Surah 68. Al-Qalam

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Verses [Section]: 1-33[1], 34-52 [2]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-3368. Al-Qalamبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِنٓNunوَ الْقَلَمِBy the penوَ مَاand whatیَسْطُرُوْنَۙthey write مَاۤNotاَنْتَyou (are)بِنِعْمَةِby (the) Graceرَبِّكَ(of) your Lordبِمَجْنُوْنٍۚa madman وَ اِنَّAnd indeedلَكَfor youلَاَجْرًاsurely (is) a rewardغَیْرَwithoutمَمْنُوْنٍۚend وَ اِنَّكَAnd indeed youلَعَلٰیsurely (are)خُلُقٍ(of) a moral characterعَظِیْمٍ great فَسَتُبْصِرُSo soon you will seeوَ یُبْصِرُوْنَۙand they will see بِاَىیِّكُمُWhich of youالْمَفْتُوْنُ (is) the afflicted one اِنَّIndeedرَبَّكَyour LordهُوَHeاَعْلَمُ(is) most knowingبِمَنْof (he) whoضَلَّhas strayedعَنْfromسَبِیْلِهٖ ۪His wayوَ هُوَand Heاَعْلَمُ(is) most knowingبِالْمُهْتَدِیْنَ of the guided ones فَلَاSo (do) notتُطِعِobeyالْمُكَذِّبِیْنَ the deniers وَدُّوْاThey wishلَوْthatتُدْهِنُyou should compromiseفَیُدْهِنُوْنَ so they would compromise وَ لَاAnd (do) notتُطِعْobeyكُلَّeveryحَلَّافٍhabitual swearerمَّهِیْنٍۙworthless هَمَّازٍDefamerمَّشَّآءٍۭgoing aboutبِنَمِیْمٍۙwith malicious gossip مَّنَّاعٍA preventerلِّلْخَیْرِof (the) goodمُعْتَدٍtransgressorاَثِیْمٍۙsinful عُتُلٍّۭCruelبَعْدَafterذٰلِكَ(all) thatزَنِیْمٍۙutterly useless اَنْBecauseكَانَ(he) isذَاa possessorمَالٍ(of) wealthوَّ بَنِیْنَؕand children اِذَاWhenتُتْلٰیare recitedعَلَیْهِto himاٰیٰتُنَاOur Versesقَالَhe saysاَسَاطِیْرُStoriesالْاَوَّلِیْنَ (of) the former (people) 68. Al-Qalam Page 565سَنَسِمُهٗWe will brand himعَلَیonالْخُرْطُوْمِ the snout اِنَّاIndeed Weبَلَوْنٰهُمْhave tried themكَمَاasبَلَوْنَاۤWe triedاَصْحٰبَ(the) companionsالْجَنَّةِ ۚ(of) the gardenاِذْwhenاَقْسَمُوْاthey sworeلَیَصْرِمُنَّهَاto pluck its fruitمُصْبِحِیْنَۙ(in the) morning وَ لَاAnd notیَسْتَثْنُوْنَ making exception فَطَافَSo there cameعَلَیْهَاupon itطَآىِٕفٌa visitationمِّنْfromرَّبِّكَyour Lordوَ هُمْwhile theyنَآىِٕمُوْنَ were asleep فَاَصْبَحَتْSo it becameكَالصَّرِیْمِۙas if reaped فَتَنَادَوْاAnd they called one anotherمُصْبِحِیْنَۙ(at) morning اَنِThatاغْدُوْاGo earlyعَلٰیtoحَرْثِكُمْyour cropاِنْifكُنْتُمْyou wouldصٰرِمِیْنَ pluck (the) fruit فَانْطَلَقُوْاSo they wentوَ هُمْwhile theyیَتَخَافَتُوْنَۙlowered (their) voices اَنْThatلَّاNotیَدْخُلَنَّهَاwill enter itالْیَوْمَtodayعَلَیْكُمْupon youمِّسْكِیْنٌۙany poor person وَّ غَدَوْاAnd they went earlyعَلٰیwithحَرْدٍdeterminationقٰدِرِیْنَ able فَلَمَّاBut whenرَاَوْهَاthey saw itقَالُوْۤاthey saidاِنَّاIndeed weلَضَآلُّوْنَۙ(are) surely lost بَلْNay!نَحْنُWeمَحْرُوْمُوْنَ (are) deprived قَالَSaidاَوْسَطُهُمْ(the) most moderate of themاَلَمْDid notاَقُلْI tellلَّكُمْyouلَوْ لَاWhy notتُسَبِّحُوْنَ you glorify (Allah) قَالُوْاThey saidسُبْحٰنَGlory beرَبِّنَاۤ(to) our Lord!اِنَّاIndeed weكُنَّا[we] wereظٰلِمِیْنَ wrongdoers فَاَقْبَلَThen approachedبَعْضُهُمْsome of themعَلٰیtoبَعْضٍothersیَّتَلَاوَمُوْنَ blaming each other قَالُوْاThey saidیٰوَیْلَنَاۤO woe to us!اِنَّاIndeed weكُنَّا[we] wereطٰغِیْنَ transgressors عَسٰیPerhapsرَبُّنَاۤour Lordاَنْ[that]یُّبْدِلَنَاwill substitute for usخَیْرًاa betterمِّنْهَاۤthan itاِنَّاۤIndeed weاِلٰیtoرَبِّنَاour Lordرٰغِبُوْنَ turn devoutly كَذٰلِكَSuchالْعَذَابُ ؕ(is) the punishmentوَ لَعَذَابُAnd surely the punishmentالْاٰخِرَةِ(of) the Hereafterاَكْبَرُ ۘ(is) greaterلَوْifكَانُوْاtheyیَعْلَمُوْنَ۠know

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Surah Introduction

In this Meccan sûrah, the Prophet's heart is reassured and his character is highly praised. He ( ﷺ ) is advised to be steadfast and not to yield to the pagans who reject his message and call him insane. The pagans are warned of an evil fate in this world and the Hereafter. To deter the pagans, the fate of some earlier disbelievers is cited in the next sûrah.

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Translation of Verse 1-331. In the Name of Allah-the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

1. Nũn . By the pen and what everyone writes!

2. By the grace of your Lord, you ˹O Prophet˺ are not insane.

3. You will certainly have a never-ending reward.

4. And you are truly ˹a man˺ of outstanding character.

5. Soon you and the pagans will see,

6. which of you is mad.

7. Surely your Lord ˹alone˺ knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is ˹rightly˺ guided.

8. So do not give in to the deniers.

9. They wish you would compromise so they would yield ˹to you˺.

10. And do not obey the despicable, vain oath-taker,

11. slanderer, gossip-monger,

12. withholder of good, transgressor, evildoer,

13. brute, and-on top of all that-an illegitimate child.

14. Now, ˹simply˺ because he has been blessed with ˹abundant˺ wealth and children,

15. whenever Our revelations are recited to him, he says, "Ancient fables!"

16. We will soon mark his snout. ¹²¹⁹

17. Indeed, We have tested those ˹Meccans˺ as We tested the owners of the garden-when they swore they would surely harvest ˹all˺ its fruit in the early morning,

18. leaving no thought for Allah's Will. ¹²²¹

19. Then it was struck by a torment from your Lord while they slept,

20. so it was reduced to ashes.

21. Then by daybreak they called out to each other,

22. ˹saying,˺ "Go early to your harvest, if you want to pick ˹all˺ the fruit."

23. So they went off, whispering to one another,

24. "Do not let any poor person enter your garden today."

25. And they proceeded early, totally fixated on their purpose.

26. But when they saw it ˹devastated˺, they cried, "We must have lost ˹our˺ way!

27. In fact, we have been deprived ˹of our livelihood˺."

28. The most sensible of them said, "Did I not urge you to say, 'Allah willing.'?"

29. They replied, "Glory be to our Lord! We have truly been wrongdoers."

30. Then they turned on each other, throwing blame.

31. They said, "Woe to us! We have certainly been transgressors.

32. We trust our Lord will give us a better garden than this, ˹for˺ we are indeed turning to our Lord with hope." ¹²²²

33. That is the ˹way of Our˺ punishment ˹in this world˺. But the punishment of the Hereafter is certainly far worse, if only they knew. ¹²²³

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Commentary

1219. Like 53:33-35 and 74:11-26, these verses refer to Al-Walîd ibn Al- Mughîrah, a leader of the Meccan opposition against Islam. He rejected the Prophet ( ﷺ ) as a madman, so the Quran responded by listing ten of his qualities-two of which were unknown to him: the fact that he was born out of wedlock and that his nose would be chopped off several years later at the Battle of Badr. At least three of his ten sons accepted Islam-including Khâlid ibn Al- Walîd.

1220. This is the story of a righteous man who owned a garden and used to give a share of the harvest to the poor. Following his death, his children decided to keep all the produce for themselves and give nothing to the poor.

1221. Another possible translation: "... without leaving some for the poor."

1222. It is believed that Allah accepted their repentance and replaced their garden with a better one.

1223. i.e., if only the Meccan pagans knew.