The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe, 1 By the grace of your Lord you are not mad. 2 And indeed for you is an unlimited reward. 3 And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character. 4 And thou wilt see and they will 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 obey thou not those who cry lies. 8 They want you to make concessions to them and then they will reciprocate. 9 And do not obey every mean swearer, 10 Or backbiter, calumniator, slanderer, 11 Hinderer of the good, trespasser; sinner. 12 Greedy therewithal, intrusive. 13 (He was so) because he had wealth and children. 14 When Our verses are recited to him, he says: 'They are but fairytales of the ancients' 15 We shall brand him on the muzzle. 16 We have tried them as we tried the owners of a certain orchard, who vowed to harvest all its fruits the next morning, 17 But did not add: "If God may please." 18 Then a calamity from your Lord fell upon it, but they remained fast asleep. 19 So by the morning it seemed as though picked clean. 20 Then they cried out unto each other in the morning. 21 "Go ye to your tilth (betimes) in the morning, if ye would gather the fruits." 22 So they went off, whispering to one another, 23 "Be sure to stop any poor person from entering the orchard today." 24 And they went out early, determined in their resolve. 25 When they saw the garden, they said, "Surely we have lost our way. 26 Nay, but we are desolate! 27 The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, 'Why do you not exalt [Allah]?' " 28 They said, "Glory be to God, our Lord. We have surely done wrong." 29 Then they turned to each other reproaching. 30 They said, "Alas for us, our behaviour was beyond the pale. 31 It may be that our Lord will give us in exchange a better than it; to our Lord we humbly turn.' 32 Such was the punishment. And verily the punishment of the Hereafter is greater if they did but know. 33