Sūrat al-ʿAlaq

Meccan. Its verses are 19. (It is the first of the Qurʾān to be revealed.)

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Ibn ʿAbbās and Mujāhid said: This is the first Sūrah to be revealed (though most exegetes hold that al-Fātiḥah was the first, followed by al-Qalam).

The grammatical position of {in the name of your Lord}: It is in the accusative case as a state (ḥāl). That is: "Read, commencing with the name of your Lord." Say: "In the name of Allah," then read.

If you ask: Why did He say {He created} without mentioning an object, then later say {He created man}? I say: There are two possibilities:

1. That no object is intended, meaning He is the One from whom the act of creation proceeds, and He is unique in it, with no creator besides Him.
2. That an object is implied, meaning "He created everything." It thus encompasses every created thing, for it is absolute, and no specific creature is more entitled to be the implied object than another.

As for His saying {He created man}, it is a specification of man from among all that is encompassed by "creation," because the revelation is sent to him, and he is the most noble being on earth. It is also possible that it means: "He who created man," as in: {The Most Merciful * Taught the Qur’an * Created man} (55:1-3). It was said {He who created} in an indefinite manner, then explained it by saying {He created man} to magnify the creation of man and to indicate the wonder of his constitution.

If you ask: Why did He say {from ʿalaq (clots)} in the plural, when man is created from a single ʿalaqah (clot), as in His saying: {from a drop, then from a clot} (40:67)? I say: Because "man" here carries the meaning of a collective, as in His saying: {Indeed, mankind is in loss} (103:2).

{The Most Generous}: He who possesses perfection in the excess of His generosity over all other generosity. He bestows upon His servants countless blessings, and He is forbearing toward them, not hastening their punishment despite their disbelief, their denial of His favors, their commission of forbidden acts, and their abandonment of His commands. He accepts their repentance and overlooks their sins even after they have committed grave offenses. There is no limit or end to His generosity. It is as if there is no generosity beyond the generosity of imparting scientific benefits, for He said: {The Most Generous * Who taught by the pen * Taught man that which he knew not}. This indicates the perfection of His generosity: that He taught His servants what they did not know and moved them from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge.

He draws attention to the virtue of the art of writing, for it contains immense benefits that none can encompass but He. Sciences would not have been recorded, wisdom would not have been preserved, the accounts of the ancients and their sayings would not have been captured, and the revealed books of Allah would not have been written down except through writing. Were it not for it, the affairs of religion and the world would not be upright. If there were no other evidence for the subtle wisdom and delicate management of Allah, the matter of the pen and the script would suffice.

Some have said regarding the description of the pen: They are spotted scribes, like vipers, Short-stepped, yet reaching the furthest goal. Black-legged; their movement is only found When white blades (knives) play upon them.

Ibn al-Zubayr recited: "Taught the script by the pen."

{No! Indeed, mankind transgresses * Because he sees himself self-sufficient * Indeed, to your Lord is the return * Have you seen the one who forbids * A servant when he prays? * Have you seen if he is upon guidance * Or enjoins righteousness? * Have you seen if he denies and turns away? * Does he not know that Allah sees? * No! If he does not desist, We will surely drag him by the forelock * A lying, sinning forelock * Then let him call his associates * We will call the angels of punishment * No! Do not obey him. But prostrate and draw near.}