The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
۞ NUN. I CALL to witness the pen and what they inscribe, 1 You are not demented by the grace of your Lord. 2 And verily, for you (O Muhammad SAW) will be an endless reward. 3 And verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) are on an exalted standard of character. 4 So you will see and they will see 5 which of you was bereft of reason. 6 Verily your Lord knows those who have gone astray from His path, and He knows those who are guided on the way. 7 So do not yield to the rejecters. 8 They wish that you would soften [in your position], so they would soften [toward you]. 9 Do not yield to one persistent in swearing, 10 Detracter, spreader abroad of slanders, 11 [or] the withholder of good, [or] the sinful aggressor, 12 Cruel, moreover, and an illegitimate pretender. 13 Because he possesses wealth and sons. 14 When Our communications are recited to him, he says: Stories of those of yore. 15 Soon shall We brand (the beast) on the snout! 16 Verily We! We have proved them even as We proved the fellows of a garden when they sware that they would surely reap it in the morning. 17 without saying, "If it be God's will." 18 Wherefore an encircling visitation visited it even as they slept on. 19 So it became as black, barren land. 20 In the morning they called out to one another, 21 "Go early to your farms, if you want to pluck the fruits". 22 So off they went, whispering to one another: 23 "Let not a single indigent person break in upon you into the (garden) this day." 24 And they went out betimes determined in purpose. 25 But when they saw it, they said: Most surely we have gone astray 26 rather, we are utterly ruined.” 27 The most moderate of them said: said I not unto you, wherefore hallow him ye not! 28 "Glory to our Lord," they said; we were really in the wrong." 29 Some of them started to blame others. 30 They said, “Woe to us – we were indeed rebellious.” 31 We hope that our Lord will give us in exchange a better (garden) than this. Truly, we turn to our Lord (wishing for good that He may forgive our sins, and reward us in the Hereafter)." 32 Such is the chastisement; and the chastisement of the world to come, is assuredly greater, did they but know. 33