The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful
۞ Nuun* – by oath of the pen and by oath of what is written by it. (Alphabet of the Arabic language; Allah and to whomever He reveals, know their precise meanings.) 1 By the grace of your Lord, you are not a mad man. 2 Indeed, there is an unfailing wage for you. 3 and you are certainly on the most exalted standard of moral excellence. 4 So you shall see, and they (too) shall see, 5 which of you is the demented. 6 Surely your Lord knows well those who have strayed from His Way just as He knows well those who are on the Right Way. 7 Hence, defer not to [the likes and dislikes of] those who give the lie to the truth: 8 they would wish you to be pliant so that they too may be pliant. 9 And obey thou not every mean swearer, 10 Defamer, going about with slander 11 hinderer of good, guilty aggressor, coarse-grained, 12 the crude of low character 13 because he has wealth and sons. 14 When Our revelations are recited to him, he says, "These are ancient legends". 15 We will brand him on 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 Without making exception. 18 Then there came on the (garden) a visitation from thy Lord, (which swept away) all around, while they were asleep. 19 Then in the morning it became as though it had been reaped. 20 Then they called out one to another as soon as the morning broke, 21 Saying: go out betimes to your tilth if ye would reap. 22 So they went off speaking to each other in a low voice. 23 Saying: No poor man shall enter it today upon you. 24 – and early they went, strongly bent upon their purpose. 25 But as soon as they beheld [the garden and could not recognize] it, they exclaimed, "Surely we have lost our way!" 26 Nay, but we are desolate! 27 A reasonable one among them said, "Did I not tell you that you should glorify God?" 28 They said: "Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!" 29 Then they started blaming one another, 30 They said: “Woe to us! We had indeed transgressed. 31 Maybe our Lord will give us better than this. We turn to our Lord in supplication." 32 Such is the punishment [of this world]. And the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew. 33