AL QALAM (THE PEN)
(Revealed at Mecca – contains 52 verses – 2 sections)
Allah – beginning with the name of – the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
| AYAT | TRANSLATION |
|---|---|
| 1 | ن ۚ وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ |
| Nuun* – by oath of the pen and by oath of what is written by it. (Alphabet of the Arabic language; Allah and to whomever He reveals, know their precise meanings.) | |
| 2 | مَا أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ |
| You are not insane, by the munificence of your Lord. | |
| 3 | وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ |
| And indeed for you is an unlimited reward. | |
| 4 | وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ |
| And indeed you possess the greatest, most exemplary character. | |
| 5 | فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ |
| So very soon, you will see and they too will realise – | |
| 6 | بِأَييِّكُمُ الْمَفْتُونُ |
| – That who among you was insane. | |
| 7 | إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ |
| Indeed your Lord well knows those who have strayed from His path, and He well knows those who are upon guidance. | |
| 8 | فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ |
| Therefore do not listen to the deniers. | |
| 9 | وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ |
| They wish that in some way you may yield, so they too might soften their stand. | |
| 10 | وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ |
| Nor ever listen to any excessive oath maker, ignoble person. | |
| 11 | هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ |
| The excessively insulting one, spreader of spite. | |
| 12 | مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ |
| One who excessively forbids the good, transgressor, sinner. | |
| 13 | عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ |
| Foul mouthed, and in addition to all this, of improper lineage. | |
| 14 | أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ |
| Because he* has some wealth and sons. (Walid bin Mugaira, who cursed the Holy Prophet.) | |
| 15 | إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ |
| When Our verses are recited to him, he says, “These are stories of earlier people.” | |
| 16 | سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ |
| We will soon singe his pig-nose. | |
| 17 | إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ |
| We have indeed tested them the way We had tested the owners of the garden when they swore that they would reap its harvest the next morning. | |
| 18 | وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ |
| And they did not say, “If Allah wills”. | |
| 19 | فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ |
| So an envoy from your Lord completed his round upon the garden, whilst they were sleeping. | |
| 20 | فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ |
| So in the morning it became as if harvested. | |
| 21 | فَتَنَادَوْا مُصْبِحِينَ |
| They then called out to each other at daybreak. | |
| 22 | أَنِ اغْدُوا عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَارِمِينَ |
| That, “Go to your fields at early morn, if you want to harvest.” | |
| 23 | فَانطَلَقُوا وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ |
| So they went off, while whispering to one another. | |
| 24 | أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌ |
| “Make sure that no needy person enters your garden this day.” | |
| 25 | وَغَدَوْا عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ |
| And they left at early morn, assuming they were in control of their purpose. | |
| 26 | فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوا إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ |
| Then when they saw it, they said, “We have indeed strayed.” | |
| 27 | بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ |
| “In fact, we are unfortunate.” | |
| 28 | قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ |
| The best among them said, “Did I not tell you, ‘Why do you not proclaim His purity?’” | |
| 29 | قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ |
| They said, “Purity is to our Lord – we have indeed been unjust.” | |
| 30 | فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ |
| So they came towards each other, blaming. | |
| 31 | قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا طَاغِينَ |
| They said, “Woe to us – we were indeed rebellious.” | |
| 32 | عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَا أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَاغِبُونَ |
| “Hopefully, our Lord will give us a better replacement than this – we now incline towards our Lord.” | |
| 33 | كَذَٰلِكَ الْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ |
| Such is the punishment; and indeed the punishment of the Hereafter is the greatest, if only they knew! | |
| 34 | إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ |
| Indeed for the pious, with their Lord, are Gardens of Serenity. | |
| 35 | أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ |
| Shall We equate the Muslims to the guilty? | |
| 36 | مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ |
| What is the matter with you? What sort of a judgement you impose! | |
| 37 | أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ |
| Is there a Book for you, from which you read? | |
| 38 | إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ |
| – That for you in it is whatever you like? | |
| 39 | أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا بَالِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ |
| Or is it that you have a covenant from Us, right up to the Day of Judgement, that you will get all what you claim? | |
| 40 | سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ |
| Ask them, who among them is a guarantor for it? | |
| 41 | أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ |
| Or is it that they have partners in worship? So they should bring their appointed partners, if they are truthful. | |
| 42 | يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ |
| On the day when the Shin* will be exposed and they will be called to prostrate themselves, they will be unable. (Used as a metaphor) | |
| 43 | خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ |
| With lowered eyes, disgrace overcoming them; and indeed they used to be called to prostrate themselves whilst they were healthy. | |
| 44 | فَذَرْنِي وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ |
| Therefore leave the one who denies this matter, to Me; We shall soon steadily take them away, from a place they do not know. | |
| 45 | وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ |
| And I will give them respite; indeed My plan is very solid. | |
| 46 | أَمْ تَسْأَلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ |
| Or is it that you (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) ask any fee from them, so they are burdened with the penalty? | |
| 47 | أَمْ عِندَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ |
| Or that they possess the hidden, so they are writing it? | |
| 48 | فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ |
| Therefore wait for your Lord’s command, and do not be like the one of the fish; who cried out when he was distraught. (Prophet Yunus – peace be upon him.) | |
| 49 | لَّوْلَا أَن تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ |
| Were it not for his Lord’s favour that reached him, he would have surely been cast onto the desolate land, reproached. | |
| 50 | فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ |
| His Lord therefore chose him and made him among those deserving His proximity. | |
| 51 | وَإِن يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ |
| And indeed the disbelievers seem as if they would topple you with their evil gaze when they hear the Qur’an, and they say, “He is indeed insane.” | |
| 52 | وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ |
| Whereas it is not but an advice to the entire creation! | |