Surah Al-Alaq: How much do you read?
~My personal notes from Quranabic workshop & www.linguisticmiracle.com~
Wisdom, Experience, Knowledge and Manners are all inter-connected. Experiencing the knowledge we learnt will give us wisdom in life. Having good manners is essential in order to gain the wisdom from the knowledge learnt.
We went through the methodology of seeking knowledge:
How do you ground yourself in every subject?
- Perfect the basic of every subject
- Perfect the concise book on each subject with a proficient teacher.
- Memorise the concise book.
- No long book, no thick books before perfecting the basics.
- No switching from one book to another.
- Capture knowledge by writing it down and revise.
- Mentally prepare to continue seeking knowledge & to be progressive.
Subjects that should be given priority & of studying 2 subjects simultaneously:
- Study the Quran & reflect
- Memorise the Quran & reflect
- Study Arabic, culture & reflect
- Be an expert in your field
We had group discussion about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)'s life before Revelation. Some points being discussed:
- Due to the different religions and practices during the pre-Islamic era, Prophet was seeking for an asnwer. He would go to the Cave Hira alone to meditate. During that time, it is common for the people to go away from daily life in order to meditate.
- We should learn to experience Prophet's characteristics first to understand Islam so we can become more tolerant when we study Islam.
- Prophet has the best characteristics such as honesty, polite, always smiling, trustworthy, contemplative, hardworking, compassionate, just. How about us?
- Prophet has a modest character. He asks for an answer from God while meditating in Cave Hira. He wants to help change his community's lifestyle for the better and help those in need. His searching for an answer attracted the Prophet-ness to him and elevated him to the status of Prophethood.
Discuss life with our kids and not impose Islam rules on them. Imposing Islam may make them dislike Islam as a way of life. Convey the message of Allah's love & mercy to our kids to instill the love for Allah.
Is your life a blueprint? A common, ordinary person's life: Study, work, get married, have kids, travel. I've to change and mix with my community. Thereafter I can contribute to the society. I have the potential to be higher than now. Take a step back and do not follow the majority blindly.
1400 years since Prophet learnt Quran and spread Islam. How much do we know that we know the truth?
Summary of Surah Al-Alaq:
It has two parts: the first part consist of the very first revelation sent down to the Prophet. The second part, when the Prophet began to perform the prescribed Prayer in the precincts of the Kaabah, Abu Jahl, a Quraish chief, tried to prevent him from this with treats.
Connections between Surah Al-Alaq & Surah Al-Teen:
- Surah Al-Teen: An overview and general matter
Surah Al-Alaq: Specific matter to elaborate the previous Surah Al-Teen. - Surah Al-Teen: Humans become inclined to evil caused them to be redued to the lowest of the low.
Surah Al-Alaq: How humans become lowest of the low in the example of Abu Jahl. - Surah Al-Teen: Ends with "Allah is the wisest of the wise".
Surah Al-Alaq: Begins with the manifestation (display) of Allah's wisdom for us to benefit from His wisdom. Allah tells us that His judgment against the one who rebels and prevent His slaves from prayers. - Surah Al-Teen: Humans are created in the best form.
Surah Al-Alaq: How humans are created in the best form.
Verse 1:
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
Iqra/ bi-ismi rabbika allazhee khalaq
Recite in the name of your Lord who created
IQRA qa-ra-a
1) To read
2) To explore
3) To investigate
The term ummi derives from the noun umm, which means “mother,” “source,” or “foundation,” as in the Quranic umm al-kitab (sourcebook, primordial book). Ummi may also mean “motherly,” “uneducated,” or “illiterate.” The most common meaning of al-nabi al-ummi is “the unlettered prophet,” which refers to the Prophet Muhammad's inability to create a major literary work such as the Quran. Some commentators have traced the term to the noun ummah, which refers to a primary community sharing a common religious orientation. In this sense, al-nabi al-ummi means “the prophet sent to an unscripted community,” or a community that has not yet received a scripture.
BISMI
1) Read the name of your Lord - Explore & investigate name of Allah
2) Read what your Lord has revealed - Explore & investigate Quran
3) Read with the help of your Lord - Ask Allah for help
4) Read in the name of your Lord - Starts everything with Bismillah.
RABBIKA ALLADHI KHALAQ
Attribute of Allah: Khalaq- He has full rights over you more than anyone else, since He owns you. This is a continuous pattern in the Qur’an, creation is associated with Rabb (Master). If He mention Rabb, He use Khalaq.There is no mention of the matter which He create. This is to imply that Allah create everything, limitless creation. Before Allah can give us blessing, sustenance, we have to be created first.
Verse 2:
خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
Khalaqa al-insana min AAalaq
Created man from a clinging substance.
AL-INSANA
Allah is specifying what He created. Every single human being. We can personalise the verse by including our name in the verse.
ALAQ
Comes from the verb 'aliqa' which means: To cling, to hang, to stick.
1) Something that sticks and hangs off something else: The sperm sticks and hangs off the eggs.
2) al-Muallaqat: Title for the winning poems were hung on the Kaabah during pre-Islamic era.
3) al-Muallaqah: To describe a wife who is left hanging by her husband.
Verse 3:
اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ
Iqra’ wa Rabukka al Akram
Recite and your Master is the Most Noble.
IQRA
AL-AKRAM
Allah is telling His Messenger again by telling him to read. This is because Allah’s Messenger will be insulted many times by the disbelievers, so he has to be reminded that he is reciting for Allah – who is the most Noble and honorable. And by Allah chooosing him for the reciting of His message – He has honored him above the rest of mankind.
Verse 4:
:الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
Alladhee AAallama bilqalam
Who taught by the pen
AL-QALAM
ALLAMA
The first thing which Allah create was the pen. Then He said to it, "Write". It asked, "My Lord, what should I write?" He said, "Write the proportions of all things up until the Hour." [Hadith, al-Tirmidhi]
All knowledge we have in the world today is due to someone writing knowledge and passing it onto the later generations.Allah has said Iqra’ (Read) twice, and He has said ‘Alam-ma (learn) twice. This is a strong emphasis on Reading and Learning and gaining knowledge for humanity.
He has also mentioned Qalam (the Pen), which signifies writing knowledge you have Learnt (‘Alam-ma). This knowledge will then allow people to Read (Iqra’) that knowledge to benefit themselves and humanity and future generations. Allah swore by the Qalam [the Pen and what it writes] in surah Qalam (68:1). Which shows its greatness in the sight of Allah.
The pen is a means of preserving knowledge, and this is why He honors it, and He makes His angels preserve records of our actions through the use of the Pen.
Qns) Why do Allah chose to reveal these verses first and not about Sholat, fasting or zakat?
Ans) If we do not read, write or learn, how do we know about life? As a human being, we are prepared to receive the knowledge.
Verse 5
:عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ
AAallama al-insana ma lamyaAAlam
[He] taught the human what he could not know/did not know.
To avoid arrogance, we must internalize that all knowledge is from Allah.This knowledge was the Revelation (wahy). Allah’s Messenger was the first student of this knowledge, and then the teacher who conveyed it to mankind.
‘ilm [knowledge], qalam [pen], iqra‘ [Read] - these are the last words you would associate with an illiterate person who cannot read or write.
Verse 6 to 19:
كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ
Kal-laa inna al insana la yatgha
No! [But] indeed, man, surely he transgresses
أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ
an-ra’aahu as-staghna
Surely he sees himself self-sufficient.
إِنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ الرُّجْعَىٰ
Inna ilaa rabbika arrujAAa
Indeed, to your Master is the return
.أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يَنْهَىٰ
Araayta alladhee yanha
Have you seen the one who forbids
عَبْدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰ
AAabdan idha salla
A slave when he prays
?أَرَأَيْتَ إِن كَانَ عَلَى الْهُدَىٰ
Araayta in kaana AAala alhuda
Have you seen if he was upon guidance
أَوْ أَمَرَ بِالتَّقْوَىٰ
aw amara bit-taqwaor
commands with God consciousness/fear of God/Allah
.أَرَأَيْتَ إِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
Araayta in kadhdhaba watawalla
Have you seen if he lied against you and turns away
-أَلَمْ يَعْلَم بِأَنَّ اللَّـهَ يَرَىٰ
Alam yaAAlam bi-anna Allaha yara
Does he not know that surely Allah watches [him]?
كَلَّا لَئِن لَّمْ يَنتَهِ لَنَسْفَعًا بِالنَّاصِيَةِ
Kalla la-in lam yantahi lanasfaAAan binnasiya
No! surely If he does not desist, surely We will drag him by the forelock
-نَاصِيَةٍ كَاذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ
Nasiyatin kaadhibatin khaati-a
A lying, sinning forelock.
فَلْيَدْعُ نَادِيَهُ
FalyadAAu nadiyah
Then let him call his associates
;سَنَدْعُ الزَّبَانِيَةَ
sanad’u az-zabaaniyah:
We will soon call the security guards.
كَلَّا لَا تُطِعْهُ وَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِب
Kalla la tutti’hu wasjud waqtarib
No! Do not obey him. But prostrate and draw near [to Allah ].
Wasjud waqtarib – prostrate and gain closeness [to Allah] – worship is based on knowledge. Worship is done when you gain knowledge and understanding. And knowledge should become action which gets you close to Allah.Reflection on Abu Jahal:Abu Jahl encouraged harm against Allah’s Messenger and also fought against Allah’s Messenger in war, and got killed in Badr as a result. So when he was dying, he said to Abdullah ibn Mas’ud – “Cut me here on the neck, so when they see my severed neck, they know it was a tribal leader who got killed.” He had alot of arrogance and pride within himself.ignorant, arrogant, rebellion, all these are attributes used to describe the denier. What we learn is that knowledge should bring humility / humbleness. Shaykh Waliyullah ad-Dhahabi: When a tree has more fruits, its branches come down. More fruits of knowledge should make you lower yourself like the branches.
Abu Jahl was astray from Islam due to the 2 above reasons;
Ignorance and Arrogance. His ignorance to the message, and his arrogance which led to his rejection of it.Allah will grab him by by his lying, sinful forelock.