AL MURSALAT (Those Sent Forth)
In the Name of God,1 the Gracious, the Merciful 2
1 By the winds sent forth one after another;
2 Which then blow violently in tempestuous gusts,
3 And scatter far and wide;
4 Then separate them, one from another,
5 Then spread abroad a message,
6 Whether of justification or of warning.
7 Assuredly, what you are promised must come to pass.
8 Then when the stars become dim;
9 When the heaven is torn open;
10 When the mountains are scattered as dust;
11 And when the messengers are appointed a time,
12 For what day are these deferred?
13 For the day of sorting out.
14 And what will explain to you what is the day of sorting out?
15 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
16 Did we not destroy the men of old?
17 So shall we make later generations follow them.
18 Thus do we deal with men of sin.
19 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
20 Have we not created you from a despicable fluid?
21 The which we placed in a place of rest, firmly fixed,
22 For a determined period?
23 For we determine; for we are the best to determine.
24 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
25 Have we not made the earth to draw together
26 The living and the dead,
27 And made in it mountains standing firm and lofty; and provided for you water sweet?
28 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
29 Depart to that which you used to reject as false!
30 Depart to a shadow in three columns,
31 Which yields no shade of coolness, and is of no use against the fierce blaze.
32 Indeed it throws about sparks as huge as logs,
33 As if they were yellow camels.
34 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
35 That will be a day when they shall not be able to speak,
36 Nor will it be open to them to put forth pleas.
37 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
38 That will be a day of sorting out! We shall gather you together and those before you!
39 Now, if you have a trick, use it against me!
40 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
41 As to the righteous, they shall be amidst shade and springs.
42 And fruits, all they desire.
43 Eat and drink to your heart’s content, for what you did.
44 Thus do we certainly reward the doers of good.
45 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
46 Eat and enjoy yourselves for a short while, for you are sinners.
47 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
48 And when it is said to them, Prostrate yourselves! They do not so.
49 Ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth!
50 Then what message, after that, will they believe in?
- God, in Arabic allah, referring to the one true God, as opposed to an idol or “god.” It is the Arabic equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew), alaha (Syriac), and theos (Greek), all of which accurately translate into English as “God.” This translation choice is consistent with respected English Quran translations including those of A. Yusuf Ali (original edition), S.H. Nasr (Study Quran), T.B. Irving, and T. Itani (Clear Quran). ↩︎
- the Gracious, the Merciful, the highlighting of God’s grace and mercy predates the Quran, coming down from the many hundreds of references in the Taurat, Zabur, and Injil. A few samples follow:
Taurat, Exodus 34:6 — …YAHWEH, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
Zabur 145:8 — YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
Taurat, Joel 2:13 — Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to YAHWEH your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.
Taurat, Yunus 4:2 — …I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.”
Injil, 1 Timothy 1:2 — …Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and AL-MASIH ‘ISA our Lord.
Injil, Hebrews 4:16 — Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. ↩︎