The Hidden Secret (Al-Muddath-thir)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Cloaked one, 1 Arise and warn, 2 and exalt your Lord, 3 And thy garments keep free from stain! 4 And keep away from Ar-Rujz (the idols)! 5 And show not favour, seeking wordly gain! 6 And for the sake of your Lord, patiently endure. 7 For when the Trump is sounded 8 that very Day shall be a day of anguish, 9 It will not be easy for those who deny the truth. 10 Leave Me with the one I created alone 11 whom I have endowed with abundant riches, 12 And sons to be by his side!- 13 And made life smooth and comfortable for him! 14 and yet, he greedily desires that I give him even more! 15 Nay! He is forward unto Our signs; 16 [and so] I shall constrain him to endure a painful uphill climb! 17 For he had thought and calculated. 18 death seized him, how was his determining! 19 Again (self-)destroyed is he, how he planned! - 20 Then looked he, 21 then he frowned, and scowled, 22 and he turned his back and behaved arrogantly 23 And said, “This is nothing but magic learnt from earlier men.” 24 'this is nothing but mortal speech.' 25 [Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire [in the life to come]! 26 And what could make thee conceive what hell-fire is? 27 It shall not spare, nor leave. 28 It scorches people's skin 29 Above it are nineteen guards. 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