The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, most benevolent, ever-merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen and what the scribes write. 1 Thou art not, by the Grace of thy Lord, mad or possessed. 2 And indeed, for you is a reward uninterrupted. 3 You have attained a high moral standard. 4 You will see and they will also see 5 which of you is afflicted with madness. 6 Verily, thy Sustainer alone is fully aware as to who has strayed from His path, Just as He alone is fully aware of those who have found the right way. 7 So hearken not to those who deny (the Truth). 8 They would like you to relent to them so that they could also relent towards you. 9 And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer 10 back-biting, gossiping, 11 hinderer of good, guilty aggressor, coarse-grained, 12 Cruel, after all that base-born (of illegitimate birth), 13 or that because he may possess wealth and children. 14 When Our verses are recited to him, he says: 'They are but fairytales of the ancients' 15 We shall mark him upon his nose! 16 [As for such sinners,] behold, We [but] try them as We tried the owners of a certain garden who vowed that they would surely harvest its fruit on the morrow, 17 And they made not the exception. 18 Then there encompassed it a visitation from your Lord while they were sleeping. 19 and in the morning it was if the garden had been reaped. 20 In the morning they called out to one another, 21 'Come out to your tillage if you want to reap' 22 They all left, whispering to one another, 23 "Let no needy person come to you within it today." 24 They went forth early, believing that they had the power (to gather the fruit). 25 When they saw the garden, they said, "Surely we have lost our way. 26 Rather, we have been deprived." 27 Said the most right-minded among them: "Did I not tell you, 'Will you not extol God's limitless glory?'" 28 They said, "All glory belongs to God. We have certainly been unjust". 29 So they came towards each other, blaming. 30 They said, 'Woe, alas for us! Truly, we were insolent. 31 "It may be that our Lord will give us in exchange a better (garden) than this: for we do turn to Him (in repentance)!" 32 Such is Our chastisement; and the punishment of the Hereafter will be greater, if only they knew! 33