WHEN THE SKY is cleft asunder, 1
and when the stars are scattered,
and when the seas burst beyond their bounds,
and when the graves are overturned
every human being will [at last] comprehend what he has sent ahead and what he has held back [in this world]. 2
O MAN! What is it that lures thee away from thy bountiful Sustainer, 3
who has created thee, and formed thee in accordance with what thou art meant to be, 4 and shaped thy nature in just proportions, 5
having put thee together in whatever form He willed [thee to have]?
Nay, [O men,] but you [are lured away from God whenever you are tempted to] give the lie to [God's] Judgment! 6
And yet, verily, there are ever-watchful forces over you,
noble, recording,
aware of whatever you do! 7
Behold, [in the life to come] the truly virtuous will indeed be in bliss,
whereas, behold, the wicked will indeed be in a blazing fire -
[a fire] which they shall enter on Judgment Day,
and which they shall not [be able to] evade.
And what could make thee conceive what that Judgment Day will be?
And once again: What could make thee conceive what that Judgment Day will be? 8
[It will be] a Day when no human being shall be of the least avail to another human being: for on that Day [it will become manifest that] all sovereignty is God's alone.