当太阳被卷起,当群星坠落散开,当山岳被移走,当怀胎十月的骆驼被弃置不顾,当野兽被聚集起来,当海洋被点燃,当灵魂被配对(同类相配),当被活埋的女婴被问及她因何罪而被杀,当记录被摊开,当天空被剥去,当火狱被烧得炽烈,当乐园被移近,每个灵魂都将知道自己所预先作出的(善恶)。(第1-14节)
When the sun is darkened, when the stars fall and disperse, when the mountains are made to move away, when the camels, ten months pregnant, are left untended, when the wild beasts are brought together, when the seas are set alight, when people’s souls are paired [like with like], when the infant girl, buried alive, is asked for what crime she was slain, when the records are laid open, when the sky is stripped bare, when hell is made to burn fiercely, when paradise is brought near, every soul shall know what it has put forward. (Verses 1-14)
这些经文描绘了一幅巨大动荡的景象，席卷了整个宇宙。
These verses sketch a scene of great upheaval which envelops the whole universe.
这是一件会揭示每一个隐秘之事、不留任何隐藏之物的事件。
It is an event which reveals every guarded secret and leaves nothing hidden away.
每个人都要面对自己在清算与审判之日所预先呈献的一切。文中提及的那些重大事件表明，宇宙目前熟悉的状态——它那完美的和谐、有度的运行、受控的相互关系，由作品无瑕的造物主所完善——将会彻底崩溃。
Every human being faces what he has put forward for the day of reckoning and judgement. The great events mentioned indicate that the present familiar state of the universe, with its perfect harmony, measured movement, controlled relations, perfected by the Maker whose work is flawless, will suffer a complete break down.
它的使命将告终。连同一切受造物，它将进入一个预定的新阶段，那是我们在今世所未曾知晓的。
Its role will be finished. Along with all creation, it will move into a new predetermined phase of life, unlike anything known to us in this world.
该章旨在使人们内心和思想中牢固确立这一必然大变动的观念,从而使他们对今世的价值和财富少加重视甚至不予重视,尽管这些东西看似具有持久的意义。
The sūrah aims to get this idea of the inevitable upheaval well established in people’s hearts and minds so that they may attach little or no importance to the values and riches of this world, though these may seem to be of lasting consequence.
人们应当与永恒的真理建立牢固的联系，即与真主——那永恒不变、在万物皆变、皆逝之时依然长存的真理——相连。人们应当挣脱今世习以为常的枷锁，以便认识那不受时间、地点、有限的能力或世俗标准所限制的绝对真理。
People should establish a firm bond with the everlasting truth, i.e. the truth of God, the Eternal, who never changes when everything else changes and disappears. They should break the chains of what is familiar in this life in order to recognize the absolute truth which admits no restrictions of time, place, finite faculties or temporal standards.
当人们经历这场普遍动荡的种种事件时,必定会注意到内心对这一论断的某种感受。
As one goes through the events of this universal upheaval, one cannot fail to observe an inner feeling for this affirmation.
至于复活日这些受造物究竟会发生什么,我们只能说,这唯有真主知晓。我们只能理解自己所经历过的事情。当我们设想世界上发生的大动荡时,我们的想象力不过能延伸到猛烈的地震或火山喷发,或许还有彗星或小天体坠落。洪水或许是我们所知水之力量最具毁灭性的表现。我们所监测到的宇宙中最强烈的事件,是太阳上一些有限的爆发,而太阳距离我们有数百万英里。所有这些事件,无论多么巨大,与复活日将发生的宇宙性大动荡相比,都显得如此渺小,以至于可以被视为类似儿戏。如果我们真想知道那时会发生什么,我们所能做的,也只是尝试将其与我们在今世所经历的事物作某种比较。
As to what exactly happens to all these creations during the resurrection we can only say that it is known to God alone. We can only comprehend what we have experienced. When we think of a great upheaval in the world, our imagination cannot stretch beyond a violent earthquake or volcano, or, perhaps, the fall of a comet or a small celestial body. Floods are perhaps the most destructive manifestation of the power of water known to us. The most powerful events in the universe we have monitored were some limited explosions in the sun, which is millions of miles away from us. All these events, great as they may be, seem so small when they are compared to the universal upheaval which will take place on the Day of Resurrection that they may be considered akin to child’s play. If we really want to know what will happen then, we can do no more than attempt to draw some sort of comparison with what we have experienced in this life.
太阳变暗，很可能意味着太阳会逐渐冷却，其在太空中延伸数千英里的火焰也会渐渐减弱直至熄灭。由于太阳现在因其极高的温度而呈气态，其温度最高可达12000
The darkening of the sun probably means that it will cool down and its flames which stretch out for thousands of miles in space will dwindle and die. As the sun is now in gaseous form because of its intense heat, which reaches a maximum of 12,000
度数。它的变暗，很可能意味着它因冻结而转变为类似地球表面的形态。它可能呈现圆形而不被拉长。这大概就是开篇经文的含义，但也可能另有所指。至于它将如何发生，或其成因，我们只能说，这唯有真主知晓。
degrees, its darkening probably means its transformation by freezing to a form similar to that of the surface of the earth. It may adopt a circular shape without becoming stretched out. This is probably the meaning of the opening verse, but it could also mean something different. As to how it will happen, or its causes, we can only say that this is known only to God.
星辰的陨落，很可能意味着它们将脱离维系它们的体系，失去光芒与光辉。只有真主才知道哪些星辰会受此事件影响：是只影响一小部分星辰，比如我们的太阳系，还是影响包含数亿颗星辰的银河系，抑或影响数以亿亿计的所有星辰？众所周知，宇宙包含近乎无穷多的星系，每个星系都有其各自的空间。
The falling of the stars probably means that they will break away from the system which holds them together and lose their light and brightness. Only God knows which stars will be affected by this event: will it affect only a small group of stars, say, our own solar system, or our galaxy, which comprises hundreds of millions of stars, or will it affect all the stars in their millions of millions? The universe, as everyone knows, comprises an almost infinite number of galaxies, each with its own space.
"迫使山脉移开，很可能意味着山脉将被碾碎并被吹散，正如其他章节所表明的那样：“他们问你关于群山的事。你说：”
Forcing the mountains to move away probably means that they will be crushed and blown away as indicated in other sūrahs: “They ask you about the mountains. Say:
“我的主将把它们碾成细尘，使它们变成一片荒凉的废墟。”（20：105）“当山岳被打碎，化为飞扬的细尘。”（56：5）“山岳被移动，看起来就像海市蜃楼。”（78：20）这些经文都指向某一件事，它将影响山岳，使其坚固的根基与稳定不复存在。这或许就是那场剧烈撼动大地的震动的开端，《古兰经》第99章《地震》中提到了它：“当大地以它最后的震动而被摇撼，当大地吐出它的重负。”（99：1-2）所有这些事件都将发生在那极其漫长的一日之中。
My Lord will crush them to fine dust and leave them a desolate waste.” (20: 105) “When the mountains crumble away and scatter into fine dust.” (56: 5) “And the mountains are made to move away, and seem to have been a mirage.” (78: 20) All these verses refer to a certain event which will affect the mountains and do away with their firm foundations and stability. This may be the beginning of the quake which will shake the earth violently, and which is mentioned in Sūrah 99, The Earthquake: “When the earth is rocked with her final earthquake, when the earth shakes off her burdens.” (99: 1-2) All these events will take place on that very long day.
“当那些怀胎十个月的骆驼被弃置不顾时。”（第4节）阿拉伯语对骆驼的描述在此特别指明，它正处于怀孕的第十个月。
“When the camels, ten months pregnant, are left untended.” (Verse 4) The Arabic description of the camel here specifies that she is in her tenth month of pregnancy.
在这种状态下,她对阿拉伯人来说是他最珍贵的财产,因为她即将为他的财富增添一头身价很高的年轻骆驼,并且会产出大量奶水,供他和家人与新生的小骆驼一同分享。然而,在那一天,即将发生如此惊天动地的事件,这些珍贵的骆驼将无人照看,完全被弃置不顾。这节经文最初所针对的阿拉伯人,除非遇到最严重的危险,否则从不会弃置这样的骆驼不管。
When in this state, she is to the Arab his most valuable possession because she is about to add to his wealth a highly valued young camel, and to give him a lot of milk which he and his family will share with the new-born animal. However, on that day, which will witness such overwhelming events, such priceless camels will be left without care, completely untended. The Arabs who were the first to be addressed by this verse never left such camels untended, except for the gravest of dangers.
“当野兽被聚集起来的时候。”（第5节）野兽在其丛林中所遭受的巨大恐怖，正是它们聚集在一起的原因。
“When the wild beasts are brought together.” (Verse 5) The great terror which overwhelms the wild beasts in their jungles is the cause of their coming together.
他们忘记了彼此之间的仇怨,携手同行,却不知道自己将走向何方。
They forget their mutual enmities, and move together, unaware of their direction.
他们既不寻找自己的巢穴，也不像平时那样追逐猎物。那压倒一切的恐惧，连最凶猛的野兽的本性也会改变。那么，它对人会做什么呢？
They neither seek their homes nor chase their prey as they usually do. The overwhelming terror changes the character of even the wildest of beasts. What then will it do to man?
“当海洋被点燃时。”（第6节）经文中所用的阿拉伯语词“sujjirat”，可能意味着海水将被灌满，就像生命在地球早期阶段所经历的那种洪水。另一方面，地震和火山可能会移除目前分隔海洋的屏障，使一片海域的水流入另一片海域。这个阿拉伯语表达也可能指海洋将经历爆炸，使其燃烧起来，正如《古兰经》在别处所提到的那样：
“When the seas are set alight.” (Verse 6) The Arabic term, sujjirat, used here may mean that the seas will be overfilled with water, from floods similar to those which characterized the early stages of life on earth. On the other hand, earthquakes and volcanoes may remove the barriers now separating the seas so that the water of one will flow into the other. The Arabic expression may also mean that the seas will experience explosions which set them ablaze, as mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’ān:
“当大海被激起烈焰时。”（82：3）这种爆炸可能是由于分离构成海水的氧和氢而引起的，也可能是某种形式的原子爆炸。如果氢弹或原子弹中有限数量的原子发生爆炸，就已经产生了我们所见过的那种可怕后果，那么大海之水发生原子爆炸，无论以何种方式发生，所产生的后果都将可怕到我们的头脑无法想象。同样，我们也无法想象地狱的真相，而地狱正位于这些浩瀚的海洋之外。
“When the oceans are made to explode.” (82: 3) Such explosions may result from separating oxygen and hydrogen which make sea water. They could also be atomic explosions of some sort. If the explosion of a limited number of atoms in a hydrogen or atom bomb produces such dreadful consequences as we have seen, then the atomic explosion of the waters of the oceans, in whatever manner it may occur, will produce something much too fearful for our minds to visualize. Similarly, we cannot conceive the reality of hell, which stands beyond these vast oceans.
“当灵魂被配对的时候。”（第7节）灵魂的配对，可能指复活之时身体与灵魂的重新结合。它也可能指按类别分组，即同类相聚，正如《古兰经》在别处所说：“你们将分为三类。”（56:7）这三类是蒙选的前列者、右边的人和左边的人。它也可能指其他某种分组方式。
“When people’s souls are paired.” (Verse 7) The pairing of souls may mean the reunion of body and soul at the time of resurrection. It may also mean their grouping, like with like, as mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’ān: “You will be divided into three groups.” (56: 7) These are the chosen elite, the people of the right, and the people of the left. It may also mean some other way of grouping.