Tafsir of Al-Qalam 68:51-52

"And indeed, those who disbelieve would almost..."

• "An" (that): It is the lightened form of the heavy anna, and the lam is its indicator.
• "Layuzliqunaka" (they would make you slip): Read with both a damma and a fatha on the ya. Zalaqa and azlaqa carry the same meaning. It is said: "He shaved his head" (zalaqa al-ra's) and "he shaved it" (azlaqahu).
• "Layuzliqunaka" (variant): Read as layuzhiqūnaka (they would destroy you), from the phrase "his soul perished" (zahaqat nafsuhu) and "he caused it to perish" (azhaqaha).
• The Meaning: Because of the intensity of their staring and their looking at you askance with eyes of enmity and hatred, they almost make your foot slip. It is like the saying, "He looked at me with a look that almost ate me," meaning: if he could have wrestled me or eaten me with his gaze, he would have done so. As the poet said:

  They exchange glances when they meet in a place, A look that causes the very footing of feet to slip.

• The Evil Eye: The "evil eye" was prevalent among the Banu Asad. A man among them would go three days without eating, then pass by a camel and say, "I have never seen a day like today in terms of its beauty," and it would immediately be afflicted by his eye. Some of these "eye-afflicters" intended to say the same about the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), but Allah protected him, and he said, "I have never seen a man like today."
• The Remedy: Al-Hasan said: The cure for being afflicted by the evil eye is to recite this verse.

"When they hear the Reminder..."

• "When they hear": Meaning the Qur'an, they cannot control themselves out of envy for the Prophethood you have been given.
• "And they say, 'Indeed, he is mad'": This is out of confusion regarding his affair and to drive people away from him, even though they know he is the most rational among them. The meaning is: they called him mad because of the Qur'an.
• "And it is not but a Reminder to the worlds": How could he be mad because of something like this?

Hadith: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever recites Surah al-Qalam, Allah will grant him the reward of those whose character He has perfected."