In the name of God, the Almighty,¹ the Merciful.

¹ nūn¹ By the pen, and what they inscribe!

² Thou art not, by the favour of thy Lord, possessed;¹

³ And for thee is a reward unending.

⁴ And thou art upon a tremendous tradition.¹

⁵ And thou wilt see, and they will see

⁶ Which of you is mad.

⁷ Thy Lord best knows who has strayed from His path, and He best knows the guided.

⁸ Then obey thou not the deniers

⁹ (They wish that thou shouldst compromise, then would they compromise)

¹⁰ Neither obey thou every despised swearer of oaths,

¹¹ Backbiter, going about with calumny,

¹² Hinderer of good, transgressor, sinful,

¹³ Relentless and¹ useless,²

¹⁴ Because he is possessed of wealth and sons.

¹⁵ When Our proofs¹ are recited to him, he says: “Legends of the former peoples!”

¹⁶ We will brand him on the snout.¹

¹⁷ We have tried them as We tried the companions of the garden, when they swore they would reap its fruit in the morning,

¹⁸ And made no allowance.¹

¹⁹ Then an itinerant¹ from thy Lord went about² it while they slept,

²⁰ And in the morning it was as if reaped.

²¹ Then called they to one another in the morning:

²² “Go early to your tilth, if you would be reaping!”

²³ So they departed, whispering together:

²⁴ “No needy one will enter it this day against your will.”¹

²⁵ And they went early, determined upon their purpose.¹

²⁶ Then when they saw it they said: “We have gone astray!¹

²⁷ “Nay,¹ we have been deprived!”²

²⁸ Said the most moderate of them: “Said I not to you: ‘Oh, that you did but¹ give glory!’”²

²⁹ They said: “Glory¹ be to our Lord! We were wrongdoers!”²

³⁰ Then they approached one other, blaming one another.

³¹ They said: “Woe is us! We transgressed all bounds.¹

³² “It may be that our Lord will give us in exchange better than it; to our Lord do we turn in hope.”

³³ Thus¹ is the punishment — and the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, had they but known.

³⁴ For those of prudent fear,¹ with their Lord are the Gardens of Bliss.

³⁵ Shall We then make¹ those submitting² like the lawbreakers?

³⁶ What ails you? How judge you?

³⁷ If¹ you have a Writ² wherein you study:³ —

³⁸ “You have therein whatever you choose!”¹

³⁹ Or if¹ you have oaths binding upon Us reaching to the Day of Resurrection:² — “You have whatever you decide!”

⁴⁰ Ask thou them which of them is, for that, guarantor!

⁴¹ If¹ they have partners:² then let them bring their partners,³ if they be truthful.

⁴² The day the shin¹ is uncovered — and they are invited to the Submission,² but they are not able³ —

⁴³ Their eyes will be humbled,¹ humiliation covering them, for they had been invited to the Submission² when they were whole.

⁴⁴ So leave thou Me with those who deny this narrative.¹ We will lead them by degrees, whence² they know not;

⁴⁵ And I will grant them respite — My plan is firm.¹

⁴⁶ If¹ thou askest of them a reward:² then are they burdened by debt!

⁴⁷ If¹ the Unseen be with them:² then are they writing!³

⁴⁸ And be thou patient for the judgment of thy Lord; and be thou not like the companion of the fish¹ when he called and was angry.²

⁴⁹ Had not favour from his Lord overtaken him, he would have been cast on the bare shore when he was condemned.

⁵⁰ But his Lord chose him, and made him of the righteous.

⁵¹ And those who ignore warning¹ almost cause thee to slip with their eyes when they hear the remembrance,² and they say: “He is possessed.”

⁵² But it is only a reminder¹ to all mankind.