Overview - Surah 96: al-`Alaq (The Clinging Substance)

Overview (Verses 1 - 5)

It is self evident that the rest of the surah was not revealed at the same time as its opening but at a later date. It refers to a certain situation and later events in the Prophet’s life, after he was instructed to convey his message and offer his worship in public, and after he was met with opposition by the unbelievers. This is indicated in the part of the surah which begins: “Look at the one who tries to prevent a servant of God from praying!” (Verses 9-10) Yet there is perfect harmony between all parts of the surah. The facts it relates after the opening part are also arranged in a perfect order. These two factors make the surah one perfectly harmonious unit.

Read in the name of your Lord who has created — created man out of a germ-cell. Read — for your Lord is the most Bountiful One, who has taught the use of the pen, taught man what he did not know. (Verses 1-5)

This is the first surah of the Qur’an, so it starts with the name of God. It instructs God’s Messenger right at the very first moment of his blessed contact with the Supreme society and before taking his very first step along the way of the message he was chosen to deliver, to read in the name of God, ‘Read in the name of your Lord.’ The first attribute of God’s it mentions is that of creation and initiation: ... your Lord who has created.’ Then it speaks in particular of the creation of man and his origin: ‘created man out of a germ-cell.’ He is created from a dried drop of blood which is implanted in the womb: a humble and unsophisticated substance. This reflects the grace and mercy of the Creator as much as it reflects His power. It is out of His grace that He has elevated this germ-cell to the rank of man who can be taught and who can learn: ‘Read! For your Lord is the most Bountiful One, who has taught the use of the pen, taught man what he did not know.’ The gulf between the origin and the outcome is very wide indeed. But God is limitless in His ability and generosity; hence this extremely wonderful change.

Here also emerges the fact of man’s teaching by the Creator. The pen has always been the most widespread means of learning and it has always had the most farreaching impact on man’s life. This fact was not as clear at the time of revelation as it is now. But God knows the value of the pen; hence, this reference to the pen at the beginning of this His final message to humanity, in the first surah of the Qur’an. Yet God’s Messenger charged with the delivery of this message could not write. Had the Qur’an been his own composition, he would not have stressed this fact at the first moment. But the Qur’an is a message God has revealed.

The surah then states the source of learning, which is God. From Him man receives all his knowledge, past, present and future. From Him man learns any secret revealed to him about this universe, life and himself.

This single paragraph revealed at the very first moment of the Islamic message states the comprehensive basis of faith and its concepts. Everything starts, works and moves in His name. He is the One who creates, originates and teaches. Whatever man learns and whatever experience and knowledge he acquires come originally from God. He has taught man what he did not know. The Prophet recognized this basic Qur’anic fact. It governed his feelings, teachings and practices for the rest of his life because it is the principal fact of faith.

Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah summarizes the Prophet’s teaching concerning remembrance of God:

The Prophet was the most perfect man with regard to his remembrance of God. Indeed whatever he spoke was in the line of such remembrance. His commands, prohibitions, legislation, what he taught about the Lord and His attributes, judgements, actions, promises and threats were all part of this remembrance. o were his praise and glorification of God, prayers, his feelings of fear and hope and even his silence. He was conscious of God at all times and in every state. His praise of God was part of his very nature as if he praised Him with every breath. Indeed he praised Him as he stood up, sat or reclined and when walking, riding, moving, at home or travelling. When he woke up he used to say, ‘Praise be to God who has given us life after He had caused us to die. To Him we shall be resurrected.’ [Related by al- Bukhari.]

`A’ishah said that the Prophet used to say when he woke up at night, ‘God is Supreme,’ and would repeat it ten times. Then he would repeat ten times the statement, ‘There is no deity but God,’ and pray, ‘My Lord, I seek refuge with You against constraint in this life and on the Day of Resurrection,’ repeating it also ten limes. Then he would start his formal prayers. `A’ishah also said that when the Prophet woke up at night for his devotion he would say, ‘There is no God but You, my Lord. Praise be to You. I beseech You to forgive my sins and appeal to You for mercy. My Lord, enrich my knowledge and cause not my heart to go astray after You have granted me Your guidance. Grant me Your mercy, for You are the most Bountiful One.’ [Both ahadith are related by Abu Dawud.]

The Prophet has also taught us that whoever gets up at night and says, ‘There is no deity other than God alone; He has no partner; to Him belongs all dominion and to Him is due all praise; He is able to do everything; praised is God who is limitless in His glory; there is no deity but God; God is great; no power can operate without His permission; He is the Great, the Supreme,’ and after this says, ‘My Lord, forgive me,’ or any other prayer, his prayers will be answered. Should he make ablution and offer prayers, these will be accepted. [Related by al-Bukhari.]

God’s Messenger once stayed overnight at Ibn `Abbas’s home, who later reported that when the Prophet woke up he raised his hands to the sky and read the last ten verses of surah Al `Imran before going on to say, ‘My Lord, to You belongs all praise; You are the light of heaven and earth and all therein; praise be to You, the true Lord; Your promise is true; whatever You say is true; the meeting with You is true; heaven is true; hell is true; the Prophets are true; and the Hour is true. I submit myself to You, I believe in You and depend on You. To You I shall return. Any dispute I may enter into is for You. To You I turn for judgement. Forgive me all my sins, past and future, public and secret. You are my Lord and there is no God but You. No power can operate without God’s permission; He is the Great, the Supreme.’ [Related by al-Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad.]

`A’ishah related that when the Prophet woke up at night to worship he used to say, ‘My God, the Lord of Gabriel, Mika’il and Israfil, the Creator of heaven and earth, who knows what is concealed and what is made public. You judge between Your servants in their disputes. Guide me, with Your own will, to the truth over which people argue and dispute, for You guide whom You will to the straight path.’ She might have also said that he used to say this at the start of his prayers. [Related by Muslim, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.]

After offering the witr prayer, the Prophet used to repeat three times, ‘Glorified be God, the Holy One.’ [Related by Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i and Ahmad.]. When he went out of his house he would say, ‘In the name of God. I place my trust in God. My Lord, I appeal to You to guard me against going astray or causing anyone to go astray, and against making a slip or causing anyone to slip, and being unjust to anyone or being victim to any injustice by others, and against acting ignorantly, or being ignorantly done by.’ [Related by al Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ahmad.]

The Prophet said, “Whoever says as he leaves his home: ‘In the name of God. I place my trust in God. No power is operative without God’s leave,’ will be answered: ‘You are rightly guided and well protected,’ and the devil will be made to turn away from him.” [Related by al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud.] Referring to the night when he was host to God’s Messenger, Ibn `Abbas said that when the Prophet left for the dawn prayers at the mosque he said, ‘My Lord, give me light in my heart, tongue, ears and eyes: give me light in front of me, over me and below me, and make the light You give me abundant.’ [Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.]

Abu Said al-Khudri relates that the Prophet said: “When a man goes out to the mosque for prayers and says, ‘My Lord, I appeal to You by the right of those who pray to You, and the right of my journey to You. I have not come out with any feeling of self- sufficiency, nor in hypocrisy or conceit, nor to seek reputation. I have come out with the hope of avoiding Your anger and earning Your pleasure. I pray to You to save me from hell and to forgive me my sins; You are the only One who forgives sins;’ seventy thousand angels will be charged with praying for his forgiveness and God will receive and welcome him until he finishes his prayers.’ [Related by Ahmad and Ibn Majah.]

Abu Dawud related that the Prophet used to say when he entered the mosque, ‘I seek refuge with God, the Great, and His Holy face, and His old power against Satan, the outcast.’ When a man says this, the Devil says, ‘He is now protected against me for the rest of the day.’ The Prophet said: “Whenever any of you comes to the mosque, let him pray and ask peace for the Prophet and say, ‘My Lord, open to me the doors of Your mercy.’ When he leaves the mosque, let him say, ‘My Lord, I pray to You to give me out of Your grace.’“ [Related by Muslim, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.]

It is also related that when the Prophet entered the mosque, he would ask peace for Muhammad (himself) and his household, then he would say, ‘My Lord, forgive me my sins and open the doors of Your mercy to me.’ When he left, he would again ask peace for Muhammad and his household, and say, ‘My Lord, forgive me my sins and lay open to me the doors of Your grace.’ [Related by Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi.]

After offering the dawn prayers, God’s Messenger used to stay in his praying place until sunrise, utilizing his time in remembrance of God. In the morning, he would say, ‘Our Lord, we have lived till this morning by Your will, and we also live till evening by Your will. We live and die by Your will. To You we will return.’ [Related by al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.]

He also used to say, ‘The morning has appeared. This morning all dominion belongs to God, praised be He. There is no deity but God alone. He has no partner; to Him belongs all the universe and to Him is all praise due. He is able to do what He wills. My Lord, I pray to You to give me of the best of this day and the best of the days to follow. I seek refuge with You against the evil of this day and the days to follow. My Lord, I seek Your refuge against laziness and the evils of old age, against suffering in hell and suffering in the grave.’ In the evening he would repeat the same prayer substituting evening for morning. [Related by Muslim.]

Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s Companion said once to him: “Teach me some prayers to say in the morning and in the evening.” God’s Messenger taught him the following prayer, ‘My Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, who knows the visible and the unseen, the perceptible and the imperceptible, the Lord and Possessor of all, I declare that there is no deity but You. I appeal to You to protect me against my own evil and the evil of Satan;

I seek Your refuge against doing myself any harm or causing harm to any Muslim.’ The Prophet told Abu Bakr to say this prayer in the morning, evening and before going to bed. [Related by al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud.] When God’s Messenger had a new garment, he would mention it by name (for example, a shirt, gown or turban) and say, ‘My Lord, praise be to You. You have given me this. I pray to You to give me its goodness and the goodness for which it was made; and to guard me against its evil and the evil for which it was made.’ [Related by al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ahmad and al- Nasa’i.]

The Prophet was in the habit of saying the following prayer when he returned home, ‘Praise be to God who has given me this shelter and what is sufficient for me; and praise be to God who has given me food and drink, and praise be to God who has given me abundance out of His generosity. I pray to You to extend Your protection to me against hell.’ [Related by Abu Dawud.]

It is confirmed in the two most authentic Hadith anthologies by al-Bukhari and Muslim that, as the Prophet was about to enter the toilet, he used to say, ‘My Lord, I pray to You to rid me of evil things.’

When he finished his toilet, he used to say, ‘I seek Your forgiveness, my Lord.’ [Related by al-Tirmidhi.]. It is also reported that he would say, ‘Praise be to God who has ridden me of harm and given me good health.’ [Related by Ibn Majah.]

It is also confirmed that he once put his hand in a water container and said to his Companions, ‘Make ablutions in the name of God.’ [Related by al- Nasa’i.]

When he saw the new moon, he used to say, ‘My Lord, let it come to us with security, faith, safety and submission to You. New moon, God is my Lord and Your Lord.’ [Related by al- Tirmidhi, Ahmad and al-Darimi.]

When he started eating, he used to say, ‘In the name of God.’ He also said, ‘When any of you eats, let him mention the name of God. If he forgets to do so, let him say [when he remembers], in the name of God at the beginning and at the end.’ [Related by al-Tirmidhi.]

Thus was the life of God’s Messenger. It was conditioned, down to every single detail, by the divine instruction which he received at the very first moment of his message. This instruction helped his faith to be established on a genuine basis