The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen, and all that they write! 1 Thou art not, through the grace of thy Lord, mad. 2 And verily thine shall be a hire unending. 3 For you are verily born of sublime nature. 4 You will see, and they will see, 5 Which of you is the afflicted [by a devil]. 6 Verily your Lord knows those who have gone astray from His path, and He knows those who are guided on the way. 7 So hearken not to those who deny (the Truth). 8 They only want that you should relent, so that they may come to terms. 9 And do not obey every mean swearer, 10 The excessively insulting one, spreader of spite. 11 A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful, 12 moreover ignoble, 13 or that because he may possess wealth and children. 14 When Our verses are recited to him, he says: 'They are but fairytales of the ancients' 15 We shall brand him over the nose! 16 Verily We! We have proved them even as We proved the fellows of a garden when they sware that they would surely reap it in the morning. 17 But did not add: "If God may please." 18 So there came upon the garden an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep. 19 Then in the morning it became as though it had been reaped. 20 In the morning they called to one another, 21 'Come forth betimes upon your tillage, if you would pluck!' 22 So off they went, whispering to one another: 23 'No needy man shall enter it today against your will.' 24 – and early they went, strongly bent upon their purpose. 25 When they saw the garden, they said, "Surely we have lost our way. 26 Nay! we are made to suffer privation. 27 The best of them said: Did I not say to you, Why do you not glorify (Allah)? 28 They said, “Purity is to our Lord – we have indeed been unjust.” 29 Then they began to heap reproaches on each other. 30 Saying: "Alas the woe, we were iniquitous. 31 We hope that our Lord will give us in exchange a better (garden) than this. Truly, we turn to our Lord (wishing for good that He may forgive our sins, and reward us in the Hereafter)." 32 Such is the torment if only they knew that the torment in the life hereafter will certainly be greater. 33