Surah Al-Qiyama - English Translation by Shabbir Ahmed
لَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ
Nay! I call to witness the Day of Resurrection
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 1
وَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِٱلنَّفۡسِ ٱللَّوَّامَةِ
Nay, I call to witness the person who shows remorse after wrongdoing. (12:53. Notice the Law taking the first step instantly)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 2
أَيَحۡسَبُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ أَلَّن نَّجۡمَعَ عِظَامَهُۥ
Does the human being think that We will not assemble his bones? ((36:78), (37:16). Life goes on without its essence, the 'Self', undergoing disintegration
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 3
بَلَىٰ قَٰدِرِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُۥ
Yes indeed, Yes, We have the Power to restore even his finger tips with finger prints
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 4
بَلۡ يُرِيدُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ لِيَفۡجُرَ أَمَامَهُۥ
But man is after subverting his own future
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 5
يَسۡـَٔلُ أَيَّانَ يَوۡمُ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ
(Yet) he asks, "When will this Day of Resurrection be
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 6
فَإِذَا بَرِقَ ٱلۡبَصَرُ
But when the sight is dazzled
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 7
وَخَسَفَ ٱلۡقَمَرُ
And the moon is darkened. (The banner of the Age of Ignorance bearing the moon logo goes down)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 8
وَجُمِعَ ٱلشَّمۡسُ وَٱلۡقَمَرُ
And the sun and the moon are brought together. (Persia and Arabia come under one Rule. Sun being the logo on the Persian banner)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 9
يَقُولُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ يَوۡمَئِذٍ أَيۡنَ ٱلۡمَفَرُّ
On that Day man will wonder, "Where to flee!" (In this life and in the life to come. Verses 7-10 could easily allude to the merging of the super power of the times, Persia with the newly enlightened Arabia in 642 C.E., 10 years after the exalted Prophet's death)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 10
كَلَّا لَا وَزَرَ
But, nay! No height to mount above the turmoil
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 11
إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوۡمَئِذٍ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقَرُّ
Unto your Lord that Day is the resting place
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 12
يُنَبَّؤُاْ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ يَوۡمَئِذِۭ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ
On the Day when man is apprised of all his acts of commission and omission. (All he has done and left undone. All deeds that advanced him and kept him behind)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 13
بَلِ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ عَلَىٰ نَفۡسِهِۦ بَصِيرَةٞ
Oh, but man is a telling witness against himself
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 14
وَلَوۡ أَلۡقَىٰ مَعَاذِيرَهُۥ
Even though he were to put forward all his excuses
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 15
لَا تُحَرِّكۡ بِهِۦ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعۡجَلَ بِهِۦٓ
(Now whenever you read the verses of the Qur'an) read not in haste stirring your tongue
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 16
إِنَّ عَلَيۡنَا جَمۡعَهُۥ وَقُرۡءَانَهُۥ
Behold, it is up to Us to gather it (in your heart) and the reading of it. (He will bless whatever effort we put into learning it)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 17
فَإِذَا قَرَأۡنَٰهُ فَٱتَّبِعۡ قُرۡءَانَهُۥ
Thus, when We read it, follow you the reading. (Allah has revealed the Qur'an, and bestowed upon us the faculty of understanding, hence, "When We read it)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 18
ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيۡنَا بَيَانَهُۥ
Then, behold! It is for Us to explain it. (The Qur'an is its own best commentary. It explains itself)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 19
كَلَّا بَلۡ تُحِبُّونَ ٱلۡعَاجِلَةَ
Nay, but you love instant results
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 20
وَتَذَرُونَ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةَ
And give little thought to the long term. ('Akhirah' = Hereafter = Life to come = Future = Long term = What follows = Subsequent = Enduring. Tomorrow is today's 'Akhira)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 21
وُجُوهٞ يَوۡمَئِذٖ نَّاضِرَةٌ
Some faces that Day will beam with happiness
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 22
إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٞ
Looking up to their Lord
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 23
وَوُجُوهٞ يَوۡمَئِذِۭ بَاسِرَةٞ
And some faces on that Day will be despondent
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 24
تَظُنُّ أَن يُفۡعَلَ بِهَا فَاقِرَةٞ
Expecting a back breaking calamity
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 25
كَلَّآ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ ٱلتَّرَاقِيَ
Nay, when the last breaths come up to the throat
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 26
وَقِيلَ مَنۡۜ رَاقٖ
And those around cry, "Is there any charmer
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 27
وَظَنَّ أَنَّهُ ٱلۡفِرَاقُ
But he knows that this is the parting
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 28
وَٱلۡتَفَّتِ ٱلسَّاقُ بِٱلسَّاقِ
And it is pang upon pang
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 29
إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوۡمَئِذٍ ٱلۡمَسَاقُ
That day the drive is to your Lord
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 30
فَلَا صَدَّقَ وَلَا صَلَّىٰ
For he neither stood by the Truth, nor did he follow it. ('Sal'= To follow, like the runners-up horse closely follows the winner = To closely follow the Commands of Allah)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 31
وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
Rather, he used to deny and turn away
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 32
ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِۦ يَتَمَطَّىٰٓ
And then used to walk back to his folk and his ways gleefully
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 33
أَوۡلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوۡلَىٰ
This is the most befitting for you - now this is the most befitting
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 34
ثُمَّ أَوۡلَىٰ لَكَ فَأَوۡلَىٰٓ
Again! This is the most befitting for you - now this is the most befitting. (The impending requital befits the behavior)
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 35
أَيَحۡسَبُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ أَن يُتۡرَكَ سُدًى
Does man think he will be left alone like a soundless broken musical string
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 36
أَلَمۡ يَكُ نُطۡفَةٗ مِّن مَّنِيّٖ يُمۡنَىٰ
Was he not gametes that moved to join
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 37
ثُمَّ كَانَ عَلَقَةٗ فَخَلَقَ فَسَوَّىٰ
Then he became a zygote. And He shaped and fashioned him in due proportion
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 38
فَجَعَلَ مِنۡهُ ٱلزَّوۡجَيۡنِ ٱلذَّكَرَ وَٱلۡأُنثَىٰٓ
And He has made of humans pairs, male and female
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 39
أَلَيۡسَ ذَٰلِكَ بِقَٰدِرٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يُحۡـِۧيَ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ
Is not He, then, Able to bring the dead to life
Surah Al-Qiyama, Verse 40