The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
۞ Nun. By the Pen and the (Record) which (men) write,- 1 (Muhammad), you are not insane, thanks to the bounty of your Lord. 2 Surely thou shalt have a wage unfailing; 3 And verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) are on an exalted standard of character. 4 You will see and they will also see 5 which of you was bereft of reason. 6 Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has gone astray from His way, and He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided. 7 Do not yield to those who reject the Truth. 8 They wish that you would soften [in your position], so they would soften [toward you]. 9 Do not heed a contemptible swearer, 10 or to any defamer or one who spreads slander, 11 Who hinders men from (doing) good, the transgressor, the iniquitous, 12 Violent (and cruel),- with all that, base-born,- 13 It is because he is possessed of wealth and children 14 That, when Our revelations are recited unto him, he saith: Mere fables of the men of old. 15 We shall brand him over the nose! 16 Now We have tried them, even as We tried the owners of the garden when they swore they would pluck 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 And by morning it lay as if it had already been harvested, a barren land. 20 They then called out to each other at daybreak. 21 "If you want to gather the fruits, let us go early to the plantation." 22 So they departed, whispering together, 23 No needy man shall enter it to-day against you. 24 – and early they went, strongly bent upon their purpose. 25 Then when they beheld it, they said: verily we have strayed. 26 Nay, but we are desolate! 27 (Whereupon) the best among them said: 'Did I not say to you to exalt (Allah)' 28 "Glory to our Lord," they said; we were really in the wrong." 29 Then they began to heap reproaches on each other. 30 They said, “Woe to us – we were indeed rebellious.” 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 truly, the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they but knew. 33