Meaning: The Pen | Verses: 52 | Revealed In: Mecca (Makki Surah)
Significance of Surah Al-Qalam:
Surah Al-Qalam highlights the noble character of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and strongly rebukes those who accuse him of madness. It also gives the example of a people who lost everything due to their greed and refusal to give charity. The chapter emphasizes patience, moral integrity, and unwavering faith in the face of disbelief and opposition.
1. نٓ ۚ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ
Nun. By the pen and what they write,
2. مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍۢ
You ˹O Prophet˺ are not, by the grace of your Lord, insane.
3. وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًۭا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍۢ
And you will certainly have a never-ending reward.
4. وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍۢ
And indeed, you are of a great moral character.
5. فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ
So you will see, and they will see,
6. بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ
Which of you is the afflicted one.
7. إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ ۖ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
Indeed, your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best who is rightly guided.
8. فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
So do not obey the deniers.
9. وَدُّوا۟ لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ
They wish that you would compromise, so they would compromise.
10. وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍۢ مَّهِينٍ
And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer,
11. هَمَّازٍۢ مَّشَّآءٍۢ بِنَمِيمٍۢ
A slanderer, going about with malicious gossip—
12. مَّنَّاعٍۢ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ
A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful,
13. عُتُلِّۭ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ
Cruel, and moreover an illegitimate pretender.
14. أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍۢ وَبَنِينَ
Because he is a man of wealth and children?
15. إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَـٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
When Our verses are recited to him, he says, “Legends of the former peoples.”
16. سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ
We will brand him on the snout.
17. إِنَّا بَلَوْنَـٰهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَآ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ
Indeed, We have tested them as We tested the owners of the garden,
18. إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا۟ لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ
When they swore to pluck its fruit in the morning,
19. وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ
And made no exception.
20. فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ
So there came upon it a calamity from your Lord while they were asleep,
21. فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ
And it became as though reaped.
22. فَتَنَادَوْا۟ مُصْبِحِينَ
Then they called one another at morning,
23. أَنِ ٱغْدُوا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰرِمِينَ
[Saying], “Go early to your crop if you wish to harvest.”
24. فَٱنطَلَقُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَتَخَـٰفَتُونَ
So they went off, whispering to one another,
25. أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌۭ
[Thinking], “Let no poor person enter it today upon you.”
26. وَغَدَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍۢ قَـٰدِرِينَ
And they went early in determination, assuming they had power.
27. فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ
But when they saw it, they said, “Indeed, we are lost.”
28. بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ
Rather, we have been deprived.”
29. قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ
The most moderate of them said, “Did I not say to you, ‘Why do you not glorify Allah?’”
30. قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَـٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِينَ
They said, “Glory be to our Lord! Indeed, we were wrongdoers.”
31. فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ يَتَلَـٰوَمُونَ
Then they turned to one another, blaming each other.
32. قَالُوا۟ يَـٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَـٰغِينَ
They said, “Woe to us! Indeed, we were transgressors.
33. عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ
Perhaps our Lord will substitute for us \[one] better than it. Indeed, we are turning to our Lord with hope.”
34. كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ
Such is the punishment \[of this world]. But the punishment of the Hereafter is greater—if only they knew.
35. إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّـٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ
Indeed, for the righteous with their Lord are Gardens of Bliss.
36. أَفَنَجْعَلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ كَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
Should We then treat the obedient like the wicked?
37. مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ
What is \[the matter] with you? How do you judge?
38. أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَـٰبٌۭ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ
Or do you have a scripture in which you learn
39. إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ
That indeed for you is whatever you choose?
40. أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَـٰنٌ عَلَيْنَا بَـٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ
Or do you have oaths binding upon Us, extending until the Day of Resurrection, that indeed for you is whatever you judge?
41. سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ
Ask them: which of them will guarantee that?
42. أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ ۖ فَلْيَأْتُوا۟ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا۟ صَـٰدِقِينَ
Or do they have partners? Then let them bring their partners, if they should be truthful.
43. يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍۢ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ
The Day the shin will be uncovered and they will be invited to prostration but will not be able.
44. خَـٰشِعَةً أَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌۭ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا۟ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَـٰلِمُونَ
Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. And they used to be invited to prostration while they were sound.
45. فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
So leave Me to deal with whoever denies this message. We will gradually lead them to ruin from where they do not know.
46. وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ
And I will give them time. Indeed, My plan is firm.
47. أَمْ تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ أَجْرًۭا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍۢ مُّثْقَلُونَ
Or do you ask them for a payment, so they are burdened by debt?
48. فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌۭ
So be patient for the decision of your Lord and do not be like the companion of the fish (Yunus) when he cried out while he was distressed.
49. لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَـٰرَكَهُۥ نِعْمَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌۭ
Had not a favor from his Lord overtaken him, he would have been thrown onto the naked shore while he was to be blamed.
50. فَٱجْتَبَـٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
But his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous.
51. وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌۭ
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.”
52. وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌۭ لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
But it is not except a reminder to the worlds.
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See Full List : 114 Chapters of Holy Quran