96:1
اِقْرَاْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِیْ خَلَقَ
Recite in the name of your Lord who created –
Surah 96 of 114 · Makkah · Juz 30
Surah Al-'Alaq
The Clot
العلق19 ayahs
Revealed in Makkah
Translation: Saheeh International
About Surah Al-'Alaq
The first five ayahs here were the first revelation given to the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the cave of Hira, and Bukhari places Aisha's account of that night at the very start of his collection, in the book on how revelation began. The name comes from the second ayah, where man is described as created from alaq, something that clings (96:2). The surah is Makkan and runs to nineteen ayahs, though the passage after the fifth is generally understood to have come down later than the opening.
Those opening lines are about reading, creation and writing: recite in the name of your Lord who created, who taught by the pen, and taught man what he did not know (96:1 to 96:5). The tone then changes completely. Man oversteps because he sees himself as needing no one (96:6, 96:7), and a particular figure comes into view, the man who tries to stop a servant from praying (96:9, 96:10), whom commentators identify as Abu Jahl. He is told to call his supporters, and the answer is that the angels of Hell will be called (96:17, 96:18). The final ayah, do not obey him but prostrate and draw near (96:19), is a verse of prostration, and Muslim reports that the Prophet prostrated at it in prayer.
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
96:2
خَلَقَ الْاِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
Created man from a clinging substance.
96:3
اِقْرَاْ وَرَبُّكَ الْاَكْرَمُ
Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous -
96:4
الَّذِیْ عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
Who taught by the pen –
96:5
عَلَّمَ الْاِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ یَعْلَمْ ۟ؕ
Taught man that which he knew not.
96:6
كَلَّاۤ اِنَّ الْاِنْسَانَ لَیَطْغٰۤی
No! [But] indeed, man transgresses
96:7
اَنْ رَّاٰهُ اسْتَغْنٰی ۟ؕ
Because he sees himself self-sufficient.
96:8
اِنَّ اِلٰی رَبِّكَ الرُّجْعٰی ۟ؕ
Indeed, to your Lord is the return.
96:9
اَرَءَیْتَ الَّذِیْ یَنْهٰی
Have you seen the one who forbids
96:10
عَبْدًا اِذَا صَلّٰی ۟ؕ
A servant when he prays?
96:11
اَرَءَیْتَ اِنْ كَانَ عَلَی الْهُدٰۤی
Have you seen if he is upon guidance
96:12
اَوْ اَمَرَ بِالتَّقْوٰی ۟ؕ
Or enjoins righteousness?
96:13
اَرَءَیْتَ اِنْ كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلّٰی ۟ؕ
Have you seen if he denies and turns away -
96:14
اَلَمْ یَعْلَمْ بِاَنَّ اللّٰهَ یَرٰی ۟ؕ
Does he not know that Allāh sees?
96:15
كَلَّا لَىِٕنْ لَّمْ یَنْتَهِ ۙ۬ لَنَسْفَعًا بِالنَّاصِیَةِ
No! If he does not desist, We will surely drag him by the forelock –
96:16
نَاصِیَةٍ كَاذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ
A lying, sinning forelock.
96:17
فَلْیَدْعُ نَادِیَهٗ
Then let him call his associates;
96:18
سَنَدْعُ الزَّبَانِیَةَ
We will call the angels of Hell.
96:19
كَلَّا ؕ لَا تُطِعْهُ وَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِبْ
No! Do not obey him. But prostrate and draw near [to Allāh].
Surah Al-'Alaq in the Quran, with the Arabic in IndoPak Nastaleeq, 19 ayahs, translation, word by word meaning and recitation. Recite it offline on your phone with the free Android app.