Surah 74: The Hidden Secret (Al-Muddaththir)

يٰأَيُّهَا المُدَّثِّرُ

O you hidden secret.*

*74:1 God's infinite wisdom willed to reveal the Quran through Muhammad, while the Quran's awesome 19-based mathematical miracle was revealed through God's Messenger of the Covenant 1406 lunar years after revelation of the Quran (1406=19x74 & 1974 AD was the Solar Year of discovery). In retrospect, we realize that the whole sura refers to the Quran's 19-based miracle (Appendices 1 & 2).

قُم فَأَنذِر

Come out and warn.

وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّر

Extol your Lord.

وَثِيابَكَ فَطَهِّر

Purify your garment.*

*74:4 Quran is the garment containing the secret code. This refers to removing 9:128-129.

وَالرُّجزَ فَاهجُر

Forsake what is wrong.

وَلا تَمنُن تَستَكثِرُ

Be content with your lot.

وَلِرَبِّكَ فَاصبِر

Steadfastly commemorate your Lord.

فَإِذا نُقِرَ فِى النّاقورِ

Then, when the horn is blown.

فَذٰلِكَ يَومَئِذٍ يَومٌ عَسيرٌ

That will be a difficult day.

عَلَى الكٰفِرينَ غَيرُ يَسيرٍ

For the disbelievers, not easy.

ذَرنى وَمَن خَلَقتُ وَحيدًا

Let Me deal with one I created as an individual.

وَجَعَلتُ لَهُ مالًا مَمدودًا

I provided him with lots of money.

وَبَنينَ شُهودًا

And children to behold.

وَمَهَّدتُ لَهُ تَمهيدًا

I made everything easy for him.

ثُمَّ يَطمَعُ أَن أَزيدَ

Yet, he is greedy for more.

كَلّا إِنَّهُ كانَ لِـٔايٰتِنا عَنيدًا

He stubbornly refused to accept these proofs.

سَأُرهِقُهُ صَعودًا

I will increasingly punish him.

إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ

For he reflected, then decided.

فَقُتِلَ كَيفَ قَدَّرَ

Miserable is what he decided.

ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيفَ قَدَّرَ

Miserable indeed is what he decided.

ثُمَّ نَظَرَ

He looked.

ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ

He frowned and whined.

ثُمَّ أَدبَرَ وَاستَكبَرَ

Then he turned away arrogantly.

فَقالَ إِن هٰذا إِلّا سِحرٌ يُؤثَرُ

He said, "This is but clever magic!

إِن هٰذا إِلّا قَولُ البَشَرِ

"This is human made."

سَأُصليهِ سَقَرَ

I will commit him to retribution.

وَما أَدرىٰكَ ما سَقَرُ

What retribution!

لا تُبقى وَلا تَذَرُ

Thorough and comprehensive.

لَوّاحَةٌ لِلبَشَرِ

Obvious to all the people.

عَلَيها تِسعَةَ عَشَرَ

Over it is nineteen.*

*74:30-35 This ``One of the great miracles'' provides the first physical evidence that the Quran is God's message to the world. This 19-based miracle is detailed in Appendix 1.

وَما جَعَلنا أَصحٰبَ النّارِ إِلّا مَلٰئِكَةً وَما جَعَلنا عِدَّتَهُم إِلّا فِتنَةً لِلَّذينَ كَفَروا لِيَستَيقِنَ الَّذينَ أوتُوا الكِتٰبَ وَيَزدادَ الَّذينَ ءامَنوا إيمٰنًا وَلا يَرتابَ الَّذينَ أوتُوا الكِتٰبَ وَالمُؤمِنونَ وَلِيَقولَ الَّذينَ فى قُلوبِهِم مَرَضٌ وَالكٰفِرونَ ماذا أَرادَ اللَّهُ بِهٰذا مَثَلًا كَذٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَن يَشاءُ وَيَهدى مَن يَشاءُ وَما يَعلَمُ جُنودَ رَبِّكَ إِلّا هُوَ وَما هِىَ إِلّا ذِكرىٰ لِلبَشَرِ

We appointed angels to be guardians of Hell, and we assigned their number (19) (1) to disturb the disbelievers, (2) to convince the Christians and Jews (that this is a divine scripture), (3) to strengthen the faith of the faithful, (4) to remove all traces of doubt from the hearts of Christians, Jews, as well as the believers, and (5) to expose those who harbor doubt in their hearts, and the disbelievers; they will say, "What did God mean by this allegory?" God thus sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills. None knows the soldiers of your Lord except He. This is a reminder for the people.

كَلّا وَالقَمَرِ

Absolutely, (I swear) by the moon.

وَالَّيلِ إِذ أَدبَرَ

And the night as it passes.

وَالصُّبحِ إِذا أَسفَرَ

And the morning as it shines.

إِنَّها لَإِحدَى الكُبَرِ

This is one of the great miracles.*

نَذيرًا لِلبَشَرِ

A warning to the human race.

لِمَن شاءَ مِنكُم أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَو يَتَأَخَّرَ

For those among you who wish to advance, or regress.

كُلُّ نَفسٍ بِما كَسَبَت رَهينَةٌ

Every soul is trapped by its sins.

إِلّا أَصحٰبَ اليَمينِ

Except for those on the right.

فى جَنّٰتٍ يَتَساءَلونَ

While in Paradise, they will ask.

عَنِ المُجرِمينَ

About the guilty.

ما سَلَكَكُم فى سَقَرَ

"What brought you to this retribution?"

قالوا لَم نَكُ مِنَ المُصَلّينَ

They will say, "We did not observe the contact prayers (Salat).

وَلَم نَكُ نُطعِمُ المِسكينَ

"We did not feed the poor.

وَكُنّا نَخوضُ مَعَ الخائِضينَ

"We blundered with the blunderers.

وَكُنّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَومِ الدّينِ

"We disbelieved in the Day of Judgment.

حَتّىٰ أَتىٰنَا اليَقينُ

"Until certainty came to us now.

فَما تَنفَعُهُم شَفٰعَةُ الشّٰفِعينَ

The intercession of the intercessors will never help them.

فَما لَهُم عَنِ التَّذكِرَةِ مُعرِضينَ

Why are they so averse to this reminder?

كَأَنَّهُم حُمُرٌ مُستَنفِرَةٌ

Running like zebras.

فَرَّت مِن قَسوَرَةٍ

Who are fleeing from the lion!

بَل يُريدُ كُلُّ امرِئٍ مِنهُم أَن يُؤتىٰ صُحُفًا مُنَشَّرَةً

Does each one of them want to receive the scripture personally?

كَلّا بَل لا يَخافونَ الـٔاخِرَةَ

Indeed, they do not fear the Hereafter.

كَلّا إِنَّهُ تَذكِرَةٌ

Indeed, this is a reminder.

فَمَن شاءَ ذَكَرَهُ

For those who wish to take heed.

وَما يَذكُرونَ إِلّا أَن يَشاءَ اللَّهُ هُوَ أَهلُ التَّقوىٰ وَأَهلُ المَغفِرَةِ

They cannot take heed against God's will. He is the source of righteousness; He is the source of forgiveness.