The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

a
Of the Resurrection and Judgement.
b
Literally ‘and the mountains [as its] pegs’.
c
Cf. 
38: 57.

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when the Spirit
a
and the angels stand in rows, they will not speak
except for those to whom the Lord of Mercy gives permission, who
will say only what is right. 
39That is the Day of Truth. So whoever
wishes to do so should take the path that leads to his Lord. 
40We have
warned you of imminent torment, on the Day when every person
will see what their own hands have sent ahead for them, when the
disbeliever will say, ‘If only I were dust!’
b
a
The Angel Gabriel
b
In this world, they have often said, ‘What, when we are dust, shall we be raised
again?’
The Qur
an
78: 39
406

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79. THE FORCEFUL CHARGERS
A Meccan sura, the main theme of which is the possibility and inevitability of
the Resurrection, its results, and its timing. The story of Moses and Pharaoh
acts as encouragement to the Prophet and a warning to the disbelievers.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1By the forceful chargers
a
2raring to go, 3sweeping ahead at full
stretch, 
4overtaking swiftly 5to bring the matter to an end, 6on the
Day when the blast reverberates 
7and the second blast follows,
8hearts will tremble 9and eyes will be downcast. 10They
b
say, ‘What?
shall we be brought back to life, 
11after we have turned into decayed
bones?’ and they say, 
12‘Such a return is impossible!’
c
13But all it will
take is a single blast, 
14and they will be back above ground.
15Have you [Prophet] heard the story of Moses? 16His Lord called
out to him in the sacred valley of Tuwa: 
17‘Go to Pharaoh, for he has
exceeded all bounds, 
18and ask him, “Do you want to purify yourself
[of sin]? 
19Do you want me to guide you to your Lord, so that you may
hold Him in awe?” ’ 
20Moses showed him the great sign, 21but he
denied it and refused [the faith]. 
22He turned away and hastily 23gath-
ered his people, proclaiming, 
24‘I am your supreme lord,’ 25so God
condemned him to punishment in the life to come as well as in this life:
26there truly is a lesson in this for anyone who stands in awe of God.
27Which is harder to create: you people or the sky that He built,
28raising it high and perfecting it, 29giving darkness to its night and
bringing out its morning brightness, 
30and the earth, too, He spread
out,
31bringing waters and pastures out of it, 32and setting firm
mountains [in it] 
33for you and your animals to enjoy? 34When the
a
There are various interpretations of nazi
 at. One is that they are angels coming to
take the souls at death, which is a 
fitting oath, as this is a fearful event that cannot be
avoided, just as the hour of doom cannot be avoided. Another is that they are horses
going out on a military expedition, making the hearts of the enemy tremble. In my
opinion this is the most likely (see Sura 
100). The suddenness and feeling of alarm in
this scene is a symbolic anticipation of the suddenness and shock that will accompany
the end of the world.
b
The disbelievers of Mecca.
c
Or (mockingly) ‘That would be a losing return!’.

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great overwhelming event arrives 
35on the Day that man remembers
what he has done 
36and Hell is there for all to see, 37for anyone who
has transgressed 
38and preferred the present life 39Hell will be
home;
40for anyone who feared the meeting with his Lord and
restrained himself from base desires, 
41Paradise will be home.
42They ask you [Prophet] about the Hour, 43saying, ‘When will it
arrive?’, but how can you tell [them that]? 
44Its time is known only to
your Lord; 
45you are only sent to warn those who fear it. 46On the
Day they see it, it will seem they lingered [in this life] an evening [at
most,] or its morning.