Surah Al-Qalam (The Pen)

It has fifty-two verses and was revealed in Mecca.

{ Nūn, wa-l-qalami wa-mā yasṭurūn }

(Nūn. By the pen and what they inscribe,)

Al-Qalam (The Pen): (1) Nūn, by the pen and what they inscribe.

Issue 1: The Meaning of "Nūn"

There are several opinions regarding the meaning of the letter Nūn (ن) in this oath. We have discussed the general interpretations in the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah. The specific interpretations unique to this passage are:

1. The Fish (Whale): This is the view narrated from Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Muqatil, and Al-Suddi.
   • Some among them said it is an oath by the whale upon whose back the Earth rests, located in a sea beneath the lowest earth.
   • Others said it is an oath by the whale that held Jonah (peace be upon him) in its belly.
   • A third group said it is an oath by the whale whose blood stained Nimrod's arrow.

2. The Inkwell (Dawaat): This view is also narrated from Ibn Abbas and is the preferred view of Al-Dahhak, Al-Hasan, and Qatadah.
   • The rationale is that the inkwell and the pen are highly beneficial because writing enables communication, which sometimes occurs through speech and sometimes through writing.
   • Poetry is cited to support this:

     When longing brings me back to them, The inkwell cast forth flowing tears.

3. The Tablet (Lawh): This is narrated by Mu'awiyah ibn Qurrah, raised to the Prophet (PBUH). It refers to the tablet upon which the angels write what God commands them.

4. The Ink (Midad): This is the ink used by the angels for writing.

Critique of these four views: These interpretations are weak. If "Nūn" is taken as an indefinite noun being sworn by (e.g., a fish or an inkwell), it should be indefinite in the oath (e.g., wa-hūtin or wa-dāwātin). If it is a proper noun, it should be declined or remain indeclinable/open (if treated as non-diptote).

5. The Last Letter of Al-Raḥmān: This view suggests that Nūn is the final letter of the name Al-Raḥmān (The Most Merciful). God mentions this final letter to signify an oath by the entire name, intending to swear by the complete name Al-Raḥmān.
   • Critique: This is also weak because accepting it opens the door to esoteric interpretations (tarhāt al-bāṭiniyyah).
   • The Correct View: The letter must either be the name of the Surah itself, or the purpose is Taḥaddī (challenging the disbelievers), or one of the general interpretations mentioned at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah.

Issue 2: Recitation of "Nūn" (Pronunciation)

The reciters (Qurrā') differ on whether to pronounce the Nūn clearly or conceal it in the phrase Nūn wa-l-qalam (ن وَالْقَلَم).

• Clear Pronunciation (Iẓhār): Those who pronounce it clearly intend to pause on it. Since it is treated as a paused word, it is considered separate from the following word (wa-l-qalam). When separated, clarity is necessary because concealment (Ikhfā') only occurs when letters are connected within the mouth.
• Concealment (Ikhfā'): The rationale for concealment is that the hamzat al-waṣl (connecting hamza) is not cut off when these letters are connected, as seen in Alif Lām Mīm (الم) or when counting: wāḥid, ithnān. Since the hamza is not cut off, it implies connection, and when connected, the Nūn is concealed. This has been previously discussed regarding Ṭā Sīn (طس) and Yā Sīn (يس).
• Al-Farrā’s View: He preferred clear pronunciation because the letter is an isolated spelling (hijā’), and isolated spellings are treated as paused, even if connected.

The Oath by "The Pen" (وَالْقَلَم)

There are two main opinions regarding the object of the oath by the pen:

1. The General Category: The oath refers to the genus of all pens used for writing by everyone in the heavens and on earth.
   • This is supported by the subsequent verses in Surah Al-'Alaq: "Who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not." God granted the ability to write by the pen just as He granted the ability to speak: "He created man, taught him expression."
   • The benefit of the pen is that it allows the absent to be treated as the present, enabling one to convey to the distant what one can convey by speech to the near.

2. The Specific Pen: The oath refers to the specific Pen mentioned in traditions, which is said to be the first thing God created.
   • Ibn Abbas narrated that God first created the Pen and commanded it: "Write what is to occur until the Hour." So it wrote everything that would happen, including appointments and deeds, until the Day of Judgment. It was a pen of light, its length spanning from heaven to earth.
   • Mujahid narrated from him that the Pen was first created and told: "Write the Decree (Qadar)," and it wrote all that would happen until the Day of Resurrection, meaning people follow a predetermined matter.
   • Al-Qadi's Interpretation: This narration must be understood metaphorically. A physical instrument used for writing cannot be alive, accountable, or subject to command and prohibition; combining these attributes is impossible. Rather, it means God executed everything that would occur through it, similar to His saying: "When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is," where there is no actual command or prohibition, but merely the execution of power upon the decreed without resistance.
   • Alternative View: Some claimed the Pen mentioned here is the Intellect (Al-'Aql), which is the origin of all creation. They cite traditions stating the Pen was first created, and other traditions stating God first created a jewel, looked at it with awe, causing it to melt and heat up, producing smoke and foam. From the smoke, the heavens were created, and from the foam, the earth. They argue that these traditions collectively indicate that the Pen, the Intellect, and that original jewel are one and the same, otherwise contradiction arises.

The Oath by "What They Inscribe" (وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ)

The word mā (مَا) combined with the following verb can be interpreted in two ways:

1. As a Verbal Noun (Maṣdar): It means "and their inscribing" (وَسَطْرُهُمْ). In this case, the oath is upon the act of writing itself.
   • If we take the Pen (Al-Qalam) to mean all pens in creation, the meaning is clear: an oath by every pen and everything written by every pen.
   • Alternatively, it could mean what the recording angels (Ḥafaza and Kirām Kātibīn) inscribe.

2. As a Relative Pronoun (Mā): It means "that which they inscribe."
   • If we take the Pen to mean all pens, this refers to what is written by them.
   • If we take the Pen to mean the Specific Pen (the first creation), then "what they inscribe" (وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ) could refer to what is inscribed in it (i.e., the Preserved Tablet, Al-Lawḥ Al-Maḥfūẓ). The plural form "they inscribe" (يَسْطُرُونَ) is used for glorification (Taʿẓīm), or it refers to the things inscribed therein: deeds, lifespans, and all matters occurring until the Day of Resurrection.
   • Another possibility is that "The Pen" refers to its users (the scribes), and the pronoun in yasṭurūn refers back to them, meaning: "and the people of the pen and their inscription," i.e., their writings.

The Response to the Oath

After mentioning what He swears by, God follows it with the subject of the oath: