The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe, 1 You are not demented by the grace of your Lord. 2 And verily, thine shall be a reward neverending 3 And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature. 4 You will see and they will also see 5 Which of you is afflicted with madness. 6 Your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His path and who is rightly guided. 7 So do not comply with those who deny: 8 Fain would they that thou shouldst be pliant, so that they will be pliant. 9 Furthermore, defer not to the contemptible swearer of oaths, 10 Defamer, going about with slander 11 obstructing virtues, a sinful transgressor, 12 moreover ignoble, 13 just because he has wealth and sons, 14 When Our Verses (of the Quran) are recited to him, he says: "Tales of the men of old!" 15 [For this] We shall brand him with indelible disgrace! 16 Verily, We have tried them as We tried the people of the garden, when they swore to pluck the fruits of the (garden) in the morning, 17 And were not willing to set aside a portion (for the poor). 18 whereupon a visitation for thy Sustainer came upon that [garden] while they were asleep, 19 And in the morning it was as if plucked. 20 And they cried out one unto another in the morning, 21 "Go ye to your tilth (betimes) in the morning, if ye would gather the fruits." 22 So they departed, whispering together, 23 "Let no beggar come to the garden". 24 They went betimes, strong in (this) purpose. 25 But when they saw it, they said: Lo! we are in error! 26 “In fact, we are unfortunate.” 27 The best of them said: Did I not say to you, Why do you not glorify (Allah)? 28 "Glory to our Lord," they said; we were really in the wrong." 29 Then they turned, one against another, in reproach. 30 Said they: O woe to us! surely we were inordinate: 31 Perhaps our Lord will replace it with a better garden. We turn in repentance to our Lord". 32 Such is the torment if only they knew that the torment in the life hereafter will certainly be greater. 33