مَا الحاقَّةُ
What is the Inevitable Reality?
وَما أَدراكَ مَا الحاقَّةُ
And what can make you know what is the Inevitable Reality?
كَذَّبَت ثَمودُ وَعادٌ بِالقارِعَةِ
Thamud and 'Aad denied the Striking Calamity.
فَأَمّا ثَمودُ فَأُهلِكوا بِالطّاغِيَةِ
So as for Thamud, they were destroyed by the overpowering [blast].
وَأَمّا عادٌ فَأُهلِكوا بِريحٍ صَرصَرٍ عاتِيَةٍ
And as for 'Aad, they were destroyed by a screaming, violent wind
سَخَّرَها عَلَيهِم سَبعَ لَيالٍ وَثَمانِيَةَ أَيّامٍ حُسومًا فَتَرَى القَومَ فيها صَرعىٰ كَأَنَّهُم أَعجازُ نَخلٍ خاوِيَةٍ
Which Allah imposed upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so you would see the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees.
فَهَل تَرىٰ لَهُم مِن باقِيَةٍ
Then do you see of them any remains?
وَجاءَ فِرعَونُ وَمَن قَبلَهُ وَالمُؤتَفِكاتُ بِالخاطِئَةِ
And there came Pharaoh and those before him and the overturned cities with sin.
فَعَصَوا رَسولَ رَبِّهِم فَأَخَذَهُم أَخذَةً رابِيَةً
And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a seizure exceeding [in severity].
إِنّا لَمّا طَغَى الماءُ حَمَلناكُم فِي الجارِيَةِ
Indeed, when the water overflowed, We carried your ancestors in the sailing ship
لِنَجعَلَها لَكُم تَذكِرَةً وَتَعِيَها أُذُنٌ واعِيَةٌ
That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it.