The Pen (Al-Qalam)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
۞ Noon. I swear by the pen and what the angels write, 1 You are not insane, by the munificence of your Lord. 2 Most surely, you will have a never ending reward. 3 And verily thou art of a high and noble disposition. 4 So very soon, you will see and they too will realise – 5 Which of you is the afflicted [by a devil]. 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 Therefore, do not obey those who belie, 8 They wish that you should compromise (in religion out of courtesy) with them, so they (too) would compromise with you. 9 Do not yield to any contemptible swearer of oaths, 10 back-biting, gossiping, 11 Hinderer of the good, transgressor, sinful, 12 Crude, and above all, mean and infamous, 13 because he has wealth and sons. 14 When Our signs are recited to him, he says, 'Fairy-tales of the ancients!' 15 We will brand him upon 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 exception (for the Will of Allah); 18 Then there encompassed it a visitation from your Lord while they were sleeping. 19 Then in the morning it became as though it had been reaped. 20 And they called out to each other in the morning, 21 That, “Go to your fields at early morn, if you want to harvest.” 22 So off they went, whispering to one another: 23 Saying: No poor man shall enter it today upon you. 24 They left early in the morning bent on this purpose. 25 But as soon as they beheld the orchard, (they cried out): “We have certainly lost the way; 26 Rather, we have been deprived." 27 The best among them said, “Did I not tell you, ‘Why do you not proclaim His purity?’” 28 They cried out: “Glory be to our Lord! Certainly we were sinners.” 29 Then they turned to each other reproaching. 30 They said: "Woe to us! Verily, we were Taghun (transgressors and disobedient, etc.) 31 It may be that our Lord will give us better than it in exchange. To our Lord we humbly turn' 32 Such is the chastisement, and certainly the chastisement of the hereafter is greater, did they but know! 33