The Pen
سورة الـقـلـم
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
﴿١﴾ ن ۚ وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ
1. Nuun. By the pen, and by what they write.
﴿٢﴾ مَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ
2. By the grace of your Lord, you are not insane.
﴿٣﴾ وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ
3. In fact, you will have an unending reward.
﴿٤﴾ وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
4. And you are of a great moral character.
﴿٥﴾ فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ
5. You will see, and they will see.
﴿٦﴾ بِأَيْيِكُمُ الْمَفْتُونُ
6. Which of you is the afflicted.
﴿٧﴾ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
7. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best the well-guided.
﴿٨﴾ فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ
8. So do not obey the deniers.
﴿٩﴾ وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ
9. They wish that you would compromise, so they would compromise.
﴿١٠﴾ وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَهِينٍ
10. And do not obey any vile swearer.
﴿١١﴾ هَمَّازٍ مَشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ
11. Backbiter, spreader of slander.
﴿١٢﴾ مَنَّاعٍ لِلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ
12. Preventer of good, transgressor, sinful.
﴿١٣﴾ عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ
13. Rude and fake besides.
﴿١٤﴾ أَنْ كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ
14. Just because he has money and children.
﴿١٥﴾ إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
15. When Our Verses are recited to him, he says, “Myths of the ancients!”
﴿١٦﴾ سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ
16. We will mark him on the snout.
﴿١٧﴾ إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ
17. We tested them, as We tested the owners of the garden—when they vowed to harvest it in the morning.
﴿١٨﴾ وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ
18. And they made no exception.
﴿١٩﴾ فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ
19. But a disaster from your Lord went around it while they slept.
﴿٢٠﴾ فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ
20. And it became as if picked.
﴿٢١﴾ فَتَنَادَوْا مُصْبِحِينَ
21. In the morning, they called one another.
﴿٢٢﴾ أَنِ اغْدُوا عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَارِمِينَ
22. “Go early to your plantation, if you want to harvest.”
﴿٢٣﴾ فَانْطَلَقُوا وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ
23. So they set out, whispering to one another.
﴿٢٤﴾ أَنْ لَا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِسْكِينٌ
24. “No poor person is to enter it upon you today.”
﴿٢٥﴾ وَغَدَوْا عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ
25. And they proceeded early, resolved in intent.
﴿٢٦﴾ فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوا إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ
26. But when they saw it, they said, “We are lost.
﴿٢٧﴾ بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ
27. In fact, we are deprived.”
﴿٢٨﴾ قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ
28. The most moderate of them said, “Did I not say to you, ‘if only you would praise?’”
﴿٢٩﴾ قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ
29. They said, “Glory be to our Lord—We were in the wrong.”
﴿٣٠﴾ فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ
30. Then they turned to one another, blaming one another.
﴿٣١﴾ قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا طَاغِينَ
31. They said, “Woe to us—we were domineering.
﴿٣٢﴾ عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَا أَنْ يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَاغِبُونَ
32. Perhaps our Lord will give us a better substitute for it. We are turning to our Lord in hope .”
﴿٣٣﴾ كَذَٰلِكَ الْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
33. Such is the punishment. But the punishment of the Hereafter is greater—if they only knew.
﴿٣٤﴾ إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ
34. For the righteous are Gardens of Delight with their Lord.
﴿٣٥﴾ أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ
35. Shall We treat the submitters like the villains?
﴿٣٦﴾ مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ
36. What is the matter with you? How do you judge?
﴿٣٧﴾ أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ
37. Or do you have a scripture in which you study?
﴿٣٨﴾ إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ
38. That you will have in it whatever you choose?
﴿٣٩﴾ أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا بَالِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ
39. Or do you have oaths from Us, binding until Resurrection Day, that whatever you demand is yours?
﴿٤٠﴾ سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ
40. Ask them, which of them will guarantee that!
﴿٤١﴾ أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ
41. Or do they have partners? Then let them bring their partners—if they are truthful.
﴿٤٢﴾ يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ
42. On the Day when the Shin will be exposed, and they will be called to bow down, but they will be unable.
﴿٤٣﴾ خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ
43. Their eyes subdued, covered with shame. They were invited to prostrate when they were sound.
﴿٤٤﴾ فَذَرْنِي وَمَنْ يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
44. So leave Me to those who reject this message. We will proceed against them gradually, from where they do not know.
﴿٤٥﴾ وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ
45. And I will give them time. My plan is firm.
﴿٤٦﴾ أَمْ تَسْأَلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُمْ مِنْ مَغْرَمٍ مُثْقَلُونَ
46. Or are you asking them for a fee, so they are burdened with debt?
﴿٤٧﴾ أَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ
47. Or do they know the future, and so they write it down?
﴿٤٨﴾ فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُنْ كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ
48. So be patient with your Lord’s Judgment. And do not be like the Fellow of the Whale who cried out in despair.
﴿٤٩﴾ لَوْلَا أَنْ تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ
49. Had the blessing from his Lord not reached him, he would have been thrown onto the barren shore, and he was blamed.
﴿٥٠﴾ فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
50. But his Lord chose him, and He made him of the righteous.
﴿٥١﴾ وَإِنْ يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ
51. Those who disbelieve almost stab you with their glances when they hear the message, and they say, “He is crazy!”
﴿٥٢﴾ وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ
52. But it is only a reminder for humankind.