Text: Chapter 68: Al-Qalam (The Pen)
ن ۚ وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ
مَا أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
By the grace of your Lord, you ˹O Prophet˺ are not insane.
وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Surely your Lord ˹alone˺ knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is ˹rightly˺ guided.
فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ
وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
They wish you would compromise so they would yield ˹to you˺.
وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ
هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ
مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ
عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ
أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Now, ˹simply˺ because he has been blessed with ˹abundant˺ wealth and children,
إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
whenever Our revelations are recited to him, he says, “Ancient fables!”
سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ
إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
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
فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Then it was struck by a torment from your Lord while they slept,
فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ
فَتَنَادَوْا مُصْبِحِينَ
أَنِ اغْدُوا عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَارِمِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
˹saying,˺ “Go early to your harvest, if you want to pick ˹all˺ the fruit.”
فَانطَلَقُوا وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ
أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌ
وَغَدَوْا عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
And they proceeded early, totally fixated on their purpose.
فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوا إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
But when they saw it ˹devastated˺, they cried, “We must have lost ˹our˺ way!
بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ
قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
The most sensible of them said, “Did I not urge you to say, ‘Allah willing.’?”
قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
They replied, “Glory be to our Lord! We have truly been wrongdoers.”
فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ
قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا طَاغِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
They said, “Woe to us! We have certainly been transgressors.
عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَا أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَاغِبُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
We trust our Lord will give us a better garden than this, ˹for˺ we are indeed turning to our Lord with hope.”1
كَذَٰلِكَ الْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
That is the ˹way of Our˺ punishment ˹in this world˺. But the punishment of the Hereafter is certainly far worse, if only they knew.1
إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Indeed, the righteous will have the Gardens of Bliss with their Lord.
أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Should We then treat those who have submitted like the wicked?
مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ
أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ
إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ
أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا بَالِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Or do you have oaths binding on Us until the Day of Judgment that you will have whatever you decide?
سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Ask them ˹O Prophet˺ which of them can guarantee all that.
أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
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 السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
˹Beware of˺ the Day the Shin ˹of Allah˺ will be bared,1 and the wicked will be asked to prostrate, but they will not be able to do so,
خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
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˺.
فَذَرْنِي وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
So leave to Me ˹O Prophet˺ those who reject this message. We will gradually draw them to destruction in ways they cannot comprehend.
وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
I ˹only˺ delay their end for a while, but My planning is flawless.
أَمْ تَسْأَلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Or are you asking them for a reward ˹for the message˺ so that they are overburdened by debt?
أَمْ عِندَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Or do they have access to ˹the Record in˺ the unseen, so they copy it ˹for all to see˺?
فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
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.1
لَّوْلَا أَن تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Had he not been shown grace by his Lord, he would have certainly been cast onto the open ˹shore˺, still blameworthy.
فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
Then his Lord chose him, making him one of the righteous.
وَإِن يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ
SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
The disbelievers would almost cut you down with their eyes when they hear ˹you recite˺ the Reminder,1 and say, “He is certainly a madman.”