— 52 verses
Nun. By the Pen and the (Record) which (men) write,
Thou art not, by the Grace of thy Lord, mad or possessed
Nay, verily for thee is a Reward unfailing
And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character
Soon wilt thou see, and they will see
Which of you is afflicted with madness
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
So hearken not to those who deny (the Truth)
Their desire is that thou shouldst be pliant: so would they be pliant
Heed not the type of despicable men,- ready with oaths
A slanderer, going about with calumnies
(Habitually) hindering (all) good, transgressing beyond bounds, deep in sin
Violent (and cruel),- with all that, base-born,
Because he possesses wealth and (numerous) sons
When to him are rehearsed Our Signs, "Tales of the ancients", he cries
Soon shall We brand (the beast) on the snout
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
But made no reservation, ("If it be Allah's Will")
Then there came on the (garden) a visitation from thy Lord, (which swept away) all around, while they were asleep
So the (garden) became, by the morning, like a dark and desolate spot, (whose fruit had been gathered)
As the morning broke, they called out, one to another,
"Go ye to your tilth (betimes) in the morning, if ye would gather the fruits."
So they departed, conversing in secret low tones, (saying)
"Let not a single indigent person break in upon you into the (garden) this day."
And they opened the morning, strong in an (unjust) resolve
But when they saw the (garden), they said: "We have surely lost our way
"Indeed we are shut out (of the fruits of our labour)!"
Said one of them, more just (than the rest): "Did I not say to you, 'Why not glorify (Allah)?'"
They said: "Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!"
Then they turned, one against another, in reproach
They said: "Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed
"It may be that our Lord will give us in exchange a better (garden) than this: for we do turn to Him (in repentance)!"
Such is the Punishment (in this life); but greater is the Punishment in the Hereafter,- if only they knew
Verily, for the Righteous, are Gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord
Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin
What is the matter with you? How judge ye
Or have ye a book through which ye learn
That ye shall have, through it whatever ye choose
Or have ye Covenants with Us to oath, reaching to the Day of Judgment, (providing) that ye shall have whatever ye shall demand
Ask thou of them, which of them will stand surety for that
Or have they some "Partners" (in Allahhead)? Then let them produce their "partners", if they are truthful
The Day that the shin shall be laid bare, and they shall be summoned to bow in adoration, but they shall not be able,
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)
Then leave Me alone with such as reject this Message: by degrees shall We punish them from directions they perceive not
A (long) respite will I grant them: truly powerful is My Plan
Or is it that thou dost ask them for a reward, so that they are burdened with a load of debt?
Or that the Unseen is in their hands, so that they can write it down
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
Had not Grace from his Lord reached him, he would indeed have been cast off on the naked shore, in disgrace
Thus did his Lord choose him and make him of the Company of the Righteous
And the Unbelievers would almost trip thee up with their eyes when they hear the Message; and they say: "Surely he is possessed!"
But it is nothing less than a Message to all the worlds