Surah Al-Qalam

نٓ ۚ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Noon. By the pen, and by what they inscribe.

مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ

By the grace of your Lord, you are not insane.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ

In fact, you will have a reward that will never end.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

And you are of a great moral character.

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ

You will see, and they will see.

بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ

Which of you is the afflicted.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ

Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best the well-guided.

فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

So do not obey the deniers.

وَدُّوا۟ لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

They would like you to compromise, so they would compromise.

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ

And do not obey any vile swearer.

هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّآءٍۭ بِنَمِيمٍ

Backbiter, spreader of slander.

مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

Preventer of good, transgressor, sinner.

عُتُلٍّۭ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

Rude and fake besides.

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ

Just because he has money and children.

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَـٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

When Our Verses are recited to him, he says, “Myths of the ancients!”

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ

We will brand him on the muzzle.

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَـٰهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَآ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا۟ لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ

We tested them, as We tested the owners of the garden, when they vowed to harvest it in the morning.

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ

Without any reservation.

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ

But a calamity from your Lord went around it while they slept.

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ

And in the morning it was as if picked.

فَتَنَادَوْا۟ مُصْبِحِينَ

In the morning, they called to one another.

أَنِ ٱغْدُوا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰرِمِينَ

“Go early to your plantation, if you are going to harvest.”

فَٱنطَلَقُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَتَخَـٰفَتُونَ

So off they went, murmuring to one another.

أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌ

“No poor person is to enter it upon you today.”

وَغَدَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَـٰدِرِينَ

And early they went, resolved in intent.

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ

But when they saw it, they said, “We were wrong.

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

We are now deprived.”

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

The most reasonable of them said, “Did I not say to you, ‘if only you would glorify?’”

قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَـٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِينَ

They said, “Glory to our Lord—We were indeed in the wrong.”

فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَـٰوَمُونَ

Then they turned to one another, blaming one another.

قَالُوا۟ يَـٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَـٰغِينَ

They said, “Woe to us—we were indeed domineering.

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ

Perhaps our Lord will give us a better substitute for it. We are turning to our Lord.”

كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ

Such is the punishment; but the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew.

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّـٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

For the righteous are Gardens of Delight with their Lord.

أَفَنَجْعَلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ كَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

Shall We treat the Muslims like the villains?

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

What is the matter with you? How do you judge?

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَـٰبٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ

Or do you have a scripture in which you study.

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

Wherein there is whatever you choose?

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

Or do you have oaths from Us, binding until the Day of Resurrection, that you will have whatever you demand?

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

Ask them, which of them will guarantee that.

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا۟ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا۟ صَـٰدِقِينَ

Or do they have partners? Then let them produce their partners, if they are truthful.

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

On the Day when the Shin will be exposed, and they will be called to bow down, but they will be unable.

خَـٰشِعَةً أَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا۟ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَـٰلِمُونَ

Their eyes subdued, shame will cover them. They were invited to bow down when they were sound.

فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

So leave Me to those who reject this discourse; We will proceed against them gradually, from where they do not know.

وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ

And I will give them respite. My plan is firm.

أَمْ تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ

Or do you ask them for a fee, so they are burdened with debt?

أَمْ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

Or do they know the future, and so they write it down?

فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ

So wait patiently for the Decision of your Lord, and do not be like the Fellow of the Fish who cried out in despair.

لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُۥ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ

Were it not for his Lord’s favor that reached him, he would have been thrown into the wilderness, fully despised.

فَٱجْتَبَـٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ

But his Lord chose him, and made him one of the righteous.

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

Those who disbelieve almost stab you with their glances when they hear the message, and say, “He is crazy!”

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

But it is no less than a reminder to all the Worlds.