| | Wahiduddin Khan rendition of Surah The Pen(al-Qalam)
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| 68:1 | | Nun By the pen, and all that they write |
| 68:2 | | By the grace of your Lord, you are not a mad man |
| 68:3 | | Most surely, you will have a never ending reward |
| 68:4 | | For you are truly of a sublime character |
| 68:5 | | Soon you will see, as will they |
| 68:6 | | which of you is a prey to madness |
| 68:7 | | Your Lord knows best who has fallen by the wayside, and who has remained on the true path |
| 68:8 | | Do not give in to the deniers of truth |
| 68:9 | | They want you to make concessions to them and then they will reciprocate |
| 68:10 | | Do not yield to any contemptible swearer of oaths |
| 68:11 | | or to any defamer or one who spreads slander |
| 68:12 | | or to one who places obstacles in the way of good being done or to the wicked transgressor |
| 68:13 | | who is ignoble and besides all that, baseborn |
| 68:14 | | just because he has wealth and sons |
| 68:15 | | when Our revelations are recited to him, he says, These are just ancient fables |
| 68:16 | | Soon We will brand him on the nose |
| 68:17 | | We have tried them as we tried the owners of a certain orchard, who vowed to harvest all its fruits the next morning |
| 68:18 | | without saying, If it be God's will |
| 68:19 | | A calamity from your Lord befell the orchard as they slept |
| 68:20 | | And by morning it lay as if it had already been harvested, a barren land |
| 68:21 | | So they called out to each other at the break of dawn |
| 68:22 | | saying, Be quick to reach your orchard, if you want to gather all your fruits |
| 68:23 | | So they went off, whispering to one another |
| 68:24 | | Be sure to stop any poor person from entering the orchard today |
| 68:25 | | They set out early in the morning, thinking they had the power to prevent |
| 68:26 | | But when they saw it, they said, We must have lost our way |
| 68:27 | | Indeed, we are utterly ruined |
| 68:28 | | The more upright of the two said, Did I not bid you to glorify God |
| 68:29 | | They said, Glory be to God, our Lord. We have surely done wrong |
| 68:30 | | Then they began to heap reproaches on each other |
| 68:31 | | They said, Alas for us, our behaviour was beyond the pale |
| 68:32 | | May be our Lord will give us a better orchard in its stead; we turn to Him |
| 68:33 | | Such was their punishment, [in this life]. But the punishment of the life to come is much more severe, if only they knew it |
| 68:34 | | Those who are mindful of their Lord will be rewarded with gardens of bliss |
| 68:35 | | Should We treat the true believers and the wrongdoers alike |
| 68:36 | | What ails you? How ill you judge |
| 68:37 | | Have you a Scripture that tells yo |
| 68:38 | | that you will be granted whatever you choose |
| 68:39 | | Or do you have Our solemn oaths, binding upon Us till the Day of Resurrection, that you shall have whatever you yourselves decide |
| 68:40 | | Ask them, which of them will vouch for that |
| 68:41 | | Or have they other partners [besides God]? Let them bring forth their other partners, if what they say be true |
| 68:42 | | On the Day when the truth shall be laid bare, they will be called upon to prostrate themselves, but they will not be able to do so |
| 68:43 | | Their eyes will be cast down and they will be covered in shame; they were bidden to prostrate themselves, when they were safe and sound [but they did not obey] |
| 68:44 | | So leave to Me those who reject this message. We shall lead them step by step to their ruin, in ways beyond their ken |
| 68:45 | | I shall grant them some respite, for My plan is powerful |
| 68:46 | | Do you demand some recompense from them that would weigh them down with debt |
| 68:47 | | Is the unseen within their grasp so that they write it down |
| 68:48 | | Wait patiently for your Lords judgement; do not be like the man who, having been swallowed by a whale, called out in distress |
| 68:49 | | Had his Lords grace not been bestowed upon him, he would have been cast away in disgrace upon that desolate shore |
| 68:50 | | But his Lord chose him for His own and made him one of the righteous |
| 68:51 | | When those who deny the truth hear the admonition, they would almost cause you to stumble with their evil eyes; and they say, He is certainly mad |
| 68:52 | | Yet it is purely an admonition to mankind |
