Explanation of Surah Al Alaq :
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Surah Al Alaq Translation ( Tafseer ) :
ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ
Recite, bring recitation into existence, beginning with: In the Name of your Lord Who created, all creatures;
خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مِنۡ عَلَقٍ
Created man (al-insān: the generic) from a blood-clot (‘alaq is the plural of ‘alaqa, which is a small quantity
of congealing blood).
ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ
Recite: (reiterating the first one) and your Lord is the Most Generous, having no counterpart in terms of His generosity .
ٱلَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ
Who taught, [the art of] script, by the pen — the first to write with it was [the prophet] Enoch (Idrīs), peace be upon him.
عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ
Who taught, [the art of] script, by the pen — the first to write with it was [the prophet] Enoch (Idrīs), peace be upon him
كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَيَطۡغَىٰٓ
Nay, but verily man is [wont to be] rebellious,
أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰٓ
when he sees it, that is to say, his own soul, to be self-sufficient, in terms of wealth — this was revealed ; istaghnā, ‘self-sufficient’, is the second direct object; an ra’āhu, ‘when he sees it’, is an object denoting reason).
إِنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ٱلرُّجۡعَىٰٓ
Surely to your Lord, O man, is the return [meant as] a threat for him — and so He will requite the rebellious one with what he deserves.
أَرَءَيۡتَ ٱلَّذِي يَنۡهَىٰ
Have you seen (a-ra’ayta in all three instances [here and below] is an exclamation of wonder) him, namely, Abū Jahl, who forbids
عَبۡدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰٓ
A servant, namely, Muhammad (s), when he prays?
أَرَءَيۡتَ إِن كَانَ عَلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰٓ
Have you considered what if he, the one forbidden, should be upon [a path of] guidance.
أَوۡ أَمَرَ بِٱلتَّقۡوَىٰٓ
Or (aw is for division) be bidding [others] to fear of God?
أَرَءَيۡتَ إِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ
Have you considered what if he, the one forbidding the Prophet, should be denying [God’s guidance] and turning away?, from faith.
أَلَمۡ يَعۡلَم بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَرَىٰ
Is he not aware that God sees?, what has issued from him, that is to say, He does [indeed] know it and will
requite him for it.
كَلَّا لَئِن لَّمۡ يَنتَهِ لَنَسۡفَعَۢا بِٱلنَّاصِيَةِ
No indeed! — a repudiation of him — Assuredly if (la-in: the lām is for oaths) he does not desist, from the disbelief that he is upon, We shall seize him by the forelock, We shall drag him to the Fire by his forelock,
نَاصِيَةٖ كَٰذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٖ
a lying, iniquitous forelock! the description of this [forelock] in such terms is meant figuratively, and what is actually meant is that individual.
فَلۡيَدۡعُ نَادِيَهُۥ
Let him, then, call upon [the henchmen of] his council, the members of his council (nādin) — a place of assembly where people gather to talk. He [Abū Jahl] had said to the Prophet (s) in reproof, having forbidden him from prayer, ‘You are well aware that there is none in this [town] who has [recourse to] as large a council [of men] as I do.
سَنَدۡعُ ٱلزَّبَانِيَةَ
We shall call the Zabāniya, the grim stern angels to destroy him, as [stated] in the hadīth, ‘Had he called his
council [of henchmen] together, the Zabāniya would have seized him right before his own eyes!’.
كَلَّا لَا تُطِعۡهُ وَٱسۡجُدۡۤ وَٱقۡتَرِب۩
No indeed! — a repudiation of him — Do not obey him, O Muhammad (s) and abandon prayer, and prostrate yourself, perform prayer to God, and draw near, to Him through obedience to Him.
