The Hidden Secret (Al-Muddath-thir)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
O thou wrapped up (in the mantle)! 1 Arise and warn! 2 Proclaim the glory of your Lord; 3 cleanse your clothes, 4 And all abomination shun! 5 and bestow not favour in order to seek from others a greater return, 6 And for the sake of your Lord, patiently endure. 7 And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded, 8 that day will be a harsh day, 9 not an easy day for the unbelievers. 10 Leave him to Me whom I created alone, 11 and to whom I have granted resources in abundance, 12 and sons ever present with him, 13 I made things smooth and easy for him, 14 and yet, he greedily desires that I give him even more! 15 Never! For he is an enemy to Our signs! 16 I shall inflict on him hardship, 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 So may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated. 19 Again, ruin seize him, how did he hatch a scheme? 20 Then he looked around, 21 Then he frowned and he scowled; 22 and in the end he turns his back [on Our message,] and glories in his arrogance, 23 Then he said: naught is this but magic from of old; 24 “This is nothing but the speech of a man.” 25 I will soon fling him into hell. 26 And what could make thee conceive what hell-fire is? 27 It leaveth naught; it spareth naught 28 It scorches people's skin 29 Over it are appointed nineteen. 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