بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلطَّارِقِ (1)

CONSIDER the heavens and that which comes in the night!

وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلطَّارِقُ (2)

And what could make thee conceive what it is that comes in the night?

ٱلنَّجْمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ (3)

It is the star that pierces through [life's] darkness:

إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌۭ (4)

[for] no human being has ever been left unguarded.

فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ (5)

LET MAN, then, observe out of what he has been created:

خُلِقَ مِن مَّآءٍۢ دَافِقٍۢ (6)

he has been created out of a seminal fluid

يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ ٱلصُّلْبِ وَٱلتَّرَآئِبِ (7)

issuing from between the loins [of man] and the pelvic arch [of woman].

إِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَجْعِهِۦ لَقَادِرٌۭ (8)

Now, verily, He [who thus creates man in the first instance] is well able to bring him back [to life]

يَوْمَ تُبْلَى ٱلسَّرَآئِرُ (9)

on the Day when all secrets will be laid bare,

فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن قُوَّةٍۢ وَلَا نَاصِرٍۢ (10)

and [man] will have neither strength nor helper!

وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلرَّجْعِ (11)

Consider the heavens, ever-revolving,

وَٱلْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ ٱلصَّدْعِ (12)

and the earth, bursting forth with plants!

إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلٌۭ فَصْلٌۭ (13)

BEHOLD, this [divine writ] is indeed a word that between truth and falsehood,

وَمَا هُوَ بِٱلْهَزْلِ (14)

and is no idle tale.

إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًۭا (15)

Behold, they [who refuse to accept it] devise many a false argument [to disprove its truth];

وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًۭا (16)

but I shall bring all their scheming to nought.

فَمَهِّلِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًۢا (17)

Let, then, the deniers of the truth have their will: let them have their will for a little while.