Tafsir of Al-`Alaq 96:9-10

This mentions some of the manifestations of tyranny and a threat against it.

The exegetes do not differ, as Ibn Atiyyah stated, that the "servant who prays" is the Messenger of Allah (may Allah exalt his mention and grant him peace), and the one who forbids is the accursed Abu Jahl. Ahmad, Muslim, al-Nasa'i, and others narrated from Abu Hurayrah that Abu Jahl swore by al-Lat and al-Uzza that if he saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah exalt his mention and grant him peace) praying, he would trample upon his neck and rub his face in the dust. He came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) while he was praying to carry this out, but they were suddenly surprised as he recoiled on his heels and protected himself with his hands. It was said to him, "What is the matter with you?" He replied, "Indeed, there is between me and him a trench of fire, terror, and wings." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah exalt his mention and grant him peace) then said, "If he had drawn near to me, the angels would have snatched him limb by limb." Then Allah the Exalted revealed: {Nay! Indeed, man...} until the end of the Surah.

The statement of al-Hasan that it was Umayyah ibn Khalaf who forbade Salman from praying is hardly authentic, because there is no disagreement that the conversion of Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) took place in Medina after the Hijrah, just as there is no disagreement that this Surah is Meccan. Yes, the ruling of the verse is general; so if what was narrated regarding Umayyah occurred, then the ruling encompasses him.

The prayer referred to by the verse was—according to what Abu Hayyan narrated—the Dhuhr (noon) prayer. He also narrated that it was performed in congregation, and it was the first congregation established in Islam. With him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) were Abu Bakr and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both). Abu Talib passed by with his son Ja'far and said to him, "O my son, join your cousin's wing." He departed rejoicing and began to recite:

Indeed, Ali and Ja'far are my reliance At the time of calamities and distress. By Allah, I will not forsake the Prophet, And he who is of my lineage shall not forsake him. Help your cousin, the son of my mother Among them, and my father.

This narrative is subject to scrutiny because prayer was obligated on the night of the Isra' (Night Journey) without dispute. Ibn Hazm claimed a consensus that this was one year before the Hijrah. Ibn Faris asserted that it was one year and three months before it, and al-Suddi said one year and five months. The death of Abu Talib occurred about three years before the Hijrah, because it was three years—or, as it is said, five days—before the death of Khadijah, and her death occurred ten years after the mission (Bi'thah) according to the most correct opinion. Thus, Abu Talib did not witness the obligation of prayer according to this timeline. Yes, Qadi Iyad narrated from al-Zuhri—a view favored by al-Nawawi and al-Qurtubi—that the Isra' took place five years after the mission, but this view has been subjected to criticism, so it should be consulted.

"Forbidding" (al-nahy) is said to mean prevention (al-man'), and it is expressed as such to signify the accursed one's lack of actual power to do so. In some reports, there is evidence that a verbal prohibition occurred. Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi (who classified it as authentic), and others narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: The Prophet (may Allah exalt his mention and grant him peace) was praying when Abu Jahl came and said, "Have I not forbidden you from this? Have I not forbidden you from this?"

The use of an expression denoting the future (in the Arabic verb tense) is to bring the past event to mind due to its strangeness. The "seeing" (ra'ayta) is said to be cognitive, and likewise in the saying of the Exalted: [Here the text remains incomplete].