The Pen (Al-Qalam)

In the name of Allah, Gracious, Merciful.

¹Nun. By the pen and by the record which men write.¹

²You are not mad or possessed, by the grace of your Lord.²

³No, verily, for you is a reward unfailing:

⁴And you stand on an exalted standard of character.

⁵Soon will you see and they will see.

⁶Which of you is afflicted with madness.

⁷Verily, it is your Lord that know best which has strayed from His path: and He knows best those who receive true guidance.

⁸So hearken not to those who deny.

⁹Their desire is that you should be pliant; so would you be pliant.

¹⁰Need not the type of despicable man ready with oaths.

Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

¹Nun wal qalami wa ma yasthurun

²Ma anta binimati rabbika bimajnun

³Wa inna laka la airan ghaira mamnun

⁴Wa innaka laala khuluqin azhim

⁵Fasatubshiru wa yubshirun

⁶Bi ayikumul maftun

⁷Inna rabbaka huwa alamu biman dhal la an sahilih wa huwa alamu bil muhtadin

⁸Fala tuthiil mukazibin

⁹Wadu lau tud hinu fayud hinun

¹⁰Wa la tuthikul la hallafim mahin

1. The editors of the “Noble Qur’an” keep feeding us the same line when it comes to foreign letters at the beginning of Chapters of the Qur’an, “These letters... are one of the miracles of the Qur’an, and none but Allah alone knows their meaning.” George Sale and Maulana Ali share the opinion, using other commentators for references, that the letter signifies an inkhorn (inkwell) or a fish because the blood of certain fish is good ink. And that since pen and writing follow almost immediately. This rendering makes sense.

2. Muhammad was thought to be mad or possessed by a demon, this chapter tries to explain that he was not. The people may have seen some evidence in him to draw such conclusions.

1). His claim that the devil part in him was taken out of him by Gabriel, washed in the water of Zamzam and placed back in his heart (Mishkat-ul-Masabih Volume IV page 367).

2). He became heavier under inspiration ; Sahih Al-Bukhari’s Hadith 6.116 narrated by Zaid bin Thabit, Zaid added: Ibn Um Maktum came while the Prophet was dictating to me and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! By Allah, if I had the power to fight (in Allah’s Cause), I would,” and he was a blind man. So Allah revealed to his Apostle while his thigh was on my thigh, and his thigh became so heavy that I was afraid it might fracture my thigh. Then that state of the Prophet passed and Allah revealed: “Except those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or lame etc).”

3). He hears the ringing of bells and he sweats profusely; Sahih Al-Bukhari’s Hadith 1.2 narrated by Aisha: (the mother of the faithful believers) Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah’s Apostle “O Allah’s Apostle! How is the Divine Inspiration revealed to you?” Allah’s Apostle replied, “Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says.” ‘Aisha added: Verily I saw the Prophet being inspired Divinely on a very cold day and noticed the sweat dropping from his forehead (as the Inspiration was over).

4). The sounds of bees buzzing is heard when he is under inspiration, Al-Tirmidhi’s Hadith 2483 narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab; When inspiration was sent down to the Prophet (peace be upon him), a low sound was heard near his face like the humming of bees. One day when inspiration was sent down to him and we had waited for a time, it left him, then facing the qiblah and raising his hands, he said, “O Allah, give us more and do not give us less; honor us and do not humiliate us; give us and do not withhold from us; choose us and do not prefer others to us; please us and be pleased with us.” He then said, “I have had sent down to me ten verses which will provide entrance to Paradise for those who recite them.” He then recited, “The believers have been successful” and continued till he had completed ten verses. Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

5). His face changes color; Sahih Muslim’s Hadith 5766 narrated by Ubadah ibn as-Samit, When wahi (inspiration) descended upon Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), he felt a burden on that account and the color of his face underwent a change. These are signs and symptoms of one possessed by a demon and so they formed their opinion about him being a mad man or demon possessed.

¹¹A slanderer going about with calumnies.

¹²Hindering all good, transgressing beyond bounds deep in sin.

¹³Violent with all that base born.

¹⁴Because he possesses wealth and sons.

¹⁵When to him are rehearsed Our signs “Tales of the ancients” he cries.

¹⁶Soon shall We brand the beast on the snout!

¹⁷Verily, We have tried them as We tried the people of the garden when they resolved to gather the fruits of the garden in the morning.³

¹⁸And made no reservation.

¹⁹So there came on the garden a visitation from your Lord all around while they were asleep.

²⁰So the garden became by the morning like a dark and desolate spot.

²¹As the morning broke they called out one to another.

¹¹Hammazim ma syain binamim

¹²Mannail likhairi mutadin atsim

¹³Utul lin bada zalika zanim      

¹⁴An kana za mali wa banin

¹⁵Iza tutla alaihi ayatuna qala asathirul awalim

¹⁶Sanasimuhu alal khurthum

¹⁷Inna balaunahum kama balauna ashhabal jannati iz aqsamu layash rimun naha mushbihin

¹⁸Wa la yastatsnun

¹⁹Fathafa alaiha tha ifum mirabbika wa hum na imun

²⁰Fa ashbahat kasharim

²¹Fatanadau mushbihim

3. The farmers were not supposed to harvest all their crops, but they did anyway, not leaving any for the poor as the next verse implies. And so they were punished (19).

[Commentary continues below.]

²²“Go to your tilth in morning if you would gather the fruits.”

²³So they departed conversing in secret low tones, saying.

²⁴“Let not a single indigent person break in upon you into the garden this day.”

²⁵And they opened the morning strong in an unjust resolve.

²⁶But when they saw the garden they said: “We have surely lost our way:

²⁷“Indeed we are shut out!”

²⁸Said one of them more just: “Did I not say to you `Why not glorify Allah?’ “

²⁹They said: “Glory to our Lord! Verily, we have been doing wrong!”

³⁰Then they turned one against another in reproach.

³¹They said: “Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed!

²²Anighdu ala hartssikum inkuntum sharimin

²³Fanthalaqu wa hum yatakhafatun

²⁴Alla yadkhulan nahal yauma alai kum miskin

²⁵Wa ghadau ala hardin qadinin

²⁶Falam ma raauha qalu inna la dhallun

²⁷Bal nahnu mahrumun

²⁸Qala ausathuhum alam aqul lakum lau la tusab bihun

²⁹Qalu subhana rabbina innakun nazalimin

³⁰Fa aqbala baduhum ala badiya tal awamun

³¹Qalu ya wailana inna kunna tagin

[Commentary continues below.]

³²“It may be that our Lord will give us in exchange a better garden than this: for we do turn to Him”

³³Such is the punishment; but greater is the punishment in the hereafter if only they knew!

³⁴Verily, for the righteous are gardens of delight in the presence of their Lord.

³⁵Shall We then treat the people of faith like the people of Sin?

³⁶What is the matter with you? How do you judge?

³⁷Or have you a book through which you learn

³⁸That you shall have through it whatever you choose?

³⁹Or have you covenants with Us on oath reaching to the day of judgment that you shall have whatever you shall demand?

⁴⁰Ask them, which of them will stand surety of that!

³²Asa rabbuna ayubdilana hairam minha inna ila rabina ragibun

³³Kazalikal azab wa laazabul akhirati akbar lau kanu yalamun

³⁴Inna lilmut taqina inda rabihim jannatin naim

³⁵Afanajalul muslimina kal mujrimin

³⁶Ma lakum kaifa tahkumun

³⁷Am lakum kitabun fihi tadrusun

³⁸Inna lakum fihi lama takhayarun

³⁹Am lakum aimanun alina a baligatun ila yaumilqiyamati inna lakum lama tahkumun

⁴⁰Salhum ayuhum bizalika zaim

[Commentary continues below.]

⁴¹Or have they some partners in Allah? Then let them produce their partners if they are truthful!

⁴²The day that the truth shall be laid bare and they shall be summoned to bow in adoration but they shall not be able.

⁴³Their eyes will be cast down, ignominy will cover them; seeing that they had been summoned before to bow in adoration while they were whole and had refused.

⁴⁴Then leave Me alone with such as reject this message: by degrees shall We punish them from directions they perceive not.

⁴⁵A respite will I grant them: truly, powerful is My plan.

⁴⁶Or is it that you do ask them for a reward so that they are burdened with a load of debt?

⁴⁷Or that the unseen is in their hands, so that they can write it down?

⁴¹Am lahum surakau falyatu bi suraka ihim inkanu sadiqin

⁴²Yauma yuksafu ansaqiwa yudauna ilas sujudi fala yastathiun

⁴³Kasiatan absaruhum tarhaquhum zilah wa qad kanu yudauna ilas sujudi wa hum salimun

⁴⁴Fazami wa may yukaz zibu bihazal hadis sanastadrijuhum min haisu la yalamun

⁴⁵Wa umli lahum inna kaidimatin

⁴⁶Am tas aluhum ajran fahum mimmagramim mustaqalun

⁴⁷Am indahumul gaibu fahum yaktubun

[Commentary continues below.]

⁴⁸So wait with patience for the command of your Lord and be not like the companion of the fish when he cried out in agony.⁴

⁴⁹Had not grace from His Lord reached him, he would indeed have been cast off on the naked shore in disgrace.

⁵⁰Thus did his Lord choose him and make him of the company of the righteous.

⁵¹And the unbelievers would almost trip you up with their eyes when they hear the message; and they say: “Surely he is possessed!”

⁵²But it is nothing less than a message to all the worlds.

⁴⁸Fasbirlihukmi rabika wa la takun kasahibil hut iz nada wa huwa makzum

⁴⁹Lau la an tadarakahu nimatum mirrabihi lanubiza bilara I wa huwa mazmum

⁵⁰Faj tabahu rabbuhu fajaalahu minas salihin

⁵¹Wa iyyakadul lazina kafaru layuz liqunaka bi absarihim la ma samiuz zikra wa yaquluna innahu lamajnun

⁵²Wa ma huwa ila zikrul lil alamin

4. The reference here is to the prophet Jonah who was swallowed by a big fish.