Al-Qalam

نٓ‌ۚ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ ١

Nũn. By the pen and what everyone writes

مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ ٢

By the grace of your Lord, you ˹O Prophet˺ are not insane

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ ٣

You will certainly have a never-ending reward

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ ٤

And you are truly ˹a man˺ of outstanding character

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ ٥

Soon you and the pagans will see

بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ ٦

which of you is mad

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

Surely your Lord ˹alone˺ knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is ˹rightly˺ guided

فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ٨

So do not give in to the deniers

وَدُّواْ لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ ٩

They wish you would compromise so they would yield ˹to you˺

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ ١٠

And do not obey the despicable, vain oath-taker

هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّآءِۭ بِنَمِيمٍ ١١

slanderer, gossip-monger

مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ ١٢

withholder of good, transgressor, evildoer

عُتُلِّۭ بَعْدَ ذَٲلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ١٣

brute, and—on top of all that—an illegitimate child

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ ١٤

Now, ˹simply˺ because he has been blessed with ˹abundant˺ wealth and children

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَـٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ١٥

whenever Our revelations are recited to him, he says, “Ancient fables!”

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ ١٦

We will soon mark his snout

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَـٰهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَآ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُواْ لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ ١٧

Indeed, We have tested those ˹Meccans˺ as We tested the owners of the garden—when they swore they would surely harvest ˹all˺ its fruit in the early morning

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ ١٨

leaving no thought for Allah’s Will

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ ١٩

Then it was struck by a torment from your Lord while they slept

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ ٢٠

so it was reduced to ashes

فَتَنَادَوْاْ مُصْبِحِينَ ٢١

Then by daybreak they called out to each other

أَنِ ٱغْدُواْ عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰرِمِينَ ٢٢

˹saying,˺ “Go early to your harvest, if you want to pick ˹all˺ the fruit.”

فَٱنطَلَقُواْ وَهُمْ يَتَخَـٰفَتُونَ ٢٣

So they went off, whispering to one another

أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌ ٢٤

“Do not let any poor person enter your garden today.”

وَغَدَوْاْ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَـٰدِرِينَ ٢٥

And they proceeded early, totally fixated on their purpose

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ ٢٦

But when they saw it ˹devastated˺, they cried, “We must have lost ˹our˺ way

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ ٢٧

In fact, we have been deprived ˹of our livelihood˺.”

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ ٢٨

The most sensible of them said, “Did I not urge you to say, ‘Allah willing.’?”

قَالُواْ سُبْحَـٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِينَ ٢٩

They replied, “Glory be to our Lord! We have truly been wrongdoers.”

فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَـٰوَمُونَ ٣٠

Then they turned on each other, throwing blame

قَالُواْ يَـٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَـٰغِينَ ٣١

They said, “Woe to us! We have certainly been transgressors

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٲغِبُونَ ٣٢

We trust our Lord will give us a better garden than this, ˹for˺ we are indeed turning to our Lord with hope.”

كَذَٲلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ‌ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْأَخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ‌ۚ لَوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ ٣٣

That is the ˹way of Our˺ punishment ˹in this world˺. But the punishment of the Hereafter is certainly far worse, if only they knew

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّـٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ ٣٤

Indeed, the righteous will have the Gardens of Bliss with their Lord

أَفَنَجْعَلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ كَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ ٣٥

Should We then treat those who have submitted like the wicked

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ ٣٦

What is the matter with you? How do you judge

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَـٰبٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ ٣٧

Or do you have a scripture, in which you read

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ ٣٨

that you will have whatever you choose

أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَـٰنٌ عَلَيْنَا بَـٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ‌ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ ٣٩

Or do you have oaths binding on Us until the Day of Judgment that you will have whatever you decide

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٲلِكَ زَعِيمٌ ٤٠

Ask them ˹O Prophet˺ which of them can guarantee all that

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأْتُواْ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُواْ صَـٰدِقِينَ ٤١

Or do they have associate-gods ˹supporting this claim˺? Then let them bring forth their associate-gods, if what they say is true

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ٤٢

˹Beware of˺ the Day the Shin ˹of Allah˺ will be bared, and the wicked will be asked to prostrate, but they will not be able to do so

خَـٰشِعَةً أَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ‌ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُواْ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَـٰلِمُونَ ٤٣

with eyes downcast, totally covered with disgrace. For they were ˹always˺ called to prostrate ˹in the world˺ when they were fully capable ˹but they chose not to˺

فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ‌ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٤٤

So leave to Me ˹O Prophet˺ those who reject this message. We will gradually draw them to destruction in ways they cannot comprehend

وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ‌ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ ٤٥

I ˹only˺ delay their end for a while, but My planning is flawless

أَمْ تَسْــَٔلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ ٤٦

Or are you asking them for a reward ˹for the message˺ so that they are overburdened by debt

أَمْ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ ٤٧

Or do they have access to ˹the Record in˺ the unseen, so they copy it ˹for all to see˺

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

So be patient with your Lord’s decree, and do not be like ˹Jonah,˺ the Man of the Whale, who cried out ˹to Allah˺, in total distress

لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَٲرَكَهُۥ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ ٤٩

Had he not been shown grace by his Lord, he would have certainly been cast onto the open ˹shore˺, still blameworthy

فَٱجْتَبَـٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ٥٠

Then his Lord chose him, making him one of the righteous

وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُواْ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌ ٥١

The disbelievers would almost cut you down with their eyes when they hear ˹you recite˺ the Reminder, and say, “He is certainly a madman.”

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٥٢

But it is simply a reminder to the whole world