N. By the pen, and what they write
thou art not, by God's grace, mad
and, verily, thine is a hire that is not grudged
and, verily, thou art of a grand nature
But thou shalt see and they shall se
which of you is the infatuated
Verily, thy Lord He knows best who errs from His way; and He knows best those who are guided
Then obey not those who call thee liar
they would fain that thou shouldst be smooth with them, then would they be smooth with thee
And obey not any mean swearer
a back-biter, a walker about with slander
a forbidder of good, a transgressor, a sinner
rude, and base-born too
though he have wealth and sons
When our signs are recited to him he says, 'Old folks' tales!
We will brand him on the snout
Verily, we have tried them as we tried the fellows of the garden when they swore, 'We will cut its fruit at morn!
But they made not the exception
and there came round about it an encompassing calamity from thy Lord the while they slept
and on the morrow it was as one the fruit of which is cut
And they cried to each other in the morning
'Go early to your tilth if ye would cut it!
So they set off, saying privily to each other
'There shall surely enter it today unto you no poor person!
And they went early deciding to be stingy
And when they saw it they said, 'Verily, we have erred
Nay, we are forbidden (its fruit)!
Said the most moderate of them, 'Said I not to you, "unless ye celebrate God's praises!"
Said they, 'Celebrated be the praises of our Lord! verily, we were unjust!
And they approached each other with mutual blame
Said they, 'O woe to us! verily, we have been outrageous
Haply our Lord may give us instead a better than it; verily, we unto our Lord do yearn.
Thus is the torment, but, verily, the torment of the hereafter is greater, if ye did but know
Verily, for the pious with their Lord are gardens of pleasure
Shall we then make the Muslims like the sinners
What ails you? how ye judge
Or have ye a book in which ye can study
that ye are surely to have what ye may choose
Or have ye oaths binding on us until the judgment day that ye are surely to have what ye may judge
Ask them, which of them will vouch for this
Or have they partners, then let them bring their partners if they do speak the truth
On the day when the leg shall be bared; and they shall be called to adore and shall not be able
Lowering their looks, abasement shall attack them, for they were called to adore while yet they were safe
But let me alone with him who calls this new discourse a lie. We will surely bring them down by degrees from whence they do not know
And I will let them have their way! for my device is sure
Or dost thou ask them a hire for it while they are burdened with debts
Or have they the knowledge of the unseen, so that they write
But wait patiently for the judgment of thy Lord, and be not like the fellow of the fish, when he cried out as he was choking with rage
Had it not been that grace from his Lord reached him, he would have been cast out on the naked (shore) and blamed the while
But his Lord elected him, and made him of the pious
The misbelievers well-nigh upset thee with their looks when they hear the reminder, and they say, 'Surely he is mad!
And yet it is but a reminder to the worlds