* | quran | * | 68. al-qalam. the pen      <   > 

asad
 
1.  *     Nun. [1]1 CONSIDER the pen, and all that they write [therewith]! [2]2
 
2.  *     Thou art not, by thy Sustainer's grace, a madman! [3]3
 
3.  *     And, verily, thine shall be a reward neverending -
 
4.  *     for, behold, thou keepest indeed to a sublime way of life; [4]4
 
5.  *     and [one day] thou shalt see, and they [who now deride thee] shall see,
 
6.  *     which of you was bereft of reason.
 
7.  *     Verily, thy Sustainer alone is fully aware as to who has strayed from His path, Just as He alone is fully aware of those who have found the right way.
 
8.  *     Hence, defer not to [the likes and dislikes of] those who give the lie to the truth:
 
9.  *     they would like thee to be soft [with them], so that they might be soft [with thee]. [5]5
 
10.  *     Furthermore, [6]6 defer not to the contemptible swearer of oaths,
 
11.  *     [or to] the slanderer that goes about with defaming tales,
 
12.  *     [or] the withholder of good, [or] the sinful aggressor,
 
13.  *     [or] one who is cruel, by greed possessed, [7]7 and, in addition to all this, utterly useless [to his fellow-men]. [8]8
 
14.  *     Is it because he is possessed of worldly goods and children
 
15.  *     that, whenever Our messages are conveyed to him, such a one says, "Fables of ancient times"? [9]9
 
16.  *     [For this] We shall brand him with indelible disgrace! [10]10
 
17.  *     [As for such sinners,] behold, We [but] try them [11]11 as We tried the owners of a certain garden who vowed that they would surely harvest its fruit on the morrow,
 
18.  *     and made no allowance [for the will of God]: [12]12
 
19.  *     whereupon a visitation for thy Sustainer came upon that [garden] while they were asleep,
 
20.  *     so that by the morrow it became barren and bleak.
 
21.  *     Now when they rose at early morn, they called unto one another,
 
22.  *     "Go early to your tilth if you want to harvest the fruit!"
 
23.  *     Thus they launched forth, whispering unto one another,
 
24.  *     "Indeed, no needy person shall enter it today [and come] upon you [unawares]," [13]13
 
25.  *     - and early they went, strongly bent upon their purpose.
 
26.  *     But as soon as they beheld [the garden and could not recognize] it, they exclaimed, "Surely we have lost our way!"
 
27.  *     - [and then,] "Nay, but we have been rendered destitute!"
 
28.  *     Said the most right-minded among them: "Did I not tell you, 'Will you not extol God's limitless glory?'" [14]14
 
29.  *     They answered: "Limitless in His glory is our Sustainer! Verily, we were doing wrong!"
 
30.  *     - and then they turned upon one another with mutual reproaches.
 
31.  *     [In the end] they said: "Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we did behave outrageously!
 
32.  *     [But] it may be that our Sustainer will grant us something better instead: [15]15 for, verily, unto our Sustainer do we turn with hope!"
 
33.  *     SUCH is the suffering [with which We try some people in this world]; [16]16 but greater by far will be the suffering [which sinners shall have to bear] in the life to come - if they but knew it!
 
34.  *     For, behold, it is the God-conscious [alone] whom gardens of bliss await with their Sustainer:
 
35.  *     or should We, perchance, treat those who surrender themselves unto Us [17]17 as [We would treat] those who remain lost in sin?
 
36.  *     What is amiss with you? [18]18 On what do you base your judgment [of right and wrong]?
 
37.  *     Or have you, perchance, a [special] divine writ which you study,
 
38.  *     and in which you find all that you may wish to find? [19]19
 
39.  *     Or have you received a solemn promise, binding on Us till Resurrection Day, that yours will assuredly be whatever you judge [to be your rightful due]?
 
40.  *     Ask them which of them is able to vouch for this!
 
41.  *     Or have they, perchance, anys ages to support their views? [20]20 Well, then, if they are sincere in this their claim, let them produce those supporters of theirs
 
42.  *     on the Day when man's very being shall be bared to the bone, [21]21 and when they [who now deny the truth] shall be called upon to prostrate themselves [before God], [22]22 and shall be unable to do so:
 
43.  *     downcast will be their eyes, with ignominy overwhelming them - seeing that they had been called upon [in vain] to prostrate themselves [before Him] while they were yet sound [and alive].
 
44.  *     Hence, leave Me alone with such as give the lie to this tiding. [23]23 We shall bring them low, step by step, without their perceiving how it has come about: [24]24
 
45.  *     for, behold, though I may give them rein for a while, My subtle scheme is exceedingly firm! [25]25
 
46.  *     Or is it that [they fear lest] thou ask them for a reward, [O Prophet,] so that they would be burdened with debt [if they listened to thee]?
 
47.  *     Or [do they think] that the hidden reality [of all that exists] is within their grasp, so that [in time] they can write it down? [26]26
 
48.  *     BEAR THEN with patience thy Sustainer's will and be not like him of the great fish, who cried out [in distress] after having given in to anger. [27]27
 
49.  *     [And remember:] had not grace from his Sustainer reached him, [28]28 he would indeed have been cast forth upon that barren shore in a state of disgrace: [29]29
 
50.  *     but [as it was,] his Sustainer had elected him and placed him among the righteous.
 
51.  *     Hence, [be patient,] even though they who are bent on denying the truth would all but kill thee with their eyes whenever they hear this reminder, and [though] they say, "[As for Mubammad,] behold, most surely he is a madman!"
 
52.  *     [Be patient:] for this is nought else but a reminder [from God] to all mankind.