| 1) Read in the name of your Lord who created, 2) created man from a clinging form. 3) Read! Your Lord is the Most Generous, 4) who taught by means of the pen; 5) taught man what he did not know. |
This was the first chapter to be revealed to the Messenger of Allah (SAW), it was revealed at the beginning of his Prophethood when he “knew not what the Book was nor what faith was.”[1 ] Jibril came to him with the message and commanded him to recite. He said that he could not because he was illiterate. Jibril kept asking him until he began to recite,[2] “Read in the name of your Lord who created,” all creation. Then He specifically mentions man and the beginning of his creation, “created man from a clinging form.” The One who created man, undertaking the task of regulating his affairs, must regulate them through prescription and proscription. This is done by sending Messengers and revealing Scripture, and this is the reason why the creation of man has been mentioned after the command to recite. “Read! Your Lord is the Most Generous,” having many Attributes, beneficent and munificent, and extremely generous. Because of this, He taught man knowledge, “who taught by means of the pen; taught man what he did not know,” Allah took him out of his mother's womb not knowing anything, gave him the faculties of hearing and seeing, gave him a heart, and made easy the route to learning for him. He taught him the Qur’an and wisdom, and He taught him the use of the pen through which these sciences are preserved and duties and rights are precisely recorded.
To Allah belongs all praise and grace, who blessed His servants with all these favours for which they can never show due gratitude or repay. Then, additionally, He blessed them by conferring them with wealth and provision.
| 6) No indeed! Truly man is inordinate, 7) thinking himself self-sufficient! 8) Truly, to your Lord is the Return. 9) Have you seen him who prevents 10) a servant when he prays? 11) Do you think he is rightly guided 12) or enjoins mindfulness of Allah? 13) Do you see how he has denied and turned away? 14) Does he not know that Allah sees all? |
Yet man – because of his ignorance and oppression – when he thinks himself to be wealthy and self-sufficient, transgresses and turns away from guidance and forgets that “truly to your Lord is the Return,” and does not fear the recompense. He could indeed reach such a state that he willingly leaves guidance and calls others to leave it as well, prohibiting man from performing the best actions of faith: prayer. Allah says to such a rebellious, insubordinate hinderer, “Have you seen him who prevents a servant when he prays? Do you think,” O you who would prohibit the servant from praying the one who is praying “is rightly guided,” i.e. knows the truth and acts by it “or enjoins” others with “mindfulness of Allah?” How can one prohibit a person who has such qualities? Is not his prohibiting one of the greatest manifestations of turning away from Allah and fighting the truth? Prohibitions like this should only be directed to a person who is not upon guidance or enjoins other people to do things that oppose the dictates of taqwa. “Do you see how he” the one who prohibits from the truth “has denied and turned away” from the command. Does he not fear Allah and dread His punishment? “Does he not know that Allah sees all” that he does?
| 15) No indeed! If he does not desist, We will seize him by the forelock – 16) a lying, sinful forelock! 17) Let him call his henchmen, 18) We will call the guards of Hell! 19) No indeed, do not obey him, but prostrate and draw near (to Allah). |
Allah proceeds to threaten those who persists in such a state, “No indeed! If he does not desist,” from what he says and does “We will seize him by the forelock,” forcibly, harshly as is befitting “a lying,” in what it says “sinful” in what it does “forelock! Let him” who is deserving of this punishment “call his henchmen,” his companions and friends, and those around him to help him out of his predicament. “We will call the guards of Hell,” to seize him and torment him. Carefully consider which of the two groups is mightier and more able! This then is the state of this prohibiter and the punishment he is threatened with. As for the one who is being prohibited, Allah orders him never to lend ear to such a person, “No indeed, do not obey him,” for he commands only to that which will bring loss and anguish “but prostrate,” to your Lord “and draw near,” to Allah in prostration and outside of prostration by performing all the various duties of obedience: all of them draw one closer to Him and His good-pleasure. This is general to every prohibiter and every person prohibited even though the specific occasion of revelation concerned Abu Jahl when he prohibited the Messenger of Allah (SAW) from praying and tormented him and harmed him.
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