96- Surat Al-Alaq/Tafseer
19 Verses Meccan (revealed in Mecca)
A'auzu Bellahi mena alshaiytani alrajeem
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Besmi Ellahi Alrhmani Alraheem
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Eqra' besmi Rabbika allazi khalaq (1).
Read in the Name of Your Lord who created.
Khalaqa alinsana men alaq (2).
He created man from a clinging blood.
Eqra' wa Rabbuka Al-Akram (3).
Read, and Your Lord is the Most Generous.
Allazi allama bel-qalam (4).
Who taught by the pen.
Allama alinsana ma lam ya'lam (5).
He taught man what he did not know.
Kalla inna alinsana la-yatgha (6).
Nay! indeed, man transgresses.
An ra-ahu estaghna (7).
Because he sees himself free of need.
Inna ila Rabbika alruj'a (8).
Indeed, to Your Lord is the return.
Ara-ayta allazi yanha (9).
Have you seen he who forbids?.
Abdan iza salla (10).
A servant when he prays?.
Ara-ayta in kana ala alhuda (11).
Have you seen if he is upon the guidance?.
Aww amara bel-taqwa (12).
Or enjoins righteousness.
Ara-ayta in kazzaba wa tawalla (13).
Have you seen if he denies and turns away?.
Alam ya'lam bi-anna Allaha yara (14).
Does he not know that Allah sees.
Kalla la-in lam yantahi la-nsfa'an bel-nasiyah (15).
Nay! If he does not desist, We will surely drag by the forelock.
Nasiyatin kazebatin khate-ah (16).
A lying, sinful forelock.
Fal-yad-ou nadiyah (17).
Then Let him call his associates.
Sa-nad-ou alzabaniyah (18).
We will call the Angels of Hell.
Kalla la tute-hu wa-sjud wa eqtarib ۩ (19).
Nay! Do not obey him, but Prostrate, and Draw near.
۩- Prostration of recitation.
Simplified interpretation:
Surat Alalaq is the first revelation that was sent down to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by Gabriel (the Angel), as Ayisha, May Allah be pleased with her, reported that the commencement of the Divine inspiration to Allah's Messenger was in the form of true dreams, The Angel came to Him and said: {Read in the Name of Your Lord who created, He created man from a clinging blood, Read, and Your Lord is the Most Generous}.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) began to like seclusion, and He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hiraa where He used to worship Allah till one day Gabriel came to Him and asked Him to read, Allah's Messenger replied: I do not know how to read, He asked the prophet to read thrice, and the prophet replied the same answer, and every time Gabriel held the Prophet and pressed him so hard that he felt distressed. Then Gabriel released the Prophet and said: Read with the name of your Lord who created up to the fifth verse of the current Surah.
Allah described the Prophet (PBUH) in Surat Ala'raf Aya (157) saying "The illiterate Prophet", and said in Surat Aljumu'ah Aya (2) {It is He who has sent among the illiterate a Messenger from among themselves}. Although He (PBUH) was illiterate, neither writes nor reads, but His illiteracy was a miraculousness and a proof of the truthfulness of His prophecy.
Surat Al-Alaq is one of the four Surahs that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) commanded Mu'adh bin Jabal to recite when he leads people in the prayer (Imam) in order not to prolong the prayer, as Jabir bin Abdullah reported: "Mu'adh bin Jabal Al-Ansari led his companions in Ishaa prayer (Evening prayer) and prolonged it for them. A person separated himself from us and prayed alone, Mu'adh was informed of this, and he remarked that he was a hypocrite, when his saying was conveyed to the man, he went to Allah's Messenger (PBUH) and informed Him of what Mu'adh had said, upon this Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said to him Do you want to be a person putting people to trial?, when you lead people in prayer Recite {Wa alshamsi wa duhaha: By the sun and its brightness, Surat Alshams}, {Sabehi esma Rabbika al-a'la: Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High, Surat Al-A'la}, {Eqra'a besmi Rabbika allazi khalaq: Read in the Name of Your Lord who created, the current Surah}, and {Wa al-laili iza yaghsha: By the night when it covers, Surat Al-Lail}" (Sahih Muslim 465 b).
The first five verses informs about the Generosity of Allah upon mankind, where He created man from a clinging blood (clot), and taught him by the pen what he did not know. By pen Allah Almighty brought man out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of knowledge, so it is a great generosity and favor from Allah upon His servants, and without it the affairs of religion and world would not be straightened.
It was said that man in the fifth verse came in general, but there are who said that it refers to Adam peace be upon Him as the first man to be created, while others said that man refers to the Prophet Muhammad where Allah Almighty, says in Surat Alnisa' Aya (113) {And Allah has sent down to You the Book and the wisdom and has taught You what You did not know}.
Allah Almighty says in the next three verses (6-8) "Nay! Indeed, man transgresses, because he sees himself free of need, indeed, to Your Lord is the return", that is, Allah threatened whoever sees himself self-sufficient and thinks that himself is free of need of anyone, so Allah assures that he crossed the limits, disbelieved in Allah, and became arrogant to Him, so Allah assures him that his return is to Allah on the day of resurrection, and hence he will taste the painful punishment that he cannot bear in the Hereafter .
Allah Almighty says in the next two verses (9,10) "Have you seen he who forbids?, a servant when he prays?", that is, these two verses were revealed in Abu Jahl, where he said in narration of Abu Hurayrah "If I were to see Muhammad places on the ground, I would trample His neck or I would smear His face with dust, and when the prophet (PBUH) heard of that, He said "if he were to come near Me, the Angels would have torn him to pieces (Sahih Muslim 2797).
Allah Almighty says in the next four verses (11-14) "Have you seen if he is upon the guidance?, Or enjoins righteousness, Have you seen if he denies and turns away?, Does he not know that Allah sees", that is, Allah says to the one who prevents from the way of Allah Have you seen if this servant who is praying is on the straight path, or enjoins righteousness?, and you denied and turned away from faith, Does you not know that Allah sees what you do?.
Allah Almighty says in the next four verses (15-18) "Nay! If he does not desist, We will surely drag by the forelock, a lying, sinful forelock, then Let him call his associates, We will call the Angels of Hell", that is, Allah threatened the one who prevents from the way of Allah saying that if he does not desist, Allah will drag him with his lying and sinful forelock, and he will be thrown into hellfire by the Angels of Hellfire "Jahanam", and then his family and his clan will not benefit him even if he called them Ayat.
Allah Almighty says in the last verse (19) "Nay! Do not obey him, but Prostrate, and Draw near", that is, Allah commanded His Messenger (PBUH) to continue His prayer, and to prostrate Himself, and then He will be near to Allah, and the Prophet (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "The nearest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so Increase supplication i.e.in prostration" (Sahih Muslim 482).