The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen and that which they write (therewith), 1 (Muhammad), you are not insane, thanks to the bounty of your Lord. 2 Nay, verily for thee is a Reward unfailing: 3 You have attained a high moral standard. 4 You will see and they will also see 5 Who is distracted. 6 Verily thy Lord! He is the best Knower of him who strayeth from His path, and He is the best Knower of the guided one. 7 Hence, defer not to [the likes and dislikes of] those who give the lie to the truth: 8 They wish that you should compromise (in religion out of courtesy) with them, so they (too) would compromise with you. 9 Do not yield to one persistent in swearing, 10 The excessively insulting one, spreader of spite. 11 Hinderer of the good, transgressor, sinful, 12 ill-mannered, and moraly corrupt 13 Because he is owner of riches and children. 14 that, whenever Our messages are conveyed to him, such a one says, "Fables of ancient times"? 15 We shall brand him over the nose! 16 We have tried you as We tried the owners of the garden when they vowed to gather the fruits in the morning 17 and made no allowance [for the will of God]: 18 Then a visitation from thy Lord visited it, while they were sleeping, 19 And it became as though reaped. 20 And they called one another at morning, 21 "If you want to gather the fruits, let us go early to the plantation." 22 So they departed, conversing in secret low tones, (saying)- 23 [Saying], "There will surely not enter it today upon you [any] poor person." 24 They set out early in the morning, thinking they had the power to prevent. 25 But when they saw it, they said, "We must have lost our way. 26 Aye! it is we who are deprived! 27 One who was temperate among them, said: "Did I not say: 'Why don't you priase God?'" 28 "Glory to our Lord," they said; we were really in the wrong." 29 Then they started blaming one another, 30 They said, "Alas for us, our behaviour was beyond the pale. 31 It may be that our Lord will give us better than it in exchange. To our Lord we humbly turn' 32 Such is the Punishment (in this life); but greater is the Punishment in the Hereafter,- if only they knew! 33