بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

ن وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ ﴿۱﴾ مَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ ﴿۲﴾ وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ ﴿۳﴾

﴾1﴿ Noon; walqalami wa maa yasturoon
﴾2﴿ Maa anta bini'mati Rabbika bimajnoon
﴾3﴿ Wa inna laka la ajran ghaira mamnoon

﴾1﴿ Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe
﴾2﴿ You are not, by the grace of your Lord, insane
﴾3﴿ And indeed, for you is a reward never ending

Surah Al Qalam

The Pen

Another name for this Surah is Nun.
Relevancy: This Surah shares several aspects with Surah Al-Mulk. The first aspect is that Surah Al-Mulk establishes the oneness of Allah, while this Surah affirms prophethood. The second aspect is that Surah Al-Mulk establishes oneness with evidence, whereas this Surah encourages and motivates calling towards oneness. The central theme of this Surah is encouragement in calling towards faith and warning against compromise. The declaration of oneness is mentioned in verse (29), and the refutation of associating partners in knowledge is in verse (7). Additionally, two of Allah’s Beautiful Names are mentioned in this Surah.
Claim of this surah: Encouragement in calling towards faith and warning against compromise is mentioned in verse (29), the refutation of associating partners in knowledge is in verse (7), and two of Allah’s Beautiful Names are mentioned in this Surah.
Summary of the surah: This Surah consists of two sections. The first section extends until verse (34), in which the testimony of the truthfulness of the Messenger is mentioned. To affirm his truthfulness and console him, five expressions are used until verse (7). Then, there is a warning against compromise, and ten reprehensible traits of the opponents are listed up to verse (15). After that, the story of the people of the garden is mentioned as a worldly warning, showing how punishment descended due to their associating partners in blessings, followed by their repentance, up to verse (33). The second section extends to the end of the Surah. It begins with a brief mention of glad tidings in verse (34), followed by a reproach against the deniers, stating that they have no evidence—neither rational proof, nor scriptural transmission, nor any divine promise permitting polytheism, nor the imitation of their forefathers—as an argument up to verse (41). Then, an admonition regarding the Hereafter is mentioned in verses (42-43). After that, there is consolation for the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace), encouraging him to warn the deniers, as they have no excuse for their denial. It also instructs him to be patient and supplicate to Allah for divine selection, with the mention of Yunus (peace be upon him) until verse (50). The Surah concludes with a severe reproach to the deniers while affirming the truthfulness of the Messenger (May Allah bless him and give him peace).

interpretation

[1] "Nun" is one of the disjointed letters (Muqatta‘at), and its purpose is to challenge and demonstrate the miraculous nature of the Noble Qur'an. Alternatively, it may be the name of this Surah. The meaning of the oath "By the Pen" (Wal-Qalam) is that all kinds of writers—whether they are from the people of truth, both heavenly and earthly, or from the people of falsehood—when they write with fairness and justice about the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace), they will inevitably acknowledge that he is truthful and possesses perfect intellect. This serves as a clear proof of his truthfulness.
[2] This is the first response to the oath and a refutation of the disbelievers' claim that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) is insane or possessed. It also serves as a consolation for the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace). The phrase "By the grace of your Lord" (بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ) is connected to the term "insane" (مجنون), meaning that the grace referred to is revelation and the Qur'an. In other words, the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) has not been afflicted with insanity due to the revelation of the Qur'an, nor can the Qur'an ever be a cause of madness.
[3] This is the second consolation. The essence of it is that the Qur'an does not cause madness, but inviting others to it brings great hardship. However, be assured that this will be a means for you to attain an endless reward.
(Question): Similar statements are found in Surah Al-Inshiqaq (verse 25) and Surah At-Tin (verse 6) regarding this Ummah as well. So why is it exclusively mentioned for the Prophet here, and why is "for you" (لَكَ) placed first in this verse?
(Answer): The meaning here specifically refers to the reward for calling and conveying the message, whereas in those two Surahs, it refers to the reward of Paradise.