Ash-Shams
Translation by
Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
Ash-Shams
وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا ﴿1﴾
By the sun and its brightness,
وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَاهَا ﴿2﴾
and the moon as it follows it,1
وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّاهَا ﴿3﴾
and the day as it unveils it,
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَاهَا ﴿4﴾
and the night as it conceals it!
وَالسَّمَاءِ وَمَا بَنَاهَا ﴿5﴾
And by heaven and ˹the One˺ Who built it,
وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَاهَا ﴿6﴾
and the earth and ˹the One˺ Who spread it!
وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا ﴿7﴾
And by the soul and ˹the One˺ Who fashioned it,
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا ﴿8﴾
then with ˹the knowledge of˺ right and wrong inspired it!
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا ﴿9﴾
Successful indeed is the one who purifies their soul,
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسَّاهَا ﴿10﴾
and doomed is the one who corrupts it!
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَاهَا ﴿11﴾
Thamûd rejected ˹the truth˺ out of arrogance,
إِذِ انْبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا ﴿12﴾
when the most wicked of them was roused ˹to kill the she-camel˺.
فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا ﴿13﴾
But the messenger of Allah warned them, “˹Do not disturb˺ Allah’s camel and her ˹turn to˺ drink!”
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا ﴿14﴾
Still they defied him and slaughtered her. So their Lord crushed them for their crime, levelling all to the ground.1
وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا ﴿15﴾
He has no fear of consequences.