The end of time
When the Sun is extinguished
This is Marmaduke Pickthall’s English translation of the 81st chapter of the Quran entitled At-Takweer. It is a description of the Day of Judgement:
1. When the sun is overthrown,
2. And when the stars fall,
3. And when the hills are moved,
4. And when the camels big with young are abandoned,
5. And when the wild beasts are herded together,
6. And when the seas rise,
7. And when souls are reunited,
8. And when the girl-child that was buried alive is asked
9. For what sin she was slain,
10. And when the pages are laid open,
11. And when the sky is torn away,
12. And when hell is lighted,
13. And when the Garden is brought nigh,
14. (Then) every soul will know what it hath made ready.
15. Oh, but I call to witness the planets,
16. The stars which rise and set,
17. And the close of night,
18. And the breath of morning
19. That this is in truth the word of an honoured messenger,
20. Mighty, established in the presence of the Lord of the Throne,
21. (One) to be obeyed, and trustworthy;
22. And your comrade is not mad.
23. Surely he beheld him on the clear horizon.
24. And he is not avid of the Unseen.
25. Nor is this the utterance of a devil worthy to be stoned.
26. Whither then go ye?
27. This is naught else than a reminder unto creation,
28. Unto whomsoever of you willeth to walk straight.
29. And ye will not, unless (it be) that Allah willeth, the Lord of Creation.
Pickthall was an Englishman living in India where he was introduced to Islam and converted. Of all the available English translations, his is perhaps the most eloquent and faithful to the original.
Of course, any translation can never capture that moving rhapsody of words that is the Quran in Arabic. This is what Pickthall himself says in the introduction to his translation published in 1930 entitled The Meaning of the Glorius Koran:
“The Quran cannot be translated. The book is here rendered almost literally and every effort has been made to choose befitting language. But the result is not the Glorious Quran, that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy. It (this translation) is only an attempt to present the meaning of the Quran and peradventure something of the charm in English. It can never take the place of the Quran in Arabic, nor is it meant to do so.”
And as if to prove Pickthall’s words, here is Sheikh Saud As-Shuraim reciting the verses of At-Takweer during prayer at the Grand Mosque of Makkah. Notice that Shuraim is so moved by what he is reciting that his voice trembles as he holds back his tears:
While in general Pickthall’s translation of this chapter is faithful to the original Arabic, his rendition of the first verse as "When the Sun is overthrown" seems to diverge from the meaning of the operative verb "kawwara". This is commonly translated as "to roll or wrap up" as one would roll up a rug to carry it way. So perhaps a more accurate translation would be: "When the Sun is wrapped up" meaning “extinguished”. But as we say in Arabic: الله أعلم - Allah knows best.
Time is priceless. It is the most precious asset you own. Once even a single second is lost not all the wealth in the world can buy it back for you. Yet sometimes even mature sensible people will respond to the question “What are you doing?” with a simple “Just killing time.” Killing time! Killing your most precious possession? This cannot be anything but extreme profligacy.
The verses of At-Takweer remind us that time is running out. And whatever time is left it is to be used with utmost care. Every second is priceless. And irretrievable.