Chapter 96-1
Love (Surah Alaq)
(19 verses in total; revealed in very early Makkah period of prophethood)
The first 5 verses in this surah are universally understood to be the first revelation to Prophet Mohammad in 610 CE by Angel Gabriel in the cave of Hira where the 40-year-old Prophet meditated on God, life and the human condition. It was as if he was shown a written script of these verses and was asked to “read”. But the Prophet, being illiterate replied – “I do not know how to read”. Angel Gabriel then embraced him tightly and recited these 5 verses to him. This was the beginning of the Qur’anic revelation that continued for the next 23 years between 610 – 633 AD.
Key themes in this chapter are as follows:
- God is the Creator and provider of knowledge
- A prophet should be judged based on his conducts and his messages
- Denial and rebellion without reason and from arrogance will fail
In the Name of God, the God of Mercy, the Endower of Mercy!
Read in the name of your Cherisher God!
Who creates
Creates human beings with love (Alaq)!1
Read!
Your Cherisher is Grand and Most Generous!
Who teaches through knowledge (Qalam)2
Who teaches humanity what it does not know!3 [v.1-5]
Beware
Humankind is ever rebellious4
Because it considers itself self-sufficient
(whereas) its eventual return is to its Cherisher (God).5 [v 6-8]
Have you seen he6 who obstructs?
A servant (the Prophet) in his devotion and prayers
Should he not consider if he (the Prophet) is on the right path,
Or if he (the Prophet) encourages mindfulness &responsibility (Taqwa)?
Has he (the Prophet) ever denied the truth and turned his back?
Does he (the rebellious) not know that God sees? [verses 9-14]
Surely, if he does not stop
We (God)7 will drag him by his forehead
A forehead - lying and unjust!
Let him then call on his cohorts
We too will summon Our forces.
Never (ever)
follow him (such rebellious)
(instead) bow down8(to God)
And draw closer (to God and goodness)9. [verses 15-19]
1 Reproduction – the second creation that comes from love and attachment, the first creation was from dust (elements that came together to start the evolutionary process of which human species are the latest to appear); the third creation will be resurrection (ref: 22:5) on the Day of Gathering back to God. The word “alaq” implies attachment, clinging, dependence and love as well as blood clot (ovum) in a physical sense. A quote (hadith) from the Prophet regarding God’s attachment to humanity: “I (God) loved that I should be known, so I created mankind.”
2 “Qalam” implies pen, instrument for knowledge, language and mechanism to capture and catalog our collective and evolving knowledge, complimented by divine Knowledge transmitted through revelations such as the Qur’an, The Bible, The Torah and continuous stream of divine and human inspirations that comes to prophets, spiritual human beings, creative and intelligent human beings and ordinary people
3Beyond knowledge that evolved with evolutionary process, God gifted specific knowledge for humanity, starting with Adam and Eve (ref. 2-31) – knowledge and working of the universe, purpose of human life, the notion of right or wrong, truth or false, good or evil, self-confidence or self-doubt (ref: 95:4-5, 14:1, 5; 33-43; 57:9, Bible (Isaiah 42:16, 1 Peter 2:9), 4:113
4 This rebellion is in total contrast to its attachment, or utter dependences on parents, this planet, and on God. The notion of self-sufficiency leads to total disregard of the forces of nature such as the environment that we pollute or total reliance on free market that does not exist or assumption of no greater force such as God Who originated and controls the created world
5 This statement about our returning back to God and meeting with God is repeated on numerous occasions and is one of the central tenets of faith and reality according to Islamic teaching. A famous later statement 2:156 reads thus, “We all belong to God, and to God do we return.”, something that every Muslim utters when he or she hears the death of an individual or looks for forgotten placement of things
6 These set of verses from here to the end were revealed at a later date when many prominent people of the Prophet’s tribes, including his own uncles, such as Abu Jahl started resisting him, mocking him and were putting up barriers to his attempts to share the message of the Qur’an freely – a reference that applies to all who denies the truth and acts against truth and justice in every generation
7 In most cases in the Qur’an, when God performs an act for or against humans, individually or collectively, it uses the pronoun “We” as if to include the contributions of angels and other creations, including humans who carry out such acts, whereas when God refers to intimate relationship with his creation, the Qur’an uses the first person “I”. (ref: 2:186) or when God indicate direct consequence of ignoring divine directives (ref: 68:44-45, 74:11-15)
8 The onset of revelation calls for submission to God and alignment of our sense of purpose with goodness
9 Life is a constant journey to get closer to God – a spiritual development that is aided by devotion, God consciousness, seeking the truth and establishing peace and justice in society
