بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمـٰنِ الرَّحيمِ ن ۚ وَالقَلَمِ وَما يَسطُرونَ

Nuun. By the Pen and all that they inscribe.

ما أَنتَ بِنِعمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجنونٍ

You are not, by the grace of your Lord, insane.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجرًا غَيرَ مَمنونٍ

You will receive an unending reward.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظيمٍ

And you possess a very noble character.

فَسَتُبصِرُ وَيُبصِرونَ

You will see, and they will see.

بِأَييِكُمُ المَفتونُ

Which of you is the afflicted.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعلَمُ بِالمُهتَدينَ

Your Lord knows best who strays from His path, and He knows best who is guided.

فَلا تُطِعِ المُكَذِّبينَ

So, don’t yield to the deniers.

وَدّوا لَو تُدهِنُ فَيُدهِنونَ

They wish you would compromise so they, too, could compromise.

وَلا تُطِع كُلَّ حَلّافٍ مَهينٍ

And don’t obey any despicable oath-monger.

هَمّازٍ مَشّاءٍ بِنَميمٍ

A defamer, a spreader of slander.

مَنّاعٍ لِلخَيرِ مُعتَدٍ أَثيمٍ

An obstructor of good, a transgressor, a sinner.

عُتُلٍّ بَعدَ ذٰلِكَ زَنيمٍ

Rude and fake.

أَن كانَ ذا مالٍ وَبَنينَ

Just because he is wealthy and has children.

إِذا تُتلىٰ عَلَيهِ آياتُنا قالَ أَساطيرُ الأَوَّلينَ

When Our verses are conveyed to him, he says, “Legends of the ancients.”

سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الخُرطومِ

We will mark him on the nose.

إِنّا بَلَوناهُم كَما بَلَونا أَصحابَ الجَنَّةِ إِذ أَقسَموا لَيَصرِمُنَّها مُصبِحينَ

We tested them, just as We tested the garden owners, when they vowed to harvest in the morning.

وَلا يَستَثنونَ

And they didn’t make an exception.

فَطافَ عَلَيها طائِفٌ مِن رَبِّكَ وَهُم نائِمونَ

But a visitation from your Lord swept around it while they were asleep.

فَأَصبَحَت كَالصَّريمِ

And by morning, it was as if harvested.

فَتَنادَوا مُصبِحينَ

At dawn, they called one another.

أَنِ اغدوا عَلىٰ حَرثِكُم إِن كُنتُم صارِمينَ

“Go early to your crop if you intend to harvest.”

فَانطَلَقوا وَهُم يَتَخافَتونَ

And they set off, whispering amongst themselves.

أَن لا يَدخُلَنَّهَا اليَومَ عَلَيكُم مِسكينٌ

“Make sure no poor person enters your garden today.”

وَغَدَوا عَلىٰ حَردٍ قادِرينَ

And they left early, firm in their resolve.

فَلَمّا رَأَوها قالوا إِنّا لَضالّونَ

But when they saw it, they said, “We must have strayed!

بَل نَحنُ مَحرومونَ

We are deprived!”

قالَ أَوسَطُهُم أَلَم أَقُل لَكُم لَولا تُسَبِّحونَ

The most prudent among them said, “Didn’t I tell you to offer praise?”

قالوا سُبحانَ رَبِّنا إِنّا كُنّا ظالِمينَ

They replied, “Glory be to our Lord! Indeed, we were wrongdoers.”

فَأَقبَلَ بَعضُهُم عَلىٰ بَعضٍ يَتَلاوَمونَ

Then they turned to one another, blaming each other.

قالوا يا وَيلَنا إِنّا كُنّا طاغينَ

They lamented, “Woe to us! We were domineering.

عَسىٰ رَبُّنا أَن يُبدِلَنا خَيرًا مِنها إِنّا إِلىٰ رَبِّنا راغِبونَ

Our Lord may give us a better substitute. We turn to our Lord in hope.”

كَذٰلِكَ العَذابُ ۖ وَلَعَذابُ الآخِرَةِ أَكبَرُ ۚ لَو كانوا يَعلَمونَ

Such is the suffering, yet the suffering of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew.

إِنَّ لِلمُتَّقينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِم جَنّاتِ النَّعيمِ

For the righteous with their Lord are the Gardens of Delight.

أَفَنَجعَلُ المُسلِمينَ كَالمُجرِمينَ

Should We treat the submitters like the criminals?

ما لَكُم كَيفَ تَحكُمونَ

What’s the matter with you? How do you judge?

أَم لَكُم كِتابٌ فيهِ تَدرُسونَ

Or do you have a book in which you study?

إِنَّ لَكُم فيهِ لَما تَخَيَّرونَ

In it, you have whatever you prefer?

أَم لَكُم أَيمانٌ عَلَينا بالِغَةٌ إِلىٰ يَومِ القِيامَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُم لَما تَحكُمونَ

Or do you have guarantees from Us, reaching until Resurrection Day, that you will get whatever you judge?

سَلهُم أَيُّهُم بِذٰلِكَ زَعيمٌ

Ask them, which of them can guarantee that.

أَم لَهُم شُرَكاءُ فَليَأتوا بِشُرَكائِهِم إِن كانوا صادِقينَ

Or do they have partners? Then let them bring their partners, if they are truthful.

يَومَ يُكشَفُ عَن ساقٍ وَيُدعَونَ إِلَى السُّجودِ فَلا يَستَطيعونَ

On the Day the reality will be exposed, they will be called upon to prostrate, but they won’t be able to.

خاشِعَةً أَبصارُهُم تَرهَقُهُم ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَد كانوا يُدعَونَ إِلَى السُّجودِ وَهُم سالِمونَ

Their eyes will be downcast, covered by disgrace; for they were called upon to prostrate when they were sound.

فَذَرني وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهـٰذَا الحَديثِ ۖ سَنَستَدرِجُهُم مِن حَيثُ لا يَعلَمونَ

So leave Me to those who deny this message. We will progressively lead them from where they don’t perceive.

وَأُملي لَهُم ۚ إِنَّ كَيدي مَتينٌ

And I will give them time. My plan is firm.

أَم تَسأَلُهُم أَجرًا فَهُم مِن مَغرَمٍ مُثقَلونَ

Or are you asking them for a fee, therefore they are burdened with debts?

أَم عِندَهُمُ الغَيبُ فَهُم يَكتُبونَ

Or do they have knowledge of the unseen, so they write it down?

فَاصبِر لِحُكمِ رَبِّكَ وَلا تَكُن كَصاحِبِ الحوتِ إِذ نادىٰ وَهُوَ مَكظومٌ

Exercise patience for your Lord’s decree, and don’t be like the Fellow of the Whale, who called out in his affliction.

لَولا أَن تَدارَكَهُ نِعمَةٌ مِن رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالعَراءِ وَهُوَ مَذمومٌ

Had it not been for a favor from his Lord, he would’ve been thrown onto the barren shore, and he was to blame.

فَاجتَباهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصّالِحينَ

But his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous.

وَإِن يَكادُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا لَيُزلِقونَكَ بِأَبصارِهِم لَمّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكرَ وَيَقولونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجنونٌ

Upon hearing the message, the unbelievers nearly pierce you with their glances and say, “He is surely crazy!”

وَما هُوَ إِلّا ذِكرٌ لِلعالَمينَ

But it is nothing but a reminder to the world.