بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Transcription
Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi
Edip-Layth
In the name of God, the Gracious, the Compassionate.
The Monotheist Group
In the name of God, the Almighty, the Merciful.
Muhammad Asad
In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace:
Rashad Khalifa
In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. ,
Shabbir Ahmed
All praise is due to God, the Lord/Cherisher/Sustainer of the Universe and everything therein.
Çeviriyazı
Bismillâhir rahmânir rahîm.
Edip Yüksel
Rahman, Rahim Allah'ın ismiyle
Yaşar Nuri Öztürk
Rahman ve Rahim Allah'ın adıyla...
Muhammed Esed
RAHMÂN, RAHÎM ALLAH ADINA
Ali Bulaç
Rahman ve Rahim olan Allah'ın adıyla

78:1 عم يتساءلون

78:1 Am ytsaalwn
Transcription (English)
78:1 AAamma yatasaaloona
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:1 What are they inquiring about?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:1 What are they inquiring about?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:1 ABOUT WHAT do they [most often] ask one another?
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:1 What are they questioning?,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:1 What are they asking about?1

Note 1


This is the 78th Surah of the Qur’an. It has 40 verses. An-Naba means The News. The News given here is that of a Divine Revolution in this world and on the Resurrection Day. The timing of each has been well-appointed but known to God alone.



With the Glorious Name of God, the Instant and Sustaining Source of all Mercy and Kindness



78:2 عن النبا العظيم

78:2 An alnba alAZym
Transcription (English)
78:2 AAani alnnaba-i alAAatheemi
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:2 About the grand news.1

Note 1

The revelation of the Quran created a big controversy when it was first revealed to Muhammed. The discovery of its secret too might be considered another controversial big event. See 38:67

The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:2 About the significant news.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:2 About the awesome tiding [of resurrection],
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:2 The great event.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:2 About the Great News!

78:3 الذى هم فيه مختلفون

Transcription (English)
78:3 Allathee hum feehi mukhtalifoona
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:3 The one which they are in disagreement about.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:3 The one which they are in disagreement about.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:3 on which they [so utterly] disagree.1

Note 1
The question which preoccupies man above all others - the question as to whether there is life after death - has been variously answered throughout the ages. It is, of course, impossible to describe the innumerable variations of those answers; nevertheless, a few main lines of thought are clearly discernible, and their mention may be useful for a better understanding of the Qur'anic treatment of this problem. Some people - probably a minority - seem to be convinced that bodily death amounts to total and irreversible extinction, and that, therefore, all talk about a hereafter but an outcome of wishful thinking. Others are of the opinion that after individual death the human "life-essence" returns to the supposed source of its origin - conceived as the "universal soul" - and merges with it entirely. Some believe in a successive transmigration of the individual soul, at the moment of death, into another body, human or animal, but without a continuation of individual consciousness. Others, again, think that only the soul, and not the entire human "personality", continues to live after death - that is, in a purely spiritual, disembodied form. And, lastly, some believe in an undiminished survival of the individual personality and consciousness, and regard death and resurrection as the twin stages of a positive act of re-creation of the entire human personality, in whatever form this may necessarily involve: and this is the Qur'anic view of the life to come.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:3 That is disputed by them.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:3 On which they disagree.

78:4 كلا سيعلمون

78:4 kla syAlmwn
Transcription (English)
78:4 Kalla sayaAAlamoona
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:4 No, they will come to know.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:4 No, they will come to know.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:4 Nay, but in time they will come to understand [it]!
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:4 Indeed, they will find out.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:4 Nay, they will soon come to know.

78:5 ثم كلا سيعلمون

78:5 śm kla syAlmwn
Transcription (English)
78:5 Thumma kalla sayaAAlamoona
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:5 No, then again, they will come to know.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:5 No, then again, they will come to know.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:5 And once again:2 Nay, but in time they will come to understand!

Note 2
For this rendering of the particle thumma, see surah 6, note 31.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:5 Most assuredly, they will find out.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:5 Nay, again, they will soon come to know.2

Note 2
Man will learn with time that the current Universe is not Eternal and that after the Apocalypse a new Cosmos will be brought into being

78:6 الم نجعل الارض مهدا

Transcription (English)
78:6 Alam najAAali al-arda mihadan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:6 Did We not make the earth a resting ground?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:6 Did We not make the earth a resting ground?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:6 HAVE WE NOT made the earth a resting-place [for you],
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:6 Did we not make the earth habitable?,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:6 Did We not make the earth a cradle?

78:7 والجبال اوتادا

Transcription (English)
78:7 Waaljibala awtadan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:7 The mountains as pegs?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:7 And the mountains as pegs?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:7 and the mountains [its] pegs?3

Note 3
See 16:15 - "He has placed firm mountains on earth, lest it sway with you" - and the corresponding note 11, which explains the reference to mountains as "pegs". - The whole of this passage (verses 6-16) is meant to illustrate God's almightiness and creativeness, as if to say, "Is not He who has created the universe equally able to resurrect and re-create man in whatever form He deems necessary?"
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:7 And the mountains stabilizers?,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:7 And the mountains as pegs?

78:8 وخلقنكم ازوجا

Transcription (English)
78:8 Wakhalaqnakum azwajan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:8 We created you in pairs?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:8 And We created you in pairs?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:8 And We have created you in pairs;4

Note 4
I.e., "with the same creative power We have created the miraculous polarity of the two sexes in you and in other animated beings". The phenomenon of polarity, evident throughout the universe (see 36:36 and the corresponding note 18), is further illustrated in verses 9-11.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:8 We created you as mates,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:8 Have We not created you in pairs?

78:9 وجعلنا نومكم سباتا

Transcription (English)
78:9 WajaAAalna nawmakum subatan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:9 We made your sleep for resting?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:9 And We made your sleep for resting?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:9 and We have made your sleep [a symbol of] death5

Note 5
Thus Zamakhshari, stressing the primary significance of subat as "cutting-off" (qat), i.e., "death"; also the famous second-century philologist Abu Ubaydah Ma'mar ibn al-Muthanna, who (as quoted by Razi) explains the above Qur'anic phrase as an "analogue (shibh) of death".
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
(for one another).78:9 We created sleeping so you can rest.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:9 And made your sleep for rest?

78:10 وجعلنا اليل لباسا

78:10 wjAlna alyl lbasa
Transcription (English)
78:10 WajaAAalna allayla libasan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:10 We made the night as a covering?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:10 And We made the night as a covering?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:10 and made the night [its] cloak
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:10 We made the night a cover.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:10 And made the night as a cloak?

78:11 وجعلنا النهار معاشا

Transcription (English)
78:11 WajaAAalna alnnaharamaAAashan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:11 We made the day to work in?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:11 And We made the day to work in?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:11 and made the day [a symbol of] life.6

Note 6
According to Zamakhshari, the term ma'ash ("that whereby one lives") is here synonymous with "life". In the polarity of sleep (or "death") and wakefulness (or "life") we see the allusion to bodily death and subsequent resurrection already touched upon in 6:60.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:11 And the day to seek provisions.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:11 And made the day for seeking livelihood?3

Note 3
Ma’aash = Economy = Subsistence = All activities of life = The state of living

78:12 وبنينا فوقكم سبعا شدادا

Transcription (English)
78:12 Wabanayna fawqakum sabAAan shidadan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:12 We constructed above you seven mighty ones?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:12 And We constructed above you seven mighty ones?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:12 And We have built above you seven firmaments,7

Note 7
Lit., "seven firm ones", indicating the multiplicity of cosmic systems (see surah 2, note 20).
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:12 We built above you seven universes.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:12 And (have We not) built above you seven Cosmic Systems?

78:13 وجعلنا سراجا وهاجا

Transcription (English)
78:13 WajaAAalna sirajan wahhajan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:13 We made a flaming light?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:13 And We made a blazing lamp?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:13 and have placed [therein the sun,] a lamp full of blazing splendour.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:13 We created a bright lamp.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:13 And placed therein a dazzling lamp?

78:14 وانزلنا من المعصرت ماء ثجاجا

Transcription (English)
78:14 Waanzalna mina almuAAsiratimaan thajjajan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:14 We sent down abundant water from the rain clouds.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:14 And We sent down from the clouds abundant water,
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:14 And from the wind-driven clouds We send down waters pouring in abundance,
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:14 We send down from the clouds pouring water.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:14 And do We not send down from the rain clouds abundant water?

78:15 لنخرج به حبا ونباتا

78:15 lnKrj bh Hba wnbata
Transcription (English)
78:15 Linukhrija bihi habban wanabatan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:15 To bring out with it seeds and plants.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:15 To bring out with it seeds and plants,
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:15 so that We might bring forth thereby grain, and herbs,
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:15 To produce with it grains and plants.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:15 Thereby to bring forth grain and plant?

78:16 وجنت الفافا

78:16 wjnat alfafa
Transcription (English)
78:16 Wajannatin alfafan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:16 Gardens of thick growth?
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:16 And gardens of thick growth?
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:16 and gardens dense with follage.8

Note 8
Implying that the overwhelming evidence of purpose and plan in all observable nature points to the existence of a conscious Creator who has "not created [anything of] this without meaning and purpose" (3:191), and who - as is stressed in the sequence - will one day pronounce His judgment on every human being's willingness or unwillingness to live up to the standards of morality made clear to him through inborn instinct as well as through divine revelation.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:16 And various orchards.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:16 And gardens of dense foliage?

78:17 ان يوم الفصل كان ميقتا

Transcription (English)
78:17 Inna yawma alfasli kana meeqatan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:17 The day of Separation is an appointed time.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:17 The Day of Separation is an appointed time.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:17 VERILY, the Day of Distinction [between the true and the false]9 has indeed its appointed time:

Note 9
See note 6 on 78:11. This passage connects with verses 4-5.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:17 The Day of Decision is appointed.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:17 Certainly, the Day of Decision is a thing appointed.

78:18 يوم ينفخ فى الصور فتاتون افواجا

Transcription (English)
78:18 Yawma yunfakhu fee alssoorifata/toona afwajan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:18 The day when the horn is blown and you come in crowds.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:18 The Day when the horn is blown and you come in crowds.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:18 the Day when the trumpet [of resurrection] is sounded and you all come forward in multitudes;
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:18 The day the horn is blown, and you come in throngs.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:18 A Day when the Trumpet is blown and you come in throngs.

78:19 وفتحت السماء فكانت ابوبا

Transcription (English)
78:19 Wafutihati alssamao fakanatabwaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:19 The heaven is opened, so it becomes gates.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:19 And the heaven is opened, so it becomes gates.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:19 and when the skies are opened and become [as wide-flung] gates;10

Note 10
Allegorically, "its mysteries will be opened to man's understanding" - thus further amplifying the concept of "the Day of Distinction between the true and the false".
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:19 The heaven will be opened like gates.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:19 When the gates of the sky are flung open.4

Note 4
Mankind learn about the high space

78:20 وسيرت الجبال فكانت سرابا

Transcription (English)
78:20 Wasuyyirati aljibalu fakanatsaraban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:20 The mountains will be moved as if they were a mirage.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:20 And the mountains will be moved as if they were a mirage.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:20 and when the mountains are made to vanish as if they had been a mirage.11

Note 11
See note 90 on 20:105, as well as note 63 on 14:48.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:20 The mountains will be removed, as if they were a mirage.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:20 And the ‘great ones’ lose power as if they were mirage. [20:105, 56:5, 77:10, 81:3]

78:21 ان جهنم كانت مرصادا

78:21 an jhnm kant mrSada
Transcription (English)
78:21 Inna jahannama kanat mirsadan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:21 For hell is in wait.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:21 For Hell is in wait.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:21 [On that Day,] verily, hell will lie in wait [for those who deny the truth] –
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:21 Gehenna is inevitable.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:21 Hell lurks in ambush.

78:22 للطغين مابا

78:22 llTağyn maba
Transcription (English)
78:22 Lilttagheena maaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:22 For the transgressors it is a dwelling place.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:22 For the transgressors it is a dwelling.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:22 a goal for all who are wont to transgress the bounds of what is right!
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:22 For the transgressors; it will be their abode.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:22 A home for the transgressors.

78:23 لبثين فيها احقابا

Transcription (English)
78:23 Labitheena feeha ahqaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:23 They will abide in it for eons.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:23 They will be in it for eons.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:23 In it shall they remain for a long time.12

Note 12
I.e., not forever, since the term huqb or hiqbah (of which ahqab is the plural) denotes no more than "a period of time" or "a long time" (Jawhari) - according to some authorities, "eighty years", according to others, "a year" or simply "years" (Asas, Qamus, Lisan al-Arab, etc.). But however one defines this term, it is obvious that it signifies a limited period of time, and not eternity: and this is in tune with many indications in the Qur'an to the effect that the suffering described as "hell" is not eternal (see note 114 on the last paragraph of 6:128), as well as with several authentic sayings of the Prophet (e.g., the one quoted in note 10 on 40:12).
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:23 They stay in it for ages.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:23 They will abide in it for ages.5

Note 5
Hell is not forever. God’s grace comes to rescue the dwellers of the Hellfire. 6:128, 7:156, 11:107, 40:12. The abode of Paradise is Eternal

78:24 لا يذوقون فيها بردا ولا شرابا

Transcription (English)
78:24 La yathooqoona feehabardan wala sharaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:24 They will not taste anything cold in it nor drink.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:24 They will not taste any coolness in it nor drink.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:24 Neither coolness shall they taste therein nor any [thirst-quenching] drink –
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:24 They never taste in it coolness, nor a drink.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:24 Therein they taste not coolness of comfort nor drink of satisfaction.

78:25 الا حميما وغساقا

78:25 ala Hmyma wğsaqa
Transcription (English)
78:25 Illa hameeman waghassaqan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:25 Except for boiling water and filthy discharge.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:25 Except that which is boiling and dark.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:25 only burning despair and ice-cold darkness:13

Note 13
For my rendering of hamim as "burning despair", see surah 6, note 62. The meaning of ghassaq is explained in note 47 on 38:57.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:25 Only an inferno, and bitter food.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:25 Only burning anguish and ice-cold darkness. [38:37]

78:26 جزاء وفاقا

78:26 jzaa wfaqa
Transcription (English)
78:26 Jazaan wifaqan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:26 An exact recompense.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:26 An exact recompense.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:26 a meet requital [for their sins]!
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:26 A just requital.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:26 A befitting requital.

78:27 انهم كانوا لا يرجون حسابا

Transcription (English)
78:27 Innahum kanoo la yarjoona hisaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
The Surprise78:27 They did not expect a reckoning/computation.2

Note 2

Maybe the word hesab has another implication besides the reckoning or computation of one's work on the Day of Judgment?

The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:27 They did not expect the reckoning.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:27 Behold, they were not expecting to be called to account,
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:27 They never expected to be held accountable.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:27 They never expected to be held accountable.

78:28 وكذبوا بايتنا كذابا

Transcription (English)
78:28 Wakaththaboo bi-ayatinakiththaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:28 They denied Our signs greatly.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:28 And they denied Our revelations greatly.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:28 having given the lie to Our messages one and all:
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:28 And utterly rejected our signs.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:28 And they called Our messages false with an adamant denial.

78:29 وكل شىء احصينه كتبا

Transcription (English)
78:29 Wakulla shay-in ahsaynahu kitaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:29 Everything We have counted in a record.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:29 And everything We have counted in a record.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:29 but We have placed on record every single thing [of what they did].
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:29 We counted everything in a record.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:29 But We place on Record everything.

78:30 فذوقوا فلن نزيدكم الا عذابا

Transcription (English)
78:30 Fathooqoo falan nazeedakum illaAAathaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:30 So taste it, for no increase will come to you from Us except in retribution.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:30 So taste it, for no increase will come to you from Us except in retribution.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:30 [And so We shall say:] "Taste, then, [the fruit of your evil doings,] for now We shall bestow on you nothing but more and more suffering!"14

Note 14
Lit., "We shall not increase you in anything but suffering": i.e., until the sins committed in this world are atoned for by commensurate suffering in the hereafter - for "whoever shall come [before God] with an evil deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof; and none shall be wronged" (6:160).
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:30 Suffer the consequences; we will only increase your retribution.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:30 So, now, taste nothing but increasing punishment.

78:31 ان للمتقين مفازا

78:31 an llmtqyn mfaza
Transcription (English)
78:31 Inna lilmuttaqeena mafazan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:31 As for the righteous, they will have success.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:31 As for the righteous, they will have triumph.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:31 [But,] verily for the God-conscious there is supreme fulfilment in store:15

Note 15
I.e., the fulfilment of all that a human being may ever desire (Razi), symbolized by the "luxuriant gardens", etc., of the sequence.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:31 The righteous have deserved a reward.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:31 There is supreme fulfillment for those who chose to live upright.

78:32 حدائق واعنبا

78:32 Hdaaq waAnaba
Transcription (English)
78:32 Hada-iqa waaAAnaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:32 Gardens and vineyards.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:32 Gardens and vineyards.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:32 luxuriant gardens and vinyards,
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:32 Orchards and grapes.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:32 Beautiful gardens and vineyards.

78:33 وكواعب اترابا

78:33 wkwaAb atraba
Transcription (English)
78:33 WakawaAAiba atraban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:33 Impressive peers.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:33 And bunches that are ripe.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:33 and splendid companions well matched,16

Note 16
For the above rendering of atrab, see surah 56, note 15. As regards my rendering of kawa'ib as "splendid companions", it is to be remembered that the term ka'b -from which the participle ka'ib is derived - has many meanings, and that one of these meanings is "prominence", "eminence" or "glory" (Lisan al-Arab); thus, the verb ka'ba, when applied to a person, signifies "he made [another person] prominent", "glorious" or "splendid" (ibid.) Based on this tropical meaning of both the verb ka'ba and the noun ka'b, the participle ka'ib has often been used, in popular parlance, to denote "a girl whose breasts are becoming prominent" or "are budding" hence, many commentators see in it an allusion to some sort of youthful "female companions' who would entertain the (presumably male) inmates of paradise. But quite apart from the fact that all Qur'anic allegories of the joys of paradise invariably apply to men and women alike, this interpretation of kawa'ib overlooks the purely derivative origin of the above popular usage - which is based on the tropical connotation of "prominence" inherent in the noun ka'b - and substitutes for this obvious tropism the literal meaning of something that is physically prominent: and this, in my opinion, is utterly unjustified. If we bear in mind that the Qur'anic descriptions of the blessings of paradise are always allegorical, we realize that in the above context the term kawa'ib can have no other meaning than "glorious [or "splendid"] beings", without any definition of sex; and that, in combination with the term atrab, it denotes, "splendid companions well matched" - thus alluding to the relations of the blest with one another, and stressing the absolute mutual compatibility and equal dignity of all of them. See also note 13 on 56:34.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:33 Magnificent spouses.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:33 And splendid companions, well-matched. [56:37]

78:34 وكاسا دهاقا

78:34 wkasa dhaqa
Transcription (English)
78:34 Waka/san dihaqan
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:34 A cup that is full.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:34 And a cup that is full.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:34 and a cup [of happiness] overflowing.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:34 Delicious drinks.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:34 And a cup of delight overflowing.

78:35 لا يسمعون فيها لغوا ولا كذبا

Transcription (English)
78:35 La yasmaAAoona feeha laghwanwala kiththaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:35 They do not hear in it any vile talk or lies.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:35 They do not hear in it any vain talk or lies.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:35 No empty talk will they hear in that [paradise], nor any lie.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:35 They will never hear in it any nonsense or lies.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:35 They shall hear no senseless talk, nor falsification therein.

78:36 جزاء من ربك عطاء حسابا

78:36 jzaa mn rbk ATaa Hsaba
Transcription (English)
78:36 Jazaan min rabbika AAataan hisaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:36 A reward from your Lord, in recognition for what is done.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:36 A reward from your Lord, in recognition for what is done.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:36 [All this will be] a reward from thy Sustainer, a gift in accordance with [His Own] reckoning17 –

Note 17
I.e., not merely in accordance with their good deeds but far in excess of them, in accordance with God's unlimited bounty.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:36 A reward from your Lord; a generous recompense.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:36 reward from your Lord, a generous gift.

78:37 رب السموت والارض وما بينهما الرحمن لا يملكون منه خطابا

Transcription (English)
78:37 Rabbi alssamawati waal-ardiwama baynahuma alrrahmani layamlikoona minhu khitaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
Not Intercession; Only Testimony to the Truth78:37 The Lord of heavens and earth and what is between them, the Gracious. They do not posses any authority beside Him.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:37 The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, the Almighty. They do not possess any authority besides Him.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:37 [a reward from] the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, the Most Gracious! [And] none shall have it in their power to raise their voices unto Him
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:37 Lord of the heavens and the earth, and everything between them. The Most Gracious. No one can abrogate His decisions.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:37 Lord of the heavens and earth and all that is in between them, the Beneficent. None has the power to lecture Him.

78:38 يوم يقوم الروح والملئكة صفا لا يتكلمون الا من اذن له الرحمن وقال صوابا

Transcription (English)
78:38 Yawma yaqoomu alrroohu waalmala-ikatusaffan la yatakallamoona illa man athinalahu alrrahmanu waqala sawaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:38 The day when the Spirit and the controllers stand in line, none will speak unless the Gracious permits him and he speaks what is true.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:38 The Day when the Spirit and the angels stand in line, none will speak unless the Almighty permits him and he speaks what is true.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:38 on the Day when all [human] souls18 and all the angels will stand up in ranks: none will speak but he to whom the Most Gracious will have given leave; and [everyone] will say [only] what is right.19

Note 18
Lit., "the soul", in the singular but implying a plural. This is, according to Ibn Abbas, Qatadah and Al-Hasan (all of them quoted by Tabari), the meaning of ar-ruh in the above context.

Note 19
This includes the symbolic right of the prophets to "intercede" for the sinners on Judgment Day (see 10:3 - "There is none that could intercede with Him unless He grants leave therefor"- and the corresponding note 7, which makes it clear that such "intercession" implies God's a-priori acceptance of the sinner's repentance). In a wider sense, the statement that he whom God will allow to speak "will say [only] what is right" implies the impossibility of anyone's being untruthful on Judgment Day.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:38 The day will come when the Spirit and the angels will stand in a row. None will speak except those permitted by the Most Gracious, and they will utter only what is right.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:38 On the Day when the Divine Energy and the universal forces stand forth in ranks, none will speak but he whom the Beneficent allows and says only what is right.

78:39 ذلك اليوم الحق فمن شاء اتخذ الى ربه مابا

Transcription (English)
78:39 Thalika alyawmu alhaqqu famanshaa ittakhatha ila rabbihi maaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:39 That is the day of truth, so let whoever wills seek a way to his Lord.
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:39 That is the Day of truth, so let whoever wills seek refuge to his Lord.
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:39 That will be the Day of Ultimate Truth:* whoever wills, then, let him take the path that leads towards his Sustainer!
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:39 Such is the inevitable day. Whoever wills let him take refuge in his Lord.,
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:39 That Day will be the Moment of truth. So whoever wills, let him take the path that leads toward his Lord.

78:40 انا انذرنكم عذابا قريبا يوم ينظر المرء ما قدمت يداه ويقول الكافر يليتنى كنت تربا

Transcription (English)
78:40 Inna antharnakum AAathabanqareeban yawma yanthuru almaro ma qaddamatyadahu wayaqoolu alkafiru ya laytanee kuntuturaban
Edip-Layth (Quran: A Reformist Translation)
78:40 I have warned you of a retribution which is close, the day when man will look at what he has brought forth and the ingrate will say, "I wish I were dust!"
The Monotheist Group (The Quran: A Monotheist Translation)
78:40 I have warned you of a retribution which is close, the Day when man will look at what he has brought forth and the rejecter will say: "I wish I were dust!"
Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran)
78:40 Verily, We have warned you of suffering near at hand - [suffering] on the Day when man shall [clearly] see what his hands have sent ahead, and when he who has denied the truth shall say, "Oh, would that I were mere dust... !"21

Note 21
Cf. 69:27.
Rashad Khalifa (The Final Testament)
78:40 We have sufficiently warned you about an imminent retribution. That is the day when everyone will examine what his hands have sent forth, and the disbeliever will say, "Oh, I wish I were dust.",
Shabbir Ahmed (Quran As It Explains Itself)
78:40 We have warned you of the suffering near at hand, the Day when humans clearly see what their hands have sent ahead. And when the denier of truth will say, “Oh, would that I were mere dust!" [69:27]