The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, most benevolent, ever-merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen and what the scribes write. 1 You are not, [O Muhammad], by the favor of your Lord, a madman. 2 You will certainly receive a never-ending reward. 3 For you are truly of a sublime character. 4 So thou shalt see, and they will see, 5 which of you is a prey to madness. 6 Surely your Lord best knows him who errs from His way, and He best knows the followers of the right course. 7 So obey thou not those who cry lies. 8 They wish that you should be pliant so they (too) would be pliant. 9 And yield not to any mean swearer 10 Defamer, going about with slander 11 the hinderer of good, the transgressor, the sinful; 12 who is ignoble and besides all that, base-born; 13 just because he has wealth and sons, 14 When Our signs are recited to him, he says, 'Fairy-tales of the ancients!' 15 We shall brand him on the nose. 16 Now We have tried them, even as We tried the owners of the garden when they swore they would pluck in the morning 17 And they made not the exception. 18 A visitor from your Lord circled around the garden during the night while they were asleep 19 and in the morning it was if the garden had been reaped. 20 (Then) in the morning they called out to one another, saying: 21 "Go early to your tilth if you want to harvest the fruit!" 22 So they went off, while whispering to one another. 23 [Saying], "There will surely not enter it today upon you [any] poor person." 24 And they went forth early, determined upon their purpose. 25 When they saw the garden, they said, "Surely we have lost our way. 26 “In fact, we are unfortunate.” 27 Said the most moderate of them, 'Did I not say to you, "Why do you not give glory?"' 28 They said: "Glory to Our Lord! Verily, we have been Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.)." 29 Then they approached one another, blaming each other. 30 They said, "Alas for us, our behaviour was beyond the pale. 31 Perhaps our Lord will replace it with a better garden. We turn in repentance to our Lord". 32 Such is Our chastisement; and the punishment of the Hereafter will be greater, if only they knew! 33