ن ۚ وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ ١

Nun. By the Pen, and what they inscribe,

مَا أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ ٢

thou art not, by the blessing of thy Lord, a man possessed.

وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ ٣

Surely thou shalt have a wage unfailing;

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ ٤

surely thou art upon a mighty morality.

فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ ٥

So thou shalt see, and they will see,

بِأَييِّكُمُ الْمَفْتُونُ ٦

which of you is the demented.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ ٧

Surely thy Lord knows very well those who have gone astray from His way, and He knows very well those who are guided.

فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ ٨

So obey thou not those who cry lies.

وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ ٩

They wish that thou shouldst compromise, then they would compromise.

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ ١٠

And obey thou not every mean swearer,

هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ ١١

backbiter, going about with slander,

مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ ١٢

hinderer of good, guilty aggressor, coarse-grained,

عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ١٣

moreover ignoble,

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ ١٤

because he has wealth and sons.

إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ ١٥

When Our signs are recited to him, he says, ’Fairy-tales of the ancients!’

سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ ١٦

We shall brand him upon the muzzle!

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ ١٧

Now We have tried them, even as We tried the owners of the garden when they swore they would pluck in the morning

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ ١٨

and they added not the saving words.

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ ١٩

Then a visitation from thy Lord visited it, while they were sleeping,

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ ٢٠

and in the morning it was as if it were a garden plucked.