Tafsir of Al-`Alaq 96:15

"Nay! If he does not desist..."

(Nay) is a deterrence to the accursed prohibitor and a rebuke for him. The lam in His saying "If he does not desist" is a muwatti'ah (preparatory particle) for an oath; meaning: By Allah, if he does not desist from what he is upon and does not restrain himself, "We will surely seize him by the forelock" (l-na'sa'an bi-l-nasiyah).

This means: We will surely seize him by his forelock and drag him by it into the Fire on the Day of Resurrection. Regarding al-saf', Al-Mubarrad said: It is pulling with force; "he seized the forelock of his horse" means he pulled it. ‘Amr ibn Ma’dikarib said: "A people whom, when the clamor rises, I see among them one bridling his horse or dragging it by its forelock." Mu’arrij said: Al-saf’ is taking [or grabbing] in the dialect of the Quraysh. The nasiyah (forelock) is the hair of the forehead, and it is also applied to the place where that hair grows. The al- (definite article) here is for reference (al-‘ahd), and it suffices in place of a genitive construction; this is the meaning of it being a substitute for the mudaf ilayh (genitive noun) in such instances. The speech is a metonymy for dragging him into the Fire. As for the statement of Abu Hayyan that He expressed the entirety of the person through the forelock, the weakness of that position is not hidden.

It has been said: The meaning is that We shall drag him upon his face in this world on the day of Badr. In this lies a glad tiding that the Exalted Almighty would empower the Muslims over his forelock so that they might drag him if he did not desist—and the Almighty has indeed done so. It is narrated that when Surah Ar-Rahman was revealed, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Who will recite it before the leaders of the Quraysh?" Ibn Mas’ud stood up and said: "I will, O Messenger of Allah." He did not grant him permission due to his perceived weakness and small stature, until he said it three times, and each time Ibn Mas’ud replied: "I will, O Messenger of Allah." Then he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) granted him permission.

He went to them while they were gathered around the Ka’bah and began to recite. Abu Jahl stood up, struck him in the face, and tore his ear. He returned with his eyes shedding tears, then Gabriel (peace be upon him) descended laughing. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked him about that, and he said: "You shall know." When the day of Badr arrived, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Seek out Abu Jahl among the slain." Ibn Mas’ud saw him struck down, gasping. He climbed upon his chest, and when he opened his eyes and recognized him, he said: "You have climbed a difficult height, O little shepherd of sheep." Ibn Mas’ud replied: "Islam rises and is not risen over." He labored to cut off his head, and the accursed one said: "Take it and cut it with my sword." He cut it off but could not carry it, so he tore his ear, put a string through it, and began dragging it until he brought it to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Gabriel (peace be upon him) came down laughing and saying: "O Messenger of Allah, an ear for an ear, and the head is extra."

It is as if the forelock was singled out for mention because the accursed one was extremely concerned with grooming and perfuming it, or because seizing it by the forelock is the ultimate humiliation for the Arabs, as it only occurs with excessive control and subjugation, and because that is their custom with beasts.

Mahbub and Harun both narrated from Abu ‘Amr to read la-nasfa'anna with a doubled nun (emphatic). Ibn Mas’ud read la-asfa'anna likewise, with the verb attributed to the first-person singular alone. The light nun (at the end of the word in the majority reading) was written as an alif in the orthography of the majority, in consideration of the state of pausing, for one pauses upon it with an alif by way of comparison to tanwin. The rules of writing are based on the states of pausing and beginning [a sentence]. An example of this is His saying: "And whatever you wish from it, Fazara shall forbid," and His saying: "The ignorant one deems it [to be something], as long as he does not know."