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اَلْفَجْرِ
Daybreak

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ۔

وَ الْفَجْرِ۔ وَ لَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ۔ وَّ الشَّفْعِ وَ الْوَتْرِ۔ وَ الَّيْلِ اِذَا يَسْرِ۔ هَلْ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ قَسَمٌ لِّذِيْ حِجْرٍ۔ؕ اَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ۔ اِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ۔ الَّتِيْ لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي الْبِلَادِ۔ وَ ثَمُوْدَ الَّذِيْنَ جَابُوا الصَّخْرَ بِالْوَادِ۔ وَ فِرْعَوْنَ ذِي الْاَوْتَادِ۔ الَّذِيْنَ طَغَوْا فِي الْبِلَادِ۔ فَاَكْثَرُوْا فِيْهَا الْفَسَادَ۔ فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ۔ اِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ۔ فَاَمَّا الْاِنْسَانُ اِذَا مَا ابْتَلٰىهُ رَبُّهُ فَاَكْرَمَهُ وَ نَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُوْلُ رَبِّيْٓ اَكْرَمَنِ۔ؕ وَ اَمَّآ اِذَا مَا ابْتَلٰىهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُوْلُ رَبِّيْٓ اَهَانَنِ۔ كَلَّا بَلْ لَّا تُكْرِمُوْنَ الْيَتِيْمَ۔ وَ لَا تَحٰٓضُّوْنَ عَلٰى طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِيْنِ۔ وَ تَاْكُلُوْنَ التُّرَاثَ اَكْلًا لَّمًّا۔ وَّ تُحِبُّوْنَ الْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا۔ؕ كَلَّآ اِذَا دُكَّتِ الْاَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا۔ وَّ جَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَ الْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا۔ وَ جِايْٓءَ يَوْمَىِٕذٍ بِجَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَىِٕذٍ يَّتَذَكَّرُ الْاِنْسَانُ وَ اَنّٰى لَهُ الذِّكْرٰى۔ؕ يَقُوْلُ يٰلَيْتَنِيْ قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِيْ۔ فَيَوْمَىِٕذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُٓ اَحَدٌ۔ وَّ لَا يُوْثِقُ وَ ثَاقَهُٓ اَحَدٌ۔ؕ يٰٓاَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَىِٕنَّةُ۔ ارْجِعِيْٓ اِلٰى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً۔ فَادْخُلِيْ فِيْ عِبٰدِيْ۔ وَ ادْخُلِيْ جَنَّتِيْ۔

In the name of God—the most compassionate, the most merciful.

By the Daybreak and ten nights and the even and the odd, and night as it journeys on, does that not contain an oath for someone who is mindful?

Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with Ad, [the people of] Iram, possessing columns whose like had never been created in the land? And Thamud who carved rock out of the valley; and Pharaoh wielding kingpins who were (all) so arrogant in the land and increased corruption there? Your Lord unleashed the scourge of torment on them.

Your Lord is ever on the lookout! Yet everyman says, whenever his Lord tests him by honoring and favoring him: “My Lord has honored me!”; while whenever He tests him by rationing His sustenance for him, he says: “My Lord has disgraced me.”

Rather you are not generous with the orphan nor do you promote feeding the needy, and greedily use up anything you inherit. You love money till it's brimming over!

Indeed when the earth has been completely flattened out and your Lord comes with the angels, row upon row, and brings up Hell on that day; on that day everyman will remember, as if remembrance even matters to him! He will say: “It's too bad for me! What did I send on ahead during my lifetime?”

On that day, no one will torment [anyone] with torment like His, and no one will hold to any agreement as he will hold to His!

O Tranquil soul, return to your Lord well pleased and pleasing [Him]! Enter among My servants, and enter My garden.

This chapter ends with a short but moving passage on “The Tranquil Soul” which finally has found rest.

Man passes through two sets of circumstances in the world—sometimes finding or receiving things and sometimes losing them. Both eventualities, meant to gauge human reactions to different conditions, are for the purpose of putting man to the test. If the individual starts to boast when he receives something and acts negatively when things are taken away from him, he has failed the test.

The other type of person is one who would bow down before God and thank Him when he received something, and when things were taken away from him, he would once again bow down before God and express his humility. It is the second type of person who has been called the contented soul or an-nafs al-mutmainnah.

The position of the contented soul is attained by one who ponders over God’s signs in the universe; who derives spiritual nourishment, learns lessons and receives guidance from historical events; who proves that if there is a clash between the self and the Truth, he will ignore the self and accept the Truth; who, after once accepting the Truth, never renounces it, whatever the cost.