Surah The Pen [Al-Qalam] in English

Noon. By the Pen and that (the angels) write,

you are not, because of the favor of your Lord, mad.

Indeed, there is an unfailing wage for you.

Surely, you (Prophet Muhammad) are of a great morality.

You shall see and they will see

which of you is the demented.

Indeed, your Lord knows very well those who strayed from His Path, and those who are guided.

Therefore, do not obey those who belie,

they wish you would compromise, then, they would compromise.

And do not obey every mean swearer,

the backbiter who goes about slandering,

those who hinder good, the guilty aggressor,

the crude of low character

because he has wealth and sons.

When Our verses are recited to him, he says: 'They are but fairytales of the ancients'

We shall mark him upon his nose!

We have tried them as We tried the owners of the garden who had sworn that in the morning they would reap it,

without adding to their swearing, (Allah willing, InshaAllah).

Then, a visitation from your Lord came down upon it while they slept,

and in the morning it was if the garden had been reaped.

(Then) in the morning they called out to one another, saying:

'Come out to your tillage if you want to reap'

And so they departed, whispering to one another:

'No needy person shall set foot in it today'

And they went out early, determined in their resolve.

But when they saw it they said: 'We have surely gone astray.

No, rather, we have been prevented'

(Whereupon) the best among them said: 'Did I not say to you to exalt (Allah)'

'Exaltations to Allah, our Lord' they said, 'We were truly harmdoers'

And they came blaming one another.

They said 'Woe to us, truly we were insolent'

It may be that our Lord will give us better than it in exchange. To our Lord we humbly turn'

Such was their punishment. But the punishment of the Everlasting Life is much greater, if they but knew.

Surely, the cautious shall have Gardens of Bliss with their Lord.

What, shall We make those who are submissive like the wrongdoers?

What is the matter with you then, how do you judge?

Or, have you a Book from which you study

surely in it you shall have whatever you choose!

Or, have you an oath from Us that stretches to the Day of Resurrection (if so) you shall surely have what you judge!

Ask them, which of them will guarantee that!

Or, do they have associates? Then let them bring their associates, if what they say is true!

On the Day when the leg shall be bared, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves, they will be unable.

Their eyes will be humbled, and humiliation shall spread over them for they were already ordered to prostrate themselves when they were undiminished.

Therefore, leave Me with he who belied this discourse. We will draw them on little by little from where they do not know.

I shall respite them, My stratagem is firm.

Or, do you ask them for a wage, so that they are burdened withdebt?

Or, is the Unseen with them, and they are writing it down!

So be patient with the judgement of your Lord and do not be like the Companion of the Whale (Jonah), when he called out choking inwardly.

Had the favor of his Lord not come upon him, he would have been blamed, cast upon the shore.

But his Lord had chosen him and He placed him among the righteous.

When the unbelievers hear the Reminder, they nearly strike you down with their glances, and say: 'Surely, he is mad'