The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ Noon. I swear by the pen and what the angels write, 1 (Muhammad), you are not insane, thanks to the bounty of your Lord. 2 Nay, verily for thee is a Reward unfailing: 3 And verily thou art of a high and noble disposition. 4 So you shall see, and they (too) shall see, 5 Who is distracted. 6 Indeed your Lord well knows those who have strayed from His path, and He well knows those who are upon guidance. 7 Then do not obey the deniers. 8 They want you to make concessions to them and then they will reciprocate. 9 And yield not to any mean swearer 10 Defamer, going about with slander 11 obstructing virtues, a sinful transgressor, 12 Violent (and cruel),- with all that, base-born,- 13 Because he is owner of riches and children. 14 that, whenever Our messages are conveyed to him, such a one says, "Fables of ancient times"? 15 Anon We shall brand him on snout. 16 Verily We! We have proved them even as We proved the fellows of a garden when they sware that they would surely reap it in the morning. 17 And they did not say, “If Allah wills”. 18 whereupon a visitation for thy Sustainer came upon that [garden] while they were asleep, 19 so that by the morrow it became barren and bleak. 20 As the morning broke, they called out, one to another,- 21 'Come forth betimes upon your tillage, if you would pluck!' 22 And so they departed, whispering to one another: 23 "Indeed, no needy person shall enter it today [and come] upon you [unawares,]" 24 And they went out betimes determined in purpose. 25 When they saw the garden, they said, "Surely we have lost our way. 26 [and then,] "Nay, but we have been rendered destitute!" 27 Said the most right-minded among them: "Did I not tell you, 'Will you not extol God's limitless glory?'" 28 They said: "Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!" 29 And they came blaming one another. 30 They said: woe unto us! verily we! we have been arrogant. 31 It may be that our Lord will give us better than this in place thereof. Lo! we beseech our Lord. 32 Such is the chastisement, and certainly the chastisement of the hereafter is greater, did they but know! 33