سورة القلم   


Surah Name: Al-Qalam Meaning: The Pen

  • Revealed at Makkah
  • It is also known as Surah Younus-AS, Jonah.
  • Total Number of Rukū / Sections 2
  • Total Number of Āyāt / Parts 52
  • Sūrah / Chapter number 68
  • Rukū / Section 1 contains Āyāt / Parts 33
  • Siparah/ Volume 29

bismillah

ن وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Noon wa(a)lqalami wama yasturoon(a)

Nun, By the pen and by what they inscribe.

(68:1)


مَا أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ

Ma anta biniAAmati rabbika bimajnoon(in)

Through the Grace of your-SW Rabb-SWT . You-SW are not mad.

(68:2)


وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ

Wainna laka laajran ghayra mamnoon(in)

And verily for you-SW will be an unending wage.

(68:3)


وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

Wainnaka laAAala khuluqin AAatheem(in)

And verily you-SW are of high and noble disposition.

(68:4)


فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ

Fasatubsiru wayubsiroon(a)

Soon you-SW will see and they will see.

(68:5)


بِأَييِّكُمُ الْمَفْتُونُ

Biayyikumu almaftoon(u)

Which of you is afflicted with madness.

(68:6)


إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

Inna rabbaka huwa aAAlamu biman dalla AAan sabeelihi wahuwa aAAlamu bi(a)lmuhtadeen(a)

Verily your Rabb-SWT is the best Knower of him who has strayed from the path and the best Knower of him who is the guided one.

(68:7)


فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Fala tutiAAi almukaththibeen(a)

So do not obey you-SW the beliers.

(68:8)


وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

Waddoo law tudhinu fayudhinoon(a)

They would like that you-SW should be a pliant, so that they also will be a pliant.

(68:9)


وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ

Wala tutiAA kulla hallafin maheen(in)

And do not obey you-SW any ignominious swearer.

(68:10)


هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاء بِنَمِيمٍ

Hammazin mashshain binameem(in)

Defamer, spreader abroad of slander.

(68:11)


مَنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

MannaAAin lilkhayri muAAtadin atheem(in)

Hinderer of the good, trespasser, sinner.

(68:12)


عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

AAutullin baAAda thalika zaneem(in)

Gross, and moreover ignoble.

(68:13)


أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ

An kana tha malin wabaneen(a)

And thus, because he is owner of riches and children.

(68:14)


إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

Itha tutla AAalayhi ayatuna qala asateeru alawwaleen(a)

When Our-SWT revelations are rehearsed to him he says: Fables of the ancients.

(68:15)


سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ

Sanasimuhu AAala alkhurtoom(i)

Soon We-SWT shall brand him on the snout.

(68:16)


إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ

Inna balawnahum kama balawna ashaba aljannati ith aqsamoo layasrimunnaha musbiheen(a)

Verily We-SWT ! We-SWT have tried them even as We-SWT tried the men of a garden when they swore that they would surely pluck it in the morning,

(68:17)


وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ

Wala yastathnoon(a)

And they made in the assertion no reservation.

(68:18)


فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ

Fatafa AAalayha taifun min rabbika wahum naimoon(a)

Wherefore there visited it an encircling visitation while they slept.

(68:19)


فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ

Faasbahat ka(al)ssareem(i)

Then in the morning it became as if it had been plucked.

(68:20)


فَتَنَادَوا مُصْبِحِينَ

Fatanadaw musbiheen(a)

Then in the morning they cried out to each other.

(68:21)


أَنِ اغْدُوا عَلَى حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَارِمِينَ

Ani ighdoo AAala harthikum in kuntum sarimeen(a)

Saying: Go out early to your tilth if you would pluck.

(68:22)


فَانطَلَقُوا وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ

Fa(i)ntalaqoo wahum yatakhafatoon(a)

Then they went off speaking to each other in a low voice.

(68:23)


أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌ

An la yadkhulannaha alyawma AAalaykum miskeen(un)

Let there enter upon you no needy man today.

(68:24)


وَغَدَوْا عَلَى حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ

Waghadaw AAala hardin qadireen(a)

And they went out early determined in purpose.

(68:25)


فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوا إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ

Falamma raawha qaloo inna ladalloon(a)

Then when they saw it, they said: Indeed we are gone stray.

(68:26)


بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

Bal nahnu mahroomoon(a)

Alas!  It is we who have been robbed!

(68:27)


قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

Qala awsatuhum alam aqul lakum lawla tusabbihoon(a)

And the most moderate of them said: Did I not tell you: Why do you not hallow Him-SWT ?

(68:28)


قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ

Qaloo subhana rabbina inna kunna thalimeen(a)

They said now in repentance: Hallowed be Our Rabb-SWT ! Verily we have been wrong doers.

(68:29)


فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ

Faaqbala baAAduhum AAala baAAdin yatalawamoon(a)

Then they turned to each other reproaching.

(68:30)


قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا طَاغِينَ

Qaloo ya waylana inna kunna tagheen(a)

They said: Woe to us! Surely we have been arrogant.

(68:31)


عَسَى رَبُّنَا أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا إِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا رَاغِبُونَ

AAasa rabbuna an yubdilana khayran minha inna ila rabbina raghiboon(a)

Perhaps our Rabb-SWT may exchange for us better garden than this, verily we are beseechers to our Rabb-SWT .

(68:32)


كَذَلِكَ الْعَذَابُ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ

Kathalika alAAathabu walaAAathabu alakhirati akbaru law kanoo yaAAlamoon(a)

Such is the chastisement, and the chastisement of the Hereafter is far greater, if they but knew.

(68:33)


In The Name of Allah-SWT the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
SECRETS OF REVELATION:

Allah-SWT swears by the pen, and whatever it writes. In other words, the Holy Prophet-SW despite being unlettered dished out such extensive knowledge that the pen and all its writings testify to his-SW perfect and matchless wisdom.

 

Lunatic


When the Holy Prophet-SW announced his-SW Prophethood inviting the entire mankind to Truth, provided the true beliefs and a comprehensive Code of Life the polytheists labelled him-SW a lunatic. This was because even the most powerful of the world‘s empires had failed to implement a single system across the globe. And they recognized the Holy Prophet-SW as an unlettered person, supported by a few Muslims who were worthless in their view. And the people of the world were diverse in terms of attitudes, and thinking, colour and race, languages and climates. How could then a system, superseding all other, be formulated? And even if it was, how could the whole world accept it?

 

Seeing all this, the infidels concluded that no sensible person could promote such a creed. But Allah-SWT's Book and its explanation- the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet-SW are a witness that his-SW wisdom is par excellence. As a Divine favour his-SW recompense will never end, as all the good prevailing on the face of earth is dispensed by him-SW. His-SW manners are the most refined. He-SW is anxious for the welfare of even his-SW enemies in both the worlds. The Quran predicts that soon the Holy Prophet-SW would see and the infidels would know who was deluded. And in a short period, the pride of infidels went with the wind and Islam was practically enforced in Arabia during his-SW lifetime. Only Allaah-SWT Knows who is wrong and who is right. And what He-SWT declares as right is indeed right.

 

Hypocrisy


The Holy Prophet-SW must never accede to what these liars say. They want him-SW to be facile and leave them alone, to stop calling evil an evil and in return offering relaxation in vexing the believers. Yet he-SW must never give in.

 

Ruling


A pact with the non believers promising mutual restraint is hypocrisy and is forbidden. (Mazhari)

 

And he must not listen to a person, habitually swearing, who is unappreciative, taunting and backbiting, impedes piety, trespasses the limits, is an evildoer and ignorant. Above all, his lineage is doubtful as his real father is unknown. The person who had brought this proposal on behalf of the infidels had such traits.

 

Of the one Taunting the Holy Prophet-SW


In principle, even a non believer is to speak respectfully. And whoever uses taunting language for the Holy Prophet-SW directly or by insulting his-SW wives or his-SW Companions, all the above vices are a part of his character and even his lineage is polluted. A person despite affluence and a large household, is worthless if he calls Allah-SWT's Ayat as fables of times gone by. Allaah-SWT shall scar the noses of such liars on the Day of Judgment, to humiliate them publically. Allaah-SWT tries people by His-SWT bounties, just as He-SWT had tried the owners of the orchards. They neglected His-SWT Greatness and believed the harvest to be their own achievement. Allaah-SWT ravaged their orchards a night before harvesting. Early morning, they hurried to pick the fruit before the beggars swarm up to take away a portion thereof but were awe stricken to behold the unexpected devastation. First they thought that they had hit upon a wrong place, but soon realized what went wrong. Someone from amongst them announced that it was their ingratitude and also their reluctance to give a portion of the yield in His-SWT Name, that had ruined them.

 

One who does not Check Evil is a Party to it.


Though the said announcer had known that their conduct was wrong, yet he had neither tried to correct nor separated from them. Consequently, his orchard was also destroyed. They all repented, confessed their crime and begged Allaah-SWT to forgive them acknowledging that all bounties were from Him-SWT . But the infidels of the Holy Prophet-SW time were much dumber, as they did not repent even after witnessing visitations. They should have realized that the torments of the Hereafter were infinitely severer as compared to this world.

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