بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Surah 68: The Pen (Al-Qalam)
القلم
نُونْ وَالقَلَمِ وَما يَسطُرونَ
NuN, the pen, and what they (the people) write.*
*68:1 ``NuN'' is unique among the Quran's miraculous initials. See Appendix 1.
ما أَنتَ بِنِعمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجنونٍ
You have attained a great blessing from your Lord; you are not crazy.
وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجرًا غَيرَ مَمنونٍ
You have attained a recompense that is well deserved.
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظيمٍ
You are blessed with a great moral character.
فَسَتُبصِرُ وَيُبصِرونَ
You will see, and they will see.
بِأَييِكُمُ المَفتونُ
Which of you are condemned.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعلَمُ بِالمُهتَدينَ
Your Lord is fully aware of those who strayed off His path, and He is fully aware of those who are guided.
فَلا تُطِعِ المُكَذِّبينَ
Do not obey the rejectors.
وَدّوا لَو تُدهِنُ فَيُدهِنونَ
They wish that you compromise, so they too can compromise.
وَلا تُطِع كُلَّ حَلّافٍ مَهينٍ
Do not obey every lowly swearer.
هَمّازٍ مَشّاءٍ بِنَميمٍ
A slanderer, a backbiter.
مَنّاعٍ لِلخَيرِ مُعتَدٍ أَثيمٍ
Forbidder of charity, a transgressor, a sinner.
عُتُلٍّ بَعدَ ذٰلِكَ زَنيمٍ
Unappreciative, and greedy.
أَن كانَ ذا مالٍ وَبَنينَ
Even though he possessed enough money and children.
إِذا تُتلىٰ عَلَيهِ ءايٰتُنا قالَ أَسٰطيرُ الأَوَّلينَ
When our revelations are recited to him, he says, "Tales from the past!"
سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الخُرطومِ
We will mark his face.
إِنّا بَلَونٰهُم كَما بَلَونا أَصحٰبَ الجَنَّةِ إِذ أَقسَموا لَيَصرِمُنَّها مُصبِحينَ
We have tested them like we tested the owners of the garden who swore that they will harvest it in the morning.
وَلا يَستَثنونَ
They were so absolutely sure.
فَطافَ عَلَيها طائِفٌ مِن رَبِّكَ وَهُم نائِمونَ
A passing (storm) from your Lord passed by it while they were asleep.
فَأَصبَحَت كَالصَّريمِ
By morning, it was barren.
فَتَنادَوا مُصبِحينَ
They called on each other in the morning.
أَنِ اغدوا عَلىٰ حَرثِكُم إِن كُنتُم صٰرِمينَ
"Let us harvest the crop."
فَانطَلَقوا وَهُم يَتَخٰفَتونَ
On their way, they confided to each other.
أَن لا يَدخُلَنَّهَا اليَومَ عَلَيكُم مِسكينٌ
That from then on, none of them would be poor.
وَغَدَوا عَلىٰ حَردٍ قٰدِرينَ
They were so absolutely sure of their harvest.
فَلَمّا رَأَوها قالوا إِنّا لَضالّونَ
But when they saw it, they said, "We were so wrong!
بَل نَحنُ مَحرومونَ
"Now, we have nothing!"
قالَ أَوسَطُهُم أَلَم أَقُل لَكُم لَولا تُسَبِّحونَ
The righteous among them said, "If only you had glorified (God)!"
قالوا سُبحٰنَ رَبِّنا إِنّا كُنّا ظٰلِمينَ
They said, "Glory be to our Lord. We have transgressed."
فَأَقبَلَ بَعضُهُم عَلىٰ بَعضٍ يَتَلٰوَمونَ
They started to blame each other.
قالوا يٰوَيلَنا إِنّا كُنّا طٰغينَ
They said, "Woe to us. We sinned.
عَسىٰ رَبُّنا أَن يُبدِلَنا خَيرًا مِنها إِنّا إِلىٰ رَبِّنا رٰغِبونَ
"May our Lord grant us a better one. We repent to our Lord."
كَذٰلِكَ العَذابُ وَلَعَذابُ الـٔاخِرَةِ أَكبَرُ لَو كانوا يَعلَمونَ
Such was the requital. But the retribution of the Hereafter is far worse, if they only knew.
إِنَّ لِلمُتَّقينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِم جَنّٰتِ النَّعيمِ
The righteous have deserved, at their Lord, gardens of bliss.
أَفَنَجعَلُ المُسلِمينَ كَالمُجرِمينَ
Shall we treat the Submitters like the criminals?
ما لَكُم كَيفَ تَحكُمونَ
What is wrong with your logic?
أَم لَكُم كِتٰبٌ فيهِ تَدرُسونَ
Do you have another book to uphold?
إِنَّ لَكُم فيهِ لَما تَخَيَّرونَ
In it, do you find anything you want?
أَم لَكُم أَيمٰنٌ عَلَينا بٰلِغَةٌ إِلىٰ يَومِ القِيٰمَةِ إِنَّ لَكُم لَما تَحكُمونَ
Or, have you received solemn assurances from us that grant you whatever you wish on the Day of Resurrection?
سَلهُم أَيُّهُم بِذٰلِكَ زَعيمٌ
Ask them, "Who guarantees this for you?"
أَم لَهُم شُرَكاءُ فَليَأتوا بِشُرَكائِهِم إِن كانوا صٰدِقينَ
Do they have idols? Let their idols help them, if they are truthful.
يَومَ يُكشَفُ عَن ساقٍ وَيُدعَونَ إِلَى السُّجودِ فَلا يَستَطيعونَ
The day will come when they will be exposed, and they will be required to fall prostrate, but they will be unable to.
خٰشِعَةً أَبصٰرُهُم تَرهَقُهُم ذِلَّةٌ وَقَد كانوا يُدعَونَ إِلَى السُّجودِ وَهُم سٰلِمونَ
With their eyes subdued, humiliation will cover them. They were invited to fall prostrate when they were whole and able.
فَذَرنى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهٰذَا الحَديثِ سَنَستَدرِجُهُم مِن حَيثُ لا يَعلَمونَ
Therefore, let Me deal with those who reject this Hadith; we will lead them on whence they never perceive.
وَأُملى لَهُم إِنَّ كَيدى مَتينٌ
I will give them enough rope; My scheming is formidable.
أَم تَسـَٔلُهُم أَجرًا فَهُم مِن مَغرَمٍ مُثقَلونَ
Are you asking them for money, so they are burdened by the fine?
أَم عِندَهُمُ الغَيبُ فَهُم يَكتُبونَ
Do they know the future? Do they have it recorded?
فَاصبِر لِحُكمِ رَبِّكَ وَلا تَكُن كَصاحِبِ الحوتِ إِذ نادىٰ وَهُوَ مَكظومٌ
You shall steadfastly persevere in carrying out the commands of your Lord. Do not be like (Jonah) who called from inside the fish.
لَولا أَن تَدٰرَكَهُ نِعمَةٌ مِن رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالعَراءِ وَهُوَ مَذمومٌ
If it were not for his Lord's grace, he would have been ejected into the desert as a sinner.
فَاجتَبٰهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصّٰلِحينَ
But his Lord blessed him, and made him righteous.
وَإِن يَكادُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا لَيُزلِقونَكَ بِأَبصٰرِهِم لَمّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكرَ وَيَقولونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجنونٌ
Those who disbelieved show their ridicule in their eyes when they hear the message and say, "He is crazy!"
وَما هُوَ إِلّا ذِكرٌ لِلعٰلَمينَ
It is in fact a message to the world.