The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
۞ Noon. I swear by the pen and what the angels write, 1 You are not insane, by the munificence of your Lord. 2 And verily thine shall be a hire unending. 3 And verily thou art of a high and noble disposition. 4 and [one day] thou shalt see, and they [who now deride thee] shall see, 5 which of you is a prey to 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 Wherefore obey not thou the beliers. 8 They wish that you would soften [in your position], so they would soften [toward you]. 9 Do not heed a contemptible swearer, 10 [And] scorner, going about with malicious gossip - 11 A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful, 12 the crude of low character 13 Is it because he is possessed of worldly goods and children 14 When Our Verses (of the Quran) are recited to him, he says: "Tales of the men of old!" 15 We shall brand him on his nose. 16 Lo! We have tried them as We tried the owners of the garden when they vowed that they would pluck its fruit next morning, 17 And they did not say, “If Allah wills”. 18 Then a visitation from thy Lord came upon it while they slept 19 So the (garden) became, by the morning, like a dark and desolate spot, (whose fruit had been gathered). 20 Now when they rose at early morn, they called unto one another, 21 That, “Go to your fields at early morn, if you want to harvest.” 22 So they went off speaking to each other in a low voice. 23 No Miskin (poor man) shall enter upon you into it today. 24 And they went early in determination, [assuming themselves] able. 25 But when they saw it they said: 'We have surely gone astray. 26 "Indeed we are shut out (of the fruits of our labour)!" 27 The best among them said: Said I not unto you: Why glorify ye not (Allah)? 28 'Exaltations to Allah, our Lord' they said, 'We were truly harmdoers' 29 Then they began to heap reproaches on each other. 30 They said: Alas for us! In truth we were outrageous. 31 Maybe, our Lord will give us instead one better than it; surely to our Lord do we make our humble petition. 32 Such is the chastisement; and the chastisement of the Hereafter is assuredly even greater, if only they knew. 33