Surah Al-Qalam

نٓ ۚ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ ۝١

Nun. By the pen, and all that they write!

مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ ۝٢

By the grace of your Lord, you are not a mad man.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ ۝٣

Most surely, you will have a never ending reward.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ ۝٤

For you are truly of a sublime character.

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ ۝٥

Soon you will see, as will they,

بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ ۝٦

which of you is a prey to madness.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ ۝٧

Your Lord knows best who has fallen by the wayside, and who has remained on the true path.

فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ۝٨

Do not give in to the deniers of truth.

وَدُّوا۟ لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ ۝٩

They want you to make concessions to them and then they will reciprocate.

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ ۝١٠

Do not yield to any contemptible swearer of oaths,

هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّآءٍۭ بِنَمِيمٍ ۝١١

or to any defamer or one who spreads slander,

مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ ۝١٢

or to one who places obstacles in the way of good being done or to the wicked transgressor,

عُتُلٍّۭ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ۝١٣

who is ignoble and besides all that, base-born;

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ ۝١٤

just because he has wealth and sons,

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ۝١٥

when Our revelations are recited to him, he says, "These are just ancient fables."

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ ۝١٦

Soon We will brand him on the nose.

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَٰهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا۟ لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ ۝١٧

We have tried them as we tried the owners of a certain orchard, who vowed to harvest all its fruits the next morning,

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ ۝١٨

without saying, "If it be God's will."

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ ۝١٩

A calamity from your Lord befell the orchard as they slept.

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ ۝٢٠

And by morning it lay as if it had already been harvested, a barren land.

فَتَنَادَوْا۟ مُصْبِحِينَ ۝٢١

So they called out to each other at the break of dawn,

أَنِ ٱغْدُوا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰرِمِينَ ۝٢٢

saying, "Be quick to reach your orchard, if you want to gather all your fruits."

فَٱنطَلَقُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ ۝٢٣

So they went off, whispering to one another,

أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌ ۝٢٤

"Be sure to stop any poor person from entering the orchard today."

وَغَدَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَٰدِرِينَ ۝٢٥

They set out early in the morning, thinking they had the power to prevent.

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ ۝٢٦

But when they saw it, they said, "We must have lost our way.

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ ۝٢٧

Indeed, we are utterly ruined!"

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ ۝٢٨

The more upright of the two said, "Did I not bid you to glorify God?"

قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ ۝٢٩

They said, "Glory be to God, our Lord. We have surely done wrong."

فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَٰوَمُونَ ۝٣٠

Then they began to heap reproaches on each other.

قَالُوا۟ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَٰغِينَ ۝٣١

They said, "Alas for us, our behaviour was beyond the pale.

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ ۝٣٢

May be our Lord will give us a better orchard in its stead; we turn to Him."

كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ۝٣٣

Such was their punishment, [in this life]. But the punishment of the life to come is much more severe, if only they knew it!

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ ۝٣٤

Those who are mindful of their Lord will be rewarded with gardens of bliss.

أَفَنَجْعَلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ كَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ ۝٣٥

Should We treat the true believers and the wrongdoers alike?

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ ۝٣٦

What ails you? How ill you judge!

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَٰبٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ ۝٣٧

Have you a Scripture that tells you

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ ۝٣٨

that you will be granted whatever you choose?

أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَٰنٌ عَلَيْنَا بَٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ ۝٣٩

Or do you have Our solemn oaths, binding upon Us till the Day of Resurrection, that you shall have whatever you yourselves decide?

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ ۝٤٠

Ask them, which of them will vouch for that!

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا۟ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا۟ صَٰدِقِينَ ۝٤١

Or have they other partners [besides God]? Let them bring forth their other partners, if what they say be true.

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ۝٤٢

On the Day when the truth shall be laid bare, they will be called upon to prostrate themselves, but they will not be able to do so.

خَٰشِعَةً أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا۟ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَٰلِمُونَ ۝٤٣

Their eyes will be cast down and they will be covered in shame; they were bidden to prostrate themselves, when they were safe and sound [but they did not obey].

فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ۝٤٤

So leave to Me those who reject this message. We shall lead them step by step to their ruin, in ways beyond their ken.

وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ ۝٤٥

I shall grant them some respite, for My plan is powerful.

أَمْ تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ ۝٤٦

Do you demand some recompense from them that would weigh them down with debt?

أَمْ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ ۝٤٧

Is the unseen within their grasp so that they write it down?

فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ ۝٤٨

Wait patiently for your Lord's judgement; do not be like the man who, having been swallowed by a whale, called out in distress.

لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُۥ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ ۝٤٩

Had his Lord's grace not been bestowed upon him, he would have been cast away in disgrace upon that desolate shore.

فَٱجْتَبَٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ ۝٥٠

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

وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌ ۝٥١

When those who deny the truth hear the admonition, they would almost cause you to stumble with their evil eyes; and they say, "He is certainly mad."

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ ۝٥٢

Yet it is purely an admonition to mankind.