Magnifying the Lord

Y

ou who are wrapped up in your vestment, arise and give warning, Magnify your Lord, purify your inner self. Keep away from all pollution. Be patient, for your Lord’s sake. The day when the trumpet sounds should not be an easy one for the unbelievers; it shall be a day of anguish for them. (74:1-10)

No, by the moon! By the departing night and the rising dawn, Hell is a dire scourge, a warning to mankind; alike to those of you who would advance and those who would hang back. Each soul is the hostage of its own deeds. But those on the right hand—they will be in their gardens, inquiring of the sinners; “What brought you into the Fire?” They will reply: “We never prayed or fed the hungry. We engaged in vain disputes and denied the Day of Reckoning until death overtook us.” No intercessor’s plea shall avail them then. (74:32-48)