Al-Fajr

Verse 1

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَالْفَجْرِ

Allāh, exalted is He above every imperfection, swore by the time of dawn;

Verse 2

 وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ

by the first ten nights of [the Hijri month of] Dhul-Ḥijjah and that which has distinguished them;

Verse 3

 وَالشَّفْعِ وَالْوَتْرِ

by everything paired and singular;

Verse 4

 وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ

and by the night when it passes by with its darkness.

Verse 5

 هَلْ فِي ذَٰلِكَ قَسَمٌ لِّذِي حِجْرٍ

Is there not, in that which has been mentioned of things sworn by, enough to satisfy one who has intelligence?

Verse 6

 أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ

Have you not seen, O Messenger, how your Lord dealt with the People of ʿĀd…

Verse 7

 إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ

…the tribe of Iram, possessors of might and buildings raised on pillars…

Verse 8

 الَّتِي لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي الْبِلَادِ

…the like of whom had not been created in the lands in terms of [their] great physical size and strength [in warfare];

Verse 9

 وَثَمُودَ الَّذِينَ جَابُوا الصَّخْرَ بِالْوَادِ

and how He dealt with the Thamūd, the People of Ṣāliḥ, who carved the large rocks in the valley and took them as places of dwelling;

Verse 10

 وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِي الْأَوْتَادِ

and how He dealt with Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, possessor of armies that consolidated his kingdom and strengthened his command for him?

Verse 11

 الَّذِينَ طَغَوْا فِي الْبِلَادِ

These are the ones who acted tyrannically and with oppression in Allāh’s lands;

Verse 12

 فَأَكْثَرُوا فِيهَا الْفَسَادَ

much evil did they do there through their oppression.

Verse 13

 فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ

Then your Lord poured over them severe punishment.

Verse 14

 إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ

Indeed your Lord, O Messenger, is ever on watch [over] one who disobeys Him, granting him a little respite and thereafter taking hold of him with the hold of One Mighty and Overpowering.

Verse 15

 فَأَمَّا الْإِنسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ

As for Man, when his Lord tests him with good, enjoyable things, gives him greater provisions, and grants him the best of living conditions, he thinks that is due to his having a position of honor with his Lord, so he says: my Lord has honored me.

Verse 16

 وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ

And as to when He puts him to the test and subsequently restricts his provisions, he thinks that is due to his having become insignificant to Allāh, so he says: my Lord has disgraced me.

Verse 17

 كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ

The situation is not as this person thinks; rather, honor comes through obedience to Allāh, and disgrace, through disobedience to Him. And you do not treat orphans whose fathers had died while they were young with honor; you do not treat them well…

Verse 18

 وَلَا تَحَاضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ

…nor do you encourage each other to give food to those in need, who do not have enough to meet their needs;

Verse 19

 وَتَأْكُلُونَ التُّرَاثَ أَكْلًا لَّمًّا

and you devour other people’s rights to inheritance, devouring [them] ravenously;

Verse 20

 وَتُحِبُّونَ الْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا

and you covet wealth, coveting [it] beyond bounds.

Verse 21

 كَلَّا إِذَا دُكَّتِ الْأَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا

This is not how your situation should be. Then when the Earth is sent into convulsions, and parts of it break other parts up into fragments;

Verse 22

 وَجَاءَ رَبُّكَ وَالْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا

and your Lord comes to decide with justice among His creation; and the angels [come], row after row…

Verse 23

 وَجِيءَ يَوْمَئِذٍ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنسَانُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ الذِّكْرَىٰ

…and the blazing fire of Jahannam is brought on that tremendous day–on that day, the disbeliever will pay heed and repent, [but] how will paying heed and repenting benefit him, his having been negligent of both during his [earlier] life in the world, and the time for [that] having now elapsed?

Verse 24

 يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِي

He says: O if only I had put deeds forward during the [earlier] life of the world, of the kind that would be of benefit to me in my life in the Hereafter.

Verse 25

 فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُ أَحَدٌ

Then on that day of intense severity, no one will be able, nor have any power, to inflict punishment as Allāh inflicts [it] upon one who disobeyed Him;

Verse 26

 وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُ أَحَدٌ

no one will be able to bind in shackles as Allāh binds in shackles; no one [can] reach His level in that.

Verse 27

 يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ

O soul at rest with remembering Allāh and believing in Him and that which He has prepared of pleasures for the believers…

Verse 28

 ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً

…return to your Lord, pleased with Allāh having honored you; Allāh, exalted is He above every imperfection, has indeed become pleased with you.

Verse 29

 فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي

Then enter among the righteous slaves of Allāh…

Verse 30

 وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي

…and enter, with them, My Paradise.

Source:

Al-Tafsīr Al-Muyassar. King Fahd Qurʾān Printing Complex. Madīnah: 1434 H.