Surah Al-Qalam 68:1-33 - Quran Translation Commentary

2. For want of a hadith, opinions vary about “nun” from (i) one of the huruf al-muqatta`at, (ii) ink-pot, (iii) a tablet of Noor, to (iv) not known (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Imam Razi points out that some of the Salaf took the meaning as “fish” as Allah said, وَذَا النُّونِ إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا [الأنبياء/87] “And recall when the Companion of the fish (Yunus), when he went off, angry.”

Prophet Yunus is mentioned in this surah itself, in verses 48-50.

Yusuf Ali comments: “The Pen and the Record are the symbolical foundations of the Revelation to man. The adjuration by the Pen disposes off the flippant charge that Allah’s Messenger was mad or possessed. For he spoke words of power, not incoherent, but full of meaning, and through the Record of the Pen, that meaning unfolds itself, in innumerable aspects to countless generations. Muhammad was the living Grace and Mercy of Allah, and his very nature exalted him above abuse and persecution.”

3. It is widely believed that the allusion is to that Pen which was used at the beginning of the affair to write down all that was to happen. Said the Prophet, « إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْقَلَمَ فَقَالَ لَهُ اكْتُبْ فَجَرَى بِمَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ إِلَى الأَبَدِ ». (الترمذى: قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ) “The first thing that Allah created was the Pen. He ordered it, ‘Write down.’ Thereon it ran with all that was to happen until eternity’” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

The above report is also in Abu Da’ud, as well as in Hakim where Dhahabi noted that it is trustworthy, while a report of the same meaning is in Ahmad too (Au.).

4. By the pronoun “they” the allusion is to angels (Ibn Kathir).

5. That is, “what they write” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

It could be said that Allah swears by, “all that is written in books,” or, as “was ever said;” the allusion being to the entries made in the Records of Deeds of the humans (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi).

6. That is, a reward which will neither come to an end, nor will be limited (Ibn Jarir).

7. That is, you possess, O Prophet, a character which has the Qur’an as its source and foundation. ًWhen `A’isha was asked about the Prophet’s character, she replied: (عن) عَائِشَةَ .. قَالَتْ: كَانَ خُلُقُهُ الْقُرْآنَ - مسند أحمد “The Qur’an was his character” (Ibn Jarir, Kashshaf, Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Kathir writes: Ahmad has another report. Someone asked `A’isha about the Prophet’s character. She replied, عَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنْ بَنِي سُوَاءَةَ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ عَنْ خُلُقِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَتْ أَمَا تَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ { إِنَّكَ لَعَلَى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ } قَالَ قُلْتُ حَدِّثِينِي عَنْ ذَاكَ قَالَتْ صَنَعْتُ لَهُ طَعَامًا وَصَنَعَتْ لَهُ حَفْصَةُ طَعَامًا فَقُلْتُ لِجَارِيَتِي اذْهَبِي فَإِنْ جَاءَتْ هِيَ بِالطَّعَامِ فَوَضَعَتْهُ قَبْلُ فَاطْرَحِي الطَّعَامَ قَالَتْ فَجَاءَتْ بِالطَّعَامِ قَالَتْ فَأَلْقَتْهُ الْجَارِيَةُ فَوَقَعَتْ الْقَصْعَةُ فَانْكَسَرَتْ وَكَانَ نِطْعًا قَالَتْ فَجَمَعَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَالَ اقْتَصُّوا أَوْ اقْتَصِّي “Have you not read the Qur’an which says, ‘Surely, you are on a sublime character?’” The man said, “Give me an example.” She narrated, “I prepared some food. Hafsa also prepared. I said to my maidservant, ‘If she brings in the dish (as gift), just throw it away.’ (Because she herself was not good at cooking: Au.). Indeed she came in with the dish. The maidservant threw the food. The bowl also fell off her hand and broke. The Prophet began to gather it together and said, ‘Send her back something similar.”

On another occasion when asked about the Prophet’s character and conduct, `A’isha replied with the first ten verses of Surah al-Mu`minun (Qurtubi).

Ibn Kathir added: Another tradition in Ahmad is as follows (We have picked up a longer version from Ahmad: Au.): عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ مَا لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- مُسْلِماً مِنْ لَعْنَةٍ تُذْكَرُ وَلاَ انْتَقَمَ لِنَفْسِهِ شَيْئاً يُؤْتَى إِلَيْهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ تُنْتَهَكَ حُرُمَاتُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلاَ ضَرَبَ بِيَدِهِ شَيْئاً قَطُّ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَضْرِبَ بِهَا فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلاَ سُئِلَ شَيْئاً قَطُّ فَمَنَعَهُ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُسْأَلَ مَأْثَماً فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ أَبَعْدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَلاَ خُيِّرَ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ قَطُّ إِلاَّ اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا وَكَانَ إِذَا كَانَ حَدِيثَ عَهْدٍ بِجِبْرِيلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ يُدَارِسُهُ كَانَ أَجْوَدَ بِالْخَيْرِ مِنَ الرِّيحِ الْمُرْسَلَةِ. `A’isha reported: “The Messenger of Allah did not curse any Muslim, so far as memory goes. He did not avenge himself, except that Allah’s commands should be trampled. He did not strike anyone ever, except to strike in the way of Allah. He was never asked but he refused except that he should be asked something sinful. He was the most distant away from the people therein (i.e. sins). He was never given a choice but he chose the easier way. And, at the time he was taught by Jibril, he was more generous those days than a wind driven.”

The above report is also in Hakim, and was declared by Dhahabi as meeting with the conditions set by Bukhari and Muslim (Au.).

8. The pagans said about the Prophet (saws) that he was insane. The Qur’an answers, “Soon you will know who was afflicted with madness, is deranged or is possessed.” This is how Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Dahhak and others explained it (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

9. That is, Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and other said, the pagans wished to strike a compromise deal with the Prophet. If he softened his stand towards their deities, they would in return soften their stand towards his mission and message (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

Sayyid Qutb cites a few instances of the pressure on the Prophet to make a compromise with the Makkans, but which he refused: The first instance as documented by Ibn Hisham through Ibn Is-haq says, “When the Prophet first began to call his people to Islam and then openly preach, the Quraysh paid no attention to him until he began to condemn their deities. When he did that, they began to take notice and deny him. They became united against him in enmity except for a few that had turned Muslims. However, the Prophet’s uncle protected him, and the Prophet continued to preach freely.

When the Quraysh saw that their reaction to his call did not bother the Prophet, that he continued to denounce their deities, and that his uncle stood before his nephew in defense, then some of the Quraysh chiefs decided to see Abu Talib. They were `Utbah and Shaybah: sons of Rabi`ah, Abu Sufyan, Abu al-Bakhtari, Aswad b. `Abd al-Muttalib b. Asad, Abu Jahal, Waleed b. al-Mughirah, and the two sons of Hajjaj b. `Amr. They said, “O Abu Talib. Your nephew denigrates our deities, finds fault with our religion, laughs at our ambitions, ridicules our forefathers. Therefore, either you prevent him or move away from between us and him - after all, you are also as much against him as we – or we shall be sufficient for you, against him.” Abu Talib pacified them with a few soft words and so they returned.

But the Prophet continued with his call: presenting Allah’s religion and inviting them to it. Consequently, the Quraysh anger continued to rise and some of them urged others to take some action. So they went up to Abu Talib once again. They said, “O Abu Talib. You are the eldest among us, and the most honorable. We sought from you to prevent your nephew but you haven’t done anything about it. By God, we shall not hold our peace against him anymore while he ridicules our forefathers, laughs at our ambitions, and denounces our deities. So, we expect you to move out from between us and him until one of us is destroyed.” Having thus warned him they left.

Now, it was hard for Abu Talib to abandon his tribe, but he did not find himself willing to hand over the Prophet to them.

He sent for the Prophet and told him, “My nephew. Your people came to me and told me this and this. So, please be kind upon me and upon yourself. Do not make me bear what I do not have the strength for.” The Prophet felt that that was the beginning with his uncle, and that ultimately he will hand him over to the Quraysh, finding himself weak against their pressures. But he answered him, “My uncle. By Allah, if they placed the sun in my one hand and the moon on the other on condition that I give up this affair or I be destroyed, I am not going to give it up.” His eyes swelled with tears as he started to leave. Abu Talib called him back. When he came closer, he told him, “Go my nephew and say what you wish to, for, by God, I shall never abandon you in favor of anything.”

The above then, writes Sayyid, was the stand of the Prophet against the pagans, when faced with the chance of losing the last fort that had been his refuge.

Another picture is also from Ibn Is-haq. This was in direct contact with the pagans, at a time when persecution of his weak followers was at its peak.

`Utbah b. Rabi`ah, one of the chiefs of the Quraysh, suggested to a group of the Quraysh in the Holy house, while the Prophet sat alone at some distance, “O Quraysh. Should I not go up to Muhammad and offer him things in return of which he will spare criticizing us?” Those were days when Hamzah had just embraced Islam and they could see that the numbers around the Prophet was growing. They told him to go ahead. So `Utbah went up to the Prophet and addressed him thus: “My cousin. You are from a noble family. But you have brought a dreadful thing to your tribe. You have divided their house, destroyed their ambitions, reviled their religion, ridiculed their deities, and have been ungrateful to the fathers of past. So, listen to my offer. May be it will interest you. Listen, if you are aiming to get rich, we shall make you the richest of Arabs. If you are after leadership, we shall declare you one. If you wish kingship, we shall crown you one. On the other hand, if you see that a demon comes to you, we shall get you fully treated.” When he was finished, the Prophet asked him, “Are you through O Abu Waleed? If so, listen to me..” Then he began to recite: “Ha Mim. A sending down from the Kind, the Compassionate. A Book whose verses have been explained – an Arabic recitation for a people who understand; giving good tidings and warning, but most of them turn away, so they hear not. They said, ‘Our hearts are in a covering from what you invite us to; and in our ears there is a heaviness; and there is a veil between us and you. Therefore, keep working, we are also working.’ Say, ‘I am only a human like you, (except that) it has been revealed to me that your God is One God. Therefore, take the straight path to Him and seek His forgiveness. And woe unto those who Associate ..” until he fell into prostration.

`Utbah remained listening to him reclined backwards with his weight on his hands. When he was finished, the Prophet said, “Have you heard O Abu Walid? Well, that’s my answer.” `Utbah went back to his people. As he was advancing, someone remarked, “The man is not coming back with the face he went.” When he joined them he said, “By God, I heard from him what I never heard before. By God, it is not poetry, nor magic, nor soothsaying. O Quraysh, listen to me: leave him alone. By God, what I have heard is a great speech. If he is destroyed by the Arabs, they would have done to him what you wish to do. But if he overcomes them, then you will win the rule (over the people). His honor will be your honor.” They said, “By God, he has cast a magical spell on you.” He said, “This is my opinion. You may do what you wish.”

According to another report, adds Sayyid, when the Prophet reached the verse, “I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt of `Aad and Thamud,” `Utbah placed his hand on the Prophet’s mouth and adjuring by the right of kinship begged him to stop.

In any case, continues Sayyid, we have before us a third incident: The Prophet was going round the Ka`bah when he encountered Aswad b. `Abd al-Muttalib b. Asad, Walid b. al-Mughirah, Umayyah b. Khalaf, `As b. Wa’il al-Sahmi: all chiefs of the Quraysh. They said, “Come on Muhammad. Let us worship what you worship, and, in return you worship what we worship. We can thus meet each other at some point. If there is any good in your deity, we would have taken a share of it; while if there is any good in our deities, you would have got a share of it.” (Of course, the Prophet was not going to make any such ridiculous compromise. Later) it was revealed, “Say, ‘O unbelievers, I do not worship what you worship..’” to the end of the chapter.

Thus, the Prophet remained true to his mission, and rejected all chances of a compromise with those who opposed his mission.

10. Imam Muslim documented the following: عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ قَالَ كَانَ رَجُلٌ يَنْقُلُ الْحَدِيثَ إِلَى الأَمِيرِ فَكُنَّا جُلُوسًا فِى الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ الْقَوْمُ هَذَا مِمَّنْ يَنْقُلُ الْحَدِيثَ إِلَى الأَمِيرِ. قَالَ فَجَاءَ حَتَّى جَلَسَ إِلَيْنَا. فَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- يَقُولُ « لاَ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ قَتَّاتٌ ». (صحيح مسلم) “Someone used to pass on news about the people to the governor. Once we were sitting around when someone said (about a man approaching), ‘This is the man who passes on news to the governor.’ He came and sat down. Hudhayfah said, ‘I have heard the Prophet say, “A backbiter will not enter Paradise” (Au.).

Ahmed has two reports of the same meaning, as also Ibn Majah: عَنْ أَسْمَاءَ بِنْتِ يَزِيدَ الأَنْصَارِيَّةِ قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِخِيَارِكُمْ ». قَالُوا بَلَى. قَالَ « فَخِيَارُكُمُ الَّذِينَ إِذَا رُؤُوا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِشِرَارِكُمْ ». قَالُوا بَلَى. قَالَ « فَشِرَارُكُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ بَيْنَ الأَحِبَّةِ الْمَشَّاءُونَ بِالنَّمِيمَةِ الْبَاغُونَ البُرَآءَ الْعَنَتَ » On the authority of Asma’ bint Yezid, the Prophet said, “May I not inform you of the best of you?” They said, “Please do?” He said, “The best of you are those who, when sighted, remind of Allah. May I not inform you of the worst of you?” They said, “Please do.” He said, “The worst of you are those who create misunderstanding between brothers (in faith); those who carry slander; those who seek to harm the innocent” (Ibn Kathir).

Haythami remarks that except for Shahr b. Hawshab (declared weak by some), the rest of the narrators are trustworthy (Au.).

11. `Utul is a combination of several base qualities: a dry coarse man, gluttonous, an evil preventer of good, a vulgar, meanly and gatherer of wealth, etc. (Sayyid and others).

We have a hadith in this context in the Sahihayn: (عَنْ) ابْنَ وَهْبٍ الْخُزَاعِىَّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِىَّ - صلى الله عليه وسلم - يَقُولُ « أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِأَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ كُلُّ ضَعِيفٍ مُتَضَعِّفٍ لَوْ أَقْسَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ لأَبَرَّهُ ، أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِأَهْلِ النَّارِ كُلُّ عُتُلٍّ جَوَّاظٍ مُسْتَكْبِرٍ » Ibn Wahb said that he heard the Prophet say, “My I not inform you of the inhabitants of Paradise: every weak (person), treated weak, but who, if he swore by Allah, Allah would fulfill his oath. And, may I not inform you of the inhabitants of the Fire: Every violent, gatherer of wealth but stingy, arrogant” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

12. “Zanama” can be explained in two ways. If it is referring to a specific person, then, it has one connotation; but if it is not referring to any specific person, but rather, is of general descriptive nature, then it has another meaning. If it is referring to a specific person, then, he has to be identified. The commentators have not been able to identify him. Some names that are taken are: Walid b. al-Mughira, Akhnas b. Shariq of Thaqif tribe, Aswad b. `Abd Yaghuth the Zuhri, and Abu Jahl. In that case, the meaning is, a man who attributes his lineage to a people of high or noble line without truly belonging to them. It is said that Walid b. al-Mughira was not of the Quraysh tribe, but attributed himself to it to get a share of the honor in which this tribe was held.

But if the reference is not to any individual, then the meaning that the word carries is as stated in an Arabic lexicon: الزنيم الذي له زنمة من الشر يعرف بها كما تعرف الشاة بزنمتها (التبيان في تفسير غريب القرآن) “Zanim is someone who carries a mark of mischief on his person, (and is thus recognized) just as a sheep is recognized by its mark (Au.).

Sa`id b. Jubayr and Hasan adopted this latter meaning. Ibn `Abbas said that the allusion is to a mark the man had on his neck. The word has several other connotations such as, an oppressor, a doubting person, a dry boor, glutton given to eating and drinking, lowly, despised, ignoble, mean, of illegitimate birth, stranger, outsider, etc. (Ibn Jarir).

13. That is, this will be a punishment for him in this world as well as the Hereafter (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). Other, allegorical meanings have also been suggested (Au.).

The word used “khurtum” actually refers to an animal’s nose. And, significantly, it being a sensitive area, a beast is controlled by a rope inserted through its snout (Au.).

14. “Them,” i.e., the Makkans against whom the Prophet prayed so that they were struck with famine for several years (Alusi and others).

15. We do not know what the source of the story was, but it was said by the Salaf that these belonged to the People of the Book whose father was a pious man. When the fruit was plucked he would hand over his homefolk a year’s providence out of it, and spend the rest on the poor. When he died and his children inherited the orchard they said, “Our father was not a clever person. He used to expend on the poor. If we save that portion, it will come handy in future.” When they had firmly decided to act according to their intent, Allah punished them so that, nothing remained: neither the principal, nor the profit, nor the charitable part (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Yusuf Ali adds: “’Why do the wicked flourish?’ is a question asked in all ages. The answer is not simple. It must refer to (1) the choice left to man’s will, (2) his moral responsibility, (3) the need of his tuning his will to Allah’s Will, (4) the patience of Allah, which allows the widest possible chance for the operation of (5) His Mercy, and (6) in the last resort, to the nature of the Punishment, which is not a merely abrupt or arbitrary act, but a long, gradual process, in which there is room for repentance at every stage. All these points are illustrated in the remarkable Parable of the People of the Garden, which also illustrates the greed, selfishness, and heedlessness of man, as well as his tendency to throw the blame on others if he can but think of a scapegoat. All these foibles are shown, but the Mercy of Allah is boundless, and even after the worst sins and punishments, there may be hope of an even better orchard than the one lost, if only the repentance is true, and there is complete surrender to Allah’s Will. But if, in spite of all this, there is no surrender of the will, then, indeed, the punishment in the Hereafter is something incomparably greater than the little calamities in the Parable.”

16. That is, they did not say, “Allah willing” (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and others).

Another possible meaning is that, “they would not separate out a part (for the poor)” – Shafee` from Mazhari.

17. That is, a chastisement descending down from their Lord manifested through a storm (Au.).

18. Another connotation of “sarim” is “a dark patch of night.” That is, shred of the leaves, the garden looked like a dark patch of night (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

19. Or, confident in their ability to act according to their resolve (Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and others: Ibn Jarir).

20. That is, “we have perhaps arrived at the wrong place” (Ibn Kathir).

21. That is, when they felt convinced that it was their own orchard, they uttered these words (Zamakhshari).

22. This is how Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and others understood it (Ibn Jarir).

23. That is, do not blame Allah, but rather glorify Him and seek forgiveness for your wrong intention (Qurtubi).

It has been said that it was this same judicious man who had told them to say “Allah willing,” and who, when his brothers decided on not giving the zakah, had warned them that they might face chastisement if they would not repent for their determination to hold back the zakah. It was the same man now who, after seeing the punishment, reminded them that he had warned them earlier (Razi).

24. Were they Muslim? We do not know. When Qatadah was asked whether they were believers or unbelievers, he answered, “You have placed a heavy responsibility on me” (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi).

25. Bayhaqi has documented a report of this context: عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ : أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- نَهَى عَنِ الْجَدَادِ بِاللَّيْلِ ، وَالْحَصادِ بِاللَّيْلِ. قَالَ جَعْفَرٌ : أُرَاهُ مِنْ أَجْلِ الْمَسَاكِينِ. (سنن البيهقى) “The Prophet prohibited plucking and reaping at night.”

One of the narrators, Ja`far remarked that the prohibition is perhaps because of the poor (who might be deprived) – Ibn Kathir.

The above report could not be checked for its authenticity (Au.).