Quran · Surah
Surah Al-Qalam (القلم) — The Pen
Surah 68 · 52 verses · Meccan
Read with tafsir, audio and 7 translations on MyQuran.ioAyah 1
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ نٓ ۚ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ
Nũn. By the pen and what everyone writes
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 2
مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ
By the grace of your Lord, you ˹O Prophet˺ are not insane
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 3
وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ
You will certainly have a never-ending reward
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 4
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
And you are truly ˹a man˺ of outstanding character
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 5
فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ
Soon you and the pagans will see
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 6
بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ
which of you is mad
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 7
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
Surely your Lord ˹alone˺ knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is ˹rightly˺ guided
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 8
فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
So do not give in to the deniers
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 9
وَدُّوا۟ لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ
They wish you would compromise so they would yield ˹to you˺
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 10
وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ
And do not obey the despicable, vain oath-taker
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 11
هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّآءٍۭ بِنَمِيمٍ
slanderer, gossip-monger
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 12
مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ
withholder of good, transgressor, evildoer
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 13
عُتُلٍّۭ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ
brute, and—on top of all that—an illegitimate child
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 14
أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ
Now, ˹simply˺ because he has been blessed with ˹abundant˺ wealth and children
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 15
إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
whenever Our revelations are recited to him, he says, “Ancient fables!”
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 16
سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ
We will soon mark his snout
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 17
إِنَّا بَلَوْنَٰهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا۟ لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ
Indeed, We have tested those ˹Meccans˺ as We tested the owners of the garden—when they swore they would surely harvest ˹all˺ its fruit in the early morning
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 18
وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ
leaving no thought for Allah’s Will
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 19
فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ
Then it was struck by a torment from your Lord while they slept
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 20
فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ
so it was reduced to ashes
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 21
فَتَنَادَوْا۟ مُصْبِحِينَ
Then by daybreak they called out to each other
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 22
أَنِ ٱغْدُوا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰرِمِينَ
˹saying,˺ “Go early to your harvest, if you want to pick ˹all˺ the fruit.”
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 23
فَٱنطَلَقُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ
So they went off, whispering to one another
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 24
أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌ
“Do not let any poor person enter your garden today.”
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 25
وَغَدَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَٰدِرِينَ
And they proceeded early, totally fixated on their purpose
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 26
فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ
But when they saw it ˹devastated˺, they cried, “We must have lost ˹our˺ way
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 27
بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ
In fact, we have been deprived ˹of our livelihood˺.”
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 28
قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ
The most sensible of them said, “Did I not urge you to say, ‘Allah willing.’?”
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 29
قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ
They replied, “Glory be to our Lord! We have truly been wrongdoers.”
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 30
فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَٰوَمُونَ
Then they turned on each other, throwing blame
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 31
قَالُوا۟ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَٰغِينَ
They said, “Woe to us! We have certainly been transgressors
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 32
عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ
We trust our Lord will give us a better garden than this, ˹for˺ we are indeed turning to our Lord with hope.”
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 33
كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ
That is the ˹way of Our˺ punishment ˹in this world˺. But the punishment of the Hereafter is certainly far worse, if only they knew
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 34
إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ
Indeed, the righteous will have the Gardens of Bliss with their Lord
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 35
أَفَنَجْعَلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ كَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
Should We then treat those who have submitted like the wicked
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 36
مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ
What is the matter with you? How do you judge
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 37
أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَٰبٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ
Or do you have a scripture, in which you read
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 38
إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ
that you will have whatever you choose
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 39
أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَٰنٌ عَلَيْنَا بَٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ
Or do you have oaths binding on Us until the Day of Judgment that you will have whatever you decide
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 40
سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ
Ask them ˹O Prophet˺ which of them can guarantee all that
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 41
أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا۟ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا۟ صَٰدِقِينَ
Or do they have associate-gods ˹supporting this claim˺? Then let them bring forth their associate-gods, if what they say is true
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 42
يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ
˹Beware of˺ the Day the Shin ˹of Allah˺ will be bared, and the wicked will be asked to prostrate, but they will not be able to do so
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 43
خَٰشِعَةً أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا۟ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَٰلِمُونَ
with eyes downcast, totally covered with disgrace. For they were ˹always˺ called to prostrate ˹in the world˺ when they were fully capable ˹but they chose not to˺
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 44
فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
So leave to Me ˹O Prophet˺ those who reject this message. We will gradually draw them to destruction in ways they cannot comprehend
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 45
وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ
I ˹only˺ delay their end for a while, but My planning is flawless
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 46
أَمْ تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ
Or are you asking them for a reward ˹for the message˺ so that they are overburdened by debt
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 47
أَمْ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ
Or do they have access to ˹the Record in˺ the unseen, so they copy it ˹for all to see˺
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 48
فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ
So be patient with your Lord’s decree, and do not be like ˹Jonah,˺ the Man of the Whale, who cried out ˹to Allah˺, in total distress
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 49
لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُۥ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ
Had he not been shown grace by his Lord, he would have certainly been cast onto the open ˹shore˺, still blameworthy
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 50
فَٱجْتَبَٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ
Then his Lord chose him, making him one of the righteous
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 51
وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌ
The disbelievers would almost cut you down with their eyes when they hear ˹you recite˺ the Reminder, and say, “He is certainly a madman.”
Open on MyQuran.ioAyah 52
وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ
But it is simply a reminder to the whole world
Open on MyQuran.io
English translation: The Clear Quran (Dr. Mustafa Khattab). Arabic: Tanzil / Uthmani text.