The Hidden Secret (Al-Muddath-thir)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
O thou enveloped! 1 Rise up and warn! 2 And your Lord do magnify, 3 and purify your robes, 4 shun uncleanness; 5 And bestow not favour that thou mayest receive more. 6 and be patient unto thy Lord. 7 When the Trumpet shall be sounded, 8 That, at that time, shall be a difficult day, 9 For the disbelievers - not easy. 10 Leave Me and him whom I created alone, 11 and whom I have granted abundant wealth 12 And sons to be by his side!- 13 And made things easy for them. 14 Yet is he greedy-that I should add (yet more);- 15 Nay! Verily, he has been stubborn and opposing Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). 16 On him I shall impose a fearful doom. 17 He planned and plotted. 18 death seize him, how he determined! 19 And again perish he! How maliciously he devised! 20 Then he beheld, 21 then he frowned, and scowled, 22 and in the end he turns his back [on Our message,] and glories in his arrogance, 23 and says, "All this is mere spellbinding eloquence handed down [from olden times]! 24 “This is nothing but the speech of a man.” 25 [Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire [in the life to come]! 26 And what do you know what Hell is? 27 Naught doth it permit to endure, and naught doth it leave alone!- 28 it scorches (even) the skin. 29 Over it are Nineteen. 30 We have made only angels as the keepers of the fire (for they are the strongest in carrying out Our commands). Our informing (people) of the numbers of these angels is a trial for the disbelievers. It gives more certainty to the people of the Book and strengthens the faith of the believers. The people of the Book and the believers have no doubt about it. We have fixed the number to make the disbelievers and those whose hearts are sick say, "What does God mean by such a parable?" Thus, God guides and causes to go astray whomever He wants. No one knows about the army of your Lord except He Himself. This parable is a reminder for mankind. 31