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!

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