Thus your disbelief, O man, is like poison you have eaten;
The torment of the Fire is like a choking draught.

Do you not see that in this world an offender
Is punished, whether by divine decree or revealed law?

The Creator’s decree affords the offender no excuse;
So too in the Hereafter, without exception.

The Lord of creation’s decreeing a sin entails
His decreeing its consequences—unless repentance intervenes,

Or something akin to repentance in removing
The consequences of His servants’ wicked deeds:

Such as good deeds through which sins are erased, or an answered prayer
Offered by the offender or an intercessor.

The evildoer’s saying, “It was decreed for me,”
Is like the wolf’s saying, “This is my nature.”

His decreeing a deed that brings retribution
Is like His decreeing all things through causes.

Does it help the blameworthy to plead
That such is their nature? Does it win pardon for their lapse?

Or are blame and punishment all the more warranted
For one whose nature is to commit atrocious evils?

So if you hope to receive an answer that might
Save you from Allah’s dreadful Fire,