ن ۚ وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ١
Nun By the pen! By all they write
Surah 68 · 52 Ayahs
Al-Qalam
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
- مَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ٢
Your Lord’s grace does not make you [Prophet] a madman
- وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ٣
you will have a never-ending reward––
- وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ٤
truly you have a strong character––
- فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ٥
and soon you will see, as will they
- بِأَيْيِكُمُ الْمَفْتُونُ٦
which of you is afflicted with madness
- إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ٧
Your Lord knows best who strays from His path and who is rightly guided
- فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ٨
So do not yield to those who deny the truth––
- وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ٩
they want you to compromise with them and then they will compromise with you––
- وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَهِينٍ١٠
do not yield to any contemptible swearer
- هَمَّازٍ مَشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ١١
to any backbiter, slander-monger
- مَنَّاعٍ لِلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ١٢
or hinderer of good, to anyone who is sinful, aggressive
- عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ١٣
coarse, and on top of all that, an imposter
- أَنْ كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ١٤
Just because he has wealth and sons
- إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ١٥
when our revelations are recited to him, he says, ‘These are just ancient fables.’
- سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ١٦
We shall brand him on the snout
- إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ١٧
We have tried them as We tried the owners of a certain garden, who swore that they would harvest its fruits in the morning
- وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ١٨
and made no allowance [for the Will of God]
- فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ١٩
a disaster from your Lord struck the garden as they slept
- فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ٢٠
and by morning it was stripped bare, a desolate land
- فَتَنَادَوْا مُصْبِحِينَ٢١
Still they called each other at daybreak
- أَنِ اغْدُوا عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَارِمِينَ٢٢
‘Go early to your field if you wish to gather all its fruits,’
- فَانْطَلَقُوا وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ٢٣
and went off, whispering
- أَنْ لَا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِسْكِينٌ٢٤
‘Make sure no poor person enters the garden today!’––
- وَغَدَوْا عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ٢٥
they left early, bent on their purpose
- فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوا إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ٢٦
but when they saw the garden, they said, ‘We must have lost our way
- بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ٢٧
No- we are ruined!’
- قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ٢٨
The wisest of them said, ‘Did I not say to you, “Will you not glorify God?”’
- قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ٢٩
they said, ‘Glory be to God, Our Lord! Truly, we were doing wrong!’
- فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ٣٠
and then they turned to each other in mutual reproach
- قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا طَاغِينَ٣١
They said, ‘Alas for us! We have done terrible wrong
- عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَا أَنْ يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَاغِبُونَ٣٢
but maybe our Lord will give us something better in its place: we truly turn to Him in hope.’
- كَذَٰلِكَ الْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ٣٣
Such is the punishment [in this life], but greater still is the punishment in the Hereafter, if only they knew
- إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ٣٤
There will be Gardens of bliss for those who are mindful of God
- أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ٣٥
Should We treat those who submit to Us as We treat those who do evil
- مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ٣٦
What is the matter with you? On what basis do you judge
- أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ٣٧
Do you have a Scripture that tells you
- إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ٣٨
that you will be granted whatever you choose
- أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا بَالِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ٣٩
Have you received from Us solemn oaths, binding to the Day of Resurrection, that you will get whatever you yourselves decide
- سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ٤٠
Ask them [Prophet] which of them will guarantee this
- أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ٤١
Do they have ‘partners’ [besides God]? Let them produce their ‘partners’, if what they say is true
- يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ٤٢
On the Day when matters become dire, they will be invited to prostrate themselves but will be prevented from doing so
- خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ٤٣
and their eyes will be downcast and they will be overwhelmed with shame: they were invited to prostrate themselves when they were safe [but refused]
- فَذَرْنِي وَمَنْ يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ٤٤
So [Prophet] leave those who reject this revelation to Me: We shall lead them on, step by step, in ways beyond their knowledge
- وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ٤٥
I will allow them more time, for My plan is powerful
- أَمْ تَسْأَلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُمْ مِنْ مَغْرَمٍ مُثْقَلُونَ٤٦
Do you demand some reward from them that would burden them with debt
- أَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ٤٧
Do they have knowledge of the unseen that enables them to write it down
- فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُنْ كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ٤٨
Wait patiently [Prophet] for your Lord’s judgement: do not be like the man in the whale who called out in distress
- لَوْلَا أَنْ تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ٤٩
if his Lord’s grace had not reached him, he would have been left, abandoned and blameworthy, on the barren shore
- فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ٥٠
but his Lord chose him and made him one of the Righteous
- وَإِنْ يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ٥١
The disbelievers almost strike you down with their looks when they hear the Quran. They say, ‘He must be mad!’
- وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ٥٢
but truly it is nothing other than a Reminder for all peoples