Commentary on the Koran: Surah 68 (No. Q068)

Pickthall Translation with Bible Quotes from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Introduction

Al-Qalam “The Pen” takes its name from a word in the first verse and is a very early Beccan Surah. The first word is Nun which means “endurance” in the ancient Hebrew and the Bible text. Yahoshua son of Nun means salvation comes from endurance” which was the name of the successor to Moses and the leader into the Promised Land. The Messiah was named Yahoshua also. The early message was to the Arabs at Becca who were as a rule illiterate and did not read the Scriptures and they are warned hereby of the weakness. To this day they do not read even the Koran let alone the Scriptures and the Laws of God. The text deals with the early rejection of the Message of the Prophet and the Scriptures by the idolaters at Becca. This reaction was to continue and lead up to the First Hijrah in 613 when the persecuted of the church at Becca went to Abyssinia and sought refuge from the Church of God there and the Negus as we see in Surah 19 “Maryam”.

The text reveals the calling of the faith and the placement of the called among the righteous and continues on that path to the last verses.

We will indeed see in the Last Days who are truly messengers (called the demented) of the true faith and who has the blessing of God.

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68.1. Nun. By the pen and that which they write (therewith),

68.2. Thou art not, for thy Lord's favour unto thee, a madman.

68.3. And lo! thine verily will be a reward unfailing.

68.4. And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature.

68.5. And thou wilt see and they will see

68.6. Which of you is the demented.

Refer to 2Peter 1:20-21 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 20 (No. Q020) at ayat 6, 2Chronicles 36:16 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 21 (No. Q021) at ayat 15; Isaiah 8:20 in Commentary on the Koran Surah 49 (No. Q049) at ayat 6; Hosea 9:7 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 51 (No. Q051) at ayat 51.40 and Hebrews 1:1-2 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 53 (No. Q053) at ayat 10.

2Peter 3:3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.

68.7. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who walk aright.

Isaiah 48:8 You have never heard, you have never known, from of old your ear has not been opened. For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and that from before birth you were called a rebel.

Psalm 14:3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Psalm 4:3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

Romans 8:30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

68.8. Therefor obey not thou the rejecters

68.9. Who would have had thee compromise, that they may compromise.

68.10. Neither obey thou each feeble oath-monger,

68.11. Detracter, spreader abroad of slanders,

68.12. Hinderer of the good, transgressor, malefactor

68.13. Greedy therewithal, intrusive.

See 1Corinthians 6:9-10 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 50 (No. Q050) at ayat 30; Deuteronomy 4:2 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 53 (No. Q053) at ayat 18 and Revelation 21:8 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 23 (No. Q023) at ayat 98.

Psalm 34:13-16 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. ¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. ¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. ¹⁶The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

68.14. It is because he is possessed of wealth and children

68.15. That, when Our revelations are recited unto him, he saith: Mere fables of the men of old.

68.16. We shall brand him on the nose.

1Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Psalm 49:12-13 Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. ¹³This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah

Psalm 49:20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Mark 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

Matthew 19:21-22 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²²When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

68.17. Lo! We have tried them as We tried the owners of the garden when they vowed that they would pluck its fruit next morning,

68.18. And made no exception (for the Will of Allah);

68.19. Then a visitation from thy Lord came upon it while they slept

68.20. And in the morning it was as if plucked.

68.21. And they cried out one unto another in the morning,

68.22. Saying: Run unto your field if ye would pluck (the fruit).

68.23. So they went off, saying one unto another in low tones:

68.24. No needy man shall enter it to-day against you.

68.25. They went betimes, strong in (this) purpose.

68.26. But when they saw it, they said: Lo! we are in error!

68.27. Nay, but we are desolate!

68.28. The best among them said: Said I not unto you: Why glorify ye not (Allah)?

68.29. They said: Glorified be our Lord! Lo! we have been wrong-doers.

68.30. Then some of them drew near unto others, self-reproaching.

68.31. They said: Alas for us! In truth we were outrageous.

68.32. It may be that our Lord will give us better than this in place thereof. Lo! we beseech our Lord.

68.33. Such was the punishment. And verily the punishment of the Hereafter is greater if they did but know.

Ayats 17 to 33 are a parable similar to, and probably based on, the The Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12.

Luke 12:16-21 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.¹⁹And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

2Corinthians 4:18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

See Isaiah 13:11 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 54 (No. Q054) at ayat 53.

68.34. Lo! for those who keep from evil are gardens of bliss with their Lord.

1Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Refer to Revelation 20:6 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 18 (No. Q018) at ayat 31.

68.35. Shall We then treat those who have surrendered as We treat the guilty?

See 2Corinthians 6:14-16 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 38 (No. Q038) at ayat 28.

68.36. What aileth you? How foolishly ye judge!

68.37. Or have ye a scripture wherein ye learn

68.38. That ye shall indeed have all that ye choose?

1John 3:4 Everyone who sins is breaking God's law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. (NLT)

Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Romans 2:12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

Deuteronomy 17:8-11 If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose. ⁹And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. ¹⁰Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the LORD will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. ¹¹According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left.

Refer to Commentary on the Koran: Surah 53 (No. Q053) for James 4:2-3 at ayat 24 and Jeremiah 16:19 at ayat 28.

Judgment must be according to the Law. The Law is laid down in Scripture. Humanity has inherited lies from their ancestors.

See Deuteronomy 29:29 Commentary on the Koran: Surah 21 (No. Q021) at ayat 15, and 2Timothy 3:16 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 30 (No. Q030) at ayat 30.

Luke 12:15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

68.39. Or have ye a covenant on oath from Us that reacheth to the Day of Judgment, that yours shall be all that ye ordain?

68.40. Ask them (O Muhammad) which of them will vouch for that!

The only covenant that will stand the test of time will be God’s Covenant. He is able to perform all that He promised to do. The Covenant of God is tied to the law and the Sabbaths (S 4:154).

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Psalm 144:4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

Ecclesiastes 8:13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

68.41. Or have they other gods? Then let them bring their other gods if they are truthful

James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. (NAS)

Isaiah 63:5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me.

Isaiah 37:19 and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.

68.42. On the day when it befalleth in earnest, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves but are not able,

68.43. With eyes downcast, abasement stupefying them. And they had been summoned to prostrate themselves while they were yet unhurt.

68.44. Leave Me (to deal) with those who give the lie to this pronouncement. We shall lead them on by steps from whence they know not.

68.45. Yet I bear with them, for lo! My scheme is firm.

Isaiah 45:23 By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’

This is the prostration spoken of by the Koran and the prostration that will be made to those of the elect.

Proverbs 21:30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.

Job 5:12 He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.

See 2Corinthians 5:10 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 17 (No. Q017) at ayat 36.

68.46. Or dost thou (Muhammad) ask a fee from them so that they are heavily taxed?

Acts 20:33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.

The slaves of the Almighty look to him for their needs. Our reward is from Him.

Refer to 2Timothy 4:8 Commentary on the Koran: Surah 37 (No. Q037) at ayat 49.

Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. (NAS)

68.47. Or is the Unseen theirs that they can write (thereof)?

Refer to Isaiah 46:10 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 17 (No. Q017) at ayat 111, and 2Peter 1:21 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 20 (No. Q020) at ayat 6.

Luke 1:70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

Isaiah 45:21 Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.

68.48. But wait thou for thy Lord's decree, and be not like him of the fish, who cried out in despair.

68.49. Had it not been that favour from his Lord had reached him he surely had been cast into the wilderness while he was reprobate.

68.50. But his Lord chose him and placed him among the righteous.

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Jonah 1:17 And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:1-2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, ²saying,“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.

Jonah 2:10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

Jonah 3:4-5 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” ⁵And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Luke 11:30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

68.51. And lo! those who disbelieve would fain disconcert thee with their eyes when they hear the Reminder, and they say: Lo! he is indeed mad;

68.52. When it is naught else than a Reminder to creation.

See Hosea 9:7 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah (No. Q051) at ayat 40.

Scripture is God’s instruction manual to His creation that men may know how to live in compliance to His law order and in harmony with the rest of His creation.

The Prophet is considered mad as he speaks what does not seem to be right in their eyes. The wisdom of God is foolishness to these carnal minded people. The Scriptures are rejected by them to this day but they will repent and convert or be punished.

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