The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
۞ Noon. I swear by the pen and what the angels write, 1 You are not insane, by the munificence of your Lord. 2 And indeed, for you is a reward uninterrupted. 3 And indeed, you are of a great moral character. 4 Soon wilt thou see, and they will 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 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 Nor ever listen to any excessive oath maker, ignoble person. 10 Or backbiter, calumniator, slanderer, 11 [or] the withholder of good, [or] the sinful aggressor, 12 Greedy therewithal, intrusive. 13 or that because he may possess wealth and children. 14 That, when Our revelations are recited unto him, he saith: Mere fables of the men of old. 15 Anon We shall brand him on snout. 16 We have tried you as We tried the owners of the garden when they vowed to gather the fruits in the morning 17 But did not add: "If God may please." 18 Then a visitation from thy Lord came upon it while they slept 19 So it became as black, barren land. 20 At daybreak they called out to one another: 21 That, “Go to your fields at early morn, if you want to harvest.” 22 They all left, whispering to one another, 23 Let there not enter upon you today any needy man. 24 And they opened the morning, strong in an (unjust) resolve. 25 Then when they beheld it, they said: verily we have strayed. 26 nay, rather we have been robbed!' 27 The best among them said, “Did I not tell you, ‘Why do you not proclaim His purity?’” 28 They said, "All glory belongs to God. We have certainly been unjust". 29 And they came blaming one another. 30 They said: "Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed! 31 [But] it may be that our Sustainer will grant us something better instead: for, verily, unto our Sustainer do we turn with hope!" 32 Such is the Punishment (in this life); but greater is the Punishment in the Hereafter,- if only they knew! 33