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Surah 78. An-Naba

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78:11
وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلنَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا WajaAAaln a a l nnah a ra maAA a sh a n
and made the day [a symbol of] life.6
  - Mohammad Asad

According to Zamakhshari, the term ma'ash ("that whereby one lives") is here synonymous with "life". In the polarity of sleep (or "death") and wakefulness (or "life") we see the allusion to bodily death and subsequent resurrection already touched upon in 6:60 .

made the day to work for earning your livelihood,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
and made the day for livelihood,
  - Mustafa Khattab
And have appointed the day for livelihood.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And made the day as means of subsistence? 5892
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"Subsistence" in English only partly covers the idea of ma'ash, which includes every kind of life activity. The Day is specially illuminated, so runs the figure of speech, in order that these life-activities of all kinds may be fully exercised.

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78:12
وَبَنَيْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعًا شِدَادًا Wabanayn a fawqakum sabAAan shid a d a n
And We have built above you seven firmaments,7
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "seven firm ones", indicating the multiplicity of cosmic systems (see surah {2}, note [20]).

built above you seven firmaments,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
and built above you seven mighty 'heavens',
  - Mustafa Khattab
And We have built above you seven strong (heavens),
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And (have We not) built over you the seven firmaments 5893
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 5526 to lxv. 12 and n. 2876 to xxiii. 17, also xxxvii. 6 and notes there.

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78:13
وَجَعَلْنَا سِرَاجًا وَهَّاجًا WajaAAaln a sir a jan wahh a j a n
and have placed [therein the sun,] a lamp full of blazing splendour.
  - Mohammad Asad
placed therein a shining lamp,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
and placed 'in them' a shining lamp,
  - Mustafa Khattab
And have appointed a dazzling lamp,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And placed (therein) a Light of Splendor? 5894
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

That is, the sun. Cf. xxv. 61; xxxiii. 46 (where it is used metaphorically for the holy Prophet); and lxxi. 16.

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78:14
وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمُعْصِرَٰتِ مَآءً ثَجَّاجًا Waanzaln a mina almuAA s ir a ti m a an thajj a j a n
And from the wind-driven clouds We send down waters pouring in abundance,
  - Mohammad Asad
sent down abundant water from the clouds,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
and sent down from rainclouds pouring water,
  - Mustafa Khattab
And have sent down from the rainy clouds abundant Water,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And do We not send down from the clouds water in abundance 5895
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Note how the evidences of Allah and His beneficence arc set out in four groups. (1) Look to external nature on the earth around you (verses 6-7); (2) your own nature, physical, mental and spiritual (verses 8-11); (3) the starry heavens, and the glory of the sun (verses 12-13); and (4) the interdependence of earth, air, and sky in the cycle of water, clouds, rain, corn and gardens, all serving in their several ways to further the whole plan of the World as it affects us. Can you not then believe that a Creator who does this will sort out Good and Evil on an appointed Day with real justice and power?

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78:15
لِّنُخْرِجَ بِهِۦ حَبًّا وَنَبَاتًا Linukhrija bihi h abban wanab a t a n
so that We might bring forth thereby grain, and herbs,
  - Mohammad Asad
bringing forth grain, vegetation
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
producing by it grain and 'various' plants,
  - Mustafa Khattab
Thereby to produce grain and plant,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
That We may produce therewith corn and vegetables
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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78:16
وَجَنَّـٰتٍ أَلْفَافًا Wajann a tin alf a f a n
and carders dense with foliage.8
  - Mohammad Asad

Implying that the overwhelming evidence of purpose and plan in all observable nature points to the existence of a conscious Creator who has "not created [anything of] this without meaning and purpose" ( 3:191 ), and who - as is stressed in the sequence - will one day pronounce His judgment on every human being's willingness or unwillingness to live up to the standards of morality made clear to him through inborn instinct as well as through divine revelation.

and gardens of luxurious growth?
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
and dense orchards?
  - Mustafa Khattab
And gardens of thick foliage.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And gardens of luxurious growth?
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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78:17
إِنَّ يَوْمَ ٱلْفَصْلِ كَانَ مِيقَـٰتًا Inna yawma alfa s li k a na meeq a t a n
VERILY, the Day of Distinction [between the true and the false]9 has indeed its appointed time:
  - Mohammad Asad

See note [6] on 77:13 . This passage connects with verses {4-5}.

The Day of decision is already fixed.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Indeed, the Day of 'Final' Decision is an appointed time-
  - Mustafa Khattab
Lo! the Day of Decision is a fixed time,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Verily the Day of Sorting Out is a thing appointed 5896
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxxvii. 21, n. 4047, and xxxvi. 59, n. 4005 (end), The Day of Judgment is the Day of Sorting Out, as between Good and Evil.

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78:18
يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ فَتَأْتُونَ أَفْوَاجًا Yawma yunfakhu fee a l ss oori fatatoona afw a j a n
the Day when the trumpet [of resurrection] is sounded and you all come forward in multitudes;
  - Mohammad Asad
On that Day, the Trumpet shall be sounded and you shall come forth in multitude.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
'it is' the Day the Trumpet will be blown, and you will 'all' come forth in crowds.
  - Mustafa Khattab
A day when the trumpet is blown, and ye come in multitudes,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
The Day that the Trumpet shall be sounded and ye shall come forth in crowds; 5897
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The angel charged with the sounding of the Trumpet is Israfil. It will herald Judgment. Cf. 1. 20; also xxxix. 68, and n. 4343; and lxix. 13, n. 5648.

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78:19
وَفُتِحَتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتْ أَبْوَٰبًا Wafuti h ati a l ssam a o fak a nat abw a b a n
and when the skies are opened and become [as wideflung] gates;10
  - Mohammad Asad

Allegorically, "its mysteries will be opened to man's understanding" - thus further amplifying the concept of "the Day of Distinction between the true and the false".

The sky shall be opened as if there were doors.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
The sky will be 'split' open, becoming 'many' gates,
  - Mustafa Khattab
And the heaven is opened and becometh as gates,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And the heavens shall be opened as if there were doors 5898
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

A sign that the present order of things will have ceased to exist, and a new world will have come into being. Such a figure applies to the heavens in this verse and to the earth in the next verse. The mystery of what is beyond the heavens will have vanished through the doors which will then be opened. The solid mountains, as we suppose them to be, will have vanished like an unsubstantial mirage.

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78:20
وَسُيِّرَتِ ٱلْجِبَالُ فَكَانَتْ سَرَابًا Wasuyyirati aljib a lu fak a nat sar a b a n
and when the mountains are made to vanish as if they had been a mirage.11
  - Mohammad Asad

See note [90] on {20:105-107}, as well as note [63] on 14:48 .

The mountains shall vanish as if they were a mirage.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
and the mountains will be blown away, becoming 'like' a mirage.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And the hills are set in motion and become as a mirage.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And the mountains shall vanish as if they were a mirage.
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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78:21
إِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ كَانَتْ مِرْصَادًا Inna jahannama k a nat mir sa d a n
[On that Day,] verily, hell will lie in wait [for those who deny the truth] -
  - Mohammad Asad
For sure, the hell shall lie in ambush,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Indeed, Hell is lying in ambush
  - Mustafa Khattab
Lo! hell lurketh in ambush,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Truly Hell is as a place of ambush 5899
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Hell, the embodiment of evil, is lying in wait like an ambush for every one. We should be on our guard. For the transgressors, those who have wilfully rebelled against Allah, it will be a definite destination, from which there is no return, except, it may be, after ages, i.e., unless Allah so wills: Cf. vi. 128, and n. 951.

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78:22
لِّلطَّـٰغِينَ مَـَٔابًا Li l tta gheena ma a b a n
a goal for all who are wont to transgress the bounds of what is right!
  - Mohammad Asad
to become a home for the transgressors.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
as a home for the transgressors,
  - Mustafa Khattab
A home for the rebellious.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
For the transgressors a place of destination:
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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78:23
لَّـٰبِثِينَ فِيهَآ أَحْقَابًا L a bitheena feeh a a h q a b a n
In it shall they remain for a long time.12
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., not forever, since the term huqb or hiqbah (of which ahqab is the plural) denotes no more than "a period of time" or "a long time" (Jawhari) - according to some authorities, "eighty years" according to others, "a year" or simply "years" (Asas, Qamus, Lisan al-'Arab, etc.). But however one defines this term, it is obvious that it signifies a limited period of time, and not eternity: and this is in tune with many indications in the Qur'an to the effect that the suffering described as "hell" is not eternal (see note [114] on the last paragraph of 6:128 ), as well as with several authentic sayings of the Prophet (e.g., the one quoted in note [10] on 40:12 ).

There they shall live for ages,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
where they will remain for 'endless' ages.
  - Mustafa Khattab
They will abide therein for ages.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
They will dwell therein for ages.
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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78:24
لَّا يَذُوقُونَ فِيهَا بَرْدًا وَلَا شَرَابًا L a ya th ooqoona feeh a bardan wal a shar a b a n
Neither coolness shall they taste therein nor any [thirst-quenching] drink -
  - Mohammad Asad
in it they shall taste neither refreshment nor drink,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
There they will not taste any coolness or drink,
  - Mustafa Khattab
Therein taste they neither coolness nor (any) drink
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Nothing cool shall they tastes therein nor any drink
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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78:25
إِلَّا حَمِيمًا وَغَسَّاقًا Ill a h ameeman waghass a q a n
only burning despair and ice-cold darkness:13
  - Mohammad Asad

For my rendering of hamim as "burning despair", see surah {6}, note [62]. The meaning of ghassaq is explained in note [47] on {38:57-58}.

except scalding water and decaying filth:
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
except boiling water and 'oozing' pus-
  - Mustafa Khattab
Save boiling water and a paralyzing cold:
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Save a boiling fluid and a fluid dark murky intensely cold 5900
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. x. 4, and n. 1390; also xxxviii. 57, and n. 4213.

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78:26
جَزَآءً وِفَاقًا Jaz a an wif a q a n
a meet requital [for their sins]!
  - Mohammad Asad
a fitting recompense for their deeds.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
a fitting reward.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Reward proportioned (to their evil deeds).
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
A fitting recompense (for them). 5901
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Their transgressions go on progressively as they refuse to repent and turn to Allah. The fire of misery begins to blaze forth more and more fiercely, an there is nothing to cool that blaze; their food and drink themselves are tainted with the disorder of contradictory elements,-boiling hot drink, with intensely cold, murky, and disgusting fluids. These are fitting punishments for their crimes, which are inconsistent with the pure and gentle mould in which Allah had originally cast their nature.

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78:27
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ لَا يَرْجُونَ حِسَابًا Innahum k a noo l a yarjoona h is a b a n
Behold, they were not expecting to be called to account?
  - Mohammad Asad
For they never expected to be accountable,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
For they never expected any reckoning,
  - Mustafa Khattab
For lo! they looked not for a reckoning;
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
For that they used not to fear any account (for their deeds) 5902
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It was not isolated acts, but a continued course of evil conduct; they repudiated the moral and spiritual responsibility for their lives; and they impudently called Truth itself by false names and disdained Allah's Signs, which were vouchsafed for their instruction. These are not mere impressions; these are hard facts "preserved on record", so that every deed can have its due weight in making up the account.

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78:28
وَكَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا كِذَّابًا Waka thth aboo bi a y a tin a ki ththa b a n
having given the lie to Our messages one and all:
  - Mohammad Asad
and wittingly rejected Our revelations.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
and totally rejected Our signs.
  - Mustafa Khattab
They called Our revelations false with strong denial.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
But they (impudently) treated Our Signs as false.
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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78:29
وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَـٰهُ كِتَـٰبًا Wakulla shayin a hs ayn a hu kit a b a n
but We have placed on record every single thing [of what they did].
  - Mohammad Asad
But We had recorded everything in a Book.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And We have everything recorded precisely.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Everything have We recorded in a Book.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And all things have We preserved on record.
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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78:30
فَذُوقُوا۟ فَلَن نَّزِيدَكُمْ إِلَّا عَذَابًا Fa th ooqoo falan nazeedakum ill a AAa tha b a n
[And so We shall say:] "Taste, then, [the fruit of your evil doings,] for now We shall bestow on you nothing but more and more suffering!"14
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "We shall not increase you in anything but suffering": i.e., until the sins committed in this world are atoned for by commensurate suffering in the hereafter - for "whoever shall come [before God] with an evil deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof; and none shall be wronged" 6:160 .

It will be said: "Taste the fruits of your deeds! You shall have nothing but increase in punishment."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
'So the deniers will be told,' 'Taste 'the punishment', for all you will get from Us is more torment.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
So taste (of that which ye have earned). No increase do We give you save of torment.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"So taste ye (the fruits of your deeds); for no increase shall We grant you except in Punishment." 5903
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Just as there is a progressive deterioration in the sinner's soul when he surrenders himself to evil, so there is a progressive increase in the Penalty which he suffers.

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