The Hidden Secret (Al-Muddath-thir)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
O YOU ENFOLDED in your mantle (of reform), 1 Arise and warn 2 And your Lord do magnify, 3 purify your garments; 4 stay away from sins 5 And do not confer favor to acquire more 6 And be patient for the sake of your Lord (i.e. perform your duty to Allah)! 7 And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded, 8 that shall be a Harsh Day 9 and for the disbelievers, in particular, it will not be at all easy. 10 Leave Me with the one I created alone 11 And then bestowed upon him ample means, 12 and sons ever present with him, 13 And made (life) smooth for him. 14 After all that he desires that I should give more; 15 By no means! He has been stubbornly hostile to Our revelation: 16 and I shall 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 Let him be destroyed. How he calculated! 20 Then he looked, 21 Then he frowned and scowled; 22 Then he turned back and was arrogant 23 And said, “This is nothing but magic learnt from earlier men.” 24 This is not but the word of a human being." 25 Him shall I soon roast in Hell. 26 and what will teach thee what is Sakar? 27 It spares nothing; it leaves nothing intact; 28 Scorching the skin. 29 Over 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