surah 68 the pen

(In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful)

Nun.  By the pen, and the verse you inscribe therewith.

O Muhammad, you were given favor from your Sovereign Lord, and are not mad.

And, for you is an unceasing reward from Him.

And, verily, you are of very great and sound moral character.

So, you will see, and they will see as well,

who is really afflicted by the devil.

Indeed, Your Sovereign Lord Knows well who has gone astray and who has not.

And, He knows well who is rightly guided.

Then, do not hold worthy those who deny the Truth, and do not Believe in God.

They wish that you would lose your strength in Faith,

so that you would be soft like them.

And, do not hold worthy of your company those who habitually swear,

and use your Lord’s Holy Name in vain,

nor listen to those who pass malicious gossip about others.

This prevents goodness, and is a sinful transgression.

Moreover, it is cruelty towards others, and is arrogant.

Just because one has a lot of wealth and power

he feels in a position to say

when Our Verses are recited to him,

“These are but legends of the past civilizations.”

We will brand him like livestock on the snout.

Indeed, We have put a trial against them,

as we tried the Companions of the Garden,

when they vowed to get the fruit down from the Tree in the early morning,

if Allah so Willed it.

So, affliction overcame them from their Lord while they were sleeping.

And, the fruit was taken as if reaped.

And, they called out to one another in the morning,

saying, “You best go out early if you are going to reap the fruit.”

So, they set out early, with their voices lowered,

saying, “No poor person who dare enter today.”

And, they set out with determination, believing themselves to be able.

But, when they looked on upon it, they said,

“O no, we are lost.

We have been deprived of the honor.”

Even the most moderate of them said, “Didn’t I tell you?

 Why didn’t you remember to exalt and praise God?”

They said, “Exalted is our Sovereign Lord.

 Indeed, we are among those who do wrong.”

And, they came towards one another, blaming each other.

They said, “Misery to us; we are sinners indeed.

Maybe our Lord will substitute an even finer garden than this one for us.

Indeed, we ask for forgiveness from our Lord and wish of His Bounty.”

Such is the punishment of this world. 

And, the punishment in the Hereafter is even greater, if they but Knew.

Verily, the Righteous will reside in the Gardens of Bliss

 with their Sovereign Lord.

Then, will We treat the Muslims like the wrongdoers?

No!  What is the matter that you should say this, and judge them?

Or, do you have some Word of God to the contrary,

that bends to your will whatever you should choose?

Do you yourselves have Covenants with Us extending to the Day of Resurrection?

Covenants that grant you power to judge so?

Ask each of them who is responsible for such a claim.

Or, do they have deities other than God to help them?

Then, let them bring these “gods”, if they should be truthful.

The Day we will all be returned and prostrate before our Creator,

the DisBelievers will be invited to prostrate before Him, but will be unable to.

Their eyes humbled, their humiliation will immerse them.

And, these people were invited to worship God in the worldly life, but refused to.

So leave me, O Muhammad, with the matter of who denies the Qur’an.

We will lead them into trial and punish them thereby,

making them sink deeper into sin and their own destruction.

And, I will them give time to repent.

Indeed, God’s plan is firm.

Or, do you want to ask payment of them while their chips are down?

Or, do they have Knowledge of the Unseen so they write about it too?

Just be patient for the decision of your Sovereign Lord, O Muhammad.

And, do not be like Jonah when he called out in distress.

If not for an act of Mercy and favor from his Sovereign Lord,

he would have been

cast out on the naked shore while he was being tried.

But instead, God accepted his repentance and made him among the Righteous.

And, verily, there will always DisBelievers who will try to make you slip

by their looks when they hear the message, saying, “He is but mad.”

But, have courage and be strong,

for this Message is

a reminder for all of the worlds.