سورة الزخرف، الآية ٦٦
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا ٱلسَّاعَةَ أَن تَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ ٦٦
hal yanẓurūna illā l-sāʿata an tatiyahum baghtatan wahum lā yashʿurūna
Are they waiting except for the Hour to come upon them suddenly while they perceive not?
Verse 66 of Surah Az-Zukhruf (43:66), a Meccan surah, is in juz 25, on page 494 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.
80 recitations by 74 reciters: pick one and it plays in the player.
These disputing parties in regards to Jesus await nothing except the Hour which will come to them suddenly, whilst they do not even perceive its arrival. If it comes to them whilst they are upon disbelief, then their abode is a painful torment.
Are they waiting except for the Hour to come upon them by surprise when they least expect it?
Do they only wait for the Hour that it shall come upon them suddenly, while they perceive not?
Await they aught save the Hour, that it shall come upon them suddenly, when they know not?
Do they only wait for the Hour - that it should come on them all of a sudden, while they perceive not?
Do they wait for aught but the hour, that it should come! upon them all of a sudden while they do not perceive?
Are they looking for (anything) except the Hour, that it will come to them suddenly, when they are not aware?
أَوْ تَقُولَ لَوْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هَدَىٰنِى لَكُنتُ مِنَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
Or [lest] it say, "If only Allāh had guided me, I would have been among the righteous."
وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِى صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى هَدَىٰنَا لِهَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِىَ لَوْلَآ أَنْ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ لَقَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَنُودُوٓا۟ أَن تِلْكُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةُ أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment, [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allāh, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allāh had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
فَهَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا ٱلسَّاعَةَ أَن تَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً فَقَدْ جَآءَ أَشْرَاطُهَا فَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمْ إِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ ذِكْرَىٰهُمْ
Then do they await except that the Hour should come upon them unexpectedly? But already there have come [some of] its indications. Then how [i.e., what good] to them, when it has come, will be their remembrance?
فَيَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
And it will come to them suddenly while they perceive [it] not.
ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ ٱلسَّيِّئَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّىٰ عَفَوا۟ وَّقَالُوا۟ قَدْ مَسَّ ءَابَآءَنَا ٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَٱلسَّرَّآءُ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease." So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.
أَفَأَمِنُوٓا۟ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَٰشِيَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Then do they feel secure that there will not come to them an overwhelming [aspect] of the punishment of Allāh or that the Hour will not come upon them suddenly while they do not perceive?
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلْعَذَابِ وَلَوْلَآ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى لَّجَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
And they urge you to hasten the punishment. And if not for [the decree of] a specified term, punishment would have reached them. But it will surely come to them suddenly while they perceive not.
