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Chapter 96

The Clinging Massal-ʿAlaq ( العلق )

19 verses • revealed at Meccan

»The surah that contains the first revealed verses of the Quran, reminding the human being of The Clinging Mass, a stage that reflects the miracle of human creation in the womb of the mother. The surah is also known by the first Quranic instruction: Read. It is named after “the clining mass” (ʿalaq) mentioned in verse 2. The first five verses are known to be the first revelation of the Quran when the Prophet Muḥammad was instructed to read. The second part came later to show that man transgresses when he becomes self-satisfied.«

The surah is also known as Clots of Blood, Proclaim, Read, Recite, The Blood-clot, The Clinging Clot, The Clinging Form, The Clot, The Embryo

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ

Mir Ahmed Ali: In the name of God,, the Beneficent,, the Merciful

1
اقرَأ بِاسمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذي خَلَقَ

Mir Ahmed Ali

Read1 thou! (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) In the name of thy Lord Who created (Every thing in the Universe).
  • The popular report of the commentators is that this sura or the first five verses of it were the first revelations received by the Holy Prophet through the Messenger Angel Gabriel in the cave of Hira. Formerly the Holy Prophet used to receive the communion through dreams and the voices while he was alone in lonely places and did not see the speaker.
    In the fortieth year of his life on the 27th night of the month Rajab when the Holy Prophet was busy in his meditation and prayers in the cave on the Mount Hira, in deep silence and the calm atmosphere, all of a sudden he heard a voice calling him by name and a flood of light broke in upon him with dazzling splendour. He composedly beheld a human form approaching. It was the Messenger Angel Gabriel, who, coming quite near, held a silken scroll before him and asked him to read what was written thereon. He felt his mind fully illumined with the Divine Light and his eyes were opened to the writing on the scroll and he recited the first five verses of this Sura. When he had finished the recitation, the Angel announced “O’ Muhammad! verily thou art the Apostle of God and I am His Angel Gabriel!” The address with the designation was the signal to start the ministry. The Angel saying this disappeared. Besides the Holy Prophet getting charged with the reading of the Word of God, his memory was divinely conditioned with retention and what he recited only once, before the Angel, remained graven on his heart. Returning home the Holy Prophet who was now to start his mission as the Apostle of God, preaching the Gospel of the divine Unity and inviting the erring humanity to the right path of worshipping none but the One and the only True God, the Creater Lord of the Universe, and to mould the human life according to the divinely prescribed code of morals, he first informed his righteous wife Khadija of his receiving the heavenly commission and his being charged with the ministry. Khadija immediately believed in what the Holy Prophet said and along with Khadija the young Ali was the first to join the Holy Prophet in the faith. Thus these two were the first followers of the Last Apostle of the Lord.
    The story of the Holy Prophet getting fright-stricken, returning home trembling, Khadija consoling him, his being taken like a frightened child to be consoled by Waraqa bin Naufil, are all mere stories of some Jewish fabrications against the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet says “I was the Apostle of God when Adam was still amidst water and the clay”. Besides the one who was destined to be the Last Apostle or the Final Warner and his advent was prophesied in all the ancient scriptures, could never have been in the least perturbed at meeting the Angel. All such stories about the personality of the Holy Prophet are fabricated with such dramatic art that even many among the Muslims have been deluded, to themselves relate them. The word ‘Iqra’ means, Read, Recite or Proclaim.
    Now the Holy Prophet was in direct communion with God through the Messenger Angel Gabriel, charged with the open declaration of his ministry to mankind as a whole.
    Note: God is introduced to Man, first with His attribute of ‘Ruboobiyat’, i.e., Fostering. A Fosterer continues his careful patronage until the person attains the ability to manage his own affairs and reaches the goal of his life. Therefore God’s care is always with man until he attains salvation.
    It is also announced to man that His Creator is none hut God, Who being the ‘Rab’ did not create him and left him to himself but takes care of him.
    ’Rab’ has been mentioned in relation to the Holy Prophet. Since the Rab, is the ‘Rab’ of one and all in the universe, the Holy Prophet is a representative not only of mankind but the Creation of God, as a whole.
    Now the messages which were conveyed through the previous apostles were meant for the particular units of the human race and for the particular ages (Math. 15:22-26). But the message now given to the Holy Prophet, is a Universal Message for the human race as a whole, in every part of the globe and for all times. He, the Holy Prophet, is the Vicegerent of God on earth and it was this fact that was announced to the angels when God willed to create Adam that He intended to appoint a Vicegerent of His, in the earth (See 2:30). The vicegerent mentioned by God, was not Adam but the one, God intended to create in the seed of Adam, i.e., the Holy Prophet Muhammad whom He willed to be the Guide for the human race as a whole (See 4:79; 34:28 and as His Mercy for the worlds. See 33:48; 34:28).
    Rnv. 87:1. According to M.B. the particle ‘Ba’ here is superfluous—thus the actual meaning would be ‘Read the name of thy Lord’ and not ‘Read in the name of thy Lord’ then the meaning would be the same as given in verse 17:110.
    The first five verses of this Chapter, are generally considered to be the first part of Qur’an revealed to the Holy Prophet. There are several stories about the way and manner which the Angel Gabriel brought these verses and the Holy Prophet’s reaction to the first appearance of Gabriel with the revelation, including reference to Waraqa ibne Naufil—and his giving assurance to the Holy Prophet or to Khadija that what was experienced was certainly divine are the mixture of some facts with wishful imagination of those who were far from appreciating the Holy Prophet’s communion with God or the angels. The description of the Holy Prophet’s life from his birth up to the age of forty when he was commissioned to deliver the last Word of God to mankind, given briefly by Ali, mentioned in Nahjul-Balaaghah, discredits all these stories. The Holy Prophet was under the divine care, being taught and trained, since his birth he was fully alive to the task of the ministry which awaited him, blest with Divine Light and guidance in all aspects of his life. Not only the Holy Prophet was aware of the whole situation, even the young disciple Ali who used to follow the footsteps of the Holy Prophet, since his birth, would experience the light of revelation and would sense the task which his Master was about to he commissioned with. There was no question of the Holy Prophet being surprised, fearing or doubting or shivering or in need of Khadija’s or Waraqa’s consolation or certification. The very verses itself ‘Iqra’ implies that he was in the Know of all the names of God and that they implied the various aspects by the creation and legislation. In short, he was in the Know of the Book of God. He was just ordered to read. Otherwise it is not reasonable to order a person who cannot read, to read. Rnv. 20:114—75:16-19. In the third verse again repeats the order to read—and in verses 4 and 5 expressively says that God has taught by the means of the divines, Pen—taught wan whatever he did not know, and if this is read with 55:1-4, it becomes clear that the person who was sent to represent the universal grace (as the Rahmatun lil-Aalameen) for all the worlds was already taught by Rahman simultaneously with his creation.
    Thus ‘Be’that’ or ‘Be’sat’ does not mean the beginning of his prophethood—but it means the beginning of his ministry. Otherwise he was the prophet when Adam was yet to be made. (A.P.)