Ash-Shams

وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا ١

By the sun and by its brightness,

وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَاهَا ٢

And by the moon when it follows the sun (i.e., reflects sunshine),

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّاهَا ٣

And by the day when it displays the sun (i.e., brings it forth shining),

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَاهَا ٤

And by the night when it draws a veil over the sun (from one of the hemispheres of the earth),

وَالسَّمَاءِ وَمَا بَنَاهَا ٥

And by the heaven and by that (energy) which built it (with Allah’s permission in the form of a vast universe),

وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَاهَا ٦

And by the earth and by that (force which, by Allah’s command,) pulled it (from the sun far) apart.

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا ٧

And by the human soul and by the One Who provided it with an all-dimensional poise, proportion and perfection,

فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا ٨

Then He inspired it with (discrimination between) vice and virtue,

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا ٩

Indeed, the one who purifies his (ill-commanding) self (from all vain and vicious desires and cultivates in it virtue and piousness) succeeds,

وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا ١٠

But the one who corrupts himself (in sins and suppresses virtue) is doomed indeed.

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَاهَا ١١

The people of Thamud rejected (their Messenger Salih) due to their rebellion.

إِذِ انبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا ١٢

When the most wretched of them stood up,

فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا ١٣

Allah’s Messenger said to them: ‘Guard (that) she-camel and (the time of) her taking water.’

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا ١٤

But they rejected the Messenger and hamstrung (the she-camel). So because of their sin, their Lord sent down destruction on them, and levelled (them all in the torment devastating) the town.

وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا ١٥

And Allah does not fear any repercussions of this (devastation).