Texts of Islam

044

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This is Chapter 44 ("The Smoke") of the Quran, one of the shorter Meccan surahs, presented here in a 19th-century English translation. The chapter opens by asserting the divine origin of the Quran itself — revealed on a "blessed night" — and then delivers an eschatological warning: a day is coming when visible smoke will descend as a sign of divine punishment, separating the faithful from those who rejected the message. A substantial portion retells the story of Moses and Pharaoh as a typological example of what befalls those who defy God's apostles, emphasizing the destruction of Egypt's wealth and the deliverance of the Israelites. The surah contrasts the fate of the wicked — tormented by the Zaqqum tree and boiling water in hell — against the reward of the pious, who receive gardens, springs, fine garments, and eternal life. A distinctive rhetorical move runs throughout: the disbelievers' own dismissive words ("taught! mad!") and their demand for proof are quoted and then answered by pointing to historical precedents of destroyed nations. The chapter closes with a note on the Quran's accessibility — made easy for the tongue — and a terse mutual-watching challenge directed at both the Prophet and his opponents.

044

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