The Holy Quran translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Surah 89 The Dawn - Al-Fajr, 30 verses (Makka)

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

  1. By the break of Day
  2. By the Nights twice five;
  3. By the even and odd (contrasted);
  4. And by the Night when it passeth away;-
  5. Is there (not) in these an adjuration (or evidence) for those who understand?
  6. Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the 'Ad (people),-
  7. Of the (city of) Iram, with lofty pillars,
  8. The like of which were not produced in (all) the land?
  9. And with the Thamud (people), who cut out (huge) rocks in the valley?-
  10. And with Pharaoh, lord of stakes?
  11. (All) these transgressed beyond bounds in the lands,
  12. And heaped therein mischief (on mischief).
  13. Therefore did thy Lord pour on them a scourge of diverse chastisements:
  14. For thy Lord is (as a Guardian) on a watch-tower.
  15. Now, as for man, when his Lord trieth him, giving him honour and gifts, then saith he, (puffed up), "My Lord hath honoured me."
  16. But when He trieth him, restricting his subsistence for him, then saith he (in despair), "My Lord hath humiliated me!"
  17. Nay, nay! but ye honour not the orphans!
  18. Nor do ye encourage one another to feed the poor!-
  19. And ye devour inheritance - all with greed,
  20. And ye love wealth with inordinate love!
  21. Nay! When the earth is pounded to powder,
  22. And thy Lord cometh, and His angels, rank upon rank,
  23. And Hell, that Day, is brought (face to face),- on that Day will man remember, but how will that remembrance profit him?
  24. He will say: "Ah! Would that I had sent forth (good deeds) for (this) my (Future) Life!"
  25. For, that Day, His Chastisement will be such as none (else) can inflict,
  26. And His bonds will be such as none (other) can bind.
  27. (To the righteous soul will be said:) "O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction!
  28. "Come back thou to thy Lord,- well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him!
  29. "Enter thou, then, among My devotees!
  30. "Yea, enter thou My Heaven!

Quran
Surah 88 The Overwhelming
Surah 89 The Dawn
Surah 90 The City

Chapter 89 of the Quran:

 

(89:1) In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

(89:2) By the Dawn,

(89:3) And the Ten Nights,

(89:4) And the Even and the Odd,

(89:5) And the Night when it moves on to its end,

(89:6) Is there not in it a strong evidence for a man of understanding?

(89:7) Hast thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with ‘Ad* —

(89:8) The tribe of Iram, possessors of lofty buildings,

(89:9) The like of whom have not been created in these parts —

(89:10) And with Thamud who hewed out rocks in the valley,

(89:11) And with Pharaoh, lord of vast camps?

(89:12) Who transgressed in the cities,

(89:13) And wrought much corruption therein.

(89:14) Thy Lord then let fall on them the whip of punishment.

(89:15) Surely thy Lord is ever on the watch

(89:16) As for man, when his Lord tries him and honours him and bestows favours on him, he says, ‘My Lord has honoured me.’

(89:17) But when He tries him and straitens for him his means of subsistence, he says, ‘My Lord has disgraced me.’

(89:18) Nay, but you honour not the orphan,

(89:19) And you urge not one another to feed the poor,

(89:20) And you devour the heritage of other people wholly,

(89:21) And you love wealth with exceeding love.

(89:22) Nay, when the earth is completely broken into pieces and made level;

(89:23) And thy Lord comes and also the angels ranged in rows after rows;

(89:24) And Hell is brought near that day; on that day man will remember, but of what avail shall be his remembrance?

(89:25) He will say, ‘O would that I had sent on some good works for my life here

(89:26) So on that day none can punish like unto His punishment,

(89:27) And none can bind like unto His binding;

(89:28) And thou, O soul at peace!

(89:29) Return to thy Lord well pleased with Him and He well pleased with thee.

(89:30) So enter thou among My chosen servants,

(89:31) And enter thou My Garden.

 

 

 

*'Ad refers to a tribe of people who existed during the time of the revelation of the Quran. They were a relatively wealthy nation.

 


 

A short commentary:

 

The "Dawn" referred to above is probably in reference to the Hijra, or emmigration of the Prophet Muhammad from his hometown of Mecca to Medina. This emmigration was essentially a turning point in the history of Islam. The Muslims went from a small, raggedy group of mostly powerless people to rulers of Arabia, and eventually a great deal of the rest of the world. This is what "the Night when it moves on its end" refers to: the end of the hardships of the Muslims. God is speaking to the Muslims in this chapter, telling them to avoid the mistakes of past civilizations that were corrupted by their strength and wealth.

The last part of the chapter is about a state of being the Muslims refer to as "Nafs e Mutmainna", or a state of contentment. Essentially, "Nafs" refers to ones soul or being, and "Mutmainna" refers to a state of complete contentment, where the person "becomes one" with God. Deja Vu, perhaps? The idea of a "state of contentment" is really intriguing to me, and is actually the reason I bothered reading this chapter at all. More to come on this topic.

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