The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful
۞ NUN. I CALL to witness the pen and what they inscribe, 1 You are not, [O Muhammad], by the favor of your Lord, a madman. 2 You will certainly receive a never-ending reward. 3 And verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) are on an exalted standard of character. 4 You will see and they will also see 5 which of you has been afflicted by insanity. 6 Verily, thy Sustainer alone is fully aware as to who has strayed from His path, Just as He alone is fully aware of those who have found the right way. 7 Do not give in to the deniers of truth. 8 They wish that you should be pliant so they (too) would be pliant. 9 Heed not the type of despicable men,- ready with oaths, 10 A slanderer, going about with calumnies, 11 [or] the withholder of good, [or] the sinful aggressor, 12 who is ignoble and besides all that, base-born; 13 just because he has wealth and sons, 14 when Our revelations are recited to him, he says, "These are just ancient fables." 15 Soon We will brand him on the nose. 16 Indeed, We have tried them as We tried the companions of the garden, when they swore to cut its fruit in the [early] morning 17 And they made not the exception. 18 So an envoy from your Lord completed his round upon the garden, whilst they were sleeping. 19 So by the morning it seemed as though picked clean. 20 As the morning broke, they called out, one to another,- 21 That, “Go to your fields at early morn, if you want to harvest.” 22 So they went off, while whispering to one another. 23 "Let no beggar come to the garden". 24 And they went early in determination, [assuming themselves] able. 25 But when they saw it, they said: Lo! we are in error! 26 "Indeed we are shut out (of the fruits of our labour)!" 27 The best among them said: “Did I not say to you: why do you not give glory to (your Lord)?” 28 They said, "All glory belongs to God. We have certainly been unjust". 29 So they came towards each other, blaming. 30 They said: "Woe to us! Verily, we were Taghun (transgressors and disobedient, etc.) 31 May be our Lord will give us a better orchard in its stead; we turn to Him." 32 Such was their punishment. But the punishment of the Everlasting Life is much greater, if they but knew. 33