68Al-Qalam

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ن ۚ وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe,

مَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ

You are not, [O Muhammad], by the favor of your Lord, a madman.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ

And indeed, for you is a reward uninterrupted.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

And indeed, you are of a great moral character.

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ

So you will see and they will see

بِأَيْيِكُمُ الْمَفْتُونُ

Which of you is the afflicted [by a devil].

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has gone astray from His way, and He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.

فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Then do not obey the deniers.

وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

They wish that you would soften [in your position], so they would soften [toward you].

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَهِينٍ

And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer

هَمَّازٍ مَشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ

[And] scorner, going about with malicious gossip -

مَنَّاعٍ لِلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful,

عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

Cruel, moreover, and an illegitimate pretender.

أَنْ كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ

Because he is a possessor of wealth and children,

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Legends of the former peoples."

سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ

We will brand him upon the snout.

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ

Indeed, We have tried them as We tried the companions of the garden, when they swore to cut its fruit in the [early] morning

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ

Without making exception.

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ

So there came upon the garden an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep.

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ

And it became as though reaped.

فَتَنَادَوْا مُصْبِحِينَ

And they called one another at morning,

أَنِ اغْدُوا عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَارِمِينَ

[Saying], "Go early to your crop if you would cut the fruit."

فَانْطَلَقُوا وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ

So they set out, while lowering their voices,

أَنْ لَا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِسْكِينٌ

[Saying], "There will surely not enter it today upon you [any] poor person."

وَغَدَوْا عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ

And they went early in determination, [assuming themselves] able.

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوا إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ

But when they saw it, they said, "Indeed, we are lost;

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

Rather, we have been deprived."

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, 'Why do you not exalt [Allah]?' "

قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ

They said, "Exalted is our Lord! Indeed, we were wrongdoers."

فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ

Then they approached one another, blaming each other.

قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا طَاغِينَ

They said, "O woe to us; indeed we were transgressors.

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَا أَنْ يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَاغِبُونَ

Perhaps our Lord will substitute for us [one] better than it. Indeed, we are toward our Lord desirous."

كَذَٰلِكَ الْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ

Such is the punishment [of this world]. And the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew.

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

Indeed, for the righteous with their Lord are the Gardens of Pleasure.

أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ

Then will We treat the Muslims like the criminals?

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

What is [the matter] with you? How do you judge?

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ

Or do you have a scripture in which you learn

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

That indeed for you is whatever you choose?

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

Or do you have oaths [binding] upon Us, extending until the Day of Resurrection, that indeed for you is whatever you judge?

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

Ask them which of them, for that [claim], is responsible.

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ

Or do they have partners? Then let them bring their partners, if they should be truthful.

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

The Day the shin will be uncovered and they are invited to prostration but the disbelievers will not be able,

خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ

Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. And they used to be invited to prostration while they were sound.

فَذَرْنِي وَمَنْ يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

So leave Me, [O Muhammad], with [the matter of] whoever denies the Qur'an. We will progressively lead them [to punishment] from where they do not know.

وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ

And I will give them time. Indeed, My plan is firm.

أَمْ تَسْأَلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُمْ مِنْ مَغْرَمٍ مُثْقَلُونَ

Or do you ask of them a payment, so they are by debt burdened down?

أَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

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

فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُنْ كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ

Then be patient for the decision of your Lord, [O Muhammad], and be not like the companion of the fish when he called out while he was distressed.

لَوْلَا أَنْ تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ

If not that a favor from his Lord overtook him, he would have been thrown onto the naked shore while he was censured.

فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

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

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

And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message, and they say, "Indeed, he is mad."

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ

But it is not except a reminder to the worlds.