RationalWiki:Annotated Qur'an/The Pen

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Annotated Qur'an
Sura 68: The Pen
Word-by-word translation
Alternate translations and related tafsirs
Alternate translations
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Qur'an 68:1[edit]

Noon. By the pen, and by what they inscribe.

Qur'an 68:1 Notes[edit]

A reference to the seeming authenticity of this book

Qur'an 68:2[edit]

By the grace of your Lord, you are not insane.

Qur'an 68:2 Notes[edit]

Must resist making jokes

Qur'an 68:3[edit]

In fact, you will have a reward that will never end.

Qur'an 68:3 Notes[edit]

A bribe to believe in something strange

Qur'an 68:4[edit]

And you are of a great moral character.

Qur'an 68:4 Notes[edit]

A compliment to butter you up

Qur'an 68:5[edit]

You will see, and they will see.

Qur'an 68:5 Notes[edit]

Let's just wait for the future to determine if we are right or wrong

Qur'an 68:6[edit]

Which of you is the afflicted.

Qur'an 68:6 Notes[edit]

We shall see won't we (unless there is no afterlife which there probably isn't)

Qur'an 68:7[edit]

Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best the well-guided.

Qur'an 68:7 Notes[edit]

God knows everything (even when you think no one is looking)

Qur'an 68:8[edit]

So do not obey the deniers.

Qur'an 68:8 Notes[edit]

Socially isolate yourself from those who are skeptical of these bizarre beliefs in this book

Qur'an 68:9[edit]

They would like you to compromise, so they would compromise.

Qur'an 68:9 Notes[edit]

As they try to deradicalise you from the extreme ideas in this book, stay steadforth and be as radical as this book demands

Qur'an 68:10[edit]

And do not obey any vile swearer.

Qur'an 68:10 Notes[edit]

Anyone who disagrees with this book is an evil monster who is against not only us but goodness and truth and beauty

Qur'an 68:11[edit]

Backbiter, spreader of slander.

Qur'an 68:11 Notes[edit]

More demonizing of those skeptical of this outlandish book

Qur'an 68:12[edit]

Preventer of good, transgressor, sinner.

Qur'an 68:12 Notes[edit]

There is no end to the adjectives you can hurl on those who question the ridiculous

Qur'an 68:13[edit]

Rude and fake besides.

Qur'an 68:13 Notes[edit]

They left out "evil jewish homosexual communist liberal-agenda-monger"

Qur'an 68:14[edit]

Just because he has money and children.

Qur'an 68:14 Notes[edit]

It seems at the time this sura was written the people following this book were at a disadvantage and demonized those who actually did have power and influence (cause they were stopping them)

Qur'an 68:15[edit]

When Our Verses are recited to him, he says, “Myths of the ancients!”

Qur'an 68:15 Notes[edit]

Is there anything else you could possibly say about those who use reason to denounce your extraordinary claims?

Qur'an 68:16[edit]

We will brand him on the muzzle.

Qur'an 68:16 Notes[edit]

This is a mixture of threatening those who don't believe and taking pleasure out of the future vengeance you'll have on the doubters once you have the power to do something (which is an historically very accurate description of what was happening at the time and what actually happened once they got power)

Qur'an 68:17[edit]

We tested them, as We tested the owners of the garden, when they vowed to harvest it in the morning.

Qur'an 68:17 Notes[edit]

This is an allegory to a stupid story about a petty God who wouldn't deserve our praise even if he existed.

Qur'an 68:18[edit]

Without any reservation.

Qur'an 68:18 Notes[edit]

If a being that was far more moral than we could ever be...

Qur'an 68:19[edit]

But a calamity from your Lord went around it while they slept.

Qur'an 68:19 Notes[edit]

...gave a good person out of the goodness of it's heart...

Qur'an 68:20[edit]

And in the morning it was as if picked.

Qur'an 68:20 Notes[edit]

...a garden then it shouldn't be so wrapped up in demanding grattitude...

Qur'an 68:21[edit]

In the morning, they called to one another.

Qur'an 68:21 Notes[edit]

...that he would destroy it in a dramafest of a calamity...

Qur'an 68:22[edit]

“Go early to your plantation, if you are going to harvest.”

Qur'an 68:22 Notes[edit]

...and go even crasier because they doubted the sky beings existence...

Qur'an 68:23[edit]

So off they went, murmuring to one another.

Qur'an 68:23 Notes[edit]

...especially when that God gave them the ability to use logic and doubt things...

Qur'an 68:24[edit]

“No poor person is to enter it upon you today.”

Qur'an 68:24 Notes[edit]

...and the only evidence of his existence given were terribly written books by murderous religion creators...

Qur'an 68:25[edit]

And early they went, resolved in intent.

Qur'an 68:25 Notes[edit]

...a perfectly moral being wouldn't be that petty...

Qur'an 68:26[edit]

But when they saw it, they said, “We were wrong.

Qur'an 68:26 Notes[edit]

...nor as cruel...

Qur'an 68:27[edit]

We are now deprived.”

Qur'an 68:27 Notes[edit]

...and yet this God seems to take pleasure out of punishing imperfect beings...

Qur'an 68:28[edit]

The most reasonable of them said, “Did I not say to you, ‘if only you would glorify?’”

Qur'an 68:28 Notes[edit]

No that isn't the most reasonable. The most reasonable would say...this petty God is ridiculous...we must dedicate our lives to overthrowing it.

Qur'an 68:29[edit]

They said, “Glory to our Lord—We were indeed in the wrong.”

Qur'an 68:29 Notes[edit]

No...the God who created the whole unfair scenario was in the wrong.

Qur'an 68:30[edit]

Then they turned to one another, blaming one another.

Qur'an 68:30 Notes[edit]

Divide and conquor.

Qur'an 68:31[edit]

They said, “Woe to us—we were indeed domineering.

Qur'an 68:31 Notes[edit]

Self-flagelation.

Qur'an 68:32[edit]

Perhaps our Lord will give us a better substitute for it. We are turning to our Lord.”

Qur'an 68:32 Notes[edit]

Wrong lesson learnt.

Qur'an 68:33[edit]

Such is the punishment; but the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew.

Qur'an 68:33 Notes[edit]

Eventually this book doesn't even try new original ways to threaten you for not believing this stuff. It's virtual copy-paste at this point

Qur'an 68:34[edit]

For the righteous are Gardens of Delight with their Lord.

Qur'an 68:34 Notes[edit]

Flattery via poetry

Qur'an 68:35[edit]

Shall We treat the Muslims like the villains?

Qur'an 68:35 Notes[edit]

Questioning a fairly disturbing set of beliefs is no villaizing

Qur'an 68:36[edit]

What is the matter with you? How do you judge?

Qur'an 68:36 Notes[edit]

Hey...just let us believe what we want to believe. Its not as though we are trying to enforce or beliefs onto non believers (see numerous sections in this book where this happens)

Qur'an 68:37[edit]

Or do you have a scripture in which you study.

Qur'an 68:37 Notes[edit]

This suggests that the authority should come from a holy text as opposed to say, human reason

Qur'an 68:38[edit]

Wherein there is whatever you choose?

Qur'an 68:38 Notes[edit]

Qur'an 68:39[edit]

Or do you have oaths from Us, binding until the Day of Resurrection, that you will have whatever you demand?

Qur'an 68:39 Notes[edit]

This line projects their own world view onto others in the strangest of ways, because you cannot project darkness onto the light...can you?

Qur'an 68:40[edit]

Ask them, which of them will guarantee that.

Qur'an 68:40 Notes[edit]

An even stranger request that you either guarantee some fantastical gift for believing in something or its useless

Qur'an 68:41[edit]

Or do they have partners? Then let them produce their partners, if they are truthful.

Qur'an 68:41 Notes[edit]

Again, prove the opposite or shut-up.

Qur'an 68:42[edit]

On the Day when the Shin will be exposed, and they will be called to bow down, but they will be unable.

Qur'an 68:42 Notes[edit]

Fear mongering via the day of judgement when the loving forgiving God condemns his creations to cruel torture

Qur'an 68:43[edit]

Their eyes subdued, shame will cover them. They were invited to bow down when they were sound.

Qur'an 68:43 Notes[edit]

Can you see the pleasure again, taken out of the future torture of non believers

Qur'an 68:44[edit]

So leave Me to those who reject this discourse; We will proceed against them gradually, from where they do not know.

Qur'an 68:44 Notes[edit]

A long term plan set up on how to deal with people who resist the crazy ideas in this book

Qur'an 68:45[edit]

And I will give them respite. My plan is firm.

Qur'an 68:45 Notes[edit]

It's a pretty devious one. Allah seems to approve of cunning and long term lechery to spread his message

Qur'an 68:46[edit]

Or do you ask them for a fee, so they are burdened with debt?

Qur'an 68:46 Notes[edit]

Attributing negative qualities to those who question your madness.

Qur'an 68:47[edit]

Or do they know the future, and so they write it down?

Qur'an 68:47 Notes[edit]

The Quran is actually really terrible at predicting the future. It has guessed many outcomes totally wrong.

Qur'an 68:48[edit]

So wait patiently for the Decision of your Lord, and do not be like the Fellow of the Fish who cried out in despair.

Qur'an 68:48 Notes[edit]

Qur'an 68:49[edit]

Were it not for his Lord’s favor that reached him, he would have been thrown into the wilderness, fully despised.

Qur'an 68:49 Notes[edit]

But isn't that the thing about awaiting God's favour? You ask for help when you need him and he doesn't answer, despite suffering horror even while being a pious believer who does everything God asks. Perhaps God's favor is an illusion?

Qur'an 68:50[edit]

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

Qur'an 68:50 Notes[edit]

Did he?

Qur'an 68:51[edit]

Those who disbelieve almost stab you with their glances when they hear the message, and say, “He is crazy!”

Qur'an 68:51 Notes[edit]

You mean, those people who found the messages in this book kind of crazy looked at a believer with bafflement and said "that's crazy". My lord. When people say crazy stuff you should just smile and say "yeah...of course...this crazy stuff must be correct".

Qur'an 68:52[edit]

But it is no less than a reminder to all the Worlds.

Qur'an 68:52 Notes[edit]

This book is so tiring