1. Qaf. Allah knows best what the letter means. By the Glorious Qur’an! The Qur’an is noble even though the unbelievers of Makka did not believe in Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

2. Nonetheless they are amazed that a warner – a Messenger, who frightens them about the Fire after the Resurrection – should have come to them from among themselves; and those who disbelieve say, ‘What an extraordinary thing this warning is!

3. When we are dead and turned to dust...? That would be a most unlikely return!’

4. We know exactly how the earth eats them away. We possess an all-preserving Book – the Preserved Tablet which contains all decreed things.

5. But they denied the truth about the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Qur’an when it came to them. They are, therefore, in a very muddled state. Sometimes they said that he was a magician and the Qur’an magic, sometimes that he was a poet and the Qur’an poetry, and sometimes that he was a soothsayer and the Qur’an soothsaying.

6. Have they not looked at the sky above them with their eyes while reflecting with their intellects when they denied the Resurrection: how We structured it without support and made it beautiful with stars and how there are no fissures in it to mar it?

7. And the earth: how We stretched it out on the surface of the water and cast firmly embedded mountains onto it to make it firm and caused luxuriant beautiful plants of every kind to grow in it…

8. …an instruction and a reminder for every penitent human being. Allah did that so that people would see and to remind people to return to obedience to Him.

9. And We sent down blessed – meaning that great blessing results from it – water from the sky and made gardens grow by it and grain for harvesting…

10. … and soaring – very tall – date-palms with layered spathes – their spathes are joined one to another…

11. …as provision for Our slaves. By it We brought a dead land to life; that bringing to life is how the Emergence from the graves will take place. How then can you deny it? When people look at these things and reflect on them, they should be able to understand what happens on the Last Day.

12. Before them the people of Nuh also denied the truth, and the Companions of Rass and Thamud – Rass was a well around which they stayed with their flocks, worshipping idols. It is said that their Prophet was Hanzala ibn Safwan, but it is also said that it is someone else. Thamud were the people of Salih.

13. …and ‘Ad – the people of Hüd – and Pharaoh and the brothers of Lut…

14. …and the Companions of the Thicket – the people of Shu‘ayb – and the people of Tubba‘. Tubba‘ was a king in Yemen who became Muslim and called his people to Islam, but they rejected him. Each one of those mentioned denied the Messengers as Quraysh have done, and My threat proved true. “The descent of the punishment was mandatory for all of them, so do not be grieved by the fact that Quraysh reject you.”

15. Were We exhausted by the first creation? Allah was not tired by it, so He would certainly not be tired by regenerating it. Yet they are dubious about new creation on the Day of Resurrection.

16. We created man and We know what his own self whispers to him. We are nearer to him in Our knowledge than his jugular vein.

17. And – it is said that “remember” is implied here – the two recording angels, the two angels entrusted to man who register and confirm what he does, are recording, sitting on the right and on the left.

18. He does not utter a single word without a watcher being by him, pen in hand! There is a guardian angel always present.

19. The agony and throes of death come, revealing the truth of the Next World so that the one who previously denied it now sees it right before his eyes. That is the source of his agony. That is what you feared and you were trying to evade!

20. The Trumpet blown for the Resurrection will be blown. That is the Day of the Threat when the punishment the unbelievers were threatened with will take place.

21. Every self will come when they are driven to the place of gathering together with a driver – an angel who drives him to it – and a witness who testifies against him regarding his actions. That witness consists of the person’s own hands, feet and other limbs. Then the unbeliever will be told:

22. ‘In the world you were heedless of this – what is happening to you today – so We have stripped you of your covering – your heedlessness, by what you witness today – and today your sight is sharp.’ “Today your sight perceives what you used to deny in the world.”

23. His inseparable comrade – his guardian angel – will say, ‘This is what I have ready for you.’

24. Malik, the angel in charge of Hellfire will be told: ‘Hurl into Hell every obdurate unbeliever who denied the truth,

25. impeder of good – meaning here someone who refuses to pay zakat, doubt-causing aggressor – someone who does wrong and has doubts about the din –

26. …who set up another god together with Allah. Hurl him into the terrible punishment.’

27. His inseparable comrade – this time referring to Shaytan – will say, ‘Our Lord, I did not mislead him and make him overstep the limits. He was in any case far astray.’ “I merely called him and he responded to me.” He will say, “He made me overstep by calling to me.”

28. He (Allah) will say, ‘Do not argue in My presence – arguing will be of no benefit here – when I gave you advance warning in the world of the Threat – meaning of punishment in the Next World. “If you did not believe, then you must inevitably experience the punishment.”

29. My Word, once given, is not subject to change; and I do not wrong My slaves.’ “I will not punish them without them having done wrong.” Allah says, “Today there will be no injustice.” (40:17)

30. On the Day We say (read as naqulu, also yaqulu, “He says”) to Hell, ‘Are you full?’ – this question demonstrates the realisation of Allah’s promise to fill it – it will ask, ‘Are there no more to come?’ The second question is asked by Hell and it means, “I can only encompass what fills me up,” which means that it is full.

31. And the Garden will be brought up close to those who are godfearing, not far away – close to them so that they see it.

32. Then they will be told: ‘This – which is visible – is what you were promised (read as tu‘aduna, also yu‘aduna, “What they were promised”) in the first world. It is for every careful penitent:

33. …those who fear the All-Merciful in the Unseen – without having seen Him – and come with a contrite heart, obeying Him. The godfearing will be told:

34. Enter it in peace – secure from any alarming thing, or with every kind of peace. This is the Day of Timeless Eternity – the Day on which people will be admitted to everlasting life in the Garden.’

35. They will have there everything they want, and with Us there is still more for what they did, more than they asked for.

36. How many generations of unbelievers before them (Quraysh) We destroyed who had greater force than them and scoured and spread through many lands! Did they or others find any way of escape from death? They did not.

37. There is a reminder in that which has been mentioned for anyone who has a heart (intelligence) or who listens well to the admonition, having seen the evidence with an attentive heart.

38. We created the heavens and the earth, and everything between them, in six days, the first day being Sunday and the last Friday, and We were not affected by fatigue. This was revealed to refute the Jews, who said that Allah rested on the Sabbath, and to negate the idea that He could be subject to fatigue. For Allah is exalted above the attributes of creatures and there is no contiguity between Him and others. “His command when He desires a thing is simply to say to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.” (36:82)

39. This is addressed to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. So be patient in the face of what they (the Jews and others) say – in terms of anthropomorphism and denial – and glorify your Lord with praise before the rising of the sun – in the Subh prayer – and before it sets – in the Zuhr and ‘Asr prayers.

40. And glorify Him during the night – in the Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers – and after (read as adbar and idba) you have prostrated – meaning, “Pray the nafila prayers which are sunna after the obligatory prayers.” It is also said that what is meant is actual glorification at those times.

41. Listen out for the Day when the Summoner (Israfil) shall call out from a nearby place – when he is at the Rock in Jerusalem, the closest place on earth to heaven. He will say, “O decayed bones, separated joints, shredded flesh and scattered hair! Allah commands you to come together for the rendering of Judgement.”

42. The Day they (all creatures) hear the Blast in truth – the second Blast by Israfil which is for the Resurrection, or it is possible that it is before and after his call that Day of the call and hearing it: is the Day of Emergence from the graves. They will know the outcome of their denial.

43. It is We who give life and cause to die, and We are their final destination.

44. The Day the earth splits open (read as tashaqqaqu and tashshaqqaqu) all around them as they come rushing forth: that is a gathering, easy for Us to accomplish. It is easy for Allah to bring things back to life after their annihilation and to gather people for the presentation and Reckoning.

45. We know best what they (the unbelievers of Quraysh) say. You are not a dictator over them. You cannot compel them to believe. This was before the command to fight in jihad. So remind with the Qur’an whoever fears My Threat – meaning the believers.