The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen and by what you write, 1 Thou art not, by the Grace of thy Lord, mad or possessed. 2 Indeed, there is an unfailing wage for you. 3 for, behold, thou keepest indeed to a sublime way of life; 4 You shall see and they will see 5 Which of you is the demented. 6 Surely thy Lord knows very well those who have gone astray from His way, and He knows very well those who are guided. 7 Do not yield to those who reject the Truth. 8 they would like thee to be soft [with them,] so that they might be soft [with thee]. 9 Do not heed a contemptible swearer, 10 Detracter, spreader abroad of slanders, 11 One who excessively forbids the good, transgressor, sinner. 12 [or] one who is cruel, by greed possessed, and in addition to all this, utterly useless [to his fellow-men]. 13 or that because he may possess wealth and children. 14 when Our revelations are recited to him, he says, "These are just ancient fables." 15 Anon We shall brand him on snout. 16 We have put them [i.e., the Makkans] to test even as We put to test the owners of the orchard when they vowed that they would gather the fruit of their orchard in the morning, 17 And they did not say, “If Allah wills”. 18 Wherefore an encircling visitation visited it even as they slept on. 19 so that by the morrow it became barren and bleak. 20 At daybreak they called out to one another: 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 No Miskin (poor man) shall enter upon you into it today. 24 They left early in the morning bent on this purpose. 25 When they saw the garden, they said, "Surely we have lost our way. 26 No. In fact we have been deprived of it." 27 The more upright of the two said, "Did I not bid you to glorify God?" 28 They said, 'Glory be to God, our Lord; truly, we were evildoers.' 29 And they advanced one upon another, blaming each other. 30 They said: woe unto us! verily we! we have been arrogant. 31 Perhaps our Lord will replace it with a better garden. We turn in repentance to our Lord". 32 Such is the punishment (in this life), but truly, the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they but knew. 33