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Surah 68. Al-Qalam, Ayah 42

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يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ Qur’an Al-Qalam (68:42)
Yawma yukshafu AAan s a qin wayudAAawna il a a l ssujoodi fal a yasta t eeAAoon a
on the Day when man's very being shall be bared to the bone,21 and when they [who now deny the truth] shall be called upon to prostrate themselves [before God],22 and shall be unable to do so:
  - Mohammad Asad
Mohammad Asad

I.e., willingly, gladly humbling themselves before Him.

Lit., "when the shin[-bone] shall be bared": i.e., when man's innermost thoughts, feelings and motivations will be laid bare. The implication is that their erstwhile claim that whatever is "expedient" is morally justifiable (see note [19] above), shall be revealed in all its nakedness - namely, as something indefensible and spiritually destructive.

On the Day of Judgement, when the dreadful events shall be unfolded, and they shall be asked to prostrate themselves, they shall not be able to do so.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
'Beware of' the Day the Shin 'of Allah' will be bared,1 and the wicked will be asked to prostrate, but they will not be able to do so,
  - Mustafa Khattab
Mustafa Khattab

 Like the Face and the Hands, the Shin is believed by many to be one of the qualities of Allah, in a way befitting His Majesty and Greatness. Since baring the shin in the Arab culture is associated with the heat of battle, some interpret the verse metaphorically, so the meaning would be: “˹Beware of˺ the Day when horror sets in.”

On the day when it befalleth in earnest, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves but are not able,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Marmaduke Pickthall
The Day that the shin shall be laid bare and they shall be summoned to bow in adoration but they shall not be able 5622
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"The Day that the Shin shall be laid bair", that is, when men are confronted with the stark reality of the Day of Judgment. On that occasion men will be summoned to adoration, not necessarily in words, but by the logic of facts, when the Reality will be fully manifest: the Glory will be too dazzling for the Unbelievers, whose past deliberate refusal, when they had freedom to choose and yet rejected, will stand in way.

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