Surah Al-Muddaththir (The Cloaked One) in English

1. إنه فكر وقدر

   18

   Indeed he reflected and decided.

   ʾinnahū fakkara wa-qaddara

2. فقتل كيف قدر

   19

   Perish he, how he decided!

   fa-qutila kayfa qaddara

3. ثم قتل كيف قدر

   20

   Again, perish he, how he decided!

   thumma qutila kayfa qaddara

4. ثم نظر

   21

   Then he looked;

   thumma naẓara

5. ثم عبس وبسر

   22

   then frowned and scowled.

   thumma ʿabasa wa-basara

6. ثم أدبر واستكبر

   23

   Then he walked away disdainfully,

   thumma ʾadbara wa-stakbara

7. فقال إن هذا إلا سحر يؤثر

   24

   saying, ‘It is nothing but traditional sorcery.

   fa-qāla ʾin hādhā ʾillā siḥrun yuʾtharu

8. إن هذا إلا قول البشر

   25

   It is nothing but the speech of a human.’

   ʾin hādhā ʾillā qawlu l-bashari

9. سأصليه سقر

   26

   Soon I will cast him into Saqar.

   sa-ʾuṣlīhi saqara

10. وما أدراك ما سقر

    27

    And what will show you what is Saqar?

    wa-mā ʾadrāka mā saqaru

11. لا تبقي ولا تذر

    28

    It neither spares, nor leaves [anything].

    lā tubqī wa-lā tadharu

12. لواحة للبشر

    29

    It burns the skin.

    lawwāḥatun li-l-bashari

13. عليها تسعة عشر

    30

    There are nineteen [keepers] over it.

    ʿalayhā tisʿata ʿashara

14. وما جعلنا أصحاب النار إلا ملائكة وما جعلنا عدتهم إلا فتنة للذين كفروا ليستيقن الذين أوتوا الكتاب ويزداد الذين آمنوا إيمانا ولا يرتاب الذين أوتوا الكتاب والمؤمنون وليقول الذين في قلوبهم مرض والكافرون ماذا أراد الله بهذا مثلا كذلك يضل الله من يشاء ويهدي من يشاء وما يعلم جنود ربك إلا هو وما هي إلا ذكرى للبشر

    31

    We have assigned only angels as keepers of the Fire, and We have made their number merely a stumbling block for the faithless, and so that those who were given the Book may be reassured, and the faithful may increase in [their] faith, and so that those who were given the Book and the faithful may not be in doubt, and so that the faithless and those in whose hearts is a sickness may say, ‘What did Allah mean by this description?’ Thus does Allah lead astray whomever He wishes and guides whomever He wishes. No one knows the hosts of your Lord except Him, and it is just an admonition for all humans.

    wa-mā jaʿalnā ʾaṣḥāba n-nāri ʾillā malāʾikatan wa-mā jaʿalnā ʿiddatahum ʾillā fitnatan li-lladhīna kafarū li-yastayqina lladhīna ʾūtū l-kitāba wa-yazdāda lladhīna ʾāmanū ʾīmānan wa-lā yartāba lladhīna ʾūtū l-kitāba wa-l-muʾminūna wa-li-yaqūla lladhīna fī qulūbihim maraḍun wa-l-kāfirūna mādhā ʾarāda llāhu bi-hādhā mathalan ka-dhālika yuḍillu llāhu man yashāʾu wa-yahdī man yashāʾu wa-mā yaʿlamu junūda rabbika ʾillā huwa wa-mā hiya ʾillā dhikrā li-l-bashari

15. كلا والقمر

    32

    No indeed! By the Moon!

    kallā wa-l-qamari

16. والليل إذ أدبر

    33

    By the night when it recedes!

    wa-l-layli ʾidh ʾadbara

17. والصبح إذا أسفر

    34

    By the dawn when it brightens!

    wa-ṣ-ṣubḥi ʾidhā ʾasfara

18. إنها لإحدى الكبر

    35

    Indeed they are one of the greatest [signs of God]

    ʾinnahā la-ʾiḥdā l-kubari

19. نذيرا للبشر

    36

    —a warner to all humans,

    nadhīran li-l-bashari

20. لمن شاء منكم أن يتقدم أو يتأخر

    37

    [alike] for those of you who like to advance ahead and those who would remain behind.

    li-man shāʾa minkum ʾan yataqaddama ʾaw yataʾakhkhara

21. كل نفس بما كسبت رهينة

    38

    Every soul is hostage to what it has earned,

    kullu nafsin bi-mā kasabat rahīnatun

22. إلا أصحاب اليمين

    39

    except the People of the Right Hand.

    ʾillā ʾaṣḥāba l-yamīni

23. في جنات يتساءلون

    40

    [They will be] in gardens, questioning

    fī jannātin yatasāʾalūna

24. عن المجرمين

    41

    the guilty:

    ʿani l-mujrimīna

25. ما سلككم في سقر

    42

    ‘What drew you into Hell?’

    mā salakakum fī saqara

26. قالوا لم نك من المصلين

    43

    They will answer, ‘We were not among those who prayed.

    qālū lam naku mina l-muṣallīna

27. ولم نك نطعم المسكين

    44

    Nor did we feed the poor.

    wa-lam naku nuṭʿimu l-miskīna

28. وكنا نخوض مع الخائضين

    45

    We used to indulge in [profane] gossip along with the gossipers,

    wa-kunnā nakhūḍu maʿa l-khāʾiḍīna

29. وكنا نكذب بيوم الدين

    46

    and we used to deny the Day of Retribution

    wa-kunnā nukadhdhibu bi-yawmi d-dīni

30. حتى أتانا اليقين

    47

    until death came to us.’

    ḥattā ʾatānā l-yaqīnu