68. The Pen

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 Rewardunfailing:

And thou (standest) on an exaltedstandard 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 whoreceive (true) Guidance.

So hearken not to those who deny (theTruth).

Their desire is that thou shouldst bepliant: 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 thesnout!

Verily We have tried them as We triedthe People of the Garden, when they resolved to gather the fruits of the(garden) in the morning.

But made no reservation, (“If it beAllah.s Will”).

Then there came on the (garden) avisitation from thy Lord, (which swept away) all around, while they wereasleep.

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 themorning, if ye would gather the fruits.”

So they departed, conversing in secretlow tones, (saying)-

“Let not a single indigent person breakin upon you into the (garden) this day.”

And they opened the morning, strong inan (unjust) resolve.

But when they saw the (garden), theysaid: “We have surely lost our way:

“Indeed we are shut out (of the fruitsof our labour)!”

Said one of them, more just (than therest): “Did I not say to you, ‘Why not glorify ((Allah))?'”

They said: “Glory to our Lord! Verily wehave been doing wrong!”

Then they turned, one against another,in reproach.

They said: “Alas for us! We have indeedtransgressed!

“It may be that our Lord will give us inexchange a better (garden) than this: for we do turn to Him (inrepentance)!”

Such is the Punishment (in this life);but greater is the Punishment in the Hereafter,- if only they knew!

Verily, for the Righteous, are Gardensof Delight, in the Presence of their Lord.

Shall We then treat the People of Faithlike the People of Sin?

What is the matter with you? How judgeye?

Or have ye a book through which yelearn-

That ye shall have, through it whateverye choose?

Or have ye Covenants with Us to oath,reaching to the Day of Judgment, (providing) that ye shall have whatever yeshall demand?

Ask thou of them, which of them willstand surety for that!

Or have they some “Partners” (inAllah.ead)? Then let them produce their “partners”, if they are truthful!

The Day that the shin shall be laidbare, and they shall be summoned to bow in adoration, but they shall not beable,-

Their eyes will be cast down,- ignominywill cover them; seeing that they had been summoned aforetime to bow inadoration, while they were whole, (and had refused).

Then leave Me alone with such as rejectthis Message: by degrees shall We punish them from directions they perceivenot.

A (long) respite will I grant them:truly powerful is My Plan.

Or is it that thou dost ask them for areward, so that they are burdened with a load of debt?-

Or that the Unseen is in their hands, sothat they can write it down?

So wait with patience for the Command ofthy Lord, and be not like the Companion of the Fish,- when he cried out inagony.

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 makehim of the Company of the Righteous.

And the Unbelievers would almost tripthee up with their eyes when they hear the Message; and they say: “Surely heis possessed!”

But it is nothing less than a Message toall the worlds.