Surah Al-Qalam (The Pen — القلم) (Ayah 12)

لَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ (10) هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ (11) مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ‌ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ (12) عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ (13)

(And do not obey any contemptible one who swears much, a slanderer who goes about with calumnies, one who prevents good, [ and who is ] transgressor, sinful, harsh, [ and ] after all that, notorious,.. _Al-Qalam 68: 10^⧉ 11^⧉ 12^⧉ 13^⧉ )

The word zanim refers to 'a person whose legitimate birth from a father is not proved'. The person referred to in this verse was of doubtful birth or his lineage was uncertain.

The preceding verse prohibited any compromise with the unbelievers in general in matters of religion. The current verse prohibits specifically yielding to such mean leader of falsehood as Walid Ibn Mughirah, who possessed the base characteristics as listed in verses 10 to 13, the worst mischief-maker. [ As transmitted by Ibn Jarir on the authority of Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . Having described this person's bad manners and his arrogance in several verses that follow, Al-Qalam 68:16 ^⧉ says:

سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْ‌طُومِ (We will soon brand him on the snout...Al-Qalam 68:16 ^⧉). That is, as, disbelievers, out of pride and false sense of power rejected the Divine Message in this world, Allah will disgrace and humiliate them on the Day of Resurrection so that the earlier and later generations will be able to see it. His nose has been described by way of reproach as khurtum (snout). This refers specifically to the long nose of a pig or a trunk of an elephant.

لَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ (10) هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاءٍ بِنَمِيمٍ (11) مَّنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ‌ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ (12) عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ زَنِيمٍ (13)

(And do not obey any contemptible one who swears much, a slanderer who goes about with calumnies, one who prevents good, [ and who is ] transgressor, sinful, harsh, [ and ] after all that, notorious,.. _Al-Qalam 68: 10^⧉ 11^⧉ 12^⧉ 13^⧉ )

The word zanim refers to 'a person whose legitimate birth from a father is not proved'. The person referred to in this verse was of doubtful birth or his lineage was uncertain.

The preceding verse prohibited any compromise with the unbelievers in general in matters of religion. The current verse prohibits specifically yielding to such mean leader of falsehood as Walid Ibn Mughirah, who possessed the base characteristics as listed in verses 10 to 13, the worst mischief-maker. [ As transmitted by Ibn Jarir on the authority of Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . Having described this person's bad manners and his arrogance in several verses that follow, Al-Qalam 68:16 ^⧉ says: