The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
۞ Nun. CONSIDER the pen, and all that they write [therewith]! 1 Thou art not, through the grace of thy Lord, mad. 2 You will certainly receive a never-ending reward. 3 And most surely you conform (yourself) to sublime morality. 4 and [one day] thou shalt see, and they [who now deride thee] shall see, 5 Which of you is afflicted with madness. 6 Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who walk aright. 7 So obey thou not those who cry lies. 8 They only want that you should relent, so that they may come to terms. 9 Do not yield to one persistent in swearing, 10 the fault-finder who goes around slandering, 11 Hinderer of the good, trespasser; sinner. 12 who is ignoble and besides all that, base-born; 13 because he has wealth and sons. 14 When Our communications are recited to him, he says: Stories of those of yore. 15 We will brand him on the nose. 16 We have tested them in the same way as we tested the dwellers of the garden (in Yemen) when they swore to pluck all the fruits of the garden in the morning, 17 And they made not the exception. 18 So there came upon the garden an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep. 19 And by morning it lay as if it had already been harvested, a barren land. 20 In the morning they called to one another, 21 'Come out to your tillage if you want to reap' 22 So they departed, conversing in secret low tones (saying), 23 “No destitute person shall enter it today.” 24 And they went out betimes determined in purpose. 25 But when they saw it, they said, "We must have lost our way. 26 nay, rather we have been robbed!' 27 The most moderate of them said: said I not unto you, wherefore hallow him ye not! 28 They said: "Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!" 29 Then they turned to each other reproaching. 30 [In the end] they said: "Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we did behave outrageously! 31 Perhaps our Lord will replace it with a better garden. We turn in repentance to our Lord". 32 Such is the punishment (in this life), but truly, the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they but knew. 33