 But no; you do not treat the orphan honourably, 17 nor do you urge one another to feed the needy. 18 and greedily devour the entire inheritance, 19 and love the riches, loving them ardently. 20 Nay! When the earth is pounded to powder, 21 and (when you find yourself) in the presence of your Lord and the rows and rows of angels, your greed for riches will certainly be of no avail to you. 22 And on that Day hell will be brought [within sight]; on that Day man will remember [all that he did and failed to do]: but what will that remembrance avail him? 23 He will say: “Would that I had sent ahead what would be of avail for this life of mine!” 24 But on that day shall no one chastise with (anything like) His chastisement, 25 And His bonds will be such as none other can bind. 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 come into My Paradise! 30