بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ

In the name of The God, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Al-Qalam 68:1

ن ۚ وَالقَلَمِ وَما يَسطُرونَ

Nun. By the pen and what they write.

Al-Qalam 68:2

ما أَنتَ بِنِعمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجنونٍ

By your Lord’s favor, you are not mad.

Al-Qalam 68:3

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجرًا غَيرَ مَمنونٍ

You will surely have an unending reward.

Al-Qalam 68:4

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظيمٍ

You are surely of great character.

Al-Qalam 68:5

فَسَتُبصِرُ وَيُبصِرونَ

Soon you will see, and they will see,

Al-Qalam 68:6

بِأَييِكُمُ المَفتونُ

which of you is afflicted with madness.

Al-Qalam 68:7

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعلَمُ بِالمُهتَدينَ

Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows best those who are guided.

Al-Qalam 68:8

فَلا تُطِعِ المُكَذِّبينَ

So do not obey those who deny.

Al-Qalam 68:9

وَدّوا لَو تُدهِنُ فَيُدهِنونَ

They wish that you would compromise, so that they too would compromise.

Al-Qalam 68:10

وَلا تُطِع كُلَّ حَلّافٍ مَهينٍ

Do not obey any contemptible habitual swearer,

Al-Qalam 68:11

هَمّازٍ مَشّاءٍ بِنَميمٍ

a slanderer who goes about spreading gossip,

Al-Qalam 68:12

مَنّاعٍ لِلخَيرِ مُعتَدٍ أَثيمٍ

one who obstructs good, transgresses, and sins,

Al-Qalam 68:13

عُتُلٍّ بَعدَ ذٰلِكَ زَنيمٍ

cruel, and besides that, infamous.

Al-Qalam 68:14

أَن كانَ ذا مالٍ وَبَنينَ

Because he has wealth and sons.

Al-Qalam 68:15

إِذا تُتلىٰ عَلَيهِ ءايٰتُنا قالَ أَسٰطيرُ الأَوَّلينَ

When Our verses are recited to him, he says, “Tales of the ancients.”

Al-Qalam 68:16

سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الخُرطومِ

We will mark him on the snout.

Al-Qalam 68:17

إِنّا بَلَونٰهُم كَما بَلَونا أَصحٰبَ الجَنَّةِ إِذ أَقسَموا لَيَصرِمُنَّها مُصبِحينَ

We tested them as We tested the owners of the garden, when they swore to harvest it in the morning,

Al-Qalam 68:18

وَلا يَستَثنونَ

and made no exception.

Al-Qalam 68:19

فَطافَ عَلَيها طائِفٌ مِن رَبِّكَ وَهُم نائِمونَ

Then a visitation from your Lord passed over it while they slept.

Al-Qalam 68:20

فَأَصبَحَت كَالصَّريمِ

It became like a field cut down.

Al-Qalam 68:21

فَتَنادَوا مُصبِحينَ

In the morning they called to one another,

Al-Qalam 68:22

أَنِ اغدوا عَلىٰ حَرثِكُم إِن كُنتُم صٰرِمينَ

“Go early to your field, if you intend to harvest.”

Al-Qalam 68:23

فَانطَلَقوا وَهُم يَتَخٰفَتونَ

They set out, whispering to one another,

Al-Qalam 68:24

أَن لا يَدخُلَنَّهَا اليَومَ عَلَيكُم مِسكينٌ

“No needy person is to enter it upon you today.”

Al-Qalam 68:25

وَغَدَوا عَلىٰ حَردٍ قٰدِرينَ

They went early, determined to withhold, thinking themselves capable.

Al-Qalam 68:26

فَلَمّا رَأَوها قالوا إِنّا لَضالّونَ

When they saw it, they said, “We have lost our way!

Al-Qalam 68:27

بَل نَحنُ مَحرومونَ

No, we have been deprived.”

Al-Qalam 68:28

قالَ أَوسَطُهُم أَلَم أَقُل لَكُم لَولا تُسَبِّحونَ

The most balanced of them said, “Did I not tell you: why do you not glorify?”

Al-Qalam 68:29

قالوا سُبحٰنَ رَبِّنا إِنّا كُنّا ظٰلِمينَ

They said, “Glory be to our Lord! We were indeed wrongdoers.”

Al-Qalam 68:30

فَأَقبَلَ بَعضُهُم عَلىٰ بَعضٍ يَتَلٰوَمونَ

They turned to one another, blaming each other.

Al-Qalam 68:31

قالوا يٰوَيلَنا إِنّا كُنّا طٰغينَ

They said, “Woe to us! We were indeed transgressors.

Al-Qalam 68:32

عَسىٰ رَبُّنا أَن يُبدِلَنا خَيرًا مِنها إِنّا إِلىٰ رَبِّنا رٰغِبونَ

Perhaps our Lord will replace it with something better. To our Lord we turn with longing.”

Al-Qalam 68:33

كَذٰلِكَ العَذابُ ۖ وَلَعَذابُ الـٔاخِرَةِ أَكبَرُ ۚ لَو كانوا يَعلَمونَ

Such is the punishment, and the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if only they knew.

Al-Qalam 68:34

إِنَّ لِلمُتَّقينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِم جَنّٰتِ النَّعيمِ

For the mindful are gardens of bliss with their Lord.

Al-Qalam 68:35

أَفَنَجعَلُ المُسلِمينَ كَالمُجرِمينَ

Shall We treat those who submit like the guilty?

Al-Qalam 68:36

ما لَكُم كَيفَ تَحكُمونَ

What is wrong with you? How do you judge?

Al-Qalam 68:37

أَم لَكُم كِتٰبٌ فيهِ تَدرُسونَ

Or do you have a book in which you read

Al-Qalam 68:38

إِنَّ لَكُم فيهِ لَما تَخَيَّرونَ

that you will have whatever you choose?

Al-Qalam 68:39

أَم لَكُم أَيمٰنٌ عَلَينا بٰلِغَةٌ إِلىٰ يَومِ القِيٰمَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُم لَما تَحكُمونَ

Or do you have oaths binding on Us until the Day of Resurrection, that you will have whatever you decide?

Al-Qalam 68:40

سَلهُم أَيُّهُم بِذٰلِكَ زَعيمٌ

Ask them which of them guarantees that.

Al-Qalam 68:41

أَم لَهُم شُرَكاءُ فَليَأتوا بِشُرَكائِهِم إِن كانوا صٰدِقينَ

Or do they have partners? Let them bring their partners, if they are truthful.

Al-Qalam 68:42

يَومَ يُكشَفُ عَن ساقٍ وَيُدعَونَ إِلَى السُّجودِ فَلا يَستَطيعونَ

On the day a shin is laid bare and they are called to prostrate, but cannot.

Al-Qalam 68:43

خٰشِعَةً أَبصٰرُهُم تَرهَقُهُم ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَد كانوا يُدعَونَ إِلَى السُّجودِ وَهُم سٰلِمونَ

Their eyes lowered, humiliation covers them. They had been called to prostrate while they were sound.

Al-Qalam 68:44

فَذَرنى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهٰذَا الحَديثِ ۖ سَنَستَدرِجُهُم مِن حَيثُ لا يَعلَمونَ

Leave Me with whoever denies this discourse. We will lead them on step by step from where they do not know.

Al-Qalam 68:45

وَأُملى لَهُم ۚ إِنَّ كَيدى مَتينٌ

I give them time. My plan is firm.

Al-Qalam 68:46

أَم تَسـَٔلُهُم أَجرًا فَهُم مِن مَغرَمٍ مُثقَلونَ

Or do you ask them for payment, so that they are weighed down by debt?

Al-Qalam 68:47

أَم عِندَهُمُ الغَيبُ فَهُم يَكتُبونَ

Or is the unseen with them, and they write it down?

Al-Qalam 68:48

فَاصبِر لِحُكمِ رَبِّكَ وَلا تَكُن كَصاحِبِ الحوتِ إِذ نادىٰ وَهُوَ مَكظومٌ

Be patient for your Lord’s judgment, and do not be like the companion of the fish, when he called out, filled with anguish.

Al-Qalam 68:49

لَولا أَن تَدٰرَكَهُ نِعمَةٌ مِن رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالعَراءِ وَهُوَ مَذمومٌ

Had a favor from his Lord not reached him, he would have been cast onto the bare shore, blameworthy.

Al-Qalam 68:50

فَاجتَبٰهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصّٰلِحينَ

His Lord chose him and made him one of the righteous.

Al-Qalam 68:51

وَإِن يَكادُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا لَيُزلِقونَكَ بِأَبصٰرِهِم لَمّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكرَ وَيَقولونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجنونٌ

Those who disbelieve almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the reminder, and they say, “He is mad.”

Al-Qalam 68:52

وَما هُوَ إِلّا ذِكرٌ لِلعٰلَمينَ

Yet it is only a reminder for all worlds.