18.Surah Al Kahf

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ الْجِبَالَ وَتَرَى الْأَرْضَ بَارِزَةً...   

18: 47.  One Day We shall remove the mountains, and thou wilt see the earth as a level stretch,

C2388. On the Day of Judgment none of our present landmarks will remain.

... وَحَشَرْنَاهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا ﴿٤٧﴾

and We shall gather them, all together, nor shall We leave out any one of them.

وَعُرِضُوا عَلَى رَبِّكَ صَفًّا...   

18: 48.  And they will be marshalled before thy Lord in ranks, (with the announcement),

... لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ... 

"Now have ye come to Us (bare) as We created you first:

C2389. We shall stand as we were created, with none of the adventitious possessions that we collected in this life, which will all have vanished.

... بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًا ﴿٤٨﴾

aye, ye thought We shall not fulfil the appointment made to you to meet (Us)!":

C2390. The skeptics will now at length be convinced of the Reality which will be upon them.

Asad’s Version:

18: 47

Asad Hence, the Day on which We shall cause the mountains to disappear and thou shalt behold the earth void and bare: for [one that Day] We will [resurrect the dead and] gather them all together, leaving out none of them.

Yusuf Ali One Day We shall remove the mountains and thou wilt see the earth as a level stretch and We shall gather them all together nor shall We leave out any one of them.

Pickthall And (bethink you of) the Day when We remove the hills and ye see the earth emerging, and We gather them together so as to leave not one of them behind.

Transliteration Wa yauma nusayyirul jiba_la wa taral arda ba_rizataw wa hasyarna_hum falam nuga_dir minhum ahada_(n).

18:48 They are displayed before your Lord as a column: "You have come to Us as We had created you the first time. No, you claimed We would not make an appointment for you!"

20 Sura Taha

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْجِبَالِ...   

20: 105. They ask thee concerning the mountains:

C2630. In the last verse, it was the deceptiveness and relativity of Time that was dealt with. Here we come to the question of space, solidity, bulk.

The question was actually put to the holy Prophet: what will become of the solid Mountains, or in the English phrase, "the eternal hills"?

They are no more substantial than anything else in this temporal world. When the "new world", (13:5) of which Unbelievers doubted, is actually in being, the mountains will cease to exist.

We can imagine the scene of judgment as a level plain, in which there are no ups and downs and no places of concealment. All is straight and level, without comers, mysteries, or lurking doubts.

...فَقُلْ يَنسِفُهَا رَبِّي نَسْفًا ﴿١٠٥﴾

say,

"My Lord will uproot them and scatter them as dust;"

C2631. The one word nasafa carries the ideas of:

-         tearing up by the roots,

-         scattering like chaff or dust,

-         and winnowing.

Its twofold repetition here intensifies its meaning.

فَيَذَرُهَا قَاعًا صَفْصَفًا ﴿١٠٦﴾

20: 106. "He will leave them as plains smooth and level;"

لَا تَرَى فِيهَا عِوَجًا وَلَا أَمْتًا ﴿١٠٧﴾

20: 107. Nothing crooked or curved wilt thou see in their place."

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَّبِعُونَ الدَّاعِيَ ...   

20: 108. On that Day will they follow the Caller (straight):

C2632. The Caller: the angel whose voice will call and direct all souls. (R).

... لَا عِوَجَ لَهُ...

no crookedness (can they show) him:

...وَخَشَعَت الْأَصْوَاتُ لِلرَّحْمَنِ ...

all sounds shall humble themselves in the presence of (Allah) Most Gracious:

C2633. A beautiful personification of hushed Sound. First there is the loud blast of the Trumpet. Then there is the stillness and hush of awe and reverence: only the tramp of the ranks marching along will be heard. (R).

... فَلَا تَسْمَعُ إِلَّا هَمْسًا ﴿١٠٨﴾

nothing shalt thou hear but the tramp of their feet (as they march).

Asad’s Version:

20:105

AND THEY WILL ask thee about [what will happen to] the mountains [when this world comes to an end]. Say, then: "My Sustainer will scatter them far and wide,

(20: 106) and leave the earth 8 ' level and bare,

(20:107) [so that] thou wilt see no curve thereon, and no ruggedness."'

20:108

On that Day, all will follow the summoning Voice from which there will be no escape;" and all sounds will be hushed before the Most Gracious, and thou wilt hear nothing but a faint sough in the air.