The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
۞ Noon. I swear by the pen and what the angels write, 1 You are not demented by the grace of your Lord. 2 And verily thine shall be a hire unending. 3 And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature. 4 And thou wilt see and they will see 5 Which of you is afflicted with madness. 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 Therefore do not listen to the deniers. 8 Fain would they that thou shouldst be pliant, so that they will be pliant. 9 Nor ever listen to any excessive oath maker, ignoble person. 10 A defamer, spreader abroad of slander. 11 Hinderer of the good, transgressor, malefactor 12 Gross, and therewithal ignoble. 13 Because he possesses wealth and sons. 14 When to him are rehearsed Our Signs, "Tales of the ancients", he cries! 15 Soon shall We brand (the beast) on the snout! 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 and made no allowance [for the will of God]: 18 Then, a visitation from your Lord came down upon it while they slept, 19 So in the morning it became as if harvested. 20 In the morning they called out to one another, 21 Saying: "Go to your tilth in the morning, if you would pluck the fruits." 22 So off they went, whispering to one another: 23 “Make sure that no needy person enters your garden this day.” 24 And they went forth early, determined upon their purpose. 25 But when they saw it, they said, "Indeed, we are lost; 26 (No, we are not lost.) In fact, we have been deprived of everything". 27 The best among them said: Said I not unto you: Why glorify ye not (Allah)? 28 They said, 'Glory be to God, our Lord; truly, we were evildoers.' 29 Then they began to reproach one another. 30 They said: Alas for us! In truth we were outrageous. 31 Belike our Lord may exchange for us better garden than this; verily we are unto our Lord beseechers. 32 Such is the chastisement; and the chastisement of the world to come, is assuredly greater, did they but know. 33