The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace
۞ Nun. By the pen, and all that they write! 1 Thou art not, through the grace of thy Lord, mad. 2 Most surely, you will have a never ending reward. 3 For you are truly of a sublime character. 4 Soon you will see, as will they, 5 which of you is the demented. 6 Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who walk aright. 7 Then do not obey the deniers. 8 They would like you to relent to them so that they could also relent towards you. 9 And obey thou not every mean swearer, 10 Or backbiter, calumniator, slanderer, 11 Hinderer of the good, transgressor, malefactor 12 the crude of low character 13 (who so acts) simply because he has wealth and sons, 14 When Our signs are recited to him, he says, 'Fairy-tales of the ancients!' 15 We will brand him on the nose. 16 We have tried you as We tried the owners of the garden when they vowed to gather the fruits in the morning 17 And they did not say, “If Allah wills”. 18 Thereupon a calamity from your Lord passed over it while they were asleep, 19 So it became as black, barren land. 20 At daybreak they called to each other: 21 'Come out to your tillage if you want to reap' 22 So they went, while they consulted together secretly, 23 “No destitute person shall enter it today.” 24 They set out early in the morning, thinking they had the power to prevent. 25 But when they saw it they said: 'We have surely gone astray. 26 Aye! it is we who are deprived! 27 A reasonable one among them said, "Did I not tell you that you should glorify God?" 28 They said: hallowed be Our Lord! verily we have been wrong-doers. 29 Then they began to heap reproaches on each other. 30 They said, 'Woe, alas for us! Truly, we were insolent. 31 Belike our Lord may exchange for us better garden than this; verily we are unto our Lord beseechers. 32 SUCH is the suffering [with which We try some people in this world]; but greater by far will be the suffering [which sinners shall have to bear] in the life to come - if they but knew it! 33