37al-ṢāffātThe Formations, Orderly Arrangementsسُورَةُ الصافات

[I affirm] by the those [malā’ikah] in [service] formation,

Then [I affirm] by those [malā’ikah] in their restraining/rebuking duties,

Then [I affirm] by those [malā’ikah] succeeding consciously in the dhikr [of Allah],

Indeed, your deity/authority is none but One —

The Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is in between them, and the Sustainer of daybreak [in its multi-locations everywhere].

Verily, We have adorned the sky above with splendor [— the splendor of] the stars,

And secured them from every type of recalcitrant demon,

[Rendering them] unable to listen to the eminent company [of malā’ikah], for they [the demons] are being bombarded [and thereby repulsed] from all sides —

[In a state of] expulsion, [eventually encountering] a severe [and unrelenting] torment —

Except for he [a demon] who is able to snatch an opportunity to break through [the secured cosmos], as he will be trailed by a piercing meteor [shooting star].

So, ask them [those who object to Our divine message] for their official opinion, are they more capable creators than We who created intelligent life? — for no doubt, We created them out of viscous mud.

Noticeably, while you are curious, they are sarcastic [about this issue];

And when they are prompted into awareness [of this matter] they do not want to become aware;

And when they spot a demonstration of Allah’s power and authority they “overkill” it with their mockery,

Saying, “This [demonstration of power and authority] is nothing but obvious sorcery!

“[You mean to tell us] that when we die and turn into dust and bones, we are for sure coming back to life? —

“And [furthermore you say this life after death will also apply] to our ancient ancestors?”

Say [O Muhammad, in response to them], “Yes, indeed, and [at that time] you will be humbled!” —

For it will only take one deafening reprimand [on the Day of Judgement] and behold, they will catch sight of the truth.

And [when that happens] they will say, “Wretched are we; this, indeed, [has transpired to] be the Day of Dīn!”

[And so, they will be reminded], “This is the Day of Divergence [between what is true and what is false] that you [the mushriks] were disputing [back in the world].”

[And Allah will command], “Gather those who did injustice, along with their counterparts, and whatever [else] they worshiped [and revered as gods],

“To the exclusion of Allah, and then lead them on the route of the pit fire;

“And pause them [there]” — for they will be held to answer [the question],

“What is it with you that you do not come to the aid of one another?”

But today, they will have surrendered [to the will of Allah];

And [not in a position to evade the truth any longer] some of them will approach others [among them] acrimoniously inquiring [and]

Exclaiming, “You [when we all were back in the world] used to make inroads into our [conscience] through [seemingly] honorable approaches [with your finessed propaganda].”

[And so] the others will reply, “But you yourselves were not committed muslims!

“Moreover, we had no [ethical] enforcement power over you: rather, you were people who were power drifting [joining anyone who had worldly power]!

“Thus, the word of our Sustainer has come due: verily, we are going to undergo [the dire consequences of our worldly actions].

“So, [in confession], we did speciously delude you, for we ourselves were indeed deceptively delusional!”

And so, without a doubt, on that Day they will all share the infliction.

Indeed, that is the way We deal with villains.

[Remember that] they, when they were told to say [and tesitfy], “There is no deity/authority except Allah,” they would react arrogantly,

And they would [sarcastically] say, “Are we supposed to part with our gods for the sake of a mad poet?”

Quite frankly, he [Muhammad, the one you call a mad poet] brought [you] truth and justice and [in that process] confirmed [earlier, divine] emissaries.

You [the kāfirs and mushriks] will feel the awful pain [in the last life],

However, you will not be given back except what is commensurate with what you did [during your worldly test].

That [painful payback] does not apply to Allah’s devout subjects:

For them there is a recognized [accredited] sustenance —

Fruits [to be had] and honorable status shall they have

In gardens of luxury,

Facing [mirroring] each other [while sitting] on couches;

A goblet of exotic drink to be circulated among them,

Untainted, delectable for those who drink of it,

No toxins in it, and no intoxication [from it].

And with them will be [the sex appeal kindled by] instant and larger-than-life gazes,

As if they [the gazes] were hidden and well-guarded eggs.

And they will turn to one another, inquiring [about their worldly lives].

One of them will declare, “I am sure I had a colleague [back in the world],

“Who would ask [me], ‘Are you really a [devout] and [truth and justice] approving [devotee] who is persuaded

‘[That] if we were to die and become dirt and bones, we would be brought to a judgement recompense?’”

[And] he will add, “Do you have any access information [about my colleague] so that I may see him?”—

Whereupon, he will gain access to him, seeing him [his colleague] in the hub of the fire crater,

And he will say [to his colleague], “By Allah! You had almost tipped me over [into the Fire],

“And had it not been for my Sustainer’s blessing I would have been brought [to such suffering]!

“But then, [saying to his colleagues in Paradise], were we not destined to die

“But our first death, for then, we shall not be made to suffer again?

“Indeed, this [attainment of Paradise] — this, verily — is the most significant success [story].”

For the like of this, then, let those who labor [for such success] labor on.

Is such [a residence of bliss] better, or [the worldly coexistence with] the [virulent] pedigree of Zaqqūm [the most misleading of pedigrees: looks appealing but deadly]?

Verily, We turned it into a trial for the offenders:

For, behold, it is a pedigree that grows in the very core of the pit of fire [in Hell],

Its first yield looking like the heads of demons;

And, for sure, they [the confrontational mushriks] are bound to partake of it and thoroughly indulge.

Behold, they complement it [their indulgence] with a scorching cocktail [of deceit, falsehood, and injustice]!

And, then, surely their return shall be to the burning pit —

For they, indeed, found their forefathers on a wrong path [in life],

And [now] they are fast on their track!

In the same manner, without doubt, most [of their] antecedents went astray before them,

Even, though, We sent to them appointed emissaries to warn them:

And so, observe the aftermath of those who have been warned [to no avail throughout history].

[And all will go astray] except for Allah’s truly devoted subjects.

And [in ancient history] Nūḥ called upon Us — and how excellent was Our response:

[As a result] We saved him and his folks from the devastating catastrophe [the deluge],

And We caused his offspring to endure [on earth];

And We extended his [influential struggle and merits] to others [of Our prophets who followed],

“Peace be upon Nūḥ among all the peoples of the world.”

Verily, it is thus that We reward all who perfect their duties —

For he was, definitely, one of Our committed muslims:

[Unlike those of his] opponents whom We drowned.

And behold, of his [Nūḥ’s] fellowship was Ibrāhīm, too,

When he approached his Sustainer with a sound heart,

And [thus] said to his father [or uncle] and his people, “What is it that you revere?

“Are they contrived deities — [deities] you beseech to the exclusion of Allah?

“What have you to say about the Sustainer of the worlds?”

Then he cast his vision upon the stars,

Saying, “Verily, I feel sickened [by what you revere].”

So they [Ibrāhīm’s people] turned around and went away.

At that moment in time, he sneaked up on their gods, and then said, “Do you not eat [of the offerings brought to you]?

“What is it with you? Why do you not speak [when someone speaks to you]?”

Then he surreptitiously battered them [the graven images and icons], striking them with his hand of honor [and sense of responsibility].

[Consequently] they [the temple devotees] converged upon him in a hurry [suspecting him of the destruction].

He answered, “Do you venerate things that you have carved [with your own hands]?

“The while it is Allah who created you and all [the substance of] your handiwork?”

They said, “Build a pyre for him, and hurl him into the pit of fire!”

But whereas they sought to scheme against him it was We who reduced them [into an inferior position].

And he [Ibrāhīm] said, “I am on my way to my Sustainer, He will certainly guide me.

“My Sustainer! Grant me a [generation of] virtuous people” —

Whereupon We broke the good news of [his begetting] a forbearing lad.

And [when the time came] and the child became co-responsible with his father, [the father] said, “O my dear son! I have indeed seen in my dream-vision that I am to slay you; tell me what you think [should be done].” He replied, “O my dear father! Do what you are commanded [by Allah] to do; you will find me, by Allah’s preference, to be counted among those who are patient.”

So when both [Ibrāhīm and his son] acquiesced [to what they perceived to be the will of Allah] and he [Ibrāhīm] put him [his son] face-down,

Thus [at that critical moment] We called upon him [saying], “O Ibrāhīm!

“You have, for all practical purposes, fulfilled [the intent and purpose of] that dream-vision.” It is in such a manner that We compensate those who endeavor to perfect their obligations:

For, indeed, all this amounted to a very obvious trial and tribulation.

Thereupon We ransomed him [Ibrāhīm’s son] with a substantial [good sized] sacrificial stock [farm animal],

And We consigned him to be honored by later generations,

“Peace be upon Ibrāhīm.”

Thus do We compensate those who seek to improve their endeavor.

He is one of Our subjects — committed to Us.

And We gave him [Ibrāhīm] the good news of [the birth of] Isḥāq — a prophet having his place with the virtuous [of Ours].

And We placed Our blessings upon him and upon Isḥāq; but from their offspring are [to come] he who seeks perfection as well as he who inflicts obvious injustice upon himself.

And, on the same pattern, We bestowed Our favor upon Mūsā and Hārūn;

And We rescued the two of them and their people from the tremendous downheartedness [of being slaves in Egypt];

And We offered them victory and so they eventually became triumphant;

And We gave the two of them the divine Book that clearly sets apart [what is right from what is wrong];

And We guided the two of them to the straight course [of action in life];

And We set the two of them up to be honored by subsequent generations,

“Peace be upon Mūsā and Hārūn.”

It is in such a manner that We compensate those who strive for perfection.

Those two are certainly among Our subjects who are committed to Us [Our power and authority].

And, indeed, Ilyās [too] was sent as a divine emissary;

When he said to his people, “Will you not avoid [Allah’s corrective ‘power for justice,’ if you do wrong]?

“Do you [venerate and] call upon Ba‘l [an idol projecting masculinity] and disregard the best [and only] Who creates —

“Allah, your Sustainer, and the Sustainer of your early predecessors?”

They, then, accused him of telling lies: surely, they will be brought [to justice on Judgement Day] —

Except [those among them who were] Allah’s true [and tried] subjects.

And him We left to be honored by subsequent generations,

“Peace be upon Ilyās and his folks.”

Indeed, it is in such a manner that We compensate those who strive for perfection [in the good deeds they do] —

For he truly was one of Our committed muslims.

And, indeed, Lūṭ was [commissioned by Us as] a divine emissary.

As it turned out, We rescued him and his folks — all of them [when We decreed to punish his society] —

Except for a very old person who lagged behind;

And then We downright demolished the others:

And, verily, you [the Arabians] pass by them [in your travels] at sunup,

And during the night. Can you not make sense [out of this lesson in the historical experiences of wayward people before you]?

And, indeed, Yūnus was [commissioned by Us as] a divine emissary.

When he fled to an overloaded ship seeking [what he thought was his] freedom,

And then [when the ship was over high seas] he [found himself at risk of being dumped into the waters by the ship’s navigators as they had to unload some of the ship’s weight, and so] he was selected for being dumped [and they tossed him into the sea].

Thereupon a whale gulped him for he had been blameworthy [for thinking that freedom is obtained by running away from the duties of his Lord].

And had he not been of those who are able to extol Allah [in their deepest and darkest hours of distress],

He [Yūnus] would have remained in the belly [of the beast] until the Day when all will be brought back to life:

But We ejected him [Yūnus] onto [the shore of] an exposed area, sick [to death] as he was,

And We brought forth a tree of [and for his] survival [as an āyah for him to eat, dress, and shelter himself].

And [after that] We sent him [as before] to [his people] — a hundred thousand or more:

And [this time around] they affirmed Allah’s power and authority, and so We allowed them to enjoy their life for a period of time.

For the record [O Muhammad], ask them as a matter of uncovering [their senseless beliefs] whether [it is true and do they think that] your Sustainer has [the share of begotten] daughters whereas they [the share of begotten] sons,

Or [is it their belief that] We created the malā’ikah as females while they observed [Us doing so]?

Oh, verily, it is out of their own fabrications that they do declare,

“God has begotten [children],” and [when they say such things] they are definitely lying [as when they ask],

“Has He [not] prioritized daughters to sons [while their own culture prioritizes sons over daughters]!?”

What is wrong with you? Is this the way you reach a decision?

Will you, not, then reconsider and become cognizant [of such discrepancies]?

Or, [now that you have brought up the subject], do you have a clear agency of authority [for your statements]?

[If so], produce your book of evidence if you are honest and correct [about your assertions].

And they [the mushrik Arabians] posited a genealogical relationship between Him and the jinn, even though the jinn know as a matter of fact that they [who thus make erroneous arguments about God] will be brought before the court [of Allah]:

[For] matchlessly exalted is Allah far beyond what they portray [Him to be].

Not so is the case with Allah’s devout subjects:

For, indubitably, neither you nor what you venerate

Can cause [anyone of those devout subjects to fall for your] sedition

Except for he who [as a matter of his own God-defying will] seeks to swelter in the hollow of Hell!

[The malā’ikah confess and say], “There is no one among us except that he has a known [and allotted] status,

“And it is we, indeed, who are in [our] orderly setup,

“And it is we, indeed, who are systemically extolling [the glory of Allah].”

But [it is the kāfirs and mushriks who] have always been inclined to say,

“If only we were in possession of an inherited awareness hailing from former generations,

“We would have been Allah’s devout subjects.”

And so [now that this Qur’an has come to them with what they desired would have been a possession of their historical dynasties] they refute and reject it; in time, however, they will come to know [Our truth and their spuriousness].

And, truth be told, Our [revealed] word to Our assigned emissaries [prophets and apostles] has preceded [them],

[That] they, for sure, would definitely be triumphant [due to Our support],

And [that], for sure, Our troops would be [at the end of the day] victorious [due to Our backing].

Therefore [O Prophet], depart from them [the mushriks] for a while,

And discern [what will happen to] them — for they will [in time] notice [what they really did].

Do they [truly] want Us to expedite their painful punishment,

[Knowing that] if [and when] our punishment falls upon their territory, hapless will be the waking of those who were forewarned?!

And [thus] avoid them for a while,

And observe — for, in time, they too will realize [what will happen due to their actions].

Uniquely exalted is your Sustainer, the Lord of dignity far above any of their descriptions.

And peace be upon those who are divinely assigned [to communicate Our will] as emissaries,

And complete gratefulness belongs to Allah, the Sustainer of [all] worlds [and habitats].