The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ Nuun* – by oath of the pen and by oath of what is written by it. (Alphabet of the Arabic language; Allah and to whomever He reveals, know their precise meanings.) 1 You are not demented by the grace of your Lord. 2 You will certainly receive a never-ending reward. 3 for, behold, thou keepest indeed to a sublime way of life; 4 So you will see and they will see 5 which of you is the demented. 6 Indeed your Lord well knows those who have strayed from His path, and He well knows those who are upon guidance. 7 Hence, defer not to [the likes and dislikes of] those who give the lie to the truth: 8 They wish that in some way you may yield, so they too might soften their stand. 9 Do not yield to one persistent in swearing, 10 The excessively insulting one, spreader of spite. 11 Who hinders men from (doing) good, the transgressor, the iniquitous, 12 who is ignoble and besides all that, base-born; 13 Simply because he possesses wealth and children. 14 When Our signs are recited to him, he says, 'Fairy-tales of the ancients!' 15 We shall brand him on the muzzle. 16 We have tried them as We tried the owners of the garden who had sworn that in the morning they would reap it, 17 without adding to their swearing, (Allah willing, InshaAllah). 18 Then a calamity from your Lord fell upon it, but they remained fast asleep. 19 and the garden was turned into a barren desert. 20 In the morning they called to one another, 21 Saying: Go early to your tilth if you would cut (the produce). 22 So they went, while they consulted together secretly, 23 Saying: No poor man shall enter it today upon you. 24 And they opened the morning, strong in an (unjust) resolve. 25 But when they saw it, they said: Lo! we are in error! 26 No. In fact we have been deprived of it." 27 Said the most right-minded among them: "Did I not tell you, 'Will you not extol God's limitless glory?'" 28 They answered: "Limitless in His glory is our Sustainer! Verily, we were doing wrong!" 29 And they came blaming one another. 30 They said, “Woe to us – we were indeed rebellious.” 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 chastisement, and certainly the chastisement of the hereafter is greater, did they but know! 33