Table of Contents
Introduction
Sura 54, Al-Qamar (القمر, “The Moon”), is a Meccan chapter composed of 55 verses. It opens with a striking eschatological sign—the splitting of the moon—symbolizing the nearness of the Hour and the urgency of divine warning. The surah proceeds through a sequence of historical exempla, recalling the peoples of Noah, ʿĀd, Thamūd, Lot, and Pharaoh, each of whom rejected their messengers and faced decisive judgment. The repeated refrain—“And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?”—punctuates the narrative and reinforces its didactic purpose.
Thematically, the surah emphasizes divine justice, the reliability of prophetic warning, and the recurring human tendency toward denial. It situates the message of the Quran within a broader continuum of revelation known across the Abrahamic traditions, where earlier communities similarly encountered guidance yet turned away. The text thus functions both as admonition and as confirmation, presenting sacred history as a mirror for present moral responsibility before GOD.
Structure
- Verses 1–8: The nearness of the Hour and the sign of the moon’s splitting; initial reactions of denial and dismissal.
- Verses 9–17: The people of Noah; rejection of the prophet and destruction by the Flood.
- Verses 18–22: The people of ʿĀd; denial of the messenger Hūd and annihilation by a violent wind.
- Verses 23–32: The people of Thamūd; rejection of Ṣāliḥ and the sign of the she-camel; destruction by a sudden cry.
- Verses 33–40: The people of Lot; moral corruption, rejection, and destruction; deliverance of Lot and his followers.
- Verses 41–42: The people of Pharaoh; denial of signs and ultimate downfall.
- Verses 43–49: Address to the Quraysh; warning that they are not exempt from divine judgment; affirmation of divine decree.
- Verses 50–55: The certainty and swiftness of GOD’s command; contrast between the fate of the wicked and the reward of the righteous in a place of truth.
Historical Context
Sura Al-Qamar belongs to the early Meccan period, a phase marked by increasing tension between the Prophet Muhammad and the Quraysh leadership in Mecca. During this time, the proclamation of strict monotheism and the warning of imminent judgment challenged established religious practices, social hierarchies, and economic interests tied to the sanctuary. The reference to the “splitting of the moon” is understood within the Islamic tradition as a sign granted to the Prophet, though its primary function in the surah is rhetorical and theological: to confront denial with the language of unmistakable signs. The successive accounts of earlier peoples—Noah, ʿĀd, Thamūd, Lot, and Pharaoh—serve to situate the Meccan audience within a recurring historical pattern, familiar also in broader Abrahamic memory, in which communities reject divine guidance and face consequence. In this context, the surah operates as both warning and reassurance: warning to its immediate audience, and reassurance that the rejection of GOD’s messengers is neither new nor without precedent.
Interlinear Translation Surah 54 Al-Qamar
Verses 1-8
| Verse | Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54:1 | اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ | Iqtarabati as-sā‘atu wa-inshaqqa al-qamar | The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has split. |
| 54:2 | وَإِن يَرَوْا آيَةً يُعْرِضُوا وَيَقُولُوا سِحْرٌ مُّسْتَمِرٌّ | Wa in yaraw āyatan yu‘riḍū wa yaqūlū siḥrun mustamir | And if they see a sign, they turn away and say, “Continuing magic.” |
| 54:3 | وَكَذَّبُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا أَهْوَاءَهُمْ ۚ وَكُلُّ أَمْرٍ مُّسْتَقِرٌّ | Wa kadhdhabū wattaba‘ū ahwā’ahum wa kullu amrin mustaqir | They denied and followed their desires; yet every matter will come to its appointed end. |
| 54:4 | وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُم مِّنَ الْأَنبَاءِ مَا فِيهِ مُزْدَجَرٌ | Wa laqad jā’ahum mina al-anbā’i mā fīhi مزدجر | And there has already come to them of news that in which there is deterrence. |
| 54:5 | حِكْمَةٌ بَالِغَةٌ ۖ فَمَا تُغْنِ النُّذُرُ | Ḥikmatun bālighah fa-mā tughni an-nudhur | Perfect wisdom—but warnings do not avail. |
| 54:6 | فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ ۘ يَوْمَ يَدْعُ الدَّاعِ إِلَىٰ شَيْءٍ نُّكُرٍ | Fa-tawalla ‘anhum yawma yad‘u ad-dā‘i ilā shay’in nukur | So turn away from them. The Day the Caller will call to something terrible. |
| 54:7 | خُشَّعًا أَبْصَارُهُمْ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ كَأَنَّهُمْ جَرَادٌ مُّنتَشِرٌ | Khushsha‘an abṣāruhum yakhrujūna mina al-ajdāthi ka-annahum jarādun muntashir | Their eyes humbled, they will emerge from the graves as if they were scattered locusts. |
| 54:8 | مُّهْطِعِينَ إِلَى الدَّاعِ ۖ يَقُولُ الْكَافِرُونَ هَٰذَا يَوْمٌ عَسِرٌ | Muhti‘īna ilā ad-dā‘ yaqūlu al-kāfirūna hādhā yawmun ‘asir | Racing ahead toward the Caller, the disbelievers will say, “This is a difficult Day.” |
Verses 9-17
| Verse | Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54:9 | كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ فَكَذَّبُوا عَبْدَنَا وَقَالُوا مَجْنُونٌ وَازْدُجِرَ | Kadhdhabat qablahum qawmu Nūḥin fakadhdhabū ‘abdanā wa qālū majnūnun wazdujir | Before them, the people of Noah denied; they denied Our servant and said, “A madman,” and he was repelled. |
| 54:10 | فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ | Fa-da‘ā rabbahu annī maghlūbun fantasir | So he called upon his Lord: “Indeed, I am overpowered, so grant victory.” |
| 54:11 | فَفَتَحْنَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَاءٍ مُّنْهَمِرٍ | Fafataḥnā abwāba as-samā’i bimā’in munhamir | Then We opened the gates of the heaven with pouring water, |
| 54:12 | وَفَجَّرْنَا الْأَرْضَ عُيُونًا فَالْتَقَى الْمَاءُ عَلَىٰ أَمْرٍ قَدْ قُدِرَ | Wa fajjarnā al-arḍa ‘uyūnan faltaqā al-mā’u ‘alā amrin qad qudir | and caused the earth to burst forth with springs, so the waters met for a matter already decreed. |
| 54:13 | وَحَمَلْنَاهُ عَلَىٰ ذَاتِ أَلْوَاحٍ وَدُسُرٍ | Wa ḥamalnāhu ‘alā dhāti alwāḥin wa dusur | And We carried him upon a structure of planks and nails, |
| 54:14 | تَجْرِي بِأَعْيُنِنَا جَزَاءً لِّمَن كَانَ كُفِرَ | Tajrī bi-a‘yuninā jazā’an liman kāna kufir | sailing under Our eyes, as a reward for the one who had been denied. |
| 54:15 | وَلَقَد تَّرَكْنَاهَا آيَةً فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ | Wa laqad taraknāhā āyatan fahal min muddakir | And We certainly left it as a sign, so is there any who will remember? |
| 54:16 | فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ | Fakayfa kāna ‘adhābī wa nudhur | So how was My punishment and My warnings? |
| 54:17 | وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ | Wa laqad yassarnā al-Qur’āna li-dh-dhikri fahal min muddakir | And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember? |
Verses 18-32
| Verse | Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54:18 | كَذَّبَتْ عَادٌ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ | Kadhdhabat ‘Ādun fakayfa kāna ‘adhābī wa nudhur | ʿĀd denied, so how was My punishment and My warnings? |
| 54:19 | إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا صَرْصَرًا فِي يَوْمِ نَحْسٍ مُّسْتَمِرٍّ | Innā arsalnā ‘alayhim rīḥan ṣarṣaran fī yawmi naḥsin mustamir | Indeed, We sent against them a screaming wind on a day of continuous misfortune, |
| 54:20 | تَنزِعُ النَّاسَ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ مُّنقَعِرٍ | Tanzi‘u an-nāsa ka-annahum a‘jāzu nakhlin munqa‘ir | snatching away the people as if they were trunks of uprooted palm trees. |
| 54:21 | فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ | Fakayfa kāna ‘adhābī wa nudhur | So how was My punishment and My warnings? |
| 54:22 | وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ | Wa laqad yassarnā al-Qur’āna li-dh-dhikri fahal min muddakir | And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember? |
| 54:23 | كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِالنُّذُرِ | Kadhdhabat Thamūdu bi-n-nudhur | Thamūd denied the warnings |
| 54:24 | فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرًا مِّنَّا وَاحِدًا نَّتَّبِعُهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَّفِي ضَلَالٍ وَسُعُرٍ | Faqālū abasharan minnā wāḥidan nattabi‘uhu innā idhan la-fī ḍalālin wa su‘ur | and said, “Shall we follow a single man from among us? Indeed, we would then be in error and madness. |
| 54:25 | أَأُلْقِيَ الذِّكْرُ عَلَيْهِ مِن بَيْنِنَا ۚ بَلْ هُوَ كَذَّابٌ أَشِرٌ | A-ulqiya adh-dhikru ‘alayhi min bayninā bal huwa kadhdhābun ashir | Has the message been sent down upon him alone from among us? Rather, he is an insolent liar.” |
| 54:26 | سَيَعْلَمُونَ غَدًا مَّنِ الْكَذَّابُ الْأَشِرُ | Saya‘lamūna ghadan mani al-kadhdhābu al-ashir | They will know tomorrow who is the insolent liar. |
| 54:27 | إِنَّا مُرْسِلُو النَّاقَةِ فِتْنَةً لَّهُمْ فَارْتَقِبْهُمْ وَاصْطَبِرْ | Innā mursilū an-nāqati fitnatan lahum fartaqibhum waṣṭabir | Indeed, We are sending the she-camel as a trial for them, so watch them and be patient. |
| 54:28 | وَنَبِّئْهُمْ أَنَّ الْمَاءَ قِسْمَةٌ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ كُلُّ شِرْبٍ مُّحْتَضَرٌ | Wa nabbi’hum anna al-mā’a qismatun baynahum kullu shirbin muḥtaḍar | And inform them that the water is shared between them, each portion to be attended in turn. |
| 54:29 | فَنَادَوْا صَاحِبَهُمْ فَتَعَاطَىٰ فَعَقَرَ | Fanādaw ṣāḥibahum fata‘āṭā fa‘aqar | But they called their companion, and he took (a sword) and hamstrung her. |
| 54:30 | فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ | Fakayfa kāna ‘adhābī wa nudhur | So how was My punishment and My warnings? |
| 54:31 | إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَكَانُوا كَهَشِيمِ الْمُحْتَظِرِ | Innā arsalnā ‘alayhim ṣayḥatan wāḥidatan fakānū kahashīmi al-muḥtaẓir | Indeed, We sent upon them a single blast, and they became like dry stubble of a pen-builder. |
| 54:32 | وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ | Wa laqad yassarnā al-Qur’āna li-dh-dhikri fahal min muddakir | And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember? |
Verses 33-49
| Verse | Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54:33 | كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ لُوطٍ بِالنُّذُرِ | Kadhdhabat qawmu Lūṭin bi-n-nudhur | The people of Lot denied the warnings. |
| 54:34 | إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ حَاصِبًا إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ ۖ نَّجَّيْنَاهُم بِسَحَرٍ | Innā arsalnā ‘alayhim ḥāṣiban illā āla Lūṭin najjaynāhum bi-saḥar | Indeed, We sent against them a storm of stones, except the family of Lot—we saved them before dawn, |
| 54:35 | نِّعْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي مَن شَكَرَ | Ni‘matan min ‘indinā kadhālika najzī man shakar | as a favor from Us. Thus do We reward whoever is grateful. |
| 54:36 | وَلَقَدْ أَنذَرَهُم بَطْشَتَنَا فَتَمَارَوْا بِالنُّذُرِ | Wa laqad andharahum baṭshatanā fatamāraw bi-n-nudhur | And he had already warned them of Our strike, but they disputed the warnings. |
| 54:37 | وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدُوهُ عَن ضَيْفِهِ فَطَمَسْنَا أَعْيُنَهُمْ فَذُوقُوا عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ | Wa laqad rāwadūhu ‘an ḍayfihi faṭamasnā a‘yunahum fadhūqū ‘adhābī wa nudhur | And they had demanded of him his guests, so We obliterated their eyes, saying, “Taste My punishment and warnings.” |
| 54:38 | وَلَقَدْ صَبَّحَهُم بُكْرَةً عَذَابٌ مُّسْتَقِرٌّ | Wa laqad ṣabbaḥahum bukratan ‘adhābun mustaqir | And there came upon them by morning an abiding punishment. |
| 54:39 | فَذُوقُوا عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ | Fadhūqū ‘adhābī wa nudhur | “So taste My punishment and warnings.” |
| 54:40 | وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ | Wa laqad yassarnā al-Qur’āna li-dh-dhikri fahal min muddakir | And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember? |
| 54:41 | وَلَقَدْ جَاءَ آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ النُّذُرُ | Wa laqad jā’a āla fir‘awna an-nudhur | And there certainly came to the people of Pharaoh warnings. |
| 54:42 | كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا كُلِّهَا فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ أَخْذَ عَزِيزٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ | Kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā kullihā fa-akhadhnāhum akhdha ‘azīzin muqtadir | They denied Our signs, all of them, so We seized them with the seizure of One mighty and powerful. |
| 54:43 | أَكُفَّارُكُمْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أُولَٰئِكُمْ أَمْ لَكُم بَرَاءَةٌ فِي الزُّبُرِ | A-kuffārukum khayrun min ulā’ikum am lakum barā’atun fī az-zubur | Are your disbelievers better than those, or do you have immunity in the scriptures? |
| 54:44 | أَمْ يَقُولُونَ نَحْنُ جَمِيعٌ مُّنتَصِرٌ | Am yaqūlūna naḥnu jamī‘un muntaṣir | Or do they say, “We are an assembly supporting each other”? |
| 54:45 | سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلُّونَ الدُّبُرَ | Sayuhzamu al-jam‘u wa yuwallūna ad-dubur | Their assembly will be defeated, and they will turn their backs. |
| 54:46 | بَلِ السَّاعَةُ مَوْعِدُهُمْ وَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَىٰ وَأَمَرُّ | Bali as-sā‘atu maw‘iduhum wa as-sā‘atu adhā wa amarr | But the Hour is their appointed time, and the Hour is more disastrous and more bitter. |
| 54:47 | إِنَّ الْمُجْرِمِينَ فِي ضَلَالٍ وَسُعُرٍ | Inna al-mujrimīna fī ḍalālin wa su‘ur | Indeed, the criminals are in error and madness. |
| 54:48 | يَوْمَ يُسْحَبُونَ فِي النَّارِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ ذُوقُوا مَسَّ سَقَرَ | Yawma yusḥabūna fī an-nāri ‘alā wujūhihim dhūqū massa saqar | The Day they are dragged into the Fire upon their faces: “Taste the touch of Saqar.” |
| 54:49 | إِنَّا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَاهُ بِقَدَرٍ | Innā kulla shay’in khalaqnāhu bi-qadar | Indeed, all things We created with measure. |
Verses 50-55
| Verse | Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54:50 | وَمَا أَمْرُنَا إِلَّا وَاحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ | Wa mā amrunā illā wāḥidatun kalamḥin bil-baṣar | And Our command is but one—like a glance of the eye. |
| 54:51 | وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا أَشْيَاعَكُمْ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ | Wa laqad ahlaknā ashyā‘akum fahal min muddakir | And We have already destroyed your kind, so is there any who will remember? |
| 54:52 | وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ فَعَلُوهُ فِي الزُّبُرِ | Wa kullu shay’in fa‘alūhu fī az-zubur | And everything they did is in the records. |
| 54:53 | وَكُلُّ صَغِيرٍ وَكَبِيرٍ مُّسْتَطَرٌ | Wa kullu ṣaghīrin wa kabīrin mustaṭar | And every small and great thing is written down. |
| 54:54 | إِنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَنَهَرٍ | Inna al-muttaqīna fī jannātin wa nahar | Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and rivers, |
| 54:55 | فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِندَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ | Fī maq‘adi ṣidqin ‘inda malīkin مقتدر | in a seat of truth, in the presence of a Sovereign, Perfect in Power. |