Al-Qalam

نٓ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Nūn¹. By the pen and what they [i.e., the angels] write [in the Records of deeds],

مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ

By the grace of your Lord [O Prophet], you are not a madman.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ

You will surely have a never-ending reward.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

Indeed, you are of a great moral character.

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ

Soon you will see and they will see,

بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ

which of you is afflicted with madness.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ

Indeed, your Lord alone knows best who has strayed from His way and those who are rightly guided.

فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

So do not obey the deniers.

وَدُّوا۟ لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

They wish that you would compromise so they would too compromise.

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ

And do not obey every disgraceful swearer,

هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّآءٍۭ بِنَمِيمٍ

backbiter, gossip-monger,

مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

withholder of good, transgressor, sinful,

عُتُلٍّۭ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

coarse, and furthermore, an illegitimate child².

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ

Simply because he has wealth and children,

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

When Our verses are recited to him, he says, “Ancient fables!”

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ

We will soon brand him on the snout³.

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَٰهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا۟ لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ

Indeed, We have tested them [i.e., the Makkans] as We tested the people of the garden when they swore to harvest its fruits in the early morning,

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ

and made no exception [by saying: if Allah wills]⁴.

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ

Then it was struck by an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep,

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ

and it turned to ashes [as black as night].

فَتَنَادَوْا۟ مُصْبِحِينَ

Then in the early morning they called out to one another:

أَنِ ٱغْدُوا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰرِمِينَ

“Go early to your garden if you really wish to harvest.”

فَٱنطَلَقُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ

So they set out, whispering to one another,

أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌ

“Not a single poor person should enter your garden today.”

وَغَدَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَٰدِرِينَ

And they left early, fully determined to stick to their plan⁵.

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ

But when they saw the garden, they said, “We must have lost our way!

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

Rather, we have been deprived.”

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

The best among them said, “Did I not say to you to glorify Allah⁶?”

قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ

They said, “Glory be to our Lord! We were truly wrongdoers.”

فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَٰوَمُونَ

Then they turned to one another, throwing blame.

قَالُوا۟ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَٰغِينَ

They said, “Woe to us! We were surely transgressors.

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ

Our Lord may give us something better than this. We certainly turn to our Lord in hope⁷.”

كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ

Such is the punishment [in this world]; but the punishment of the Hereafter is far worse, if only they knew.

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

Indeed, the righteous will have gardens of bliss with their Lord.

أَفَنَجْعَلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ كَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

Should We then treat Muslims like the wicked?

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

What is the matter with you that you make such a judgment?

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَٰبٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ

Or do you have a scripture in which you read

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

that you will be given whatever you choose?

أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَٰنٌ عَلَيْنَا بَٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ

Or do you have a solemn promise binding upon Us until the Day of Resurrection, that you will have whatever you decide for yourselves?

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

Ask them which of them can guarantee that.

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا۟ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا۟ صَٰدِقِينَ

Or do they have associate-gods? Then let them bring forth their associate-gods⁸, if they are truthful.

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

On the Day when the Shin [of Allah] will be uncovered⁹, and they are invited to prostrate, but they will not be able to do so.

خَٰشِعَةً أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ وَقَدْ كَانُوا۟ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَٰلِمُونَ

Their eyes will be downcast, overwhelmed with humiliation, for they were invited to prostrate when they were capable¹⁰ [but they refused].

فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

So leave to Me those who reject this message [O Prophet]. We will gradually lead them to their ruin in ways that they do not perceive¹¹.

وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ

I will give them respite, but My plan is firm.

أَمْ تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ

Or are you asking them for a reward, so they find it too burdensome?

أَمْ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

Or do they have knowledge of the unseen, so they write it down?

فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ

So be patient with the decree of your Lord, and do not be like the man of the Whale [i.e., Jonah], when he cried out in anguish¹².

لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُۥ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ

Had it not been for the grace that he received from his Lord, he would have surely been thrown onto the barren shore, blameworthy¹³.

فَٱجْتَبَٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ

But his Lord chose him and made him one of the righteous.

وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌ

The disbelievers would almost strike you down with their malicious gazes when they hear the Reminder, and they say, “He is certainly mad.”