51

The Winnowing Winds

51:1

وَٱلذَّـٰرِيَٰتِ ذَرۡوٗا
By the winds scattering ˹dust˺,
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51:2

فَٱلۡحَٰمِلَٰتِ وِقۡرٗا
and ˹the clouds˺ loaded with rain,
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51:3

فَٱلۡجَٰرِيَٰتِ يُسۡرٗا
and ˹the ships˺ gliding with ease,
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51:4

فَٱلۡمُقَسِّمَٰتِ أَمۡرًا
and ˹the angels˺ administering affairs by ˹Allah’s˺ command!
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51:5

إِنَّمَا تُوعَدُونَ لَصَادِقٞ
Indeed, what you are promised is true.
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51:6

وَإِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ لَوَٰقِعٞ
And the Judgment will certainly come to pass.
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51:7

وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلۡحُبُكِ
˹And˺ by the heavens in their marvellous design!
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51:8

إِنَّكُمۡ لَفِي قَوۡلٖ مُّخۡتَلِفٖ
Surely you are ˹lost˺ in conflicting views ˹regarding the truth˺.
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51:9

يُؤۡفَكُ عَنۡهُ مَنۡ أُفِكَ
Only those ˹destined to be˺ deluded are turned away from it.
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51:10

قُتِلَ ٱلۡخَرَّـٰصُونَ
Condemned are the liars—
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51:11

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ فِي غَمۡرَةٖ سَاهُونَ
those who are ˹steeped˺ in ignorance, totally heedless.
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51:12

يَسۡـَٔلُونَ أَيَّانَ يَوۡمُ ٱلدِّينِ
They ask ˹mockingly˺, “When is this Day of Judgment?”
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51:13

يَوۡمَ هُمۡ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ يُفۡتَنُونَ
˹It is˺ the Day they will be tormented over the Fire.
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51:14

ذُوقُواْ فِتۡنَتَكُمۡ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِۦ تَسۡتَعۡجِلُونَ
˹They will be told,˺ “Taste your torment! This is what you sought to hasten.”
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51:15

إِنَّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّـٰتٖ وَعُيُونٍ
Indeed, the righteous will be amid Gardens and springs,
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51:16

ءَاخِذِينَ مَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡۚ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ قَبۡلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُحۡسِنِينَ
˹joyfully˺ receiving what their Lord will grant them. Before this ˹reward˺ they were truly good-doers ˹in the world˺:
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51:17

كَانُواْ قَلِيلٗا مِّنَ ٱلَّيۡلِ مَا يَهۡجَعُونَ
they used to sleep only little in the night,
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51:18

وَبِٱلۡأَسۡحَارِ هُمۡ يَسۡتَغۡفِرُونَ
and pray for forgiveness before dawn.
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51:19

وَفِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِهِمۡ حَقّٞ لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ
And in their wealth there was a rightful share ˹fulfilled˺ for the beggar and the poor.
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51:20

وَفِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ءَايَٰتٞ لِّلۡمُوقِنِينَ
There are ˹countless˺ signs on earth for those with sure faith,
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51:21

وَفِيٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡۚ أَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُونَ
as there are within yourselves. Can you not see?
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51:22

وَفِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزۡقُكُمۡ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ
In heaven is your sustenance and whatever you are promised.
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51:23

فَوَرَبِّ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِنَّهُۥ لَحَقّٞ مِّثۡلَ مَآ أَنَّكُمۡ تَنطِقُونَ
Then by the Lord of heaven and earth! ˹All˺ this is certainly as true as ˹the fact that˺ you can speak!
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51:24

هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ضَيۡفِ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ ٱلۡمُكۡرَمِينَ
Has the story of Abraham’s honoured guests reached you ˹O Prophet˺?
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51:25

إِذۡ دَخَلُواْ عَلَيۡهِ فَقَالُواْ سَلَٰمٗاۖ قَالَ سَلَٰمٞ قَوۡمٞ مُّنكَرُونَ
˹Remember˺ when they entered his presence and greeted ˹him with˺, “Peace!” He replied, “Peace ˹be upon you˺!” ˹Then he said to himself,˺ “˹These are˺ an unfamiliar people.”
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51:26

فَرَاغَ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِۦ فَجَآءَ بِعِجۡلٖ سَمِينٖ
Then he slipped off to his family and brought a fat ˹roasted˺ calf,
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51:27

فَقَرَّبَهُۥٓ إِلَيۡهِمۡ قَالَ أَلَا تَأۡكُلُونَ
and placed it before them, asking, “Will you not eat?”
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51:28

فَأَوۡجَسَ مِنۡهُمۡ خِيفَةٗۖ قَالُواْ لَا تَخَفۡۖ وَبَشَّرُوهُ بِغُلَٰمٍ عَلِيمٖ
˹They did not eat,˺ so he grew fearful of them. They reassured ˹him˺, “Do not be afraid,” and gave him good news of a knowledgeable son.
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51:29

فَأَقۡبَلَتِ ٱمۡرَأَتُهُۥ فِي صَرَّةٖ فَصَكَّتۡ وَجۡهَهَا وَقَالَتۡ عَجُوزٌ عَقِيمٞ
Then his wife came forward with a cry, clasping her forehead ˹in astonishment˺, exclaiming, “˹A baby from˺ a barren, old woman!”
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51:30

قَالُواْ كَذَٰلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِۖ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ
They replied, “Such has your Lord decreed. He is truly the All-Wise, All-Knowing.”
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51:31

۞قَالَ فَمَا خَطۡبُكُمۡ أَيُّهَا ٱلۡمُرۡسَلُونَ
˹Later,˺ Abraham asked, “What is your mission, O  messengers?”
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51:32

قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّآ أُرۡسِلۡنَآ إِلَىٰ قَوۡمٖ مُّجۡرِمِينَ
They replied, “We have actually been sent to a wicked people,
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51:33

لِنُرۡسِلَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حِجَارَةٗ مِّن طِينٖ
to send upon them stones of ˹baked˺ clay,
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51:34

مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ لِلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ
marked by your Lord for the transgressors.”
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51:35

فَأَخۡرَجۡنَا مَن كَانَ فِيهَا مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ
Then ˹before the torment˺ We evacuated the believers from the city.
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51:36

فَمَا وَجَدۡنَا فِيهَا غَيۡرَ بَيۡتٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ
But We only found one family that had submitted ˹to Allah˺.
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51:37

وَتَرَكۡنَا فِيهَآ ءَايَةٗ لِّلَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ ٱلۡعَذَابَ ٱلۡأَلِيمَ
And We have left a sign there ˹as a lesson˺ for those who fear the painful punishment.
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51:38

وَفِي مُوسَىٰٓ إِذۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰهُ إِلَىٰ فِرۡعَوۡنَ بِسُلۡطَٰنٖ مُّبِينٖ
And in ˹the story of˺ Moses ˹was another lesson,˺ when We sent him to Pharaoh with compelling proof,
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51:39

فَتَوَلَّىٰ بِرُكۡنِهِۦ وَقَالَ سَٰحِرٌ أَوۡ مَجۡنُونٞ
but Pharaoh was carried away by his power, saying ˹of Moses˺, “A magician or a madman!”
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51:40

فَأَخَذۡنَٰهُ وَجُنُودَهُۥ فَنَبَذۡنَٰهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡيَمِّ وَهُوَ مُلِيمٞ
So We seized him and his soldiers, casting them into the sea while he was blameworthy. 
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51:41

وَفِي عَادٍ إِذۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلرِّيحَ ٱلۡعَقِيمَ
And in ˹the story of˺ ’Âd ˹was another lesson,˺ when We sent against them the devastating wind.
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51:42

مَا تَذَرُ مِن شَيۡءٍ أَتَتۡ عَلَيۡهِ إِلَّا جَعَلَتۡهُ كَٱلرَّمِيمِ
There was nothing it came upon that it did not reduce to ashes.
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51:43

وَفِي ثَمُودَ إِذۡ قِيلَ لَهُمۡ تَمَتَّعُواْ حَتَّىٰ حِينٖ
And in ˹the story of˺ Thamûd ˹was another lesson,˺ when they were told, “Enjoy yourselves ˹only˺ for a ˹short˺ while.”
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51:44

فَعَتَوۡاْ عَنۡ أَمۡرِ رَبِّهِمۡ فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ وَهُمۡ يَنظُرُونَ
Still they persisted in defying the commands of their Lord, so they were overtaken by a ˹mighty˺ blast while they were looking on.
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51:45

فَمَا ٱسۡتَطَٰعُواْ مِن قِيَامٖ وَمَا كَانُواْ مُنتَصِرِينَ
Then they were not able to rise up, nor were they helped.
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51:46

وَقَوۡمَ نُوحٖ مِّن قَبۡلُۖ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ قَوۡمٗا فَٰسِقِينَ
And the people of Noah ˹had also been destroyed˺ earlier. They were truly a rebellious people.
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51:47

وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بَنَيۡنَٰهَا بِأَيۡيْدٖ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ
We built the universe with ˹great˺ might, and We are certainly expanding ˹it˺.
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51:48

وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فَرَشۡنَٰهَا فَنِعۡمَ ٱلۡمَٰهِدُونَ
As for the earth, We spread it out. How superbly did We smooth it out!
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51:49

وَمِن كُلِّ شَيۡءٍ خَلَقۡنَا زَوۡجَيۡنِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَذَكَّرُونَ
And We created pairs of all things so perhaps you would be mindful.
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51:50

فَفِرُّوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِۖ إِنِّي لَكُم مِّنۡهُ نَذِيرٞ مُّبِينٞ
So ˹proclaim, O  Prophet˺: “Flee to Allah! I am truly sent by Him with a clear warning to you.
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51:51

وَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا ءَاخَرَۖ إِنِّي لَكُم مِّنۡهُ نَذِيرٞ مُّبِينٞ
And do not set up another god with Allah. I am truly sent by Him with a clear warning to you.”
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51:52

كَذَٰلِكَ مَآ أَتَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِم مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا قَالُواْ سَاحِرٌ أَوۡ مَجۡنُونٌ
Similarly, no messenger came to those before them without being told: “A magician or a madman!”
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51:53

أَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِهِۦۚ بَلۡ هُمۡ قَوۡمٞ طَاغُونَ
Have they passed this ˹cliché˺ down to one another? In fact, they have ˹all˺ been a transgressing people.
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51:54

فَتَوَلَّ عَنۡهُمۡ فَمَآ أَنتَ بِمَلُومٖ
So ˹now˺ turn away from them ˹O Prophet˺, for you will not be blamed.
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51:55

وَذَكِّرۡ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ
But ˹continue to˺ remind. For certainly reminders benefit the believers.
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51:56

وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ
I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.
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51:57

مَآ أُرِيدُ مِنۡهُم مِّن رِّزۡقٖ وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَن يُطۡعِمُونِ
I seek no provision from them, nor do I need them to feed Me.
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51:58

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلرَّزَّاقُ ذُو ٱلۡقُوَّةِ ٱلۡمَتِينُ
Indeed, Allah ˹alone˺ is the Supreme Provider—Lord of all Power, Ever Mighty.
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51:59

فَإِنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ ذَنُوبٗا مِّثۡلَ ذَنُوبِ أَصۡحَٰبِهِمۡ فَلَا يَسۡتَعۡجِلُونِ
The wrongdoers will certainly have a share ˹of the torment˺ like that of their predecessors. So do not let them ask Me to hasten ˹it˺.
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51:60

فَوَيۡلٞ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن يَوۡمِهِمُ ٱلَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ
Woe then to the disbelievers when they face their Day which they are warned of!
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