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Surah 88. Al-Ghashiyah
Ayah 1 - 16
1هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْغَـٰشِيَةِ
2وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَـٰشِعَةٌ
3عَامِلَةٌ نَّاصِبَةٌ
4تَصْلَىٰ نَارًا حَامِيَةً
5تُسْقَىٰ مِنْ عَيْنٍ ءَانِيَةٍ
6لَّيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِن ضَرِيعٍ
7لَّا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِى مِن جُوعٍ
8وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاعِمَةٌ
9لِّسَعْيِهَا رَاضِيَةٌ
10فِى جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ
11لَّا تَسْمَعُ فِيهَا لَـٰغِيَةً
12فِيهَا عَيْنٌ جَارِيَةٌ
13فِيهَا سُرُرٌ مَّرْفُوعَةٌ
14وَأَكْوَابٌ مَّوْضُوعَةٌ
15وَنَمَارِقُ مَصْفُوفَةٌ
16وَزَرَابِىُّ مَبْثُوثَةٌ
[1-16] Has the news of the over-shadowing calamity (of Resurrection) reached you?1 Some faces2 on that Day shall be downcast, laboring, hard, feeling weary, scorching in the blazing fire. They will be given to drink from a boiling fountain, and their only food will be thorny, dry grass,3 which will neither fatten nor satisfy hunger. Some faces on that Day shall be joyful, well-pleased with their endeavors,4 in a lofty Garden; there they shall hear no idle talk.5 In it there will be running springs; in it there will be raised couches, goblets set forth,6 cushions ranged in rows and fine carpets spread out.
1"The over-shadowing calamity": the Resurrection which will overshadow the whole world. One should know that here the Hereafter as a whole is being depicted, which comprehends all the stages from the upsetting of the present system to the resurrection of all human beings and the dispensation of rewards and punishments from the Divine Court.
2Some faces : some persons, so said for the face is the most conspicuous part of the human body by which man s personality is judged and which reflects the good or bad states through which man passes.
3At some places in the Qur'an it has been stated that the dwellers of Hell will be given zaqqum to eat; at another place it has been said that they will have no other food but glhislin (washing from wounds), and here that "their only food will he thorny, dry grass." There is, in fact, no contradiction between these statements. This may as welt mean that Hell will have many different compartment in which different categories of the criminals will be lodged according to their crimes, and subjected to different punishments. This may also mean that if they try to avoid zaqqum they will be given ghislin, and if they try to avoid even that, they will only get thorny grass. In short, they would get nothing to suit their taste.
4That is. they will be overjoyed to see the best results in the Hereafter of their endeavors and deeds in the world; they will be satisfied to see that they had, in fact, made a profitable bargain in that they had adopted a life of faith, virtue and piety, by sacrificing the desires of the flesh, undergone hardships in carrying out their obligations, endured afflictions in obeying the Divine Commands, incurred losses and suffered deprivation of benefits and pleasures while trying to avoid sins and acts of disobedience.
5This thing has been mentioned at several places in the Qur'an as a major blessing of Paradise. (For explanation, see E.N. 38 of Maryam, E.N. 18 of At-Tur, E.N. 13 of Al-Wiiqi`ah, E.N. 21 of An-Naba).
6That is, filled goblets already supplied so that they do not have to ask for them.