The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe, 1 You are not, [O Muhammad], by the favor of your Lord, a madman. 2 And lo! thine verily will be a reward unfailing. 3 And indeed you possess an exemplary character. 4 So you will see and they will see 5 Which of you is afflicted with madness. 6 Surely thy Lord knows very well those who have gone astray from His way, and He knows very well those who are guided. 7 Do not yield to those who reject the Truth. 8 Who would have had thee compromise, that they may compromise. 9 Do not heed a contemptible swearer, 10 or to any defamer or one who spreads slander, 11 Hinderer of the good, transgressor, sinful, 12 Gross, and therewithal ignoble. 13 Because he is owner of riches and children. 14 When Our communications are recited to him, he says: Stories of those of yore. 15 [For this] We shall brand him with indelible disgrace! 16 Verily We have tried them as We tried the People of the Garden, when they resolved to gather the fruits of the (garden) in the morning. 17 And they did not say, “If Allah wills”. 18 So an envoy from your Lord completed his round upon the garden, whilst they were sleeping. 19 Then in the morning it became as though it had been reaped. 20 They then called out to each other at daybreak. 21 Saying: go out betimes to your tilth if ye would reap. 22 And so they departed, whispering to one another: 23 "Let not a single indigent person break in upon you into the (garden) this day." 24 They went forth early, believing that they had the power (to gather the fruit). 25 When they saw (and did not recognise it) they said: "Surely we have lost the way. 26 Indeed, we are utterly ruined!" 27 The best among them said, “Did I not tell you, ‘Why do you not proclaim His purity?’” 28 They said: Glory be to our Lord, surely we were unjust. 29 Some of them started to blame others. 30 [In the end] they said: "Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we did behave outrageously! 31 It may be that our Lord will give us better than this in place thereof. Lo! we beseech our Lord. 32 Such is the Punishment (in this life); but greater is the Punishment in the Hereafter,- if only they knew! 33