Surah 68

1 Nun. By the pen and that which they write (therewith),

2 You are not, for your Lord’s favour to you, a madman.

3 And see! thine verily will be a reward unfailing.

4 And see! you are of a tremendous nature.

5 And you will see and they will see

6 Which of you is the demented.

7 See! your Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who walk aright.

8 Therefore obey not you the rejecters

9 Who would have had you compromise, that they may compromise.

10 Neither obey you each feeble oath-monger,

11 Detracter, spreader abroad of slanders,

12 Hinderer of the good, transgressor, malefactor

13 Greedy therewithal, intrusive.

14 It is because he is possessed of wealth and children

15 That, when Our revelations are recited to him, he said: Mere fables of the men of old.

16 We shall brand him on the nose.

17 See! We have tried them as We tried the owners of the garden when they vowed that they would pluck its fruit next morning,

18 And made no exception (for the Will of Allah);

19 Then a visitation from your Lord came upon it while they slept

20 And in the morning it was as if plucked.

21 And they cried out one to another in the morning,

22 Saying: Run to your field if you would pluck (the fruit).

23 So they went off, saying one to another in low tones:

24 No needy man shall enter it to-day against you.

25 They went betimes, strong in (this) purpose.

26 But when they saw it, they said: See! we are in error!

27 No, but we are desolate!

28 The best among them said: Said I not to you: Why glorify you not (Allah) ?

29 They said: Glorified be our Lord! See! we have been wrong-doers.

30 Then some of them drew near to others, self-reproaching.

31 They said: Alas for us! In truth we were outrageous.

32 It may be that our Lord will give us better than this in place thereof. See! we beseech our Lord.

33 Such was the punishment. And verily the punishment of the Hereafter is greater if they did but know.

34 See! for those who keep from evil are gardens of bliss with their Lord.

35 Shall We then treat those who have surrendered as We treat the guilty ?

36 What ails you ? How foolishly you judge!

37 Or have you a scripture wherein you learn

38 That you shall indeed have all that you choose ?

39 Or have you a covenant on oath from Us that reacheth to the Day of Judgment, that yours shall be all that you ordain ?

40 Ask them (O Muhammad) which of them will vouch for that!

41 Or have they other gods ? Then let them bring their other gods if they are truthful

42 On the day when it befalleth in earnest, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves but are not able,

43 With eyes downcast, abasement stupefying them. And they had been summoned to prostrate themselves while they were yet unhurt.

44 Leave Me (to deal) with those who give the lie to this pronouncement. We shall lead them on by steps from whence they know not.

45 Yet I bear with them, for see! My scheme is firm.

46 Or dost you (Muhammad) ask a fee from them so that they are heavily taxed ?

47 Or is the Unseen theirs that they can write (thereof) ?

48 But wait you for your Lord’s decree, and be not like him of the fish, who cried out in despair.

49 Had it not been that favour from his Lord had reached him he surely had been cast into the wilderness while he was reprobate.

50 But his Lord chose him and placed him among the righteous.

51 And see! those who disbelieve would fain disconcert you with their eyes when they hear the Reminder, and they say: See! he is indeed mad;

52 When it is nothing else than a Reminder to creation.