The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
۞ NUN. I CALL to witness the pen and what they inscribe, 1 Thou art not, for thy Lord's favour unto thee, a madman. 2 Indeed, there is an unfailing wage for you. 3 And verily thou art of a high and noble disposition. 4 And thou wilt see and they will see 5 Which of you is afflicted with madness. 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 So obey thou not those who cry lies. 8 Fain would they that thou shouldst be pliant, so that they will be pliant. 9 Do not heed a contemptible swearer, 10 or to any defamer or one who spreads slander, 11 A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful, 12 ill-mannered, and moraly corrupt 13 because he has wealth and sons. 14 When Our revelations are recited to him, he says, "These are ancient legends". 15 Soon shall We brand him on his snout. 16 We have tried them as we tried the owners of a certain orchard, who vowed to harvest all its fruits the next morning, 17 without saying, "If it be God's will." 18 Then a visitation from thy Lord visited it, while they were sleeping, 19 and so by morning the orchard lay as though it had been fully harvested. 20 Then they called out one to another as soon as the morning broke, 21 “Hurry to your orchard if you would gather its fruit.” 22 So they went, while they consulted together secretly, 23 “Make sure that no needy person enters your garden this day.” 24 They left early in the morning bent on this purpose. 25 But when they saw it, they said, "Indeed, we are lost; 26 Indeed, we are utterly ruined!" 27 The best among them said: Said I not unto you: Why glorify ye not (Allah)? 28 They said: "Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!" 29 Then they turned, one against another, in reproach. 30 They said: "Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed! 31 Perhaps our Lord will replace it with a better garden. We turn in repentance to our Lord". 32 Such is the chastisement; and the chastisement of the Hereafter is assuredly even greater, if only they knew. 33