Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’ān with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation (2005)
20 [Imposed] upon them will be a closed Fire.
91. Sūrat al-Shams 1
the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.
1 By the sun and her forenoon splendour,
2 by the moon when he follows her,
3 by the day when it reveals her,
4 by the night when it covers her,
5 by the sky and Him who built it,
6 by the earth and Him who spread it,
7 by the soul and Him who fashioned it,
8 and inspired it with
[discernment between] its virtues and vices:
9 one who purifies it is felicitous,
10 and one who betrays it fails.
11 The [people of] Thamūd denied [Allah’s signs]
out of their rebellion,
12 when the most wretched of them rose up.
13 But then the apostle of Allah said to them,
‘Let Allah’s she-camel drink!’
14 But they impugned him and then hamstrung her,
so their Lord took them unawares by night 2
because of their sin,
and levelled it.3
1 The sūrah is named after ‘the sun’ (al-shams), mentioned in verse 1.
2 Or ‘destroyed them,’ or ‘crushed them,’ or ‘brought down His punishment (or wrath) upon them.’
3 That is, razed their city to the ground.
