In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful.
1. Blessed is He in whose hand lies the dominion, and He is over all things competent.
2. He who created life and death to test which of you is best in conduct. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.
3. He who created seven heavens in layers. You will see no discrepancy in the creation of the Merciful. Look again: do you see any flaws?
4. Look again, and yet again, and your sight will return to you dazzled and fatigued.
5. We adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and We made them projectiles to drive away the devils. We prepared for them the torment of the Blaze.
6. For those who deny their Lord, the punishment of Hell awaits—a terrible destination.
7. When they are thrown into it, they will hear it gasping as it boils over.
8. It almost bursts with rage. Every time a batch is hurled into it, its keepers will ask them, “Did no Warner come to you?”
9. They will answer, “Yes, a warner did come to us, but we denied and said, ‘God didn’t reveal anything; you are greatly mistaken.’”
10. And they will say, “If only we had listened or used reason, we wouldn’t be among the inhabitants of the Fiery Blaze.”
11. They confessed their sin. So, away with the dwellers of the Blaze.
12. For those who fear their Lord unseen, for them is forgiveness and a grand reward.
13. Whether you conceal your words or declare them, He knows the secrets of the hearts.
14. Wouldn’t He know, He who created? He is the Kind, the Expert.
15. It is He who made the earth manageable for you. So traverse its tracks and eat from His provision. To Him is the resurgence.
16. Are you certain that the One in the heavens won’t cause the earth to swallow you as it shakes?
17. Are you sure that the One in the heavens won’t send upon you a violent wind? Then you will know how My warning was.
18. Those before them also denied. So, how was My condemnation?
19. Don’t they see the birds above them, spreading and folding their wings? None holds them up except the Merciful. He is watchful over all things.
20. Who could be an army to aid you, other than the Most Merciful? The unbelievers are in nothing but delusion.
21. Who will sustain you if He withholds His provision? Yet, they persist in defiance and aversion.
22. Who is better guided: the one who walks face down, or the one who walks upright on a straight path?
23. Say, “It is He who created you and endowed you with hearing, sight, and hearts. Yet, little do you give thanks.”
24. Say, “It is He who multiplied you throughout the earth, and to Him, you will be gathered.”
25. They ask, “When will this promise be fulfilled, if you are truthful?”
26. Respond, “Its knowledge lies only with God, and I am but a clear warner.”
27. When they see it approaching, the faces of those who disbelieved will be gloomy, and it will be said, “This is what you were calling for.”
28. Say, “Consider this: whether God destroys me and those with me, or He showers us with His mercy, who can protect the unbelievers from a severe punishment?”
29. Say, “He is the Most Merciful. We have believed in Him, and upon Him, we rely. Soon, you will realize who is in glaring error.”
30. Say, “Consider this: if your water were to sink, who could supply you with fresh, flowing water?”