AL QIYAMAH (The Resurrection)
In the Name of God,1 the Gracious, the Merciful 2
1 I call to witness the resurrection day;
2 And I call to witness the self reproaching spirit.
3 Does man think that we cannot assemble his bones?
4 No, we are able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his fingers.
5 But man wishes to do wrong in the time in front of him.
6 He questions: When is the day of resurrection?
7 At length, when the sight is dazed,
8 And the moon is buried in darkness.
9 And the sun and moon are joined together,
10 That day will man say: Where is the refuge?
11 By no means! No place of safety!
12 Before your Lord that day will be the place of rest.
13 That day will man be told what he put forward, and all that he put back.
14 No, man will be evidence against himself,
15 Even though he were to put up his excuses.
16 Move not your tongue concerning it to make haste therewith.
17 It is for us to collect it and to promulgate it:
18 But when we have promulgated it, follow its recital:
19 No, more, it is for us to explain it:
20 But you love the fleeting life,
21 And leave alone the hereafter.
22 Some faces, that day, will beam;
23 Looking towards their Lord;
24 And some faces, that day, will be sad and dismal,
25 In the thought that some back breaking calamity was about to be inflicted on them;
26 Yes, when it reaches to the collar bone,
27 And there will be a cry, Who is a magician?
28 And he will conclude that it was the time of parting;
29 And one leg will be joined with another:
30 That day the drive will be to your Lord!
31 So he gave nothing in charity, nor did he pray!
32 But on the contrary, he rejected truth and turned away!
33 Then did he stalk to his family in full conceit!
34 Woe to you, yes, woe!
35 Again, woe to you, yes, woe!
36 Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled?
37 Was he not a drop of sperm emitted?
38 Then did he become a leech like clot; then did he make and fashion him in due proportion.
39 And of him he made two sexes, male and female.
40 Has not he the power to give life to the dead?3
- God, in Arabic allah, referring to the one true God, as opposed to an idol or “god.” It is the Arabic equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew), alaha (Syriac), and theos (Greek), all of which accurately translate into English as “God.” This translation choice is consistent with respected English Quran translations including those of A. Yusuf Ali (original edition), S.H. Nasr (Study Quran), T.B. Irving, and T. Itani (Clear Quran). ↩︎
- the Gracious, the Merciful, the highlighting of God’s grace and mercy predates the Quran, coming down from the many hundreds of references in the Taurat, Zabur, and Injil. A few samples follow:
Taurat, Exodus 34:6 — …YAHWEH, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
Zabur 145:8 — YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
Taurat, Joel 2:13 — Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to YAHWEH your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.
Taurat, Yunus 4:2 — …I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.”
Injil, 1 Timothy 1:2 — …Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and AL-MASIH ‘ISA our Lord.
Injil, Hebrews 4:16 — Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. ↩︎ - 75:40 For more info on Qiyamah, the day of resurrection, see the course “Qiyamah: The Day That Death Will Die.” ↩︎