AL-QALAM (THE PEN)
Total Verses: 52
Revealed At: MAKKA
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
068.001 Y: Nun. By the Pen and the (Record) which (men) write,-
P: Nun. By the pen and that which they write (therewith),
S: Noon. I swear by the pen and what the angels write,
068.002 Y: Thou art not, by the Grace of thy Lord, mad or possessed.
P: Thou art not, for thy Lord's favour unto thee, a madman.
S: By the grace of your Lord you are not mad.
068.003 Y: Nay, verily for thee is a Reward unfailing:
P: And lo! thine verily will be a reward unfailing.
S: And most surely you shall have a reward never to be cut off.
068.004 Y: And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character.
P: And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature.
S: And most surely you conform (yourself) to sublime morality.
068.005 Y: Soon wilt thou see, and they will see,
P: And thou wilt see and they will see
S: So you shall see, and they (too) shall see,
068.006 Y: Which of you is afflicted with madness.
P: Which of you is the demented.
S: Which of you is afflicted with madness.
068.007 Y: Verily it is thy Lord that knoweth best, which (among men) hath strayed from His Path: and He knoweth best those who receive (true) Guidance.
P: Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who walk aright.
S: Surely your Lord best knows him who errs from His way, and He best knows the followers of the right course.
068.008 Y: So hearken not to those who deny (the Truth).
P: Therefor obey not thou the rejecters
S: So do not yield to the rejecters.
068.009 Y: Their desire is that thou shouldst be pliant: so would they be pliant.
P: Who would have had thee compromise, that they may compromise.
S: They wish that you should be pliant so they (too) would be pliant.
068.010 Y: Heed not the type of despicable men,- ready with oaths,
P: Neither obey thou each feeble oath-monger,
S: And yield not to any mean swearer
068.011 Y: A slanderer, going about with calumnies,
P: Detracter, spreader abroad of slanders,
S: Defamer, going about with slander
068.012 Y: (Habitually) hindering (all) good, transgressing beyond bounds, deep in sin,
P: Hinderer of the good, transgressor, malefactor
S: Forbidder of good, outstepping the limits, sinful,
068.013 Y: Violent (and cruel),- with all that, base-born,-
P: Greedy therewithal, intrusive.
S: Ignoble, besides all that, base-born;
068.014 Y: Because he possesses wealth and (numerous) sons.
P: It is because he is possessed of wealth and children
S: Because he possesses wealth and sons.
068.015 Y: When to him are rehearsed Our Signs, "Tales of the ancients", he cries!
P: That, when Our revelations are recited unto him, he saith: Mere fables of the men of old.
S: When Our communications are recited to him, he says: Stories of those of yore.
068.016 Y: Soon shall We brand (the beast) on the snout!
P: We shall brand him on the nose.
S: We will brand him on the nose.
068.017 Y: Verily We have tried them as We tried the People of the Garden, when they resolved to gather the fruits of the (garden) in the morning.
P: Lo! We have tried them as We tried the owners of the garden when they vowed that they would pluck its fruit next morning,
S: Surely We will try them as We tried the owners of the garden, when they swore that they would certainly cut off the produce in the morning,
068.018 Y: But made no reservation, ("If it be Allah's Will").
P: And made no exception (for the Will of Allah);
S: And were not willing to set aside a portion (for the poor).
068.019 Y: Then there came on the (garden) a visitation from thy Lord, (which swept away) all around, while they were asleep.
P: Then a visitation from thy Lord came upon it while they slept
S: Then there encompassed it a visitation from your Lord while they were sleeping.
068.020 Y: So the (garden) became, by the morning, like a dark and desolate spot, (whose fruit had been gathered).
P: And in the morning it was as if plucked.
S: So it became as black, barren land.
068.021 Y: As the morning broke, they called out, one to another,-
P: And they cried out one unto another in the morning,
S: And they called out to each other in the morning,
068.022 Y: "Go ye to your tilth (betimes) in the morning, if ye would gather the fruits."
P: Saying: Run unto your field if ye would pluck (the fruit).
S: Saying: Go early to your tilth if you would cut (the produce).
068.023 Y: So they departed, conversing in secret low tones, (saying)-
P: So they went off, saying one unto another in low tones:
S: So they went, while they consulted together secretly,
068.024 Y: "Let not a single indigent person break in upon you into the (garden) this day."
P: No needy man shall enter it to-day against you.
S: Saying: No poor man shall enter it today upon you.
068.025 Y: And they opened the morning, strong in an (unjust) resolve.
P: They went betimes, strong in (this) purpose.
S: And in the morning they went, having the power to prevent.
068.026 Y: But when they saw the (garden), they said: "We have surely lost our way:"
P: But when they saw it, they said: Lo! we are in error!
S: But when they saw it, they said: Most surely we have gone astray
068.027 Y: "Indeed we are shut out (of the fruits of our labour)!"
P: Nay, but we are desolate!
S: Nay! we are made to suffer privation.
068.028 Y: Said one of them, more just (than the rest): "Did I not say to you, 'Why not glorify (Allah)?'"
P: The best among them said: Said I not unto you: Why glorify ye not (Allah)?
S: The best of them said: Did I not say to you, Why do you not glorify (Allah)?
068.029 Y: They said: "Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!"
P: They said: Glorified be our Lord! Lo! we have been wrong-doers.
S: They said: Glory be to our Lord, surely we were unjust.
068.030 Y: Then they turned, one against another, in reproach.
P: Then some of them drew near unto others, self-reproaching.
S: Then some of them advanced against others, blaming each other.
068.031 Y: They said: "Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed!"
P: They said: Alas for us! In truth we were outrageous.
S: Said they: O woe to us! surely we were inordinate:
068.032 Y: "It may be that our Lord will give us in exchange a better (garden) than this: for we do turn to Him (in repentance)!"
P: It may be that our Lord will give us better than this in place thereof. Lo! we beseech our Lord.
S: Maybe, our Lord will give us instead one better than it; surely to our Lord do we make our humble petition.
068.033 Y: Such is the Punishment (in this life); but greater is the Punishment in the Hereafter,- if only they knew!
P: Such was the punishment. And verily the punishment of the Hereafter is greater if they did but know.
S: Such is the chastisement, and certainly the chastisement of the hereafter is greater, did they but know!
068.034 Y: Verily, for the Righteous, are Gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord.
P: Lo! for those who keep from evil are gardens of bliss with their Lord.
S: Surely those who guard (against evil) shall have with their Lord gardens of bliss.
068.035 Y: Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin?
P: Shall We then treat those who have surrendered as We treat the guilty?
S: What! shall We then make (that is, treat) those who submit as the guilty?
068.036 Y: What is the matter with you? How judge ye?
P: What aileth you? How foolishly ye judge!
S: What has happened to you? How do you judge?
068.037 Y: Or have ye a book through which ye learn-
P: Or have ye a scripture wherein ye learn
S: Or have you a book wherein you read,
068.038 Y: That ye shall have, through it whatever ye choose?
P: That ye shall indeed have all that ye choose?
S: That you have surely therein what you choose?
068.039 Y: Or have ye Covenants with Us to oath, reaching to the Day of Judgment, (providing) that ye shall have whatever ye shall demand?
P: Or have ye a covenant on oath from Us that reacheth to the Day of Judgment, that yours shall be all that ye ordain?
S: Or have you received from Us an agreement confirmed by an oath extending to the day of resurrection that you shall surely have what you demand?
068.040 Y: Ask thou of them, which of them will stand surety for that!
P: Ask them (O Muhammad) which of them will vouch for that!
S: Ask them which of them will vouch for that,
068.041 Y: Or have they some "Partners" (in Godhead)? Then let them produce their "partners", if they are truthful!
P: Or have they other gods? Then let them bring their other gods if they are truthful,
S: Or have they associates if they are truthful.
068.042 Y: The Day that the shin shall be laid bare, and they shall be summoned to bow in adoration, but they shall not be able,-
P: On the day when it befalleth in earnest, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves but are not able,
S: On the day when there shall be a severe affliction, and they shall be called upon to make obeisance, but they shall not be able,
068.043 Y: Their eyes will be cast down,- ignominy will cover them; seeing that they had been summoned aforetime to bow in adoration, while they were whole, (and had refused).
P: With eyes downcast, abasement stupefying them. And they had been summoned to prostrate themselves while they were yet unhurt.
S: Their looks cast down, abasement shall overtake them; and they were called upon to make obeisance indeed while yet they were safe.
068.044 Y: Then leave Me alone with such as reject this Message: by degrees shall We punish them from directions they perceive not.
P: Leave Me (to deal) with those who give the lie to this pronouncement. We shall lead them on by steps from whence they know not.
S: So leave Me and him who rejects this announcement; We will overtake them by degrees, from whence they perceive not:
068.045 Y: A (long) respite will I grant them: truly powerful is My Plan.
P: Yet I bear with them, for lo! My scheme is firm.
S: And I do bear with them, surely My plan is firm.
068.046 Y: Or is it that thou dost ask them for a reward, so that they are burdened with a load of debt?-
P: Or dost thou (Muhammad) ask a fee from them so that they are heavily taxed?
S: Or do you ask from them a reward, so that they are burdened with debt?
068.047 Y: Or that the Unseen is in their hands, so that they can write it down?
P: Or is the Unseen theirs that they can write (thereof)?
S: Or have they (the knowledge of) the unseen, so that they write (it) down?
068.048 Y: So wait with patience for the Command of thy Lord, and be not like the Companion of the Fish,- when he cried out in agony.
P: But wait thou for thy Lord's decree, and be not like him of the fish, who cried out in despair.
S: So wait patiently for the judgment of your Lord, and be not like the companion of the fish, when he cried while he was in distress.
068.049 Y: Had not Grace from his Lord reached him, he would indeed have been cast off on the naked shore, in disgrace.
P: Had it not been that favour from his Lord had reached him he surely had been cast into the wilderness while he was reprobate.
S: Were it not that favor from his Lord had overtaken him, he would certainly have been cast down upon the naked Found while he was blamed.
068.050 Y: Thus did his Lord choose him and make him of the Company of the Righteous.
P: But his Lord chose him and placed him among the righteous.
S: Then his Lord chose him, and He made him of the good.
068.051 Y: And the Unbelievers would almost trip thee up with their eyes when they hear the Message; and they say: "Surely he is possessed!"
P: And lo! those who disbelieve would fain disconcert thee with their eyes when they hear the Reminder, and they say: Lo! he is indeed mad;
S: And those who disbelieve would almost smite you with their eyes when they hear the reminder, and they say: Most surely he is mad.
068.052 Y: But it is nothing less than a Message to all the worlds.
P: When it is naught else than a Reminder to creation.
S: And it is naught but a reminder to the nations.