Sūra LXVIII. Qalam, or the Pen, or Nūn

The Holy Quran, tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934], at sacred-texts.com

p. 1585

Sūra LXVIII.

Qalam, or the Pen, or Nūn.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.

1. Nūn. By the Pen
And by the (Record)
Which (men) write,—

2. Thou art not,
By the grace of thy Lord,
Mad or possessed.

3. Nay, verily for thee
Is a Reward unfailing:

4. And thou (standest)
On an exalted standard
Of character.

p. 1586

5. Soon wilt thou see,
And they will see,

6. Which of you is
Afflicted with madness.

7. Verily it is thy Lord
That knoweth best,
Which (among men)
Hath strayed from His Path:
And He knoweth best
Those who receive
(True) Guidance.

8. So hearken not
To those who
Deny (the Truth),

9. Their desire is that
Thou shouldst be pliant:
So would they be pliant.

10. Heed not the type
Of despicable man,—
Ready with oaths,

p. 1587

11. A slanderer, going about
With calumnies,

12. (Habitually) hindering (all) good,
Transgressing beyond bounds,
Deep in sin,

13. Violent (and cruel),—
With all that, base-born,—

14. Because he possesses
Wealth and (numerous) sons.

15. When to him are rehearsed
Our Signs,
"Tales of the Ancients",
He cries!

16. Soon shall We brand
(The beast) on the snout!

17. Verily We have tried them
As We tried the People

p. 1588

Of the Garden,
When they resolved to gather
The fruits of the (garden)
In the morning,

18. But made no reservation,
("If it be God's Will").

19. Then there came
On the (garden)
A visitation from thy Lord,
(Which swept away) all around,
While they were asleep.

20. So the (garden) became,
By the morning, like
A dark and desolate spot,
(Whose fruit had been gathered).

21. As the morning broke,
They called out,
One to another,—

22. "Go ye to your tilth
(Betimes) in the morning,

p. 1589

If ye would gather
The fruits."

23. So they departed, conversing
In secret low tones, (saying)—

24. "Let not a single indigent
Person break in upon you
Into the (garden) this day."

25. And they opened the morning,
Strong in an (unjust) resolve.

26. But when they saw
The (garden), they said:
"We have surely lost our way:

27. "Indeed we are shut out
(Of the fruits of our labour)!"

28. Said one of them,
More just (than the rest):
"Did I not say to you,
"Why not glorify (God)?"

29. They said: "Glory
To our Lord! Verily we
Have been doing wrong!"

p. 1590

30. Then they turned, one
Against another, in reproach.

31. They said: "Alas for us!
We have indeed transgressed!

32. "It may be that our Lord
Will give us in exchange
A better (garden) than this:
For we do turn to Him
(In repentance)!"

33. Such is the Punishment
(In this life); but greater
Is the Punishment
In the Hereafter,—
If only they knew!

p. 1591

SECTION 2.

34. Verily, for the Righteous,
Are Gardens of Delight,
In the Presence
Of their Lord.

35. Shall We then treat
The People of Faith
Like the People of Sin?

36. What is the matter
With you? How judge ye?

37. Or have ye a Book
Through which ye learn—

38. That ye shall have,
Through it whatever
Ye choose?

39. Or have ye Covenants
With Us on oath,
Reaching to the Day
Of Judgment, (providing)
That ye shall have
Whatever ye shall demand?

p. 1592

40. Ask thou of them,
Which of them will stand
Surety for that!

41. Or have they some
"Partners" (in Godhead)?
Then let them produce
Their "partners",
If they are truthful!

42. The Day that the Shin
Shall be laid bare,
And they shall be summoned
To bow in adoration,
But they shall not be able,—

43. Their eyes will be
Cast down,—ignominy will
Cover them; seeing that
They had been summoned
Aforetime to bow in adoration,
While they were whole,
(And had refused).

44. Then leave Me alone
With such as reject
This Message: by degrees
Shall We punish them

p. 1593

From directions they perceive not.

45. A (long) respite will I
Grant them: truly
Powerful is My Plan.

46. Or is it that thou dost
Ask them for a reward,
So that they are burdened
With a load of debt?—

47. Or that the Unseen
Is in their hands, so that
They can write it down?

48. So wait with patience
For the Command
Of thy Lord, and be not
Like the Companion
Of the Fish,—when he
Cried out in agony.

49. Had not Grace
From His Lord
Reached him, he
Would indeed have been

p. 1594

Cast off on the naked
Shore, in disgrace.

50. Thus did his Lord
Choose him and make him
Of the company
Of the Righteous.

51. And the Unbelievers
Would almost trip thee up
With their eyes when they
Hear the Message; and they
Say: "Surely he is possessed!"

52. But it is nothing less
Than a Message
To all the worlds.

p. 1595