THIS WAS THE FIRST OF THE
QUR'AN REVEALED
﴿ بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ
ٱلرَّحِيمِ ﴾
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
﴿ ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى
خَلَقَ • خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِنۡ عَلَقٍ • ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ • ٱلَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ • عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ ﴾
(1. Read! In the Name
of your Lord Who created.) (2. He has created man from a clot.) (3. Read! And
your Lord is the Most Generous.) (4. Who has taught by the pen.) (5. He has
taught man that which he knew not.)
THE BEGINNING OF THE PROPHETHOOD OF MUHAMMAD AND THE FIRST OF THE QUR'AN REVEALED
Imam Ahmad recorded that `A'ishah said: The first thing that
began happening with the Messenger of Allah from the revelation was dreams that
he would see in his sleep that would come true. He would not see any dream
except that it would come true just like the (clearness of) the daybreak in the
morning. Then seclusion became beloved to him. So, he used to go to the cave of
Hira' and devote himself to worship there for a number of nights, and he would
bring provisions for that. Then he would return to Khadijah and replenish his
provisions for a similar number of nights. This continued until the revelation
suddenly came to him while he was in the cave of Hira'. The angel came to him
while he was in the cave and said, "Read!'' The Messenger of Allah said,
«
فَقُلْتُ: مَا أَنَا بِقَارِىء »
(I replied: "I am not one who reads.) Then he said,
"So he (the angel) seized me and pressed me until I could no longer bear
it. Then he released me and said: `Read!' So I replied: `I am not one who
reads.' So, he pressed me a second time until I could no longer bear it. Then
he released me and said:
﴿ ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى
خَلَقَ ﴾
(Read in the Name of your Lord who has created.) until he
reached the Ayah,
﴿ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ ﴾
(That which he knew not.) So he returned with them (those Ayat)
and with his heart trembling until he came (home) to Khadijah, and he said,
« زَمِّلُونِي
زَمِّلُونِي »
(Wrap me up, wrap me up!) So they wrapped him up until his fear
went away. After that he told Khadijah everything that had happened (and said),
« قَدْ خَشِيتُ عَلَى
نَفْسِي »
(I fear that something may happen to me.) Khadijah replied,
"Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations
with your relatives, you speak the truth, you help the poor and the destitute,
you serve your guests generously, and you help the deserving, calamity
afflicted people.'' Khadijah then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqah bin
Nawfal bin Asad bin `Abdul-`Uzza bin Qusay, who, during the period of ignorance
became a Christian and used to scribe the Scriptures in Arabic. He would write
from the Injil in Hebrew as much as Allah willed for him to write. He was an
old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadijah said to him, "O my cousin!
Listen to the story of your nephew.'' Waraqah asked, "O my nephew! What have
you seen'' Allah's Messenger described what he saw. Waraqah said, "This is
An-Namus whom Allah had sent to Musa. I wish I was young and could live until
the time when your people would drive you out.'' Allah's Messenger asked,
« أَوَ مُخْرِجِيَّ
هُمْ؟ »
(Will they drive me
out) Waraqah replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone who came with
something similar to what you have brought, was treated with hostility and
enmity; and if I should remain alive till that day then I would firmly support
you.'' But Waraqah did not remain. He died and the revelation paused until
Allah's Messenger became sad according to what we were told. Due to this grief, he set out a number of times with the intent of throwing himself from the
mountain tops. However, every time he would reach the peak of a mountain to
throw himself from it, Jibril would appear to him and say, "O Muhammad!
You are truly the Messenger of Allah!'' Therefore, his worry would be eased,
his soul would be settled and he would return (down from the mountain). Then, when
the revelation did not come again for a long time, he set out as he had done
before. So when he reached the peak of the mountain, Jibril appeared to him
again and said to him the same as he had said before.'' This Hadith has been
recorded in the Two Sahihs by way of Az-Zuhri. We have already discussed this
Hadith's chain of narration, its text, and its meanings at length in the
beginning of our explanation of Sahih Al-Bukhari. Therefore, whoever would like
to read it, it is researched there, and all praise and blessings are due to
Allah. So the first thing that was revealed of the Qur'an were these noble and
blessed Ayat. They are the first mercy that Allah bestowed upon His servants
and the first bounty that Allah favored them with.
THE HONOR AND NOBILITY OF MAN
IS IN HIS KNOWLEDGE
These Ayat inform of the beginning of man's creation from a
dangling clot, and that out of Allah's generosity He taught man that which he
did not know. Thus, Allah exalted him and honored him by giving him knowledge,
and it is the dignity that the Father of Humanity, Adam, was distinguished with
over the angels.
1) Knowledge sometimes is
in the mind.
2) Sometimes on the
tongue. and
3)Sometimes in writing
with the fingers.
Thus, it may be
intellectual, spoken and written. And while the last (written) necessitates the
first two (intellectual and spoken), the reverse is not true. For this reason
Allah says,
﴿ ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ • ٱلَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ • عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ ﴾
(Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught by the
pen. He has taught man that which he knew not.) There is a narration that
states, "Record knowledge by writing.'' There is also a saying which
states, "Whoever acts according to what he knows, Allah will make him
inherit knowledge that he did not know.''
﴿ كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ
لَيَطۡغَىٰٓ • أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰٓ • إِنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ٱلرُّجۡعَىٰٓ • أَرَءَيۡتَ ٱلَّذِى يَنۡهَىٰ • عَبۡدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰٓ • أَرَءَيۡتَ
إِن كَانَ عَلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰٓ • أَوۡ أَمَرَ
بِٱلتَّقۡوَىٰٓ • أَرَءَيۡتَ إِن كَذَّبَ
وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ • أَلَمۡ يَعۡلَم بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ
يَرَىٰ • كَلَّا لَٮِٕن لَّمۡ يَنتَهِ لَنَسۡفَعَۢا
بِٱلنَّاصِيَةِ • نَاصِيَةٍ۬ كَـٰذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ۬ • فَلۡيَدۡعُ نَادِيَهُ ۥ • سَنَدۡعُ
ٱلزَّبَانِيَةَ • كَلَّا لَا تُطِعۡهُ وَٱسۡجُدۡ
وَٱقۡتَرِب ۩ ﴾
(6. Nay! Verily, man
does transgress.) (7. Because he considers himself self-sufficient.) (8.
Surely, unto your Lord is the return.) (9. Have you seen him who prevents) (10.
A servant when he prays) (11. Have you seen if he is on the guidance) (12. Or
enjoins Taqwa) (13. Have you seen if he denies and turns away) (14. Knows he
not that Allah sees) (15. Nay! If he ceases not, We will scorch his forehead)
(16. A lying, sinful forehead!) (17. Then let him call upon his council.) (18.
We will call out the guards of Hell!) (19. Nay! Do not obey him. Fall prostrate
and draw near (to Allah)!)
Follow Us
Were this world an endless plain, and by sailing eastward we could for ever reach new distances