The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
۞ NUN. I CALL to witness the pen and what they inscribe, 1 thou art not, by the blessing of thy Lord, a man possessed. 2 Nay, verily for thee is a Reward unfailing: 3 And verily thou art of a high and noble disposition. 4 So you will see and they will see 5 which of you is the demented. 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 So obey thou not those who cry lies. 8 They only want that you should relent, so that they may come to terms. 9 Heed not the type of despicable men,- ready with oaths, 10 A slanderer, going about with calumnies, 11 obstructing virtues, a sinful transgressor, 12 ill-mannered, and moraly corrupt 13 Because he is a possessor of wealth and children, 14 When Our revelations are recited to him, he says, "These are ancient legends". 15 Soon We will brand him on the nose. 16 We have tested them in the same way as we tested the dwellers of the garden (in Yemen) when they swore to pluck all the fruits of the garden 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 in the morning it was as if plucked. 20 And they cried out one unto another in the morning, 21 saying, "Be quick to reach your orchard, if you want to gather all your fruits." 22 So they departed, conversing in secret low tones (saying), 23 'No needy person shall set foot in it today' 24 They went betimes, strong in (this) purpose. 25 But when they saw it, they said, 'Surely we are gone astray; 26 (No, we are not lost.) In fact, we have been deprived of everything". 27 The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, 'Why do you not exalt [Allah]?' " 28 They said, "All glory belongs to God. We have certainly been unjust". 29 And they came blaming one another. 30 They said 'Woe to us, truly we were insolent' 31 Maybe our Lord will give us a better orchard in its place; to our Lord do we penitently turn.” 32 Such was their punishment, [in this life]. But the punishment of the life to come is much more severe, if only they knew it! 33