The Hidden Secret (Al-Muddath-thir)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
O thou enveloped in thy cloak, 1 Rise up and warn! 2 Thy Lord magnify, 3 and purify your clothing, 4 And all defilement shun! 5 do not bestow a favour in the expectation of receiving more in return; 6 and persevere for your Lord's sake. 7 For when the Trump is sounded 8 that shall be a Harsh Day 9 For the unbelievers, anything but easy. 10 Leave Me alone [to deal] with him whom I have created alone, 11 and to whom I have granted resources vast, 12 and sons to be by his side, 13 And I adjusted affairs for him adjustably; 14 and yet, he greedily desires that I give yet more! 15 Nay! For lo! he hath been stubborn to Our revelations. 16 I shall oblige him to (climb a slippery mountain in the Hell-fire called As-Sa'ud, or to) face a severe torment! 17 Surely he reflected and guessed, 18 Ruin seize him, how did he hatch a scheme? 19 May be then be accursed, how he plotted! 20 Then he considered [again]; 21 then frowned and scowled; 22 Then he turned away, and was haughty. 23 Then said he: "This is nothing but magic, derived from of old; 24 It is nothing but the word of a mortal' 25 [Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire [in the life to come]! 26 And what will make you know exactly what Hell-fire is? 27 Naught doth it permit to endure, and naught doth it leave alone!- 28 It scorches the mortal. 29 Over it are nineteen (guards). 30 We have appointed only angels to be wardens of the Fire. We have specified their number only as a trial for those who are bent on denying the truth, so that those who were given the Book might gain in certainty, and those who believe might increase in faith -- and so that neither those who have been given the Scripture nor the believers might have any doubts, and that those sick at heart and those who deny the truth might ask, "What does God mean by this parable?" In this way, God lets go astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. And none knows the forces of your Lord but He. This is but a Reminder for man. 31