WHEN THE sun ceases to shine
when the stars fall
and the mountains are blown away
when camels big with young are left untended
and the wild beasts are together herded
when the seas are set ablaze
and souls are reunited
when the infant girl,¹ buried alive, is asked
for what crime she was slain
when the records of men‘s deeds are laid open
and heaven is stripped bare
when Hell turns into a Conflagratio
and Paradise is brought near
then each soul shall learn what it has done
I swear by the turning planets
and by the stars that rise and set
by the night, when it darkens
and the first breath of morning
this is the Word of a messenger gracious and mighty
held in honour by the Lord of the Throne
obeyed, and faithful to his trust
No, your countryman² is not possessed
He saw him³ on the clear horizon
He does not grudge the secrets of the unseen
nor is this the utterance of an accursed demon
Whither then are you going
This is but an Admonition to all mankind
to those among you that have the will to be upright
Yet you cannot will, except by the will of God, Lord of the Universe