بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ نٓ ۚ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Nun. CONSIDER the pen, and all that they write [therewith]!

مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍۢ

Thou art not, by thy Sustainer's grace, a madman!

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍۢ

And, verily, thine shall be a reward neverending –

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍۢ

for, behold, thou keepest indeed to a sublime way of life;

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ

and [one day] thou shalt see, and they [who now deride thee] shall see,

بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ

which of you was bereft of reason.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ

Verily, thy Sustainer alone is fully aware as to who has strayed from His path, Just as He alone is fully aware of those who have found the right way.

فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Hence, defer not to [the likes and dislikes of] those who give the lie to the truth:

وَدُّوا۟ لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

they would like thee to be soft [with them], so that they might be soft [with thee].

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍۢ مَّهِينٍ

Furthermore, defer not to the contemptible swearer of oaths,

هَمَّازٍۢ مَّشَّآءٍۭ بِنَمِيمٍۢ

[or to] the slanderer that goes about with defaming tales,

مَّنَّاعٍۢ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

[or] the withholder of good, [or] the sinful aggressor,

عُتُلٍّۭ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

[or] one who is cruel, by greed possessed, and, in addition to all this, utterly useless [to his fellow-men].

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍۢ وَبَنِينَ

Is it because he is possessed of worldly goods and children

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

that, whenever Our messages are conveyed to him, such a one says, "Fables of ancient times"?

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ

[For this] We shall brand him with indelible disgrace!

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَٰهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا۟ لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ

[As for such sinners,] behold, We [but] try them as We tried the owners of a certain garden who vowed that they would surely harvest its fruit on the morrow,

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ

and made no allowance [for the will of God]:

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ

whereupon a visitation for thy Sustainer came upon that [garden] while they were asleep,

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ

so that by the morrow it became barren and bleak.

فَتَنَادَوْا۟ مُصْبِحِينَ

Now when they rose at early morn, they called unto one another,

أَنِ ٱغْدُوا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰرِمِينَ

"Go early to your tilth if you want to harvest the fruit!"

فَٱنطَلَقُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ

Thus they launched forth, whispering unto one another,

أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌۭ

"Indeed, no needy person shall enter it today [and come] upon you [unawares],"

وَغَدَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍۢ قَٰدِرِينَ

– and early they went, strongly bent upon their purpose.

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ

But as soon as they beheld [the garden and could not recognize] it, they exclaimed, "Surely we have lost our way!"

بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

- [and then,] "Nay, but we have been rendered destitute!"

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

Said the most right-minded among them: "Did I not tell you, 'Will you not extol God's limitless glory?’"

قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ

They answered: "Limitless in His glory is our Sustainer! Verily, we were doing wrong!"

فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ يَتَلَٰوَمُونَ

- and then they turned upon one another with mutual reproaches.

قَالُوا۟ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَٰغِينَ

[In the end] they said: "Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we did behave outrageously!

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ

[But] it may be that our Sustainer will grant us something better instead: for, verily, unto our Sustainer do we turn with hope!"

كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ

SUCH is the suffering [with which We try some people in this world]; but greater by far will be the suffering [which sinners shall have to bear] in the life to come - if they but knew it!

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

For, behold, it is the God-conscious [alone] whom gardens of bliss await with their Sustainer:

أَفَنَجْعَلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ كَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

or should We, perchance, treat those who surrender themselves unto Us as [We would treat] those who remain lost in sin?

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

What is amiss with you? On what do you base your judgment [of right and wrong]?

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَٰبٌۭ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ

Or have you, perchance, a [special] divine writ which you study,

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

and in which you find all that you may wish to find?

أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَٰنٌ عَلَيْنَا بَٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ

Or have you received a solemn promise, binding on Us till Resurrection Day, that yours will assuredly be whatever you judge [to be your rightful due]?

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

Ask them which of them is able to vouch for this!

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا۟ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا۟ صَٰدِقِينَ

Or have they, perchance, any sages to support their views? Well, then, if they are sincere in this their claim, let them produce those supporters of theirs

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍۢ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

on the Day when man's very being shall be bared to the bone, and when they [who now deny the truth] shall be called upon to prostrate themselves [before God], and shall be unable to do so:

خَٰشِعَةً أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌۭ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا۟ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَٰلِمُونَ

downcast will be their eyes, with ignominy overwhelming them - seeing that they had been called upon [in vain] to prostrate themselves [before Him] while they were yet sound [and alive].

فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Hence, leave Me alone with such as give the lie to this tiding. We shall bring them low, step by step, without their perceiving how it has come about:

وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ

for, behold, though I may give them rein for a while, My subtle scheme is exceedingly firm!

أَمْ تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ أَجْرًۭا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍۢ مُّثْقَلُونَ

Or is it that [they fear lest] thou ask them for a reward, [O Prophet,] so that they would be burdened with debt [if they listened to thee]?

أَمْ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

Or [do they think] that the hidden reality [of all that exists] is within their grasp, so that [in time] they can write it down?

فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌۭ

BEAR THEN with patience thy Sustainer's will and be not like him of the great fish, who cried out [in distress] after having given in to anger.

لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُۥ نِعْمَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌۭ

[And remember:] had not grace from his Sustainer reached him, he would indeed have been cast forth upon that barren shore in a state of disgrace:

فَٱجْتَبَٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ

but [as it was,] his Sustainer had elected him and placed him among the righteous.

وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌۭ

Hence, [be patient,] even though they who are bent on denying the truth would all but kill thee with their eyes whenever they hear this reminder, and [though] they say, "[As for Muhammad,] behold, most surely he is a madman!"

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌۭ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ

[Be patient:] for this is nought else but a reminder [from God] to all mankind.