B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m
Teachings of the Qur'aan
Al-`Alaq
Soorah 95
Name and Background
Ayub A. Hamid
The name of the Soorah is taken from the second verse,
implying "the Soorah in which Al-'Alaq has been mentioned." 'Alaq is the plural
of 'Alaqah, which means a clot that sticks together and/or clings. The word is
commonly used for blood clot that is wet and sticky (that clings). It is also
used for leeches that cling and suck blood. In this Soorah, it has been used
for zygote, the cell created by the sticking together (fusion) of an ovum (egg)
and a spermatozoon (sperm), which clings to the uterine wall.
This is the companion soorah of At-Teen, which reminded
people that Allaah's messengers were sent as superb examples of excellence in
order to help people reach their full potential to excel and earn unending
reward, and that those who rejected the messengers' call were doomed. As the
first five verses of Al-'Alaq constitute the first revelation of Allaah
Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala's words to Muhammad sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, the
last Messenger of Allaah, the Soorah introduces the beginning of the mission of
Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and then describes an instance
of aggressive rejection by a Makkan chief and declares how he will be punished
for his rejection of the Messenger's call.
There is a consensus among historians that the Prophet sall
Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam's mission began with the visit of angel Jibreel
(Gabriel) with the first revelation when the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam was worshipping Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala in seclusion at the cave of
Hira.
As the historians have reported, the Prophet sall Allaahu
'alayhi wa sallam avoided the worship of idols throughout his life. He used to
worship Allaah alone, in accordance with the ways and methods reported from the
life of Ibraaheem and Ismaa'eel 'alayhimussalaam in terms of Salaah, Tawaaf of
Ka'bah, 'Umrah, Hajj, etc. In addition, he started going to the cave of Hira
for one month a year to meditate and worship Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala in
seclusion. When he was 40 years old, he started having very clear and vivid
dreams that would come true in real life, exactly as seen in the vision. During
those days, he considerably increased the duration he was spending in secluded
worship. Then one night in the month of Ramadhaan, when he was 40½ years old,
during one of his seclusions in the cave of Hira, a stranger suddenly appeared
to him and talked to him about Allaah, the One and Only God, and asked him to
proclaim the truth about Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala to people as Allaah's
Messenger. It was the angel Jibreel who brought him the first five verses of
this Soorah.
This unexpected, unanticipated incident shook up Muhammad
sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. He did not know what to make of it. He was
frightened, so he rushed home. Shaken and trembling, when he reached home, he
asked his wife to cover him with a blanket. After some rest under the blanket,
he regained his composure and related the incident to his wife and expressed
concern about his personal well being. Khadeejah lovingly reassured him with
the following words, "Don't worry. By God, Allaah will not cause you to suffer,
because You are kind to the relatives, speak the truth, keep the trusts,
support the helpless, feed the poor, serve the guests honourably, participate
in good activities and excel in personal qualities." In the books of Hadeeth,
one of the reports of this incident from 'Aaishah radhiallaahu 'anha is as
follows:
The first aspect of revelation to Allaah's Messenger sall
Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was that his dreams came true. Whatever vision he
might have in his sleep would occur exactly as he had seen, as if he had seen
witnessed it in broad daylight. Then, he began to enjoy seclusion. He sall
Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam used to retreat alone into the cave of Hira where he
would spend several days in devotion before going back to his family. He used
to take some food with him and go for worship in seclusion. When he would come
back, Khadeejah radhiallaahu 'anha would provide a fresh supply of food and he
would go away for another period. One day while he was in the cave of Hira, an
angel came to him and said, "Recite to people!" He replied, "I am not a
reciter." The Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam says, "He hugged me and
pressed hard until I was exhausted, then he released me and said, "Recite to
people[1][1]!" and I replied, "I am not a reciter." So, he hugged me and
pressed me hard a second time until I was exhausted, then he released me and
said, "Recite to people!" I replied, "I am not a reciter." He then hugged me
and pressed me hard for the third time. Then he said, "Recite to people, in the
name of your Lord Who created, created people from clinging clots. Recite! Your
Lord is the most Honourable, Who has taught by the pen, has taught man what he
did not know." The Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam returned home to
Khadeejah radhiallaahu 'anha frightened and trembling and said, "Cover me up
with a blanket! Cover me up!" She covered him with a blanket. When his fear
subsided, he turned to Khadeejah and exclaimed, "What has happened to me?" and
related to her what had happened and said, "I fear for myself." And Khadeejah
radhiallaahu 'anha replied, "Do not worry, and relax! By Allaah, He will not
let you suffer any humiliation (or grief[2][2]), because you are kind to your
relatives, you speak the truth, you assist anyone in need, you are hospitable
to your guests and you help in every just cause." Then she took him to Waraqah
ibn Nowfal, her paternal cousin who was a Christian convert and a scholar with
good knowledge of Arabic, Hebrew and the Bible. He had lost his eyesight as he
had grown very old. Khadeejah said to Waraqah, "Cousin, would you like to hear
what your nephew[3][3] has to say?" Waraqah said, "Well, nephew, what have you
seen?" The Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam related to him what he had
seen. When he finished, Waraqah said, "It is the same angel that was sent down
to Moosa (Moses) 'alayhissalaam. I wish I was a young man so that I might be
alive when your people force you out of the city." The Prophet sall Allaahu
'alayhi wa sallam exclaimed, "Would they force me out?" Waraqah answered "Yes!
No man has ever preached a message like yours but was met with enmity. If I
live till that day, I will certainly give you all my support." But Waraqah died
soon after this incident.
For the next few days, the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam remained shaken and bewildered by his experience. Naturally, his mind
was deluged with questions[4][4] and concerns about the implications of what he
had been told and what he should expect in the future. He was extremely worried
as to how he was going to do this daunting task of delivering Allaah Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala's message to people, especially when strong opposition was expected
from his people, as explained by Waraqah. He would think of killing himself by
throwing himself off a mountain. On every such intention, the person who
visited him in the cave would appear to him in the sky and tell him, "You are
the messenger of Allaah and I am Jibreel."
Some writers of Seerah have expressed an opinion that the
first five verses of this Soorah Al-'Alaq were not revealed at the time of the
initial visit by Jibreel. At that time, he was only told about his newly
assigned role and left to cope with this reality. The whole Soorah Al-'Alaq was
revealed later on in one complete revelation. Some of them think that Soorah
Faatihah was then the first Soorah to be revealed. Others think that the first
revelation consisted of the first seven verses of Soorah Al-Mudaththir.
However, the overwhelming majority of scholars agrees that the first five
verses were revealed at the first visit of Jibreel and the remaining Soorah was
revealed later on. The majority opinion is supported by the context of
Al-'Alaq itself because immediately after Al-'Alaq, the next Soorah, Al-Qadr,
declares that the first revelation of the Qur-aan happened in the night of
Al-Qadr, thus indicating the relationship of Al-'Alaq with the first
revelation.
Shortly after this first revelation, Jibreel came again to
Muhammad sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and taught him how to perform ablution
and to offer Salaah to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala and also taught him Soorah
Faatihah. Then, after a short break, the first seven verses of Soorah
Al-Mudaththir were revealed and revelation continued periodically thereafter
without any break for about 23 years.
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[1] The Arabic word "Iqra" is usually translated as "Read".
Although this Arabic word is often used for simple "reading", it also means
reading aloud or reciting to people. However, whenever it has been used in the
Qur-aan about the Qur-aan itself, it has always been used for "reading aloud"
or "reciting to people or someone", as per the following verses:
When the Qur-aan is recited, listen to it attentively and
keep quiet so that you are shown mercy. 7:204
And when you recite the Qur-aan, We place between you and
those who do not believe in the hereafter a hidden barrier. 17:45
And it is a Qur-aan which We have revealed in portions so
that you may recite it to people at intervals, and We have revealed it by
successive revelations. 17:106
Had We revealed it to any of the non-Arabs, and had he
recited it to them, they would not have believed in it. 26:199
Therefore, when We have recited it, follow its recital. 45:18
When the Qur-aan is recited to them, they do not prostrate.
84:21
[2] Two words reported in two versions of this report.
[3] He was nephew in the sense that the Prophet's great great
grandfather, 'Abd Manaaf, was brother of Waraqah's great grandfather, 'Abd
Al-'Uzzaa.
[4] Questions that might have been such as: "Have I really
been given this difficult task or am I possessed? Why would Allaah ask me to do
this work? How am I to go to people and tell them that I have been appointed
prophet? How would they react? Are they going to believe me or make fun of me?
In the society I have so much honour, will I now be ridiculed? What kind of
opposition will I face? Will I be forced to leave from my own kith and kin??
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Copyright © 2008 Ayub A. Hamid
All rights reserved
This document may be used, only with this copyright notice
included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and
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subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced
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title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be
attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all
other rights, which are reserved.
Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur'aan,
not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives
interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details.
Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur'aan is in fact only an
expression of the translator's understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur'aan itself. Only the
original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur'aan.
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Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic
thinker residing in Canada for the last 33 years. His recently published books
are:
1. Islam - Does It Make Sense?
2. Unveiling the Commands-The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar
and Jilbaab.
3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth.
4. A Book Unlike Any Other.
5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms.
6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs.
http://soundvisioncanada.com/shop/pbrowse.asp?Pg=3&Cat=10004
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The following soowar 'Teachings of the Qur'aan' series by
Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid, are available on request:-
Al Faatihah
Al Baqarah
Aali 'Imraan
A Nisaa'
Al Maaidah
Al An'aam
Al A'raaf
Al Anfaal
At Teen
K a r i m a
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