Sura 52 Outline

1. By the Mount.
2. And a Book inscribed.
3. In a published scroll.
4. And the frequented House.
5. And the elevated roof.
6. And the seething sea.

(Descriptions of what will occur on the day of reckoning – 6 verses)

7. The punishment of your Lord is coming.
8. There is nothing to avert it.

(Direct address to the reader – 2 verses)

9. On the Day when the heaven sways in agitation.
10. And the mountains go into motion.
11. Woe on that Day to the deniers.
12. Those who play with speculation.
13. The Day when they are shoved into the Fire of Hell forcefully.
14. “This is the Fire which you used to deny.
15. Is this magic, or do you not see?
16. Burn in it. Whether you are patient, or impatient, it is the same for you. You are only being repaid for what you used to do.”

(Description of what will happen to nonbelievers – 8 verses)

17. But the righteous will be amid gardens and bliss.
18. Enjoying what their Lord has given them, and their Lord has spared them the suffering of Hell.
19. Eat and drink happily, for what you used to do.
20. Relaxing on luxurious furnishings; and We will couple them with gorgeous spouses.
21. Those who believed, and their offspring followed them in faith—We will unite them with their offspring, and We will not deprive them of any of their works. Every person is hostage to what he has earned.
22. And We will supply them with fruit, and meat; such as they desire.
23. They will exchange therein a cup; wherein is neither harm, nor sin.
24. Serving them will be youths like hidden pearls.
25. And they will approach one another, inquiring.
26. They will say, “Before this, we were fearful for our families.
27. But God blessed us, and spared us the agony of the Fiery Winds.
28. Before this, we used to pray to Him. He is the Good, the Compassionate.”

(Description of heaven – 13 verses)

29. So remind. By the grace of your Lord, you are neither a soothsayer, nor a madman.
30. Or do they say, “A poet—we await for him a calamity of time”?
31. Say, “Go on waiting; I will be waiting with you.”
32. Or is it that their dreams compel them to this? Or are they aggressive people?
33. Or do they say, “He made it up”? Rather, they do not believe.
34. So let them produce a discourse like it, if they are truthful.
35. Or were they created out of nothing? Or are they the creators?
36. Or did they create the heavens and the earth? In fact, they are not certain.
37. Or do they possess the treasuries of your Lord? Or are they the controllers?
38. Or do they have a stairway by means of which they listen? Then let their listener produce a clear proof.
39. Or for Him the daughters, and for you the sons?
40. Or do you demand a payment from them, and they are burdened by debt?
41. Or do they know the future, and they are writing it down?
42. Or are they planning a conspiracy? The conspiracy will befall the disbelievers.
43. Or do they have a god besides God? God transcends what they associate.
44. Even if they were to see lumps of the sky falling down, they would say, “A mass of clouds.”
45. So leave them until they meet their Day in which they will be stunned.
46. The Day when their ploys will avail them nothing; and they will not be helped.
47. For those who do wrong, there is a punishment besides that; but most of them do not know.

(Discussion on nonbelievers – 28 verses)

48. So patiently await the decision of your Lord, for you are before Our Eyes; and proclaim the praises of your Lord when you arise.
49. And glorify Him during the night, and at the receding of the stars.

(Instructions for believers – 2 verses)

Sura 52, “The Mount”, can be divided into three main parts. The first part of the sura takes place from lines 1-17 and gives details as to what will occur on the day of reckoning, and gives frightening imagery as to what will happen to nonbelievers on that day, who will be “shoved into the fires of hell forcefully”. This grim description, however, is then immediately juxtaposed and contrasted with Lines 17-28, which describe the experiences of a believer on the day of reckoning. It gives a description of heaven as a joyous place where parents and their children will be reunited to live amongst “luxurious furnishings” where they will be supplied “with fruit and meat; such as they desire”. However, the structure of the sura, after reassuring the believers of their place in heaven, tells them “So remind. By the grace of your lord you are neither soothsayer or a madman.”, likely calling on them to convert nonbelievers to the faith. Lines 29-47 are concerned with why an individual may be a nonbeliever and offers retorts for a believer to use against a cynic. The word “Or” is repeated numerous times in succession throughout this second half, to cover various possibilities for skepticism and occasionally these questions are juxtaposed with a direct statement as a response. These statements are brief and are punctual, giving a theme of finality to the entire passage. The passage ends by calling on believers to continue their worship.