Surah Al-Qalam (The Pen)

نٓ ۚ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

68:1 Nun. By the pen and what they write.

مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ

68:2 By your Lord’s favor, you [Muhammad] are not mad.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ

68:3 And you will surely have a reward that never ends.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

68:4 And you are surely of tremendous character.

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ

68:5 Soon you will see, and they will see,

بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ

68:6 which of you is the afflicted one.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ

68:7 Your Lord knows best who has lost the way from His path, and He knows best those who are guided.

فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

68:8 So do not obey the deniers.

وَدُّوا۟ لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

68:9 They wish you would compromise, so they would compromise.

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ

68:10 And do not obey any worthless habitual swearer,

هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّآءٍۭ بِنَمِيمٍ

68:11 any faultfinder who goes around with malicious gossip,

مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

68:12 any preventer of good, transgressor, sinner.

عُتُلٍّۭ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

68:13 brutal, and beyond all that, base.

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ

68:14 Because he has wealth and sons,

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَـٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

68:15 when Our verses are recited to him, he says, “Stories of the ancients.”

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ

68:16 We will brand him on the snout.

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَـٰهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَآ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا۟ لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ

68:17 We have tested them [the people of Makkah] as We tested the owners of the garden, when they swore they would harvest it in the morning,

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ

68:18 without making any exception [by saying, “if Allah [God] wills”].

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ

68:19 So a visitation from your Lord passed over it while they were asleep,

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ

68:20 and by morning it was like a field stripped bare.

فَتَنَادَوْا۟ مُصْبِحِينَ

68:21 Then, at daybreak, they called out to one another:

أَنِ ٱغْدُوا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰرِمِينَ

68:22 “Go early to your crop, if you mean to harvest it.”

فَٱنطَلَقُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَتَخَـٰفَتُونَ

68:23 So they set out, whispering to one another,

أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌ

68:24 “No poor person is to come in on you there today.”

وَغَدَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَـٰدِرِينَ

68:25 They set out early, determined and confident.

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ

68:26 But when they saw it [the garden], they said, “We must have lost our way.”

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

68:27 “No,” they said. “We have been deprived.”

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

68:28 The most balanced of them said, “Did I not tell you, ‘Why do you not glorify Allah?’”

قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَـٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِينَ

68:29 They said, “Glory be to our Lord. We were wrongdoers.”

فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَـٰوَمُونَ

68:30 Then they turned on one another, blaming each other.

قَالُوا۟ يَـٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَـٰغِينَ

68:31 They said, “Woe to us. We were transgressors.

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ

68:32 Perhaps our Lord will give us something better in its place. We turn to our Lord in hope.”

كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ

68:33 Such is the punishment. And the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if only they knew.

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّـٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

68:34 For those who are mindful of Allah, there are Gardens of Delight with their Lord.

أَفَنَجْعَلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ كَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

68:35 Would We treat those who submit like the guilty?

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

68:36 What is wrong with you? How do you judge?

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَـٰبٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ

68:37 Or do you have a scripture you study,

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

68:38 in which you find that you will have whatever you choose?

أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَـٰنٌ عَلَيْنَا بَـٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ

68:39 Or do you have pledges from Us, binding until the Day of Resurrection, that you will have whatever you decide?

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

68:40 Ask them which of them will guarantee that.

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا۟ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا۟ صَـٰدِقِينَ

68:41 Or do they have partners? Then let them bring their partners, if they are truthful.

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

68:42 On the Day a shin is bared and they are called to prostrate, they will not be able to.

خَـٰشِعَةً أَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا۟ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَـٰلِمُونَ

68:43 Their eyes lowered, humiliation will cover them; they had been called to prostrate when they were still able.

فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

68:44 So leave Me with whoever denies this message. We will draw them on step by step from where they do not know.

وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ

68:45 And I give them time. My plan is firm.

أَمْ تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ

68:46 Or are you asking them for payment, so they are weighed down by debt?

أَمْ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

68:47 Or do they have the unseen, so they are writing it down?

فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ

68:48 So be patient for your Lord’s judgment, and do not be like the companion of the fish [Jonah], when he cried out while distressed.

لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُۥ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ

68:49 Had favor from his Lord not reached him, he would have been thrown onto the bare shore, blamed.

فَٱجْتَبَـٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ

68:50 But his Lord chose him and made him one of the righteous.

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

68:51 Those who disbelieve almost knock you down with their stares when they hear the Reminder, and they say, “He is surely mad.”

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

68:52 But it is nothing but a reminder to all peoples.