68Al-Qalam

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ن ۚ وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Nun. By the pen and that which they write (therewith),

مَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ

Thou art not, for thy Lord's favour unto thee, a madman.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ

And lo! thine verily will be a reward unfailing.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature.

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ

And thou wilt see and they will see

بِأَيْيِكُمُ الْمَفْتُونُ

Which of you is the demented.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who walk aright.

فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Therefor obey not thou the rejecters

وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

Who would have had thee compromise, that they may compromise.

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَهِينٍ

Neither obey thou each feeble oath-monger,

هَمَّازٍ مَشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ

Detracter, spreader abroad of slanders,

مَنَّاعٍ لِلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

Hinderer of the good, transgressor, malefactor

عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

Greedy therewithal, intrusive.

أَنْ كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ

It is because he is possessed of wealth and children

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

That, when Our revelations are recited unto him, he saith: Mere fables of the men of old.

سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ

We shall brand him on the nose.

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ

Lo! We have tried them as We tried the owners of the garden when they vowed that they would pluck its fruit next morning,

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ

And made no exception (for the Will of Allah);

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ

Then a visitation from thy Lord came upon it while they slept

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ

And in the morning it was as if plucked.

فَتَنَادَوْا مُصْبِحِينَ

And they cried out one unto another in the morning,

أَنِ اغْدُوا عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَارِمِينَ

Saying: Run unto your field if ye would pluck (the fruit).

فَانْطَلَقُوا وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ

So they went off, saying one unto another in low tones:

أَنْ لَا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِسْكِينٌ

No needy man shall enter it to-day against you.

وَغَدَوْا عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ

They went betimes, strong in (this) purpose.

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوا إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ

But when they saw it, they said: Lo! we are in error!

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

Nay, but we are desolate!

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

The best among them said: Said I not unto you: Why glorify ye not (Allah)?

قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ

They said: Glorified be our Lord! Lo! we have been wrong-doers.

فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ

Then some of them drew near unto others, self-reproaching.

قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا طَاغِينَ

They said: Alas for us! In truth we were outrageous.

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَا أَنْ يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَاغِبُونَ

It may be that our Lord will give us better than this in place thereof. Lo! we beseech our Lord.

كَذَٰلِكَ الْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ

Such was the punishment. And verily the punishment of the Hereafter is greater if they did but know.

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

Lo! for those who keep from evil are gardens of bliss with their Lord.

أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ

Shall We then treat those who have surrendered as We treat the guilty?

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

What aileth you? How foolishly ye judge!

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ

Or have ye a scripture wherein ye learn

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

That ye shall indeed have all that ye choose?

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

Or have ye a covenant on oath from Us that reacheth to the Day of Judgment, that yours shall be all that ye ordain?

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

Ask them (O Muhammad) which of them will vouch for that!

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ

Or have they other gods? Then let them bring their other gods if they are truthful

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

On the day when it befalleth in earnest, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves but are not able,

خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ

With eyes downcast, abasement stupefying them. And they had been summoned to prostrate themselves while they were yet unhurt.

فَذَرْنِي وَمَنْ يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Leave Me (to deal) with those who give the lie to this pronouncement. We shall lead them on by steps from whence they know not.

وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ

Yet I bear with them, for lo! My scheme is firm.

أَمْ تَسْأَلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُمْ مِنْ مَغْرَمٍ مُثْقَلُونَ

Or dost thou (Muhammad) ask a fee from them so that they are heavily taxed?

أَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

Or is the Unseen theirs that they can write (thereof)?

فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُنْ كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ

But wait thou for thy Lord's decree, and be not like him of the fish, who cried out in despair.

لَوْلَا أَنْ تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ

Had it not been that favour from his Lord had reached him he surely had been cast into the wilderness while he was reprobate.

فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

But his Lord chose him and placed him among the righteous.

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

And lo! those who disbelieve would fain disconcert thee with their eyes when they hear the Reminder, and they say: Lo! he is indeed mad;

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ

When it is naught else than a Reminder to creation.