Transliteration:( Iqra bismi rab bikal lazee khalaq )
1. Reason for its Revelation:
Just before the advent of Prophethood the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم experienced true
dreams for six months. Thereafter he sat in seclusion in the Cave of Hira in the Mountain of Light in total worship of Allah Almighty. On Monday, 17 Ramadaan at the time of early dawn, Hazrat Jibraeel Ameen appeared before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم and said "Read! The reply was: "I am not from those who can recite." After three such requests and replies, Hazrat Jibraeel (On whom be peace) held the Holy Prophet tightly by his chest and after which the first five verses of Surah Al-Alaq were recited by the Archangel (Tafseer Roohul Bayaan).
From this emerge a few benefits:
1. In the CHILLAH (seclusion for mystic communion) of the pious there is definite forsaking and relinquishing of the world and the animal desires. Allah Almighty granted the Holy Qur'aan to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم and the Tauraat to Hazrat
2. Musa (On whom be peace) after they had undertaken seclusions i.e. Chillah. Placing attention on someone by another person, granting him blessings and bounties by embracing him is correct and justifiable, because Hazrat Jibracel (On whom be peace) held the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم tightly to his chest in order to bestow upon him divine bounties.
3. Prior to Prophethood the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم was already an ARIF (possessing intimate knowledge of Allah in Almighty), an ABID (devoted worshipper of Allah Almighty) and a ZAHID (an ascetic).
Therefore the Holy Qur'aan had said: "Guidance to mankind" or "guidance to the God-fearing." It did not say, We are the guide of the Holy Prophet. While going on the journey of Me'raaj, he led the Prophets in Salaah although Salaah was only officially given to him as a gift at the completion of We Me'raaj at the Throne of Allah Almighty.
4. The Holy Prophet was fully acquainted with Hazrat Jibracel prior to this event. Thus, when he appeared before him the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم showed no sign of fear for him nor asked him for his identity. If the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم had no knowledge about Hazrat Jibraeel then he would have had doubts about these verses being Divine words.
This is not just against the lofty status of Prophethood, but against the lofty status of faith as well.
There could be two meanings given to this by verse:
1. Recite the name of your Lord, i.e. recite it. e) Then a few benefits would emerge from it:
1.1. Zikrullah is superior to other acts of worship because Allah Almighty first gave command regarding it.
1.2. For conducting Zikrullah, seeking the permission of the pious is beneficial. Without this permission Zikrullah will not generate the desired effect. Observe, the Holy Prophet had been engaging in Zikrullah prior to the event, but today Allah Almighty through Divine inspiration and out of His passionate desire of Love gave the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم explicit and clear permission for His Zikr, so that in future its effects would become visible, and until the Day of Judgement Muslims would engage in it directly or indirectly without the permission of The the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم Noble Companions would engage in it directly, while the rest of the believers engage in it indirectly. Observe, if electrical wiring is installed in the house, but permission has not been granted for connection, it will not give light The Holy Qur'aan and all other forms of Zikr are the spiritual bulbs and electrical fans, but they will only provide benefit if connection has been obtained from the Holy Prophetصلى الله عليه وآله وسلم
1.3. Like other pious deeds, Zikrullah too is an I act of worship. Just as the patient is made to take some medicines and apply some, and some in the form of advice. To show greenery to the patient and to give him good news are means of providing him with a cure. From it those people - should take a lesson who declare Zikrullah as a useless and unbeneficial activity.
2. O My Beloved! Read in the name of your Lord, and engage in the recitation of the Holy a Qur'aan. From this we learn that before commencing with the recitation of the Holy f Qur'aan first read TA-AWWUZ and TASMIYYA ie. AAOOZOO and BISMILLAH. It is reported in the Hadith that any good deed, which is commenced without reading TASMIYA, is defective. It should be remembered that rainwater is full of blessings through which the crop grows in abundance as well.
Says Allah Almighty: "And We sent down out of heaven - blessed water" (S50:V9). Likewise, there are great blessings in the existence of the saints and s friends of Allah Almighty. Prophet Isa (On whom be peace) had said: "And He made me blessed"(S19:V31). There is a great blessing in the name of Allah Almighty. He says: "Greatly blessed is the name of your Lord, Majestic and Venerable"(S55:V78). It is through blessings of Allah's name that the Ark of Nuh (On whom be peace) safely reached the shore. Because the letter of Hazrat Sulaiman (On whom be peace) to Bilqees commenced with BISMILLAH, Allah e Almighty granted him the control of Yemen.|
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.
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 Messen- ger of Allah said,
(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:
(Read in the Name of your Lord who has created.) until he reached the Ayah,
(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,
(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),
(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,
(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.
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. Knowledge sometimes is in the mind, sometimes on the tongue, and 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,
(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.â€
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