— 40 verses
By the Day of Resurrection
and by the self-reproaching soul
Does man think that We cannot [resurrect him and] bring his bones together again
Indeed, We have the power to restore his very finger tips
Yet man wants to deny what is ahead of him
he asks, When is this Day of Resurrection to be
But [on that Day], when mortal sight is confounded
and the moon is eclipsed
when the sun and the moon are brought together
on that Day man will ask, Where can I escape
But there is nowhere to take refuge
on that Day, to your Lord alone is the recourse
On that Day, man will be told of all that he has sent before and what he has left behind
Indeed, man shall be a witness against himself
in spite of all the excuses he may offer
[Prophet], do not move your tongue too fast in your attempt to learn this revelation
We Ourself shall see to its collection and recital
When We have recited it, follow its words attentively
and then, it will be for Us to make its meaning clear
Truly, you love immediate gain
and neglect the Hereafter
Some faces will be radiant on that Day
looking towards their Lord
and some faces will on that Day be gloomy
dreading some great affliction
But when [mans soul] reaches the throat
and when it is asked: Could any magician save him now?
and he knows that it is the time of parting
when his legs are brought together [when affliction is combined with affliction]
on that Day he will be driven towards your Lord
He neither believed nor prayed
but rejected the Truth and turned away
Then he went off to his people, swaggering
Woe to you, [O man!], yes, woe to you
Again, woe to you, [O man!], yes, woe to you
Does man, then, think that he is to be left to himself, to go about at will
Was he not once a drop of ejaculated semen
which then became a leech-like clot; then God shaped and fashioned him in due proportion
fashioning out of him the two sexes, the male and the female
Then is He not able to bring the dead back to life