The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen and by what you write, 1 You are not, [O Muhammad], by the favor of your Lord, a madman. 2 And most surely you shall have a reward never to be cut off. 3 For you are verily born of sublime nature. 4 Anon thou wilt see and they will see. 5 Which of you is the afflicted [by a devil]. 6 Your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His path and who is rightly guided. 7 So do not comply with those who deny: 8 They want you to make concessions to them and then they will reciprocate. 9 Do not heed a contemptible swearer, 10 A slanderer, going about with calumnies, 11 obstructing virtues, a sinful transgressor, 12 Gross, and therewithal ignoble. 13 Because he is owner of riches and children. 14 When Our communications are recited to him, he says: Stories of those of yore. 15 We shall brand him on the nose. 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 And they did not say, “If Allah wills”. 18 A calamity from your Lord befell the orchard as they slept. 19 and the garden was turned into a barren desert. 20 Now when they rose at early morn, they called unto one another, 21 "If you want to gather the fruits, let us go early to the plantation." 22 So they went off speaking to each other in a low voice. 23 Let there not enter upon you today any needy man. 24 And in the morning they went, having the power to prevent. 25 But when they saw it they said: 'We have surely gone astray. 26 (Then they said): "Nay! Indeed we are deprived of (the fruits)!" 27 The best among them said: "Did I not tell you: why do you not say: Insha' Allah (If Allah will)." 28 They said: "Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!" 29 And they came blaming one another. 30 They said: Alas for us! In truth we were outrageous. 31 We hope that our Lord will give us in exchange a better (garden) than this. Truly, we turn to our Lord (wishing for good that He may forgive our sins, and reward us in the Hereafter)." 32 Such is the Punishment (in this life); but greater is the Punishment in the Hereafter,- if only they knew! 33