The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

54. THE MOON
A Meccan sura dealing mainly with the punishment dealt out to previous
generations of disbelievers. These are presented as a warning to the disbelievers
of Mecca, with the refrain ‘Will anyone take heed?’ running throughout the
sura. Finally the treatment of the disbelievers on the Day of Judgement is
contrasted to the everlasting bliss the believers will enjoy. The title is taken from
verse 1 and is a reference to the Day of Resurrection.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
1 The Hour draws near; the moon is split in two. a
2 Whenever the disbelievers see a sign, they turn away and say,
‘Same old sorcery!’ 3 They reject the truth and follow their own
desires––everything is recorded b –– 4 although warning tales that
should have restrained them have come down to them––5 far-reaching
wisdom––but these warnings do not help: 6 so [Prophet] turn away
from them. On the Day the Summoner will summon them to a
horrific event, 7 eyes downcast, they will come out of their graves like
swarming locusts 8 rushing towards the Summoner. The disbelievers
will cry, ‘This is a stern day!’
9 The people of Noah rejected the truth before them: they rejected
Our servant, saying, ‘He is mad!’ Noah was rebuked, 10 and so he
called upon his Lord, ‘I am defeated: help me!’ 11 So We opened the
gates of the sky with torrential water, 12 burst the earth with gushing
springs: the waters met for a preordained purpose.13 We carried him
along on a vessel of planks and nails 14 that floated under Our
watchful eye, a reward for the one who had been rejected. 15 We have
left this c as a sign: will anyone take heed? 16 How [terrible] was My
punishment and [the fulfilment of] My warnings! 17 We have made it
easy to learn lessons from the Quran: will anyone take heed?
a One of the signs of the Day of Judgement. The Arabic uses the past tense, as if that
Day were already here, to help the reader/listener imagine how it will be. Some traditional
commentators hold the view that this describes an actual event at the time of the
Prophet, but it clearly refers to the end of the world: cf. the same expression with
reference to the sky, 55: 37; 84: 1.
b Literally ‘fixed’ in the divine records.
c ‘This tale’ or ‘this ship’.