The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
۞ Nun. CONSIDER the pen, and all that they write [therewith]! 1 Thou art not, by thy Sustainer's grace, a madman! 2 Surely thou shalt have a wage unfailing; 3 For you are verily born of sublime nature. 4 So you will see, and they will realise, 5 Which of you is afflicted with madness. 6 Indeed, your Lord knows very well those who strayed from His Path, and those who are guided. 7 So do not yield to the rejecters. 8 They wish that you would soften [in your position], so they would soften [toward you]. 9 And do not yield to any contemptible swearer, 10 back-biting, gossiping, 11 those who hinder good, the guilty aggressor, 12 the coarse-grained, and above all mean and ignoble; 13 Is it because he is possessed of worldly goods and children 14 When Our verses are recited to him, he says, “These are stories of earlier people.” 15 We shall brand him over the nose! 16 Verily We have tried them as We tried the People of the Garden, when they resolved to gather the fruits of the (garden) in the morning. 17 And they made not the exception. 18 So there came upon the garden an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep. 19 And in the morning it was as if plucked. 20 They then called out to each other at daybreak. 21 “Hurry to your orchard if you would gather its fruit.” 22 So they went off, saying one unto another in low tones: 23 "Let no beggar come to the garden". 24 And they opened the morning, strong in an (unjust) resolve. 25 But when they saw it, they said: Lo! we are in error! 26 No. In fact we have been deprived of it." 27 Said one of them, more just (than the rest): "Did I not say to you, 'Why not glorify (Allah)?'" 28 They answered: "Limitless in His glory is our Sustainer! Verily, we were doing wrong!" 29 And they advanced one upon another, blaming each other. 30 They said, "Alas for us, our behaviour was beyond the pale. 31 Maybe our Lord will give us better than this. We turn to our Lord in supplication." 32 Such is the chastisement; and the chastisement of the world to come, is assuredly greater, did they but know. 33