Al-Qalam
The Pen
﷽
القلم
نٓ ۚ Nun noon By the pen wal-qalami and what wamā they write yasṭurūna
Nūn.1 By the pen and what they inscribe,
مَآ Not mā you (are) anta by (the) Grace biniʿ'mati (of) your Lord rabbika a madman bimajnūnin
You are not, [O Muḥammad], by the favor of your Lord, a madman.
وَإِنَّ And indeed wa-inna for you laka surely (is) a reward la-ajran without ghayra end mamnūnin
And indeed, for you is a reward uninterrupted.
وَإِنَّكَ And indeed, you wa-innaka surely (are) laʿalā (of) a moral character khuluqin great ʿaẓīmin
And indeed, you are of a great moral character.
فَسَتُبْصِرُ So you will see fasatub'ṣiru and they will see wayub'ṣirūna
So you will see and they will see.
بِأَييِّكُمُ Which of you bi-ayyikumu (is) the afflicted one l-maftūnu
Which of you is the afflicted [by a devil].
إِنَّ Indeed inna your Lord rabbaka He huwa (is) most knowing aʿlamu of (he) who biman has strayed ḍalla from ʿan His way sabīlihi and He wahuwa (is) most knowing aʿlamu of the guided ones bil-muh'tadīna
Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has gone astray from His way, and He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.
فَلَا So (do) not falā obey tuṭiʿi the deniers l-mukadhibīna
Then do not obey the deniers.
وَدُّوا۟ They wish waddū that law you should compromise tud'hinu so they would compromise fayud'hinūna
They wish that you would soften [in your position], so they would soften [toward you].
وَلَا And (do) not walā obey tuṭiʿ every kulla habitual swearer ḥallāfin worthless mahīnin
And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer
هَمَّازٍۢ Defamer hammāzin going about mashāin with malicious gossip binamīmin
[And] scorner, going about with malicious gossip -
مَّنَّاعٍۢ A preventer mannāʿin of (the) good lil'khayri transgressor muʿ'tadin sinful athīmin
A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful,
عُتُلٍّۭ Cruel ʿutullin after baʿda (all) that dhālika utterly useless zanīmin
Cruel, moreover, and an illegitimate pretender.1
أَن Because an (he) is kāna a possessor dhā (of) wealth mālin and children wabanīna
Because he is a possessor of wealth and children,
إِذَا When idhā are recited tut'lā to him ʿalayhi Our Verses āyātunā he says qāla Stories asāṭīru (of) the former (people) l-awalīna
When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Legends of the former peoples."
سَنَسِمُهُۥ We will brand him sanasimuhu on ʿalā the snout l-khur'ṭūmi
We will brand him upon the snout.1
إِنَّا Indeed, We innā have tried them balawnāhum as kamā We tried balawnā (the) companions aṣḥāba (of) the garden l-janati when idh they swore aqsamū to pluck its fruit layaṣrimunnahā (in the) morning muṣ'biḥīna
Indeed, We have tried them as We tried the companions of the garden, when they swore to cut its fruit in the [early] morning
فَطَافَ So there came faṭāfa upon it ʿalayhā a visitation ṭāifun from min your Lord rabbika while they wahum were asleep nāimūna
So there came upon it [i.e., the garden] an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep.
فَأَصْبَحَتْ So it became fa-aṣbaḥat as if reaped kal-ṣarīmi
And it became as though reaped.
فَتَنَادَوْا۟ And they called one another fatanādaw (at) morning muṣ'biḥīna
And they called one another at morning,
أَنِ That ani Go early igh'dū to ʿalā your crop ḥarthikum if in you would kuntum pluck (the) fruit ṣārimīna
[Saying], "Go early to your crop if you would cut the fruit."
فَٱنطَلَقُوا۟ So they went fa-inṭalaqū while they wahum lowered (their) voices yatakhāfatūna
So they set out, while lowering their voices,
أَن That an Not lā will enter it yadkhulannahā today l-yawma upon you ʿalaykum any poor person mis'kīnun
[Saying], "There will surely not enter it today upon you [any] poor person."
وَغَدَوْا۟ And they went early waghadaw with ʿalā determination ḥardin able qādirīna
And they went early in determination, [assuming themselves] able.1
فَلَمَّا But when falammā they saw it ra-awhā they said qālū Indeed, we innā (are) surely lost laḍāllūna
But when they saw it, they said, "Indeed, we are lost;
بَلْ Nay bal We naḥnu (are) deprived maḥrūmūna
Rather, we have been deprived."
قَالَ Said qāla (the) most moderate of them awsaṭuhum Did not alam I tell aqul you lakum 'Why not lawlā you glorify (Allah)?' tusabbiḥūna
The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, 'Why do you not exalt [Allāh]?'"1
قَالُوا۟ They said qālū Glory be sub'ḥāna (to) our Lord rabbinā Indeed, we innā [we] were kunnā wrongdoers ẓālimīna
They said, "Exalted is our Lord! Indeed, we were wrongdoers."
فَأَقْبَلَ Then approached fa-aqbala some of them baʿḍuhum to ʿalā others baʿḍin blaming each other yatalāwamūna
Then they approached one another, blaming each other.
قَالُوا۟ They said qālū O woe to us yāwaylanā Indeed, we innā [we] were kunnā transgressors ṭāghīna
They said, "O woe to us; indeed we were transgressors.
عَسَىٰ Perhaps ʿasā our Lord rabbunā [that] an will substitute for us yub'dilanā a better khayran than it min'hā Indeed, we innā to ilā our Lord rabbinā turn devoutly rāghibūna
Perhaps our Lord will substitute for us [one] better than it. Indeed, we are toward our Lord desirous."1
كَذَٰلِكَ Such kadhālika (is) the punishment l-ʿadhābu And surely the punishment walaʿadhābu (of) the Hereafter l-ākhirati (is) greater akbaru if law they kānū know yaʿlamūna
Such is the punishment [of this world]. And the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew.
إِنَّ Indeed inna for the righteous lil'muttaqīna with ʿinda their Lord rabbihim (are) Gardens jannāti (of) Delight l-naʿīmi
Indeed, for the righteous with their Lord are the Gardens of Pleasure.
أَفَنَجْعَلُ Then will We treat afanajʿalu the Muslims l-mus'limīna like the criminals kal-muj'rimīna
Then will We treat the Muslims like the criminals?
مَا What mā (is) for you lakum How kayfa (do) you judge taḥkumūna
What is [the matter] with you? How do you judge?
أَمْ Or am (is) for you lakum a book kitābun wherein fīhi you learn tadrusūna
Or do you have a scripture in which you learn
إِنَّ Indeed inna for you lakum in it fīhi what lamā you choose takhayyarūna
That indeed for you is whatever you choose?
أَمْ Or am for you lakum oaths aymānun from us ʿalaynā reaching bālighatun to ilā (the) Day yawmi (of) the Resurrection l-qiyāmati indeed inna for you lakum (is) what lamā you judge taḥkumūna
Or do you have oaths [binding] upon Us, extending until the Day of Resurrection, that indeed for you is whatever you judge?
سَلْهُمْ Ask them salhum which of them ayyuhum for that bidhālika (is) responsible zaʿīmun
Ask them which of them, for that [claim], is responsible.
أَمْ Or am (are) for them lahum partners shurakāu Then let them bring falyatū their partners bishurakāihim if in they are kānū truthful ṣādiqīna
Or do they have partners?1 Then let them bring their partners, if they should be truthful.
يَوْمَ (The) Day yawma will be uncovered yuk'shafu from ʿan the shin sāqin and they will be called wayud'ʿawna to ilā prostrate l-sujūdi but not falā they will be able yastaṭīʿūna
The Day the shin will be uncovered1 and they are invited to prostration but they [i.e., the disbelievers] will not be able,
خَـٰشِعَةً Humbled khāshiʿatan their eyes abṣāruhum will cover them tarhaquhum humiliation dhillatun And indeed waqad they were kānū called yud'ʿawna to ilā prostrate l-sujūdi while they wahum (were) sound sālimūna
Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. And they used to be invited to prostration while they were sound.1
فَذَرْنِى So leave Me fadharnī and whoever waman denies yukadhibu this bihādhā Statement l-ḥadīthi We will progressively lead them sanastadrijuhum from min where ḥaythu not lā they know yaʿlamūna
So leave Me, [O Muḥammad], with [the matter of] whoever denies this statement [i.e., the Qur’ān]. We will progressively lead them [to punishment] from where they do not know.1
وَأُمْلِى And I will give respite wa-um'lī to them lahum Indeed inna My plan kaydī (is) firm matīnun
And I will give them time. Indeed, My plan is firm.
أَمْ Or am you ask them tasaluhum a payment ajran so they fahum from min (the) debt maghramin (are) burdened muth'qalūna
Or do you ask of them a payment, so they are by debt burdened down?
أَمْ Or am (is) with them ʿindahumu the unseen l-ghaybu so they fahum write it yaktubūna
Or have they [knowledge of] the unseen, so they write [it] down?
فَٱصْبِرْ So be patient fa-iṣ'bir for (the) decision liḥuk'mi (of) your Lord rabbika and (do) not walā be takun like (the) companion kaṣāḥibi (of) the fish l-ḥūti when idh he called out nādā while he wahuwa (was) distressed makẓūmun
Then be patient for the decision of your Lord, [O Muḥammad], and be not like the companion of the fish [i.e., Jonah] when he called out while he was distressed.
لَّوْلَآ If not lawlā that an overtook him tadārakahu a Favor niʿ'matun from min his Lord rabbihi surely he would have been thrown lanubidha onto (the) naked shore bil-ʿarāi while he wahuwa (was) blamed madhmūmun
If not that a favor [i.e., mercy] from his Lord overtook him, he would have been thrown onto the naked shore while he was censured.1
فَٱجْتَبَـٰهُ But chose him fa-ij'tabāhu his Lord rabbuhu and made him fajaʿalahu of mina the righteous l-ṣāliḥīna
And his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous.
وَإِن And indeed wa-in would almost yakādu those who alladhīna disbelieve kafarū surely make you slip layuz'liqūnaka with their look bi-abṣārihim when lammā they hear samiʿū the Message l-dhik'ra and they say wayaqūlūna Indeed, he innahu (is) surely mad lamajnūnun
And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes [i.e., looks] when they hear the message, and they say, "Indeed, he is mad."
وَمَا And not wamā it (is) huwa but illā a Reminder dhik'run to the worlds lil'ʿālamīna
But it is not except a reminder to the worlds.