44al-DukhānSmokeسُورَةُ الدخان

Ḥā-Mīm [Ḥ-M].

By [avowing and affirming] the obvious Scripture [this divine Qur’an]:

Behold, We have made it accessible within a blessed night — for, verily, We have been [in the course of history] constantly warning [humanity].

On that [night] all wise affairs are made distinct [from foolish affairs],

As a matter of a command [issuing] from Us — for, verily, We have been constantly in dispatch [of messengers and scriptures],

As a matter of mercy from your Sustainer. Certainly, He is the One who hears all, the One who sees all,

The Sustainer of the heavens and earth and all that is between them — if only you could be sure [of this fact]!

There is no deity/authority except He who initiates life and sets off death; [He is] your Sustainer and the Sustainer of your earliest forefathers.

But no! They [whose knowledge is superficial concerning this issue] amuse [themselves] via [their] vagueness [about Allah, His Prophet, His Qur’an, and the Final Day].

Watch out, then, for a day when the sky produces an observable [dark and oppressive covering of] smoke [pollution]

That will inundate humanity; this will be a painful torment [— so painful that the violators of justice will cry out],

“O our Sustainer! Fend off the torment! Really [we beseech You to believe us], we are [now] committed [to You]!”

From where do they [now] get this consciousness [of Allah], considering that a trustworthy apostle had come to them,

[And that] they subsequently ditched him, saying, “He [the apostle] is programmed [by who knows who], a bizarre person”?

[Even so] We shall hold off for a while the torment [they are asking for] — [but know that] you are certainly returning [to your ways of kufr, and eventually to Us],

[On] a Day when We strongly strike the substantial strike: verily, We will bring to bear Our reckoning [of your worldly performances].

And before them [the wrongheaded Arabian mushriks] We put to test the people [citizens] of Pharaoh who were called on by an honorable apostle,

[Who said], “Give me your due diligence, O subjects of Allah! Verily, I am a trustworthy apostle [who you can rely on],

“And so do not place yourselves above Allah: for I, indeed, have come to you with a [God- given] exercise of authority;

“And I surely seek the protection of my Sustainer — and your Sustainer — from pelting me [with physical or mental] stones;

“And if you do not commit yourselves along with me [to Allah], then keep your distance [from me]!”

But, then, [after they objected to him and rejected him], he [Mūsā] appealed to his Sustainer [saying] that these people are a society of delinquents!

And [at this point in time, Allah said to Mūsā], “Take My devout subjects on an exceptional journey by night, for you will certainly be pursued [by Pharaoh and his army],

“And leave the sea without making waves: for, indeed, they [Pharaoh’s army] are doomed to drown [therein]!”

[If only you knew] how many gardens and wellsprings [and fountainheads] they [Pharaoh’s army] left behind,

And fields of [yielding] food production, and highborn status,

And an affluence of life in which they indulged!

And that’s the way it was. And [thereafter] We bequeathed what was theirs to another society,

And neither the sky nor the earth mourned them, nor were they allowed another chance.

And We, without doubt, rescued the Children of Israel from the humiliating torment

[That was about to be inflicted on them] by Pharaoh — indeed, he ranked very high on the scale of those who were extravagant;

And it was We who chose them [the Children of Israel] calculatedly above all other peoples,

And afforded them an exposure to such demonstrations of [Our power and authority] as would foreshadow clear [self-] assessment through tribulation.

Of course, these [Qurayshī kāfirs] will say,

“It is but our first [and only] death [and everything ends there] and we will not be brought back to [any form of] life!

“So, bring our ancestors back to life — if what you [the committed muslims] are saying is true!”

Are they better [equipped for the inevitable consequences] than were the people of Tubba‘ [the united power structures of southern Arabia] and those who preceded them — all of whom We destroyed because they were, indeed, criminals?

And [be aware that] We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is in between them for [the purpose of] entertainment;

[No!] We have not created the two of them except for [the purpose of] truth and justice, but most of them [God-deniers] do not know [this].

Indeed, the Day of Separation [between good and bad] is where and when they will all converge [and meet up with each other] —

The Day when no superior can benefit an inferior and when none will be supported [at a time when he needs it most],

Except for him who Allah has embraced with His grace: for, certainly, He is the Grand, the Very Merciful.

Indeed [in the life to come], the [fruit of] the bitterest [and nastiest] tree

Will be the food of the wicked:

Like lava it will boil in the bellies —

Like a fuming liquid.

[And a commanding voice will roar], “Grab him, [O you keepers of Hell], and drag him into the hub of the blazing fire;

“Then pour over his head the torment of the fuming liquid!

“Try out [this painful suffering]! — you who were the “most honorable,” the “most generous” [dignitary when you were back in the world, on earth]!

“[What you are experiencing now], this is what you [the God-deniers] contended about [in your previous life].”

[By contrast], indeed, those who were watchful of Allah’s power and authority [while living in the world] are [now] in a secure standing,

In gardens and springs of water,

Wearing [clothes made of] fine silk and brocade, facing one another.

And so it will be. And We shall couple them with companions whose wide eyes are of instantaneous mystifying attraction.

In it [the gardens of Paradise] they shall on demand have all the fruits [they want], in a state of relaxation and security;

[But], there, they will not experience death after having passed through their first death [when they parted earthly life]; and He did save them from the torment of the pit of fire —

[Given to them as] a gesture of your Sustainer’s exceeding favor: and that, that is the most significant success.

Thus have We facilitated this [divine Scripture] for you to understand [O Prophet], in your own language, so that they might gain consciousness [of its meanings].

Therefore, watch out [for the unfolding of Allah’s decree]: behold, they [your adversaries], also, are watching out [but not with the prerequisite consciousness].