Surah Al-Qalam - English Translation by Maududi

نٓۚ وَٱلۡقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسۡطُرُونَ

Nun. By the pen and what the scribes write
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 1

مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجۡنُونٖ

By your Lord´s Grace, you are not afflicted with madness
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 2

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجۡرًا غَيۡرَ مَمۡنُونٖ

and surely yours shall be a never-ending reward
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 3

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٖ

and you are certainly on the most exalted standard of moral excellence
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 4

فَسَتُبۡصِرُ وَيُبۡصِرُونَ

So you will soon see, and they too will see
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 5

بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلۡمَفۡتُونُ

which of you is afflicted with madness
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 6

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِينَ

Surely your Lord knows well those who have strayed from His Way just as He knows well those who are on the Right Way
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 7

فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلۡمُكَذِّبِينَ

Do not, then, yield to those who reject the Truth, decrying it as false
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 8

وَدُّواْ لَوۡ تُدۡهِنُ فَيُدۡهِنُونَ

they would wish you to be pliant so that they too may be pliant
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 9

وَلَا تُطِعۡ كُلَّ حَلَّافٖ مَّهِينٍ

And do not yield to any contemptible swearer
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 10

هَمَّازٖ مَّشَّآءِۭ بِنَمِيمٖ

the fault-finder who goes around slandering
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 11

مَّنَّاعٖ لِّلۡخَيۡرِ مُعۡتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

the hinderer of good, the transgressor, the sinful
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 12

عُتُلِّۭ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

the coarse-grained, and above all mean and ignoble
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 13

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٖ وَبَنِينَ

(who so acts) simply because he has wealth and sons
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 14

إِذَا تُتۡلَىٰ عَلَيۡهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ

and whenever Our verses are rehearsed to him, he says: "These are fairy- tales of times gone by
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 15

سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلۡخُرۡطُومِ

Soon shall We brand him on his snout
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 16

إِنَّا بَلَوۡنَٰهُمۡ كَمَا بَلَوۡنَآ أَصۡحَٰبَ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ إِذۡ أَقۡسَمُواْ لَيَصۡرِمُنَّهَا مُصۡبِحِينَ

We have put them [i.e., the Makkans] to test even as We put to test the owners of the orchard when they vowed that they would gather the fruit of their orchard in the morning
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 17

وَلَا يَسۡتَثۡنُونَ

without making any allowance (for the will of Allah)
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 18

فَطَافَ عَلَيۡهَا طَآئِفٞ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمۡ نَآئِمُونَ

Thereupon a calamity from your Lord passed over it while they were asleep
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 19

فَأَصۡبَحَتۡ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ

and so by morning the orchard lay as though it had been fully harvested
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 20

فَتَنَادَوۡاْ مُصۡبِحِينَ

At daybreak they called out to one another
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 21

أَنِ ٱغۡدُواْ عَلَىٰ حَرۡثِكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰرِمِينَ

Hurry to your orchard if you would gather its fruit
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 22

فَٱنطَلَقُواْ وَهُمۡ يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ

So off they went, whispering to one another
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 23

أَن لَّا يَدۡخُلَنَّهَا ٱلۡيَوۡمَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّسۡكِينٞ

No destitute person shall enter it today
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 24

وَغَدَوۡاْ عَلَىٰ حَرۡدٖ قَٰدِرِينَ

They went forth early, believing that they had the power (to gather the fruit)
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 25

فَلَمَّا رَأَوۡهَا قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ

But as soon as they beheld the orchard, (they cried out): "We have certainly lost the way
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 26

بَلۡ نَحۡنُ مَحۡرُومُونَ

rather, we are utterly ruined
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 27

قَالَ أَوۡسَطُهُمۡ أَلَمۡ أَقُل لَّكُمۡ لَوۡلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

The best among them said: "Did I not say to you: why do you not give glory to (your Lord)
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 28

قَالُواْ سُبۡحَٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ

They cried out: "Glory be to our Lord! Certainly we were sinners
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 29

فَأَقۡبَلَ بَعۡضُهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٖ يَتَلَٰوَمُونَ

Then they began to reproach one another
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 30

قَالُواْ يَٰوَيۡلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَٰغِينَ

They said: "Woe to us! We had indeed transgressed
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 31

عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبۡدِلَنَا خَيۡرٗا مِّنۡهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ

Maybe our Lord will give us a better orchard in its place; to our Lord do we penitently turn
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 32

كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡعَذَابُۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ أَكۡبَرُۚ لَوۡ كَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ

Such is the chastisement; and the chastisement of the Hereafter is assuredly even greater, if only they knew
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 33

إِنَّ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ جَنَّـٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

Surely the God-fearing shall have Gardens of bliss with their Lord
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 34

أَفَنَجۡعَلُ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ كَٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ

What! Shall We treat those who have submitted (to Our command) like those who have acted as criminals
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 35

مَا لَكُمۡ كَيۡفَ تَحۡكُمُونَ

What is the matter with you? How ill do you judge
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 36

أَمۡ لَكُمۡ كِتَٰبٞ فِيهِ تَدۡرُسُونَ

Or do you have a Book wherein you read
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 37

إِنَّ لَكُمۡ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

that (in the Hereafter) you shall have all that you choose for yourselves
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 38

أَمۡ لَكُمۡ أَيۡمَٰنٌ عَلَيۡنَا بَٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ إِنَّ لَكُمۡ لَمَا تَحۡكُمُونَ

Or have We sworn a covenant with you which We are bound to keep till the Day of Resurrection, (a covenant requiring that whatever you ordain for yourselves shall be yours)
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 39

سَلۡهُمۡ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

Ask them: "Which of them can guarantee that
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 40

أَمۡ لَهُمۡ شُرَكَآءُ فَلۡيَأۡتُواْ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمۡ إِن كَانُواْ صَٰدِقِينَ

Or has something been guaranteed by any of those whom they associate with Allah in His Divinity?" If so, let them bring forth their associates, if they are truthful
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 41

يَوۡمَ يُكۡشَفُ عَن سَاقٖ وَيُدۡعَوۡنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ

On the Day when the dreadful calamity will unfold, when people will be summoned to prostrate themselves, and yet they will not be able to prostrate
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 42

خَٰشِعَةً أَبۡصَٰرُهُمۡ تَرۡهَقُهُمۡ ذِلَّةٞۖ وَقَدۡ كَانُواْ يُدۡعَوۡنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمۡ سَٰلِمُونَ

Their eyes shall be downcast and ignominy shall overwhelm them. For when they were safe and sound, they were summoned to prostrate themselves, (and they refused)
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 43

فَذَرۡنِي وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلۡحَدِيثِۖ سَنَسۡتَدۡرِجُهُم مِّنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ

So leave Me, (O Prophet), to deal with him who gives the lie to this Discourse. We shall draw them little by little (to their undoing) in a way that they will not know
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 44

وَأُمۡلِي لَهُمۡۚ إِنَّ كَيۡدِي مَتِينٌ

I am giving them a respite. Great is My scheme
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 45

أَمۡ تَسۡـَٔلُهُمۡ أَجۡرٗا فَهُم مِّن مَّغۡرَمٖ مُّثۡقَلُونَ

Or are you asking them for some compensation so that they feel burdened with debt
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 46

أَمۡ عِندَهُمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبُ فَهُمۡ يَكۡتُبُونَ

Or do they have any knowledge of the Unseen which they are now writing down
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 47

فَٱصۡبِرۡ لِحُكۡمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلۡحُوتِ إِذۡ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكۡظُومٞ

So bear with patience until the Judgement of your Lord comes, and do not belike the man in the fish (i.e., Jonah) who called out, choking with grief
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 48

لَّوۡلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُۥ نِعۡمَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلۡعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذۡمُومٞ

had his Lord not bestowed His favour upon him, he would have been cast upon that barren shore (and would have remained there) in disgrace
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 49

فَٱجۡتَبَٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ

But his Lord exalted him, and included him among His righteous servants
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 50

وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَيُزۡلِقُونَكَ بِأَبۡصَٰرِهِمۡ لَمَّا سَمِعُواْ ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجۡنُونٞ

When the unbelievers hear this Exhortation, they look at you as though they would knock you off your feet with their (hostile) glances. They say: "Surely he is afflicted with madness
Surah Al-Qalam, Verse 51