The Galaxies (Al-Burooj)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I CALL TO witness the sky (bespangled) with the signs of the Zodiac, 1 by the Promised Day, 2 And by the witnessing day (i.e. Friday), and by the witnessed day [i.e. the day of 'Arafat (Hajj) the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah]; 3 Cursed were the companions of the trench 4 Of the fuel-fed fire, 5 Behold! they sat over against the (fire), 6 And they were witnesses of what they did with the believers. 7 Against these they had no grudge except that they believed in Allah, the Most Mighty, the Most Praiseworthy, 8 Whose is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is a Witness of all things. 9 Indeed those who troubled the Muslim men and Muslim women, and then did not repent – for them is the punishment of hell, and for them is the punishment of fire. 10 As for those who believed and acted righteously, theirs shall be Gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great triumph. 11 Truly strong is the Grip (and Power) of thy Lord. 12 Surely He it is Who originates and reproduces, 13 And He only is the Oft Forgiving, the Beloved of His bondmen. 14 Lord of the Throne, the Glorious, 15 He does what He intends (or wills). 16 Has the story of the hordes 17 of Pharaoh and Thamud? 18 And yet the Unbelievers (persist) in rejecting (the Truth)! 19 And Allah encompasses them on every side. 20 Nay; but this is a glorious Qur'an, 21 In a guarded tablet. 22