Chapter 68, 52 verses
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Nun. By the pen and that which they write (therewith),
Nun. By the Pen and the (Record) which (men) write, -
Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe,
Thou art not, for thy Lord's favour unto thee, a madman.
Thou art not, by the Grace of thy Lord, mad or possessed.
You are not, [O Muhammad], by the favor of your Lord, a madman.
And lo! thine verily will be a reward unfailing.
Nay, verily for thee is a Reward unfailing:
And indeed, for you is a reward uninterrupted.
And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature.
And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character.
And indeed, you are of a great moral character.
And thou wilt see and they will see
Soon wilt thou see, and they will see,
So you will see and they will see
Which of you is the demented.
Which of you is afflicted with madness.
Which of you is the afflicted [by a devil].
Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who walk aright.
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.
Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has gone astray from His way, and He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.
Therefor obey not thou the rejecters
So hearken not to those who deny (the Truth).
Then do not obey the deniers.
Who would have had thee compromise, that they may compromise.
Their desire is that thou shouldst be pliant: so would they be pliant.
They wish that you would soften [in your position], so they would soften [toward you].
Neither obey thou each feeble oath - monger,
Heed not the type of despicable men, - ready with oaths,
And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer
Detracter, spreader abroad of slanders,
A slanderer, going about with calumnies,
[And] scorner, going about with malicious gossip -
Hinderer of the good, transgressor, malefactor
(Habitually) hindering (all) good, transgressing beyond bounds, deep in sin,
A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful,
Greedy therewithal, intrusive.
Violent (and cruel), - with all that, base - born, -
Cruel, moreover, and an illegitimate pretender.
It is because he is possessed of wealth and children
Because he possesses wealth and (numerous) sons.
Because he is a possessor of wealth and children,
That, when Our revelations are recited unto him, he saith: Mere fables of the men of old.
When to him are rehearsed Our Signs, "Tales of the ancients", he cries!
When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Legends of the former peoples."
We shall brand him on the nose.
Soon shall We brand (the beast) on the snout!
We will brand him upon the snout.
Lo! We have tried them as We tried the owners of the garden when they vowed that they would pluck its fruit next morning,
Verily We have tried them as We tried the People of the Garden, when they resolved to gather the fruits of the (garden) in the morning.
Indeed, We have tried them as We tried the companions of the garden, when they swore to cut its fruit in the [early] morning
And made no exception (for the Will of Allah);
But made no reservation, ("If it be Allah's Will").
Without making exception.
Then a visitation from thy Lord came upon it while they slept
Then there came on the (garden) a visitation from thy Lord, (which swept away) all around, while they were asleep.
So there came upon the garden an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep.
And in the morning it was as if plucked.
So the (garden) became, by the morning, like a dark and desolate spot, (whose fruit had been gathered).
And it became as though reaped.
And they cried out one unto another in the morning,
As the morning broke, they called out, one to another, -
And they called one another at morning,
Saying: Run unto your field if ye would pluck (the fruit).
"Go ye to your tilth (betimes) in the morning, if ye would gather the fruits."
[Saying], "Go early to your crop if you would cut the fruit."
So they went off, saying one unto another in low tones:
So they departed, conversing in secret low tones, (saying) -
So they set out, while lowering their voices,
No needy man shall enter it to - day against you.
"Let not a single indigent person break in upon you into the (garden) this day."
[Saying], "There will surely not enter it today upon you [any] poor person."
They went betimes, strong in (this) purpose.
And they opened the morning, strong in an (unjust) resolve.
And they went early in determination, [assuming themselves] able.
But when they saw it, they said: Lo! we are in error!
But when they saw the (garden), they said: "We have surely lost our way:
But when they saw it, they said, "Indeed, we are lost;
Nay, but we are desolate!
"Indeed we are shut out (of the fruits of our labour)!"
Rather, we have been deprived."
The best among them said: Said I not unto you: Why glorify ye not (Allah) ?
Said one of them, more just (than the rest): "Did I not say to you, 'Why not glorify (Allah)?'"
The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, 'Why do you not exalt [Allah]?' "
They said: Glorified be our Lord! Lo! we have been wrong - doers.
They said: "Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!"
They said, "Exalted is our Lord! Indeed, we were wrongdoers."
Then some of them drew near unto others, self - reproaching.
Then they turned, one against another, in reproach.
Then they approached one another, blaming each other.
They said: Alas for us! In truth we were outrageous.
They said: "Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed!
They said, "O woe to us; indeed we were transgressors.
It may be that our Lord will give us better than this in place thereof. Lo! we beseech our Lord.
"It may be that our Lord will give us in exchange a better (garden) than this: for we do turn to Him (in repentance)!"
Perhaps our Lord will substitute for us [one] better than it. Indeed, we are toward our Lord desirous."
Such was the punishment. And verily the punishment of the Hereafter is greater if they did but know.
Such is the Punishment (in this life); but greater is the Punishment in the Hereafter, - if only they knew!
Such is the punishment [of this world]. And the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew.
Lo! for those who keep from evil are gardens of bliss with their Lord.
Verily, for the Righteous, are Gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord.
Indeed, for the righteous with their Lord are the Gardens of Pleasure.
Shall We then treat those who have surrendered as We treat the guilty ?
Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin?
Then will We treat the Muslims like the criminals?
What aileth you ? How foolishly ye judge!
What is the matter with you? How judge ye?
What is [the matter] with you? How do you judge?
Or have ye a scripture wherein ye learn
Or have ye a book through which ye learn -
Or do you have a scripture in which you learn
That ye shall indeed have all that ye choose ?
That ye shall have, through it whatever ye choose?
That indeed for you is whatever you choose?
Or have ye a covenant on oath from Us that reacheth to the Day of Judgment, that yours shall be all that ye ordain ?
Or have ye Covenants with Us to oath, reaching to the Day of Judgment, (providing) that ye shall have whatever ye shall demand?
Or do you have oaths [binding] upon Us, extending until the Day of Resurrection, that indeed for you is whatever you judge?
Ask them (O Muhammad) which of them will vouch for that!
Ask thou of them, which of them will stand surety for that!
Ask them which of them, for that [claim], is responsible.
Or have they other gods ? Then let them bring their other gods if they are truthful
Or have they some "Partners" (in Allahhead)? Then let them produce their "partners", if they are truthful!
Or do they have partners? Then let them bring their partners, if they should be truthful.
On the day when it befalleth in earnest, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves but are not able,
The Day that the shin shall be laid bare, and they shall be summoned to bow in adoration, but they shall not be able, -
The Day the shin will be uncovered and they are invited to prostration but the disbelievers will not be able,
With eyes downcast, abasement stupefying them. And they had been summoned to prostrate themselves while they were yet unhurt.
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).
Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. And they used to be invited to prostration while they were sound.
Leave Me (to deal) with those who give the lie to this pronouncement. We shall lead them on by steps from whence they know not.
Then leave Me alone with such as reject this Message: by degrees shall We punish them from directions they perceive not.
So leave Me, [O Muhammad], with [the matter of] whoever denies the Qur'an. We will progressively lead them [to punishment] from where they do not know.
Yet I bear with them, for lo! My scheme is firm.
A (long) respite will I grant them: truly powerful is My Plan.
And I will give them time. Indeed, My plan is firm.
Or dost thou (Muhammad) ask a fee from them so that they are heavily taxed ?
Or is it that thou dost ask them for a reward, so that they are burdened with a load of debt? -
Or do you ask of them a payment, so they are by debt burdened down?
Or is the Unseen theirs that they can write (thereof) ?
Or that the Unseen is in their hands, so that they can write it down?
Or have they [knowledge of] the unseen, so they write [it] down?
But wait thou for thy Lord's decree, and be not like him of the fish, who cried out in despair.
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.
Then be patient for the decision of your Lord, [O Muhammad], and be not like the companion of the fish when he called out while he was distressed.
Had it not been that favour from his Lord had reached him he surely had been cast into the wilderness while he was reprobate.
Had not Grace from his Lord reached him, he would indeed have been cast off on the naked shore, in disgrace.
If not that a favor from his Lord overtook him, he would have been thrown onto the naked shore while he was censured.
But his Lord chose him and placed him among the righteous.
Thus did his Lord choose him and make him of the Company of the Righteous.
And his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous.
And lo! those who disbelieve would fain disconcert thee with their eyes when they hear the Reminder, and they say: Lo! he is indeed mad;
And the Unbelievers would almost trip thee up with their eyes when they hear the Message; and they say: "Surely he is possessed!"
And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes when they hear the message, and they say, "Indeed, he is mad."
When it is naught else than a Reminder to creation.
But it is nothing less than a Message to all the worlds.
But it is not except a reminder to the worlds.