The Hidden Secret (Al-Muddath-thir)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
O thou shrouded in thy mantle, 1 Arise and warn! 2 And your Lord do magnify, 3 cleanse your clothes, 4 And keep away from Ar-Rujz (the idols)! 5 And do not confer favor to acquire more 6 But, for thy Lord's (Cause), be patient and constant! 7 And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded, 8 That, at that time, shall be a difficult day, 9 and for the disbelievers, in particular, it will not be at all easy. 10 Leave Me Alone (to deal) with whom I created Alone (without any means, i.e. Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah Al-Makhzumi)! 11 And to whom I granted extensive wealth 12 And sons always present by his side, 13 And spread [everything] before him, easing [his life]. 14 And yet he desires that I should add more! 15 Nay! Verily, he has been stubborn and opposing Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). 16 I shall soon constrain him to a hard ascent. 17 Behold, [when Our messages are conveyed to one who is bent on denying the truth,] he reflects and meditates [as to how to disprove them] 18 and thus he destroys himself, the way he meditates: 19 yea, he destroys himself, the way he meditates! 20 and then he looks [around for new arguments,] 21 frowned and scowled, 22 and in the end he turns his back [on Our message,] and glories in his arrogance, 23 and said: “This (Qur'an) is merely a sorcery of yore; 24 Naught is this but the word of Man. 25 I will cast him into the fire of Hell. 26 And what knoweth thou that which the Scorching Fire? 27 It does not allow to live, and neither leaves [to die,] 28 It glows and burns the skin. 29 Above 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