The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

c
is not mad: 
23he did see him
d
on
the clear horizon. 
24He does not withhold what is revealed to him
from beyond. 
25This is not the word of an outcast devil.
26So where are you [people] going? 27This is a message for all
people;
28for those who wish to take the straight path. 29But you will
only wish to do so by the will of God, the Lord of all people.
a
Cf. 
16: 58–9. The pagan Arab habit of female infanticide.
b
Gabriel.
c
Addressed to the Meccans. The companion is the Prophet.
d
Gabriel.

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82. TORN APART
A Meccan sura dealing with man’s ingratitude and his failure to concede that
the Day of Judgement will come. Again, the sura opens with a powerful
description of events on the Day of Judgement and the title is taken from this
description.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1When the sky is torn apart, 2when the stars are scattered, 3when the
seas burst forth, 
4when graves turn inside out: 5each soul will know
what it has done and what it has left undone. 
6Mankind, what has
lured you away from God, 
7your generous Lord, who created you,
shaped you, proportioned you, 
8in whatever form He chose? 9Yet
you still take the Judgement to be a lie! 
10Over you stand 11watchers,
noble recorders 
12who know what you do: 13the good will live in bliss,
14and the wicked will burn in the Fire. 15They will enter it on the
Day of Judgement 
16and they will find no escape. 17What will explain
to you what the Day of Judgement is? 
18Yes! What will explain to you
what the Day of Judgement is? 
19The Day when no soul will be able
to do anything for another; on that Day, command will belong to
God.
a
a
Or ‘everything is up to God’.
(
412)

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83. THOSE WHO GIVE SHORT MEASURE
A Meccan sura. The practice of cheating appears to have been prevalent
in Mecca, and is strongly condemned here and elsewhere in the Qur
an (e.g.
11: 84–8; 7: 85). In the sura the fate of the cheats and disbelievers is
contrasted with the delight in store for the good.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1Woe to those who give short measure, 2who demand of other people
full measure for themselves, 
3but give less than they should when it
is they who weigh or measure for others! 
4Do these people not
realize that they will be raised up 
5on a mighty Day, 6a Day when
everyone will stand before the Lord of the Worlds? 
7No indeed! The
list of the wicked is in Sijjin
a
––
8what will explain to you what Sijjin
is? ––
9a clearly numbered list. 10Woe on that day to the deniers,
11those who deny the Day of Judgement! 12Only the evil aggressor
denies it: 
13when Our revelations are recited to him, he says,
‘Ancient fables!’ 
14No indeed! Their hearts are encrusted with what
they have done. 
15No indeed! On that Day they will be screened off
from their Lord, 
16they will burn in Hell, 17and they will be told,
‘This is what you called a lie.’
18No indeed! The list of the truly good is in  Illiyyin
b
––
19what
will explain to you what 
 Illiyyin is?––20a clearly written list, 21wit-
nessed by those brought near.
c
22The truly good will live in bliss,
23seated on couches, gazing around. 24You will recognize on their
faces the radiance of bliss. 
25They will be served a sealed nectar, 26its
seal [perfumed with] a fragrant herb