Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
The Surah is so entitled after the word `alaq in the second verse.
Period of Revelation
This Surah has two parts: the
first part consists of vv. 1-5, and the second of vv. 6-19. About the first part
a great majority of the Islamic scholars are agreed that it forms the very first
Revelation to be sent down to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace and
blessings). In this regard, the Hadith from Hadrat Aishah, which Imam Ahmad,
Bukhari, Muslim, and other traditionists have related with several chains of
authorities, is one of the most authentic Ahadith on the subject. In it Hadrat
Aishah has narrated the full story of the beginning of revelation as she herself
heard it from the Holy Messenger of Allah. Besides, Ibn Abbas, Abu Musa al-Ashari
and a group of the Companions also are reported to have stated that these were
the very first verses of the Quran to be revealed to the Holy Prophet. The
second part was sent down afterwards when the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace)
began to perform the prescribed Prayer in the precincts of the Kabah and Abu
Jahl tried to prevent him from this with threats.
Beginning of Revelation
The traditionists have
related on the strength of their respective authorities the story of the
beginning of revelation from Imam Az-Zuhri, who had it from Hadrat Urwah bin
Zubair, who had it from Hadrat Aishah, his aunt. She states that revelations to
the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) began in the form of true (according to
other traditions, good) visions. Whichever vision he saw it seemed as though he
saw it in broad daylight. Afterwards solitude became dear to him and he would go
to the Cave of Hira to engage in worship there for several days and nights (Hadrat
Aishah has used the word tahannuth, which Imam Zuhri has explained as ta'abbud:
devotional exercises. This was some kind of worship which he performed, for
until then he had not been taught the method of performing the Prayer by Allah).
He would take provisions with him and stay there for several days, then would
return to Hadrat Khadijah who would again provide for him for a few more days.
One day when he was in the Cave of Hira, Revelation came down to him
unexpectedly and the Angel said, to him: "Read".
After this Hadrat Aishah
reports the words of the Holy Prophet himself, to the effect, "I said: I cannot
read! There upon the Angel took me and pressed me until I could bear it no more.
Then he left me and said: Read. I said: I cannot read! He pressed me a second
time until I could bear it no more. Then he left me and said: Read. I again
said: I cannot read! He pressed me for the third time until I could bear it no
more. Then he left me and said: Iqra bismi Rabbi kal- ladhi khalaqa: (Read in
the name of your Lord Who created) till he reached ma lam ya lam (what he did
not know).
Then the Holy Messenger (upon whom be peace) returned home to
Hadrat Khadijah trembling with fear, and said to her: `Cover me, cover me', and
he was covered. When terror left him, he said: `O Khadijah, what has happened to
me?' Then he narrated to her whatever had happened, and said: `I fear for my
life'. She said; `No never! Be of good cheer. By God, never will God debase you:
you treat the kindred well, you speak the truth, (one tradition adds: you
restore what is entrusted to you), you bear the burden of the helpless, you help
the poor, you entertain the guests, and you cooperate in good works.'
Then she took him to Waraqah bin Naufal, who was her cousin. He had become a
Christian in pre-Islamic days, wrote the Gospel in Arabic and Hebrew, and had
become very old and blind. Hadrat Khadijah said: `Brother, listen to the son of
your brother.' Waraqah said to the Holy Prophet: `What have you seen, nephew?'
The Holy Prophet described what he had seen. Waraqah said; `This is the same
Gabriel (the Angel of Revelation) which Allah had sent down to Moses. Would that
I were a young man during your Prophethood! Would that I were alive when your
tribe would expel you!' The Holy Prophet said: `Will they expel me?' Waraqah
said; `Yes, never has it so happened that a person brought what you have brought
and was not treated as an enemy. If I live till then I would help you with all
the power at my command.' But not very long after this Waraqah died.
This
narrative is explicit that even until a moment before the coming Angel the Holy
Messenger of Allah (upon whom be His peace) was without any expectation that he
was going to be appointed a Prophet. Nothing to say of any such wish or
expectation, he did not even have any idea that he would meet with such an
experience. Coming down of the Revelation and appearing of the Angel face to
face was an unexpected accident for him the first effect of which on him was
precisely the same as could naturally be on a person meeting with such a
tremendous experience, in the absence of any preparation. That is why when he
proclaimed the message of Islam, the people of Makkah raised all sorts of
objections, but no one said that they were already apprehending that he would
make a claim, for he had been making preparations since long to become a
Prophet.
From this narrative another thing which also becomes obvious is
how pure was the Holy Prophet's life and how sublime was his character before
Prophethood, Hadrat Khadijah was no young lady: she was 55 years old at the time
this event took place and had been the Holy Prophet's life companion for 15
years. No weakness of the husband can remain hidden from the wife. She had
during this long period of married life found him to be such a generous and
noble man that when he told her of his experience in the Cave of Hira', she
admitted without the least hesitation that it was indeed Allah's own Angel who
had come to him with Revelation. Likewise, Waraqah bin Naufal also was an old
inhabitant of Makkah, who had seen the Holy Prophet grow up from childhood.
Particularly, for the past 15 years because of the close relationship he was
even more intimately aware of his life, his Affairs and dealings. When he also
heard of his experience, he did not regard it as an evil suggestion, but
immediately said that it was the same Gabriel who had descended on Moses (peace
be upon him). This meant that even according to him the Holy Prophet was such a
sublime person that there was nothing surprising in his being elevated to the
office of Prophethood.
Occasion of Revelation of verses 6-19
This second
part of thee Surah was revealed when the Holy Messenger of Allah began to
perform the Prayer in the Islamic way in the Ka'bahand Abu Jahl threatened and
tried to prevent him from this. It so happened that after his appointment to
Prophethood even before he could start preaching Islam openly, he began to
perform the Prayer in the precincts of the Ka'bahin the way Allah taught him;
and from this the Quraish felt for the first time that he had adopted a new
religion. The other people were watching it with curiosity, but Abu Jahl in his
arrogance and pride threatened the Holy Prophet and forbade him to worship in
that way in the Ka'bah. In this connection, quite a number of the Ahadith have
been related from Hadarat Abdullah ibn Abbas and Hadrat Abu Huraira, which
mention the foolish behaviour of Abu Jahl.
Hadrat Abu Huraira says that
Abu Jahl asked the people of Quraish: "Does Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace
and blessings) set his face on the ground before you?"When they replied in the
affirmative, he said:"By Lat and Uzza, if I ever catch him in that act of
worship, I would set my foot on his neck and rub his face in the dust."Then it
so happened that he saw the Holy Messenger in that posture and came forward to
set his foot on his neck, but suddenly turned back as if in a fright and being
asked what was the matter, he said there was a ditch of fire and a terrible
apparition between himself and Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and
blessings) and some wings. On hearing this the Holy Prophet remarked:"Had he
come near me, the angels would have smitten and torn him to pieces." (Ahmad,
Muslim, Nasai, Ibn Jarir, Ibn AbI Hatim, Ibn al-Mundhir, lbn Marduyah, Abu
Nu'aim Isfahani, Baihaqi).
According to lbn Abbas, Abu Jahl said:"If I
caught Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) performing his Prayer
by the Ka'bah, I would trample his neck down." When the Holy Prophet heard of
it, he said: "If he acted so, the angels would seize him there and then?" (Bukhari,
Tirmidhi, Nasai, Ibn Jarir, Abdur Razzaq, Abd bin Humaid, Ibn al- Mundhir, Ibn
Marduyah).
According to another tradition from Ibn Abbas, the Holy
Prophet was performing his Prayer at the Maqam Ibrahim. Abu Jahl passed that way
and said: "O Muhammad, did I not forbid you this, and then he started to
threaten him." In reply the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) rebuked him
severely. There upon he said:"O Muhammad, on what strength do you rebuke me? By
God, my followers in this valley far exceed yours in number." (Ahmad, Tirmidhi,
Nasai, Ibn Jarir, lbn Abi Shaibah, Ibn al-Mundhir, Tabarani, Ibn Marduyah).
Because of these very incidents the portion of this Surah beginning with
Kalla inn al-insana la yat gha was sent down. Naturally the place of this part
should be the same as assigned to it in this Surah of the Quran, for after the
coming down of the first Revelation the Holy Prophet had given expression to
Islam first of all by the act of Prayer, and his conflict with the pagans.
As we have explained in the Introduction, when the Angel said to the Holy
Prophet, "Read", the latter replied, "I cannot read!"" This indicates that the
Angel had presented these words of the Revelation before him in the written form
and had asked him to read them. For if the Angel had meant that he should repeat
what he recited, he should not have replied, saying "I cannot read!"
2"Read in the name of your Lord": Bismillah and read. This shows that the Holy
Prophet (upon whom be peace) even before the coming down of this Revelation
regarded and acknowledged Allah alone as his Lord. That is why there was no need
to ask who his Lord was, but it was said: "Read in the name of your Lord."
3Only the word khalaqa (created) 'has been used absolutely, and the object
of creation has not been mentioned, This automatically gives the meaning: "Read
in the name of the Lord, Who is the Creator, Who created the whole universe and
everything in it."
4After making mention generally of the creation of
the universe, mention has been made of man in particular, saying how Allah made
him a perfect man starting his creation from an insignificant and humble state.
'Alaq is plural of 'alaqah, which means congealed blood. This is the primary
state of the embryo which appears a few days after conception. Then it assumes
the form of a lump of flesh, then afterwards it gradually takes human shape.
(For details, see AI-Hajj: 5 and the corresponding E.N.'s 5 to 7).
5That
is, "It is a great favor of Allah that starting man's creation from a most
insignificant state He made him possessor of knowledge which is the noblest
attribute of creation, and He made him not only possessor of knowledge but also
taught him the art of writing by the use of pen, which became the means of
propagation, progress, dissemination and preservation of knowledge on a large
scale. Had He not given man the knowledge of the art of pen and writing (by
inspiration) his intellectual faculty would have stagnated, and it would have
had no opportunity to develop, expand and become a means of transmission of
knowledge from one generation to the next and make future progress.
6That is, Man originally was absolutely illiterate. Whatever of knowledge he
obtained, he obtained it as a gift from Allah. Whatever doors of knowledge at
any stage did Allah will to open for man, they went on opining up before him.
This same thing has been expressed in the verse of the Throne, thus: "And the
people cannot comprehend anything of His knowledge save what He Himself may
please to reveal." (Al-Baqarah: 255). Whatever man looks upon as his own
scientific discovery was, in fact, unknown to him before. Allah gave him its
knowledge whenever He willed without his realizing that Allah by His grace had
blessed him with the knowledge of it.
These verses were the very first to
be revealed to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace), as is stated in the Hadith
reported by Hadrat `A'ishah. This first experience was so intense and tremendous
that the Holy Prophet could not bear it any more. Therefore, at that time he was
only made aware that the Being Whom he already knew and acknowledged as his Lord
and Sustainer was in direct communion with him, had started sending down
Revelations to him, and had appointed him as His Prophet. Then after an
intermission the opening verses of Surah al-Muddaththir were revealed in which
he was told what mission he had to perform after his appointment to Prophethood.
(For explanation, see Introduction to Al-Muddaththir)
7That is, man
should never adopt an attitude of ignorance and rebellion against the Bountiful
God Who has been so generous to him.
8That is, when the man has attained
wealth, honor and rank and whatever else he desired to attain in the world, he
becomes rebellious instead of being grateful and transgresses the boundaries of
servitude to Allah.
9That is, "Whatever he might have attained in the
world, which makes ,him behave arrogantly and rebelliously, in the end he has to
return to your Lord. Then he will realize what fate awaits him in consequence of
his such attitude and behavior."
10"A Servant" : the Holy Messenger of
Allah himself. The Holy Prophet has been mentioned by this epithet at several
places in the Qur'an. For example, "Glory be to Him Who transported His servant
one night from the Masjid al Haram to the distant Temple." (Bani Isra'il: 1);
"All praise is for Allah Who has sent down this Book to His servant." (AI-Kahf:
1); "And that when the servant of Allah stood up to pray, the people got ready
to assault him." (Al-Jinn: 19). This shows that it is a special style of love by
which Allah makes mention of His Messenger Muhammad (upon whom be His peace and
blessings) in His Book. Besides, it also shows that Allah after appointing His
Messenger to Prophethood had taught him the method of performing the Prayer.
There is no mention of this method anywhere in the Qur'an, saying: "O Prophet,
perform the Prayer in this and this way." Hence, this is another proof that the
Revelation sent down to the Holy Prophet did not only consist of what has been
recorded in the Qur'an, but besides this, other things also were taught to him
by revelation, which are not recorded in the Qur'an.
11The audience here
apparently is every just man, who is being asked: Have you watched the act of
the person who prevents a Servant from God's worship? What do you think: if the
Servant be rightly guided, or warning the people to fear God and refrain from
evil, and this forbidden be denying the Truth and turning away from it, what
will his act be like? Could this man adopt such an attitude had he known that
Allah is watching the man who is exhorting others to piety as well as him who is
denying the truth and turning away from it? Allah's watching the oppressor and
his wrongdoing and the oppressed and his misery by itself implies that He will
punish the oppressor and redress the grievances of the wronged and down-trodden
person.
12That is, the person who threatens that he would trample the
neck of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) down when he
performed the Prayer, would never be able to do so.
13"The forelock" here
implies the person with the forelock.
14As we have explained in the
Introduction, when the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) rebuked Abu Jahl on his
foolish behavior, he had retorted: "O Muhammad, on what strength do you threaten
me? By God, my supporters in this valley far exceed yours in number." At this it
is being said: "Let him call his band of supporters."
15According to the
explanation given by Qatadah, the word zabaniyah in the original, is used for
the police in Arabic idiom, and zaban actually means to push away. The kings too
kept armed attendants who would push out the one with whom the king was annoyed
and angry. Therefore, what Allah means is: "Let him call his supporters; We too
shall summon Our Police, i.e. the angels of torment, to deal with him and his
supporters."
16"Sajdah" (prostration) here implies the Prayer, so as to
say: "O Prophet, continue to perform your Prayer fearlessly as you have been in
the past, and seek your Lord's presence through it." In the Sahih of Muslim and
other books of Hadith there is a tradition from Hadrat Abu Huraira to the
effect: "The servant is nearest to his Lord when he is in the state of
prostration", and in Muslim there is also a tradition from Hadrat Abu Hurairah
that when the Holy Prophet recited this verse, he performed a sajdah of recital.