Surah Al-Qalam

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

✦

The Surah · Al-Qalam

﴾١﴿ نٓ ۚ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Nun. Wal-qalami wa ma yasturun

Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe.

﴾٢﴿ مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍۢ

Ma anta bini'mati Rabbika bimajnun

You are not, by the favor of your Lord, mad.

﴾٣﴿ وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍۢ

Wa inna laka la-ajran ghayra mamnun

For you there is a reward that is never cut off.

﴾٤﴿ وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍۢ

Wa innaka la'ala khuluqin 'azim

And you are upon a great character.

﴾٥﴿ فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ

Fasatubsiru wa yubsirun

You will see, and they will see,

﴾٦﴿ بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ

Bi-ayyikumu al-maftun

which of you is the one afflicted.

﴾٧﴿ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ

Inna Rabbaka huwa a'lamu biman dalla 'an sabilihi wa huwa a'lamu bil-muhtadin

Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows best who is guided.

﴾٨﴿ فَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Fala tuti'i al-mukadhdhibin

So do not obey the deniers.

﴾٩﴿ وَدُّوا۟ لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

Waddu law tudhinu fayudhinun

They wish you would soften so they could soften.

﴾١٠﴿ وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍۢ مَّهِينٍ

Wa la tuti' kulla hallafin mahin

Do not obey every habitual swearer, contemptible,

﴾١١﴿ هَمَّازٍۢ مَّشَّآءٍۭ بِنَمِيمٍۢ

Hammazin mashsha'in binamim

a defamer who goes about carrying gossip,

﴾١٢﴿ مَّنَّاعٍۢ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ

Manna'in lil-khayri mu'tadin athim

a withholder of good, a transgressor, sinful,

﴾١٣﴿ عُتُلٍّۭ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ

'Utullin ba'da dhalika zanim

coarse and violent, and after all of that, of doubtful lineage,

﴾١٤﴿ أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍۢ وَبَنِينَ

An kana dha malin wa banin

because he has wealth and sons.

﴾١٥﴿ إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالَ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Idha tutla 'alayhi ayatuna qala asatiru al-awwalin

When Our verses are recited to him he says: legends of the ancients.

﴾١٦﴿ سَنَسِمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْخُرْطُومِ

Sanasimuhu 'ala al-khurtum

We will brand him on the snout.

﴾١٧﴿ إِنَّا بَلَوْنَٰهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا۟ لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ

Inna balawnahum kama balawna as-haba al-jannati idh aqsamu layasrimunnaha musbihin

We tested them as We tested the owners of the garden, when they swore they would harvest it in the morning.

﴾١٨﴿ وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ

Wa la yastathnun

And they made no exception.

﴾١٩﴿ فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ

Fatafa 'alayha ta'ifun min Rabbika wa hum na'imun

So something from your Lord passed over it while they slept.

﴾٢٠﴿ فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَٱلصَّرِيمِ

Fa-asbahat kas-sarim

By morning it was as if it had already been stripped bare.

﴾٢١﴿ فَتَنَادَوْا۟ مُصْبِحِينَ

Fatanadaw musbihin

They called to one another at dawn:

﴾٢٢﴿ أَنِ ٱغْدُوا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰرِمِينَ

Ani ighdu 'ala harthikum in kuntum sarimin

go early to your field if you intend to harvest.

﴾٢٣﴿ فَٱنطَلَقُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ

Fantalaqu wa hum yatakhafatun

So they set out, lowering their voices to one another:

﴾٢٤﴿ أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم مِّسْكِينٌۭ

An la yadkhulannaha al-yawma 'alaykum miskin

no poor person shall enter it upon you today.

﴾٢٥﴿ وَغَدَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍۢ قَٰدِرِينَ

Wa ghadaw 'ala hardin qadirin

They went out early, set on their purpose and certain of their power.

﴾٢٦﴿ فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لَضَآلُّونَ

Falamma ra'awha qalu inna ladallun

When they saw it they said: we have lost our way.

﴾٢٧﴿ بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ

Bal nahnu mahrumun

No, we are the ones deprived.

﴾٢٨﴿ قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ

Qala awsatuhum alam aqul lakum lawla tusabbihun

The most balanced of them said: did I not tell you, why do you not glorify Him?

﴾٢٩﴿ قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ

Qalu subhana Rabbina inna kunna zalimin

They said: glory to our Lord, we were the wrongdoers.

﴾٣٠﴿ فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ يَتَلَٰوَمُونَ

Fa-aqbala ba'duhum 'ala ba'din yatalawamun

Then they turned on one another, trading blame.

﴾٣١﴿ قَالُوا۟ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَٰغِينَ

Qalu ya waylana inna kunna taghin

They said: woe to us, we were the ones who overstepped.

﴾٣٢﴿ عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْرًۭا مِّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا رَٰغِبُونَ

'Asa Rabbuna an yubdilana khayran minha inna ila Rabbina raghibun

Perhaps our Lord will give us something better than it in exchange. To our Lord we turn in hope.

﴾٣٣﴿ كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ

Kadhalika al-'adhab, wa la'adhabu al-akhirati akbar, law kanu ya'lamun

Such is the punishment, and the punishment of the next life is greater, if only they knew.

﴾٣٤﴿ إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

Inna lil-muttaqina 'inda Rabbihim jannati an-na'im

The God-conscious have gardens of bliss with their Lord.

﴾٣٥﴿ أَفَنَجْعَلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ كَٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

Afanaj'alu al-muslimina kal-mujrimin

Should We treat those who submit like the criminals?

﴾٣٦﴿ مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

Ma lakum kayfa tahkumun

What is wrong with you, how do you judge?

﴾٣٧﴿ أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَٰبٌۭ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ

Am lakum kitabun fihi tadrusun

Or do you have a book you study,

﴾٣٨﴿ إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

Inna lakum fihi lama takhayyarun

in which you find whatever you choose for yourselves?

﴾٣٩﴿ أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَٰنٌ عَلَيْنَا بَٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ

Am lakum aymanun 'alayna balighatun ila yawmi al-qiyamati inna lakum lama tahkumun

Or do you hold oaths binding on Us, running to the Day of Resurrection, that you shall have whatever you decide?

﴾٤٠﴿ سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُم بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

Salhum ayyuhum bidhalika za'im

Ask them which of them will guarantee that.

﴾٤١﴿ أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا۟ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُوا۟ صَٰدِقِينَ

Am lahum shuraka'u falya'tu bishuraka'ihim in kanu sadiqin

Or do they have partners? Then let them bring their partners, if they are telling the truth.

﴾٤٢﴿ يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍۢ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

Yawma yukshafu 'an saqin wa yud'awna ila as-sujudi fala yastati'un

On the day the shin is uncovered they are called to prostrate and are not able.

﴾٤٣﴿ خَٰشِعَةً أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌۭ ۖ وَقَدْ كَانُوا۟ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَٰلِمُونَ

Khashi'atan absaruhum tarhaquhum dhillah, wa qad kanu yud'awna ila as-sujudi wa hum salimun

Their eyes lowered, humiliation covering them. They were called to prostrate while they were sound and able.

﴾٤٤﴿ فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Fadharni wa man yukadhdhibu bihadha al-hadith, sanastadrijuhum min haythu la ya'lamun

Leave Me with the one who denies this account. We will draw them in by degrees from where they do not know.

﴾٤٥﴿ وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ

Wa umli lahum, inna kaydi matin

And I grant them respite. My plan is firm.

﴾٤٦﴿ أَمْ تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ أَجْرًۭا فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍۢ مُّثْقَلُونَ

Am tas'aluhum ajran fahum min maghramin muthqalun

Or do you ask them for a fee, so that they are weighed down by debt?

﴾٤٧﴿ أَمْ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

Am 'indahumu al-ghaybu fahum yaktubun

Or do they hold the unseen, so they write it down?

﴾٤٨﴿ فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌۭ

Fasbir li-hukmi Rabbika wa la takun kasahibi al-hut, idh nada wa huwa makzum

So be patient for the judgment of your Lord, and do not be like the companion of the fish, who called out while choking with grief.

﴾٤٩﴿ لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُۥ نِعْمَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌۭ

Lawla an tadarakahu ni'matun min Rabbihi lanubidha bil-'ara'i wa huwa madhmum

Had a favor from his Lord not reached him, he would have been cast onto the barren shore, blamed.

﴾٥٠﴿ فَٱجْتَبَٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَجَعَلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ

Fajtabahu Rabbuhu faja'alahu mina as-salihin

But his Lord chose him and made him one of the righteous.

﴾٥١﴿ وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌۭ

Wa in yakadu alladhina kafaru layuzliqunaka bi-absarihim lamma sami'u adh-dhikra wa yaquluna innahu lamajnun

Those who disbelieved almost strike you down with their eyes when they hear the reminder, and they say: he is mad.

﴾٥٢﴿ وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌۭ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Wa ma huwa illa dhikrun lil-'alamin

It is nothing but a reminder to all the worlds.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What The Surah Means

Overview

Surah Al-Qalam is fifty-two verses, chapter 68, Makki, and among the earliest revelations. It opens on an oath by the pen and by what is written with it, and the first thing it defends with that oath is the sanity and the character of the Prophet ﷺ against the campaign being run about him. The surah is a reply to slander, and it answers slander the way slander is best answered, by describing the slanderer and then leaving him standing there described.

The middle of the surah turns to a parable about a garden, a family who owned it, and a harvest they planned to take at dawn without saying if Allah wills, and with the intention of cutting the poor out of it. The end of the surah returns to the Prophet ﷺ with an instruction about patience, a warning drawn from Yunus, and a note on the eyes of the men who wish him gone.

They called him mad. The reply was an oath by the pen, a verdict on his character, and a full anatomy of the men doing the calling.

Verses 1–7 · The Pen and the Verdict

Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe. You are not, by the favor of your Lord, mad. And you are upon a great character.

Wal-qalami wa ma yasturun: an oath by the instrument and by the act of writing. Revelation opened with the command to read. Here it swears by the pen. The tradition is founded on literacy twice over before any law is given.

Ma anta bini'mati Rabbika bimajnun: the charge being answered is the charge of madness, which is what a society reaches for when a man says something it cannot refute. The verse does not argue the case. It issues the verdict.

Wa inna laka la-ajran ghayra mamnun: a reward that is never cut off. The compensation is named before the campaign is described, which reverses the order a man under attack usually experiences.

Wa innaka la'ala khuluqin 'azim: you are upon a great character. Ibn Kathir and al-Qurtubi both connect this verse to the answer Aisha gave when she was asked about his character, that his character was the Quran. Character is presented as the standing evidence, the thing that survives contact with the accusation.

The pen, the vindication, the uncut reward, the great character. Four verses that settle a man before the fight is even described.

Verses 8–16 · The Anatomy of the Man Not To Obey

Do not obey the deniers. They wish you would soften so they could soften.

Wa ma yudhinun: they want a small concession, some mutual softening, and they will meet you halfway. The verse names compromise as the opening move of the campaign, not the end of it.

The list that follows is a clinical description, and every item is a behavior rather than a belief. The habitual swearer, the contemptible, the fault finder, the one who walks around carrying gossip, the one who blocks good from reaching people, the transgressor, the sinful, the coarse and violent one, and after all of that, the one of doubtful lineage.

Hammazin mashsha'in binamim: the one who defames and moves between people with what he carries. The verb is one of motion. Gossip is described as a transport business.

Manna'in lil-khayr: the withholder, who blocks good from reaching others whether or not it costs him anything.

An kana dha malin wa banin: the reason he behaves this way is that he has wealth and sons. Prosperity is named as the cause of the arrogance, not as a reward for virtue.

Sanasimuhu 'ala al-khurtum: We will brand him on the snout. The word chosen for his nose is the word used for the snout of an animal, and the mark is permanent. The man who spent his life marking other people's reputations is marked on the face.

Nine traits, one cause, one mark. Every trait is something he does, and every one of them is available to a man with money.

Verses 17–33 · The Owners of the Garden

We tested them as We tested the owners of the garden, when they swore they would harvest it in the morning and made no exception.

Idh aqsamu layasrimunnaha musbihin: they swore to harvest at first light, early enough that no poor person would be present to receive a share. The plan is not idleness. It is diligence aimed at exclusion.

Wa la yastathnun: they made no exception, meaning they did not say if Allah wills. Two failures sit inside one plan. They removed Allah from the sentence and they removed the poor from the harvest.

Fatafa 'alayha ta'ifun min Rabbika wa hum na'imun: something passed over it in the night while they slept. The garden was gone before they woke, which is the exact interval in which they were most certain of it.

Fatanadaw musbihin ani ighdu 'ala harthikum: they call to one another at dawn, still on schedule, still executing the plan, and they arrive at nothing. Innalamadallun then bal nahnu mahrumun. First they think they are lost, then they understand they are deprived.

Qala awsatuhum alam aqul lakum lawla tusabbihun: the most balanced among them says it. Not the loudest. Not the one who lost the most. The moderate one is the one who names the failure.

Subhana Rabbina inna kunna zalimin: they turn on each other, then they turn on themselves, then they hope for better in exchange. The sequence is the real subject of the parable.

They rose early, they kept the schedule, and they had already lost it in the night. The plan excluded two parties, and only one of them was poor.

Verses 34–43 · The Two Groups Are Not the Same

The God-conscious have gardens of bliss with their Lord. Should We treat those who submit like the criminals?

Afanaj'alu al-muslimina kal-mujrimin: the question is put to a society that assumed prosperity was the proof of divine favor. The surah has just shown a prosperous family losing everything overnight.

Ma lakum kayfa tahkumun: what is wrong with you, how do you judge. Then a run of questions asking whether they have a book, or a study, or an oath binding on Allah, that guarantees them the outcome they assume. Every source of authority they might claim is asked for and none is produced.

Yawma yukshafu 'an saqin wa yud'awna ila as-sujud fala yastati'un: on the day the shin is uncovered they are called to prostrate and cannot. Ibn Kathir records the reports on this verse and the position that the ability to prostrate is withdrawn from those who refused it while they were able. The faculty a man declines to use is not guaranteed to remain available.

They were called to prostrate while they could and would not. Then they were called when they could not.

Verses 44–47 · Istidraj

Leave Me with the one who denies this account. We will draw them in by degrees from where they do not know.

Sanastadrijuhum min haythu la ya'lamun: istidraj is the drawing in of a man by stages, through provision rather than through punishment. The gifts keep arriving, the man reads them as approval, and the distance grows in the same motion.

Min haythu la ya'lamun: from a direction he does not monitor. It cannot be detected by the man inside it, because every input looks like a good outcome.

Wa umli lahum inna kaydi matin: the rope is let out. My plan is firm. Delay is presented as strength, not as leniency.

Am tas'aluhum ajran fahum min maghramin muthqalun: do you ask them for a fee, so that they are weighed down by debt to you. The messenger's finances are raised as evidence, because a man who takes nothing cannot be accused of selling anything.

Blessing is not a verdict. A man can be paid all the way to the edge.

Verses 48–52 · Patience and the Companion of the Fish

Be patient for the judgment of your Lord, and do not be like the companion of the fish, who called out while choking with grief.

Fasbir li-hukmi Rabbik: patience is tied to a specific object, the judgment of your Lord, which is a schedule you do not hold. The command is to wait for a verdict, not to endure in general.

Wa la takun kasahibi al-hut: Yunus, peace be upon him, is named by his circumstance rather than his name. The warning is not against his prophethood, it is against the haste that put him in the fish. Ibn Kathir notes that had a mercy from his Lord not reached him, he would have been cast onto the barren shore blamed.

Wa in yakadu alladhina kafaru layuzliqunaka bi-absarihim: they almost strike you down with their eyes. Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir both treat this verse in connection with the reality of the evil eye, and the Prophet ﷺ affirmed that the eye is real in a narration recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

Wa yaquluna innahu lamajnun. Wa ma huwa illa dhikrun lil-'alamin: the surah closes by repeating the accusation and answering it with what the man actually brought. It is nothing but a reminder to all the worlds.

They opened with madness and closed with madness. Between the two accusations sits a reminder for every world that comes after them.

Structural Summary

Fifty-Two Verses. The Pen Answers.

Verses 1–7The PenAn oath by the pen, the charge of madness refused, an uncut reward, and a great character.

Verses 8–16The AnatomyNine traits of the man not to obey, caused by wealth and sons, ending in a permanent mark.

Verses 17–33The GardenA harvest planned without saying if Allah wills and without a share for the poor. Gone before dawn.

Verses 34–41The QuestionShould the ones who submit be treated like the criminals. Produce your book, your study, your oath.

Verses 42–43The ShinCalled to prostrate on the Day and unable. The faculty declined is not guaranteed to remain.

Verses 44–47IstidrajDrawn in by degrees from a direction they do not watch. The rope is let out on purpose.

Verses 48–52The PatienceWait for the judgment. Do not take the road of the companion of the fish. It is a reminder to all the worlds.

Why This Surah Is For You

Al-Qalam is the surah for a man who is being talked about. The reply modeled here is not a rebuttal. It is an oath by the pen, a statement of character, and a description of the accuser so precise that no further argument is needed. Notice what is never done in this surah. He is never told to answer them directly.

Verse 4 is the standard. Khuluqin azim, great character, is named as the evidence that survives contact with the accusation. Every venture you run is downstream of this verse, because character is the only asset a campaign against you cannot reach.

Read verses 10 through 14 as a hiring filter and a friendship filter. The list is behavioral: the one who carries gossip between people, the one who blocks good from reaching others, the coarse one. And then the cause, wealth and sons. Prosperity does not create these traits, it finances them.

Verses 44 and 45 are the hardest verses in the surah for a man whose numbers are going up. Istidraj means the provision keeps arriving while the distance grows, and it arrives from a direction you are not watching. Use the surah's own test: is the good coming to you also passing through you to other people, or are you the one described in verse 12 as blocking good.

The Practice · Daily Integration

Fifty-Two Verses. Guard the Character.

Say if Allah wills, out loud, when you state a plan. The owners of the garden lost a harvest in the gap between the plan and the dawn.

Audit your gatherings against verses 10 to 14 once a month. Both directions. Who around you carries gossip, and where do you carry it.

Move a portion of every increase to someone who cannot repay it, before the increase settles into your habits. That is the direct answer to verse 12 and to the harvest taken at first light.

When a season runs long without a verdict, recite verses 48 and 49. Patience is owed to the judgment of your Lord, on His schedule, not yours.

They called him mad. He was upon a great character, and the pen outlived every one of them.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 11 / 104

The Verse

نٓ ۚ وَٱلْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Nun. Wal-qalami wa ma yasturun

What does this verse say?