68Al-Qalam

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ن ۚ وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Nun By the pen and by that which they inscribe.

مَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ

Thou art nor, through the grace of thy Lord, mad.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ

And verily thine shall be a hire unending."

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

And verily thou art of a high and noble disposition.

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ

Anon thou wilt see and they will see:

بِأَيْيِكُمُ الْمَفْتُونُ

Which of you is afflicted with madness.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

Verily thy Lord! He is the best Knower of him who strayeth from His path, and He is the best Knower of the guided one,

فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Wherefore obey not thou the beliers.

وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

Fain would they that thou shouldst be pliant, so that they will be pliant.

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَهِينٍ

And obey not: thou any swearer ignominous.

هَمَّازٍ مَشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ

A defamer, spreader abroad of slander.

مَنَّاعٍ لِلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

Hinderer of the good, trespasser; sinner.

عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

Gross, and therewithal ignoble-

أَنْ كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ

Because he is owner of riches and children.

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

When Our revelations are rehearsed Unto him, he saith: fables of the ancients.

سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ

Anon We shall brand him on snout.

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ

Verily We! We have proved them even as We proved the fellows of a garden when they swarethat they would surely reap it in the morning.

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ

And they made not the exception.

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ

Wherefore an encircling visitation visited it even as they slept on.

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ

Then in the morning it became as though it had been reaped.

فَتَنَادَوْا مُصْبِحِينَ

Then they cried out Unto each other in the morning,

أَنِ اغْدُوا عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَارِمِينَ

Saying: go out betimes to your tilth if ye would reap.

فَانْطَلَقُوا وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ

So they went off speaking to each other in a low voice:

أَنْ لَا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِسْكِينٌ

Let there not enter upon you today any needy man.

وَغَدَوْا عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ

And they went out betimes determined in purpose.

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوا إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ

Then when they beheld it, they said: verily we have strayed.

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

Aye! it is we who are deprived!

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

The most moderate of them said: said I not Unto you, wherefore hallow him ye not!

قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ

They said: hallowed be Our Lord! verily we have been wrong- doers.

فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ

Then they turned to each other reproaching

قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا طَاغِينَ

They said: woe Unto us! verily we! we have been arrogant.

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَا أَنْ يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَاغِبُونَ

Belike our Lord may exchange for us better garden than this; verily we are Unto our Lord beseechers.

كَذَٰلِكَ الْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ

Such is the torment. And the torment of the Hereafter is far greater; if they but knew.

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

Verily for the God-fearing, are with their Lord Gardens of Delight.

أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ

Shall We then make the Muslims like the culprits?

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

What aileth you? How ill ye judge!

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ

Is there with you a Book wherein ye study:

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

That therein is yours that which. ye may choose?

أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا بَالِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ

Or have ye oaths from us reaching to the Day of Resurrection, that you shall be that which ye judge?

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

Ask then, which of them will stand thereof a surety?

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ

Have they associate gods? Then let them produce their associate gods if they say sooth!

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

Remember the Day whereon the shank shall be bared and they shall be called upon to Prostrate themselves, but they shall not be able.

خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ

Downcast will be their looks; abjectness will overspread them. Surely they had been called upon to Prostrate themselves while yet they were whole.

فَذَرْنِي وَمَنْ يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Let Me alone with him who belieth this discourse; step by step We lead them on when they perceive not.

وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ

And I bear with them; verily My contrivance is sure.

أَمْ تَسْأَلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُمْ مِنْ مَغْرَمٍ مُثْقَلُونَ

Askest thou a hire from them so that they are laden with debt?

أَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

Is with them the unseen, so that they write down?

فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُنْ كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ

Be patient thou, then, with thy Lord's judgment, and be thou not like him of the fish, when he cried out while he was in anguish.

لَوْلَا أَنْ تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ

Had not grace from his Lord reached him, he had surely been cast into the wilderness in a plight.

فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

Then his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous.

وَإِنْ يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ

And those who disbelieve well-nigh cause thee to stumble with their looks when they hear the Admonition, and they say: verily he is mad.

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ

While it is naught but an admonition Unto the worlds.