Al-Qalam

68:1Page 564

نٓۚ وَٱلۡقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسۡطُرُونَ ١

Nūn.¹ By the pen and what they inscribe,

68:2–4Page 564

مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجۡنُونٖ ٢

You are not, [O Muḥammad], by the favor of your Lord, a madman.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجۡرًا غَيۡرَ مَمۡنُونٖ ٣

And indeed, for you is a reward uninterrupted.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٖ ٤

And indeed, you are of a great moral character.

68:5Page 564

فَسَتُبۡصِرُ وَيُبۡصِرُونَ ٥

So you will see and they will see

68:6Page 564

بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلۡمَفۡتُونُ ٦

Which of you is the afflicted [by a devil].

68:7Page 564

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِينَ ٧

Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has gone astray from His way, and He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.

68:8Page 564

فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلۡمُكَذِّبِينَ ٨

Then do not obey the deniers.

68:9Page 564

وَدُّواْ لَوۡ تُدۡهِنُ فَيُدۡهِنُونَ ٩

They wish that you would soften [in your position], so they would soften [toward you].

68:10Page 564

وَلَا تُطِعۡ كُلَّ حَلَّافٖ مَّهِينٍ ١٠

And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer

68:11–15Page 564

هَمَّازٖ مَّشَّآءِۭ بِنَمِيمٖ ١١

[And] scorner, going about with malicious gossip -

مَّنَّاعٖ لِّلۡخَيۡرِ مُعۡتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ ١٢

A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful,

عُتُلِّۭ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ١٣

Cruel, moreover, and an illegitimate pretender.¹

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٖ وَبَنِينَ ١٤

Because he is a possessor of wealth and children,

إِذَا تُتۡلَىٰ عَلَيۡهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ١٥

When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Legends of the former peoples."

68:16Page 565

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلۡخُرۡطُومِ ١٦

We will brand him upon the snout.¹

68:17Page 565

إِنَّا بَلَوۡنَٰهُمۡ كَمَا بَلَوۡنَآ أَصۡحَٰبَ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ إِذۡ أَقۡسَمُواْ لَيَصۡرِمُنَّهَا مُصۡبِحِينَ ١٧

Indeed, We have tried them as We tried the companions of the garden, when they swore to cut its fruit in the [early] morning

68:18Page 565

وَلَا يَسۡتَثۡنُونَ ١٨

Without making exception.¹

68:19–20Page 565

فَطَافَ عَلَيۡهَا طَآئِفٞ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمۡ نَآئِمُونَ ١٩

So there came upon it [i.e., the garden] an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep.

فَأَصۡبَحَتۡ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ ٢٠

And it became as though reaped.

68:21–22Page 565

فَتَنَادَوۡاْ مُصۡبِحِينَ ٢١

And they called one another at morning,

أَنِ ٱغۡدُواْ عَلَىٰ حَرۡثِكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰرِمِينَ ٢٢

[Saying], "Go early to your crop if you would cut the fruit."

68:23–24Page 565

فَٱنطَلَقُواْ وَهُمۡ يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ ٢٣

So they set out, while lowering their voices,

أَن لَّا يَدۡخُلَنَّهَا ٱلۡيَوۡمَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّسۡكِينٞ ٢٤

[Saying], "There will surely not enter it today upon you [any] poor person."

68:25Page 565

وَغَدَوۡاْ عَلَىٰ حَرۡدٖ قَٰدِرِينَ ٢٥

And they went early in determination, [assuming themselves] able.¹

68:26Page 565

فَلَمَّا رَأَوۡهَا قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ ٢٦

But when they saw it, they said, "Indeed, we are lost;

68:27–33Page 565

بَلۡ نَحۡنُ مَحۡرُومُونَ ٢٧

Rather, we have been deprived."

قَالَ أَوۡسَطُهُمۡ أَلَمۡ أَقُل لَّكُمۡ لَوۡلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ ٢٨

The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, 'Why do you not exalt [Allāh]?'"¹

قَالُواْ سُبۡحَٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ ٢٩

They said, "Exalted is our Lord! Indeed, we were wrongdoers."

فَأَقۡبَلَ بَعۡضُهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٖ يَتَلَٰوَمُونَ ٣٠

Then they approached one another, blaming each other.

قَالُواْ يَٰوَيۡلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَٰغِينَ ٣١

They said, "O woe to us; indeed we were transgressors.

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبۡدِلَنَا خَيۡرٗا مِّنۡهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ ٣٢

Perhaps our Lord will substitute for us [one] better than it. Indeed, we are toward our Lord desirous."¹

كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡعَذَابُۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ أَكۡبَرُۚ لَوۡ كَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ ٣٣

Such is the punishment [of this world]. And the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew.