68. Al-Qalam

نٓۚ وَٱلۡقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسۡطُرُونَ

Nun. By the pen and what the scribes write

مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجۡنُونࣲ‏

By your Lord's Grace, you are not afflicted with madness

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجۡرًا غَيۡرَ مَمۡنُونࣲ‏

and surely yours shall be a never-ending reward

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمࣲ‏

and you are certainly on the most exalted standard of moral excellence

فَسَتُبۡصِرُ وَيُبۡصِرُونَ

So you will soon see, and they too will see

بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلۡمَفۡتُونُ

which of you is afflicted with madness

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِينَ

Surely your Lord knows well those who have strayed from His Way just as He knows well those who are on the Right Way

فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلۡمُكَذِّبِينَ

Do not, then, yield to those who reject the Truth, decrying it as false

وَدُّواْ لَوۡ تُدۡهِنُ فَيُدۡهِنُونَ

they would wish you to be pliant so that they too may be pliant

وَلَا تُطِعۡ كُلَّ حَلَّافࣲ مَّهِينٍ

And do not yield to any contemptible swearer

هَمَّازࣲ مَّشَّآءِۭ بِنَمِيمࣲ‏

the fault-finder who goes around slandering

مَّنَّاعࣲ لِّلۡخَيۡرِ مُعۡتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

the hinderer of good, the transgressor, the sinful

عُتُلِّۭ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

the coarse-grained, and above all mean and ignoble

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالࣲ وَبَنِينَ

(who so acts) simply because he has wealth and sons

إِذَا تُتۡلَىٰ عَلَيۡهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ

and whenever Our verses are rehearsed to him, he says: “These are fairy- tales of times gone by.”

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلۡخُرۡطُومِ

Soon shall We brand him on his snout

إِنَّا بَلَوۡنَٰهُمۡ كَمَا بَلَوۡنَآ أَصۡحَٰبَ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ إِذۡ أَقۡسَمُواْ لَيَصۡرِمُنَّهَا مُصۡبِحِينَ

We have put them [i.e., the Makkans] to test even as We put to test the owners of the orchard when they vowed that they would gather the fruit of their orchard in the morning

وَلَا يَسۡتَثۡنُونَ

without making any allowance (for the will of Allah)

فَطَافَ عَلَيۡهَا طَآئِفࣱ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمۡ نَآئِمُونَ

Thereupon a calamity from your Lord passed over it while they were asleep

فَأَصۡبَحَتۡ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ

and so by morning the orchard lay as though it had been fully harvested

فَتَنَادَوۡاْ مُصۡبِحِينَ

At daybreak they called out to one another

أَنِ ٱغۡدُواْ عَلَىٰ حَرۡثِكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰرِمِينَ

“Hurry to your orchard if you would gather its fruit.”

فَٱنطَلَقُواْ وَهُمۡ يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ

So off they went, whispering to one another

أَن لَّا يَدۡخُلَنَّهَا ٱلۡيَوۡمَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّسۡكِينࣱ‏

“No destitute person shall enter it today.”

وَغَدَوۡاْ عَلَىٰ حَرۡدࣲ قَٰدِرِينَ

They went forth early, believing that they had the power (to gather the fruit)

فَلَمَّا رَأَوۡهَا قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ

But as soon as they beheld the orchard, (they cried out): “We have certainly lost the way

بَلۡ نَحۡنُ مَحۡرُومُونَ

rather, we are utterly ruined.”

قَالَ أَوۡسَطُهُمۡ أَلَمۡ أَقُل لَّكُمۡ لَوۡلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

The best among them said: “Did I not say to you: why do you not give glory to (your Lord)?”

قَالُواْ سُبۡحَٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ

They cried out: “Glory be to our Lord! Certainly we were sinners.”

فَأَقۡبَلَ بَعۡضُهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضࣲ يَتَلَٰوَمُونَ

Then they began to reproach one another

قَالُواْ يَٰوَيۡلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَٰغِينَ

They said: “Woe to us! We had indeed transgressed

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبۡدِلَنَا خَيۡرࣰ ا مِّنۡهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ

Maybe our Lord will give us a better orchard in its place; to our Lord do we penitently turn.”

كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡعَذَابُۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ أَكۡبَرُۚ لَوۡ كَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ

Such is the chastisement; and the chastisement of the Hereafter is assuredly even greater, if only they knew

إِنَّ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

Surely the God-fearing shall have Gardens of bliss with their Lord

أَفَنَجۡعَلُ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ كَٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ

What! Shall We treat those who have submitted (to Our command) like those who have acted as criminals

مَا لَكُمۡ كَيۡفَ تَحۡكُمُونَ

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

أَمۡ لَكُمۡ كِتَٰبࣱ فِيهِ تَدۡرُسُونَ

Or do you have a Book wherein you read

إِنَّ لَكُمۡ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

that (in the Hereafter) you shall have all that you choose for yourselves

أَمۡ لَكُمۡ أَيۡمَٰنٌ عَلَيۡنَا بَٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ إِنَّ لَكُمۡ لَمَا تَحۡكُمُونَ

Or have We sworn a covenant with you which We are bound to keep till the Day of Resurrection, (a covenant requiring that whatever you ordain for yourselves shall be yours)

سَلۡهُمۡ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

Ask them: “Which of them can guarantee that

أَمۡ لَهُمۡ شُرَكَآءُ فَلۡيَأۡتُواْ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمۡ إِن كَانُواْ صَٰدِقِينَ

Or has something been guaranteed by any of those whom they associate with Allah in His Divinity?” If so, let them bring forth their associates, if they are truthful

يَوۡمَ يُكۡشَفُ عَن سَاقࣲ وَيُدۡعَوۡنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ

On the Day when the dreadful calamity will unfold, when people will be summoned to prostrate themselves, and yet they will not be able to prostrate

خَٰشِعَةً أَبۡصَٰرُهُمۡ تَرۡهَقُهُمۡ ذِلَّةࣱۖ وَقَدۡ كَانُواْ يُدۡعَوۡنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمۡ سَٰلِمُونَ

Their eyes shall be downcast and ignominy shall overwhelm them. For when they were safe and sound, they were summoned to prostrate themselves, (and they refused)

فَذَرۡنِي وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡحَدِيثِۖ سَنَسۡتَدۡرِجُهُم مِّنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ

So leave Me, (O Prophet), to deal with him who gives the lie to this Discourse. We shall draw them little by little (to their undoing) in a way that they will not know

وَأُمۡلِي لَهُمۡۚ إِنَّ كَيۡدِي مَتِينٌ

I am giving them a respite. Great is My scheme

أَمۡ تَسۡـَٔلُهُمۡ أَجۡرࣰ ا فَهُم مِّن مَّغۡرَمࣲ مُّثۡقَلُونَ

Or are you asking them for some compensation so that they feel burdened with debt

أَمۡ عِندَهُمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبُ فَهُمۡ يَكۡتُبُونَ

Or do they have any knowledge of the Unseen which they are now writing down

فَٱصۡبِرۡ لِحُكۡمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلۡحُوتِ إِذۡ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكۡظُومࣱ‏

So bear with patience until the Judgement of your Lord comes, and do not belike the man in the fish (i.e., Jonah) who called out, choking with grief

لَّوۡلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُۥ نِعۡمَةࣱ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلۡعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذۡمُومࣱ‏

had his Lord not bestowed His favour upon him, he would have been cast upon that barren shore (and would have remained there) in disgrace

فَٱجۡتَبَٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ

But his Lord exalted him, and included him among His righteous servants

وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَيُزۡلِقُونَكَ بِأَبۡصَٰرِهِمۡ لَمَّا سَمِعُواْ ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجۡنُونࣱ‏

When the unbelievers hear this Exhortation, they look at you as though they would knock you off your feet with their (hostile) glances. They say: “Surely he is afflicted with madness”

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكۡرࣱ لِّلۡعَٰلَمِينَ

although this is nothing but an Exhortation (to goodness) for everyone in the world