بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٱقْرَأْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ
Read (recite) in the name of your Lord who created,
Pickthall (1930): Read: In the name of thy Lord who createth,
Quran · Surah 96 · 19 ayat
Surah Al-'Alaq
The Clot
ٱلْعَلَق
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About this surah
Surah Al-'Alaq ('The Clinging Clot') has 19 ayat and is Meccan. Muslims hold that its first five ayat were the very first revelation, received by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the cave of Hira near Makkah, beginning with the command 'Read!' The rest of the surah, revealed later, speaks of human arrogance and of a man, identified by commentators as the Meccan leader Abu Jahl, who tried to stop the Prophet from praying. It ends with a call to bow down in prostration, and many Muslims who recite or hear the last ayah make a prostration of recitation (sajdah).
Reading and knowledgeHuman arrogancePrayer and nearness to Allah
Read the surah
Arabic exactly as in the Tanzil text, then a plain meaning in your language. The Arabic is never read by a machine voice; "Listen" reads only the meanings.
خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
who created the human being from a clinging clot.
Pickthall (1930): Createth man from a clot.
ٱقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْأَكْرَمُ
Read, for your Lord is the Most Generous,
Pickthall (1930): Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous,
ٱلَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِٱلْقَلَمِ
who taught by means of the pen,
Pickthall (1930): Who teacheth by the pen,
عَلَّمَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ
who taught the human being what he did not know.
Pickthall (1930): Teacheth man that which he knew not.
كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَيَطْغَىٰٓ
But no! The human being truly goes beyond all bounds
Pickthall (1930): Nay, but verily man is rebellious
أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسْتَغْنَىٰٓ
when he thinks he needs no one.
Pickthall (1930): That he thinketh himself independent!
إِنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ٱلرُّجْعَىٰٓ
Surely, the return is to your Lord.
Pickthall (1930): Lo! unto thy Lord is the return.
أَرَءَيْتَ ٱلَّذِى يَنْهَىٰ
Have you seen the one who forbids
Pickthall (1930): Hast thou seen him who dissuadeth
عَبْدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰٓ
a servant (of Allah) when he prays?
Pickthall (1930): A slave when he prayeth?
أَرَءَيْتَ إِن كَانَ عَلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ
Have you considered: what if he (the one praying) is on right guidance,
Pickthall (1930): Hast thou seen if he (relieth) on the guidance (of Allah)
أَوْ أَمَرَ بِٱلتَّقْوَىٰٓ
or urges others to be mindful of Allah?
Pickthall (1930): Or enjoineth piety?
أَرَءَيْتَ إِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ
Have you considered: what if he (the one forbidding) denies the truth and turns away?
Pickthall (1930): Hast thou seen if he denieth (Allah’s guidance) and is froward?
أَلَمْ يَعْلَم بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَرَىٰ
Does he not know that Allah sees?
Pickthall (1930): Is he then unaware that Allah seeth?
كَلَّا لَئِن لَّمْ يَنتَهِ لَنَسْفَعًۢا بِٱلنَّاصِيَةِ
No! If he does not stop, We will surely seize him by the forelock,
Pickthall (1930): Nay, but if he cease not We will seize him by the forelock—
نَاصِيَةٍ كَـٰذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ
a lying, sinful forelock.
Pickthall (1930): The lying, sinful forelock—
فَلْيَدْعُ نَادِيَهُۥ
Then let him call his circle of supporters;
Pickthall (1930): Then let him call upon his henchmen!
سَنَدْعُ ٱلزَّبَانِيَةَ
We will call the angels who guard Hell.
Pickthall (1930): We will call the guards of hell.
كَلَّا لَا تُطِعْهُ وَٱسْجُدْ وَٱقْتَرِب ۩
No! Do not obey him. Bow down in prostration and draw near (to Allah).
Pickthall (1930): Nay! Obey not thou him. But prostrate thyself, and draw near (unto Allah).
Quick quiz
What is the first command in this surah, which Muslims hold to be the first word revealed?
According to ayah 4, by what means did Allah teach?
What does the last ayah of the surah call on the believer to do?
Your score: 0 / 3
Tanzil Quran Text (Uthmani, Version 1.1), tanzil.net, CC BY 3.0, verbatim: tanzil.net. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), public domain; text from English Wikisource. Al-Fatiha aligned to the Hafs count (basmala as verse 1, his verses 6 and 7 joined); Quraysh: his verses 4 and 5 joined.. Plain meanings, introductions and quiz: IndiaDigital, awaiting review by an Islamic scholar.
Corrections from members of every tradition are welcome at support@indiadigital.org. Last checked: .