وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْحَآقَّةُ
What will make you understand what the Reality is?
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ وَعَادٌۢ بِٱلْقَارِعَةِ
Thamood and Aad denied the Catastrophe.
فَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَأُهْلِكُوا۟ بِٱلطَّاغِيَةِ
As for Thamood, they were annihilated by the Overwhelming.
وَأَمَّا عَادٌۭ فَأُهْلِكُوا۟ بِرِيحٍۢ صَرْصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍۢ
And as for Aad; they were annihilated by a furious, roaring wind.
سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍۢ وَثَمَـٰنِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًۭا فَتَرَى ٱلْقَوْمَ فِيهَا صَرْعَىٰ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍۢ
He unleashed it upon them for seven nights and eight days, in succession. You could see the people tossed around, as though they were stumps of hollow palm-trees.
وَجَآءَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَمَن قَبْلَهُۥ وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتُ بِٱلْخَاطِئَةِ
Then Pharaoh came, and those before him, and the Overturned Cities steeped in sin.
فَعَصَوْا۟ رَسُولَ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَخَذَهُمْ أَخْذَةًۭ رَّابِيَةً
But they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with an overpowering grip.
إِنَّا لَمَّا طَغَا ٱلْمَآءُ حَمَلْنَـٰكُمْ فِى ٱلْجَارِيَةِ
When the waters overflowed, We carried you in the cruising ship.
لِنَجْعَلَهَا لَكُمْ تَذْكِرَةًۭ وَتَعِيَهَآ أُذُنٌۭ وَٰعِيَةٌۭ
To make it a lesson for you—so that retaining ears may retain it.
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِى ٱلصُّورِ نَفْخَةٌۭ وَٰحِدَةٌۭ
Then, when the Trumpet is sounded a single time.
وَحُمِلَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَٱلْجِبَالُ فَدُكَّتَا دَكَّةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ
And the earth and the mountains are lifted up, and crushed, with a single crush.
فَيَوْمَئِذٍۢ وَقَعَتِ ٱلْوَاقِعَةُ
On that Day, the Event will come to pass.
وَٱنشَقَّتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَهِىَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ وَاهِيَةٌۭ
And the heaven will crack; so on that Day it will be frail.
وَٱلْمَلَكُ عَلَىٰٓ أَرْجَآئِهَا ۚ وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ ثَمَـٰنِيَةٌۭ
And the angels will be ranged around its borders, while eight will be carrying the Throne of your Lord above them that Day.
يَوْمَئِذٍۢ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَىٰ مِنكُمْ خَافِيَةٌۭ
On that Day you will be exposed, and no secret of yours will remain hidden.
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ فَيَقُولُ هَآؤُمُ ٱقْرَءُوا۟ كِتَـٰبِيَهْ
As for him who is given his book in his right hand, he will say, “Here, take my book and read it.
إِنِّى ظَنَنتُ أَنِّى مُلَـٰقٍ حِسَابِيَهْ
I knew I would be held accountable.”
كُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ هَنِيٓـًٔۢا بِمَآ أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَيَّامِ ٱلْخَالِيَةِ
“Eat and drink merrily for what you did in the days gone by.”
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِشِمَالِهِۦ فَيَقُولُ يَـٰلَيْتَنِى لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَـٰبِيَهْ
But as for him who is given his book in his left hand, he will say, “I wish I was never given my book.
ثُمَّ فِى سِلْسِلَةٍۢ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًۭا فَٱسْلُكُوهُ
Then in a chain which length is seventy cubits tie him up.
إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
For he would not believe in God the Great.
وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ
Nor would he advocate the feeding of the destitute.
فَلَيْسَ لَهُ ٱلْيَوْمَ هَـٰهُنَا حَمِيمٌۭ
So he has no friend here today.
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍۢ كَرِيمٍۢ
It is the speech of a noble messenger.
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍۢ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ
And it is not the speech of a poet—little do you believe.
وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍۢ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
Nor is it the speech of a soothsayer—little do you take heed.
تَنزِيلٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
It is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.
وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ ٱلْأَقَاوِيلِ
Had he falsely attributed some statements to Us.
لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِٱلْيَمِينِ
We would have seized him by the right arm.
فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَـٰجِزِينَ
And none of you could have restrained Us from him.
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَتَذْكِرَةٌۭ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
Surely, it is a message for the righteous.
وَإِنَّا لَنَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مِنكُم مُّكَذِّبِينَ
And We know that some of you will reject it.
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَحَسْرَةٌ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
And it is surely a source of grief for the unbelievers.
Summarized notes on Surah Al-Haaqqa
Do you know what is the reality? Disbelievers in the past were punished - like Aad, Thamud, Pharaoh, people of Nuh/Noah (PBUH) - so that it can be a reminder. When the trumpet will be sounded once - when the earth and mountains will be crushed - that Day will the Event befall (Last Day). That Day, will we be presented before God; no secrets can be hidden.
If one receives his record in right hand, he will get Paradise. But the opposite will get Hell.
Muhammad (PBUH) is not a poet. So, pay attention to God's revelations and ponder. If he had lied, God would have seized him, and no one could have stopped that. Glorify God.
Notes from website author
Quran text and . Mr. Talal Itani version of English Translation from Tanzil.net
Quran Audio from alquran.cloud. Recitation by Sheikh Mishary bin Rashid Alafasy
The Quran is clearly revelation from the One God, Who created all. The word Quran means recitation. Read about its compilation here - Islamweb.net. ExploreQuran.org displays Quran chapters in both, the actual compilation order (in printed copies), as well as a revelation order which might provide a different approach for exploring the Holy Quran.