Surah Al-'Alaq 96:1-19 - Quran Translation Commentary

1. These first five Verses are the first revelation that came down to the Prophet Muhammad (P.b.u.h.), when he was praying in seclusion in the Cave of Hira, which is at a distance of two to three miles from Makka. This was a night in the month of Ramzan, and the Prophet was forty years old. According to the Christian era this happened in the year 610 A.D. In the Book of Traditions? ‘Bukhari’ this event has been mentioned in detail. which briefly is like this: In the cave of Hira an angel suddenly appeared before the Prophet and addressing him said: Iqra (Recite). The Prophet answered: “Ma ana beqarein”. (I am unlettered). Thereafter, the Prophet says, the angel Pressed him very hard, which he could tolerate with difficulty. Then he released him and said: “Recite”. He answered that he was unlettered. For the second time the angel pressed the Prophet very hard, which was unbearable. Then he released him and again said: “Recite”. The Prophet again replied that he was unlettered. For the third time the angel pressed him very hard, which again became unbearable for him. Again he released him and said: Iqra Bisme Rabbikal-lazi khalaq (Recite in the name of your Lord, Who created). He went on reciting till he recited the Verse: “Malam yalam” –(Bukhri-Bad-al-Wahi- Kitabut Tafseer). In this way the revelation of Quran commenced, and Muhammad (P.b.u.h.) was blessed with prophethood. This event had occurred suddenly. Before this the Prophet had never imagined that he was to be made a Prophet. However, before the achievement of prophethood he was in the habit of worshipping Allah only. And it was the desire to pray that took him to the cave of Hira where he could pray undisturbed and peacefully. The angel whom he saw was Jibreel (Gabriel), who had brought the words of Allah. As the Prophet was unlettered, that is he had not learnt reading and writing, he found it difficult to recite the divine words. When the angel pressed him three times, his difficulty was overcome and the Prophet attained the extraordinary ability of grasping and reciting the words of Allah. Here it is quite clear that the command to read which was given at this place is for reading Quran, which is the Book of Guidance. Those who were the first addressees of the Quran had Arabic as their mother tongue, and the Quran was revealed in the Arabic language only. Therefore the command of reading Quran for them was for reading it with understanding, but those whose language is not Arabic, for them the demand of this command is that while reading or reciting Quran in its original text, they should also try to understand its meaning and its message. The Book that has been revealed for guidance cannot provide the desired blessing and guidance, unless it is read with understanding and its meaning and message is understood. It should be noted that this command for reading Quran is not meant only or specially for the Arabs or the Muslims, but that it is meant for every man to whom it reaches, because the Creator of man has sent down this book for the guidance of mankind. It is not for the guidance of a special group of men. And since its guidance is to remain till the occurrence of the Doomsday all the men that will be born in this world till the occurrence of the Doomsday are its addressees, If a man becomes impatient and restless to understand his friend’s letter when he receives it and is unable to understand it being in a language not known to him, then there should be much more restlessness and impatience in a man to understand the book of guidance from his Creator, provided humanity is still alive in that man’s heart: even though this book may not be in his own language, yet arrangements for making it comprehensible for all have been made.

2. That is: Utter the name of your Lord and read Quran. The letter ‘ba’ in the word ‘Bism’ is the ‘ba’ of support, which indicates that the reading of Quran depends on the guidance from Allah, therefore. while commencing to read it. support of the Lord should be sought. The manner in which this command is to be obeyed has also been shown by Allah, and that is by first reading ‘Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem,

“(In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful).” Accordingly, the beginning of Surah Fatiha (Opening) and all other Surahs (Chapters),except Surah Taubah (Repentance) is with these words, viz. Bismillah………… That Quran is presented in the name of Allah is in fact the expression of the reality that this Book, with every one of its words is Allah’s Book. It is not the saying of the Prophet and it is free from every kind of contamination. (For further details, please see Surah Fatiha, Note No. 1

3. That is: One who has created the whole universe.

4. By congealed blood is meant the condition of being impregnated, that is the condition after the fertilization of the ovum, or the foetal condition, when man is in the early stages of his creation. The reference to the embryonic stage of man is to draw our attention to the reality that to create from such a lowly and mean material the best of the creatures signifies the Creator’s mighty power, His perfect wisdom, His wonderful and extreme benevolence.

5. ’Iqra’ that is the command to read has been given here twice, which also gives it an emphatically note, and also the expression of its importance that Quran is the only book of its kind which is required to be read again and again, and that you are being emphatically asked to do this. Read it not once, but again and again.

6. Here Allah’s attribute ‘Akram’ is mentioned, which means that He is a Being Most Honourable and Magnificent, and He is very Generous to His slaves. By mentioning this attribute of Allah, the idea is to express the reality that according to His personality He is the Most Honourable. Man’s creation has been affected from the meanest of the material, therefore he should not indulge in feeling proud and conceited. The purpose is also to make man realize what great favours have been bestowed on him by Allah and that He has also provided for him the means of guidance and righteousness.

7. That is: Pen is the safest and the most important means of propagating knowledge. This means is a great gift from Allah, and the best use of this gift is to employ it in writing Quran. Since Quran was being revealed in a community that was uneducated, the importance of the pen (writing) has been explained here, so that it may realize the service that it has to render in the propagation of Quran and the place that writing and copying has in this work, and it should gear up itself for it. Accordingly, the progress it (community) made in the field of learning subsequently, and the valuable services it rendered in the matter of propagation of the Quran by writing and copying it are the effects and results of this Divine Guidance.

8. It is Allah’s Graciousness that He has created from the meanest material a creature of the highest quality, and his most distinguishing feature is attaining knowledge. “Taught man that knowledge which he knew not” means the knowledge of unseen things which was given to man through the means of divine revelation. This real and basic knowledge was gifted to man in the form of Quran and on this depends his progress and eternal success. In other words, the revelation of Quran is the greatest favour of Allah to man. Accordingly in Surah Ar- Rehman it has been termed as the greatest manifestation of His blessing to man: “The Most Gracious taught him Quran.” And this has been stated before the mention is made of man’s creation (Created man) so that it may be clear that the purpose of his creation is to receive guidance, whose source is Quran.

9. That is: Instead of appreciating Allah’s gifts and favours, man goes astray and indulges in transgression.

10. The reason for this transgression is this that man thinks himself to be independent of his God. Man wants that he should be free to do whatever he likes, Because of this, he neither cares for God nor for His guidance. And if he achieves a little success in the world and accumulates wealth and attains some important position, his mentality becomes that of a conceited man and he

embarks on a course of transgression against Allah.

11. By adopting a course of life independent of God, no one can save himself from being hauled up in the Court of Allah. There he will know what is the outcome of his transgression.

12. It refers to an event which has been narrated in a hadith. After attaining prophethood, when the Prophet started offering prayer, (salat) in the Masjid-e-Haram (Sacred Mosque), Abu Jahal, who was a great tyrant, tried to prevent him from saying prayer, but he was unsuccessful in his attempt. Apart from referring to his particular event, its general aspect is this that anybody who prevents a votary from offering prayer (salat), which is the foremost manifestation of the worship of the Lord, indulges in a wicked act which is blameworthy in every way.

13. In these verses every addressee of the Quran has been invited to contemplate on the point that on one side there is one slave of Allah who is on the right path and who advises others to fear God and to avoid disobeying Him; and on the other side is a man whose task is to deny the Truth, having been blinded by his hostility towards Islam, inflicts harm on the righteous votary and puts obstructions in his way, then what is the explanation for such a behaviour’? According to the then existing ‘conditions, these verses refer to what transpired between the Prophet and Abu Jahal, but in their wider sense they also have general applicability. Anybody who on account of his hatred for Islam prevents a righteous person from following the right path, deserves to be condemned, as the action of Abu Jahl deserved to be condemned.

14. That is: Whether this man who has acted so cruelly is unaware: that Allah is seeing all this and that when He sees the oppressed, the righteous man and the wicked man, then how come He will not punish the oppressor, and will not give justice to the oppressed? Can the people who worship and those who prevent others from worshipping Him be equal in the eyes of the Being who can see their every act and movement? If it is not so, and certainly it is not so, then the inevitable conclusion is that a Day of Judgment must necessarily occur eventually.

15. That is: If this transgressor does not give up this wicked act, then a day is coming when the angels will drag him by his forelock. In Surah Ar—Rahman, it is stated about the sinners: “They will be dragged by their forelock and their feet”. (Ar—Rahman- 41) The transgressors are very much conceited and their minds are filled with this wrong notion that they are really big people; for this reason on the Day of Judgment they will be subjected to this insulting punishment that they will be dragged by their forelock, and thrown into the hell.

16. Lying and sinful forelock, because the forehead which had that forelock did not bow before the Creator, and also prevented others from bowing before Him. What doubt can there be about such a forehead and forelock being lying and sinful?

17. Refers to the threat of Abu Jahal that in this valley the people of his party or henchmen are in a majority.

18. If some one feels proud on the large number of people in his party, then let him call them for his support. We will also call our police (zabaniyyah), i.e. angels of the hell. Let him then see what strength he has.

19. Do not be misled by the talk of these transgressors, who prevent you from worshipping the one only God.

20. “Sajda” (prostration) means bowing as well as touching the forehead to the ground. Here the command for prostration means that you should bow or prostrate before the one and only Allah, worship Him alone and offer prayers for Him only.

21. That is: Seek nearness to Allah. In a hadith the Prophet has stated: “The slave comes nearest to his Lord when he is in the state of Sajda(prostration)” (Muslim Kitabus Salat). It is thus clear that prostration, which is the most important part of salat ( prayer), is the most important means of nearness to Allah, because in the state of prostration man places his forehead, which is the most respectable part of the body, on the ground, and admitting the greatness of God, recites the words about His purity (Subhana Rab-biyal-A’ala). In the previous verse, there was the mention of the sinful forelock which was to be thrown into the hell. As against that, this verse refers to the forehead of the faithful, which will be bowed and placed on the ground in the state of prostration before Allah and thus will be considered honourable.

The Surah commenced with the command of reading Quran and ended with the command of seeking nearness to God. Thus it elicits that the outcome of reading Quran is nearness to God. There is no position higher than this of which a man can even imagine. And there is no loftier objective than this that can be achieved. To prostrate on reciting this verse is established from the tradition of the Prophet. (Muslim Kitabul Masajid)