Al-Qalam
سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ16
We shall brand him on the snout
إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ17
We have tried them as We tried the owners of a certain garden, who swore that they would harvest its fruits in the morning
وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ18
and made no allowance [for the Will of God]
فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ19
a disaster from your Lord struck the garden as they slept
فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ20
and by morning it was stripped bare, a desolate land
فَتَنَادَوْا مُصْبِحِينَ21
Still they called each other at daybreak
أَنِ اغْدُوا عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَارِمِينَ22
‘Go early to your field if you wish to gather all its fruits,’
فَانْطَلَقُوا وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ23
and went off, whispering
أَنْ لَا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِسْكِينٌ24
‘Make sure no poor person enters the garden today!’––
وَغَدَوْا عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ25
they left early, bent on their purpose
فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوا إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ26
but when they saw the garden, they said, ‘We must have lost our way
بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ27
No- we are ruined!’
قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ28
The wisest of them said, ‘Did I not say to you, “Will you not glorify God?”’
قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ29
they said, ‘Glory be to God, Our Lord! Truly, we were doing wrong!’
فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَلَاوَمُونَ30
and then they turned to each other in mutual reproach
قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا طَاغِينَ31
They said, ‘Alas for us! We have done terrible wrong
عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَا أَنْ يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَاغِبُونَ32
but maybe our Lord will give us something better in its place: we truly turn to Him in hope.’
كَذَٰلِكَ الْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ33
Such is the punishment [in this life], but greater still is the punishment in the Hereafter, if only they knew
إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ34
There will be Gardens of bliss for those who are mindful of God
أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ35
Should We treat those who submit to Us as We treat those who do evil
مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ36
What is the matter with you? On what basis do you judge
أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ37
Do you have a Scripture that tells you
إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ38
that you will be granted whatever you choose
أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا بَالِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ39
Have you received from Us solemn oaths, binding to the Day of Resurrection, that you will get whatever you yourselves decide
سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ40
Ask them [Prophet] which of them will guarantee this
أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ41
Do they have ‘partners’ [besides God]? Let them produce their ‘partners’, if what they say is true
يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ42
On the Day when matters become dire, they will be invited to prostrate themselves but will be prevented from doing so