— 52 verses
The Inevitable Reality
How awesome is the Inevitable Reality
Ah, what can give you an idea what the Inevitable Reality is
Thamud and Aad denied the oncoming Uproar
As for Thamud, they were destroyed by a thunderous blast
And as for Aad, they were annihilated with raging hurricane winds
Which He made it rage upon them for seven long nights and eight long days. Such that you could imagine those people as uprooted hollow palm-trunks. (54:20)
Now, can you see any remnants of them
And there came Pharaoh, and many others before him, and the townships that were overthrown. All of them committed fault upon fault
For, they disobeyed the respective Messenger of their Lord. Consequently, He grasped them with a firm grasp
Behold! When waters topped the levels, We carried you upon the watercraft
(These events are conveyed to you) so that We might make it a lesson for you, and that any attentive ear might take it to memory
Hence, think when the Trumpet will be sounded with a single Blast
And the earth will be moved and the mountains, and struck with a stroke
Then, on that Day when the Episode will come to pass
And when the sky will be rent asunder, such that frail will it be that Day
And the Divine Laws in Nature will rally around and your Lord's Supreme Control will reign over eight Universes that Day. (Instead of the current seven)
On the Day you will be brought, not a single hidden deed of yours will remain hidden
Then he who is given his record in his right hand, will say, "Come all of you around! Read this my record
Behold, I always thought that my account would be given to me."
Then he will be in a state of Bliss
In a lofty Garden
With its fruit at hand
Eat and drink gleefully for what you did in the days past
But as for him who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, "Oh, I wish I was never given my record
And knew not my account
Oh, could this be the end of me
Of no help is my wealth
Vanquished is all my control."
Take him and shackle him! (Halt from further development)
And then hurl him in the blazing flame of his deeds
And then make him a link in the very long chain of people like him. (Seventy cubits = Very long)
Behold, he failed to grace himself with faith in Allah, the Tremendous
And arranged not to feed the needy
And so, he has no friend here today
Nor any food but the discarded shreds he gave to others
Which none eat but those who faulted through life
But nay, I call to witness all that you see (that actions have consequences of their like)
And all that you see not (the subtle progression of the Law of Requital)
Behold, this is indeed the revealed Word in the dialect of a noble Messenger
This is not the speech of a poet. Seldom do you reach conviction
Nor is it the word of a soothsayer. Little of your intellect do you bring to use
It is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds
And if he had ascribed his sayings unto Us
We would have taken him by the right hand
And would have cut off his Aorta
And none of you could stop Us from doing that
But, verily, it is a Reminder and a giver of eminence to those who wish to walk aright
And behold, We know well that among you will be deniers
And behold, this denial will become a source of regret for the rejecters
For, verily, it is Truth Absolute
Therefore, work hard to manifest the Glory of your Lord's Tremendous Name