The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
۞ Nun. By the pen and by what you write, 1 By the grace of your Lord, you are not a mad man. 2 Indeed, there is an unfailing wage for you. 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 afflicted with madness. 6 Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who walk aright. 7 So do not comply with those who deny: 8 they would like thee to be soft [with them,] so that they might be soft [with thee]. 9 Do not yield to one persistent in swearing, 10 Detracter, spreader abroad of slanders, 11 (Habitually) hindering (all) good, transgressing beyond bounds, deep in sin, 12 ill-mannered, and moraly corrupt 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 Soon shall We brand (the beast) on the snout! 16 Surely We will try them as We tried the owners of the garden, when they swore that they would certainly cut off the produce in the morning, 17 without adding to their swearing, (Allah willing, InshaAllah). 18 Then a calamity from your Lord fell upon it, but they remained fast asleep. 19 and in the morning it was as if it were a garden plucked. 20 So they called out to each other at the break of dawn, 21 'Come forth betimes upon your tillage, if you would pluck!' 22 So off they went, whispering to one another: 23 "Indeed, no needy person shall enter it today [and come] upon you [unawares,]" 24 And they went early in determination, [assuming themselves] able. 25 But when they saw the (garden), they said: "Verily, we have gone astray," 26 "Indeed we are shut out (of the fruits of our labour)!" 27 The best among them said, “Did I not tell you, ‘Why do you not proclaim His purity?’” 28 They said, "Glory be to God, our Lord. We have surely done wrong." 29 Then they began to heap reproaches on each other. 30 [In the end] they said: "Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we did behave outrageously! 31 “Hopefully, our Lord will give us a better replacement than this – we now incline towards our Lord.” 32 Such is the torment. And the torment of the Hereafter is far greater; if they but knew. 33